When they landed and climbed out of the chopper, the heat of the day hit Nate full force, sweat trickling down his forehead and the back of his neck. It was somewhere in the mid-thirties, scorching hot, but since he wasn’t working in it, Nate didn’t mind too much. Nothing beat swimming in the ocean when summer was at its peak, and this was ideal beach weather.
Cooper grabbed both their backpacks in one hand and strode off, giving Nate a perfect view of his arse. Cooper had dressed down today in boardies, a singlet and thongs, yet he somehow still managed to look smoking hot. Nate wasn’t sure how he managed it. It should be illegal to look that good in board shorts, or for anyone to have calves that were that tan and lickable.
Cooper paused and turned, his raised eyebrow visible over the frames of his sunnies. “Everything all right?”
“Just appreciating the view,” Nate called back, slipping his own sunnies on and hurrying to catch up.
The smirk on Cooper’s face suggested he knew just which scenery Nate was talking about.
They made their way to the small cluster of shops and cafés at Thompson’s Bay that passed for the island settlement, joining the throng of people crowding the bakery and picking up a couple of sports drinks each, both of them laughing at the signs on the shop door prohibiting entry to quokkas.
Then they collected their bikes and snorkelling gear from the rental place, and after consulting a map, headed off across the island towards Parker Point.
Nate led the way. Coopersaidit was because he’d been here before, but Nate could feel the heat of Cooper’s gaze on him as he biked along the pathway. He suspected Cooper just wanted to appreciate his own view.
He played into it, lifting his arse off the seat and waggling it as he biked up the first hill, and stopping at the crest to put his hand on his hips and arch his back, knowing just what kind of picture he made. Cooper skidded to a stop beside him and let out a low growl. “Are you trying to get me arrested for public indecency?”
Nate grinned. “You’re not doing anything indecent, though.”
“No, but I will if you keep that up.” Cooper reached across and gripped Nate’s handlebars, then leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m serious. Stop teasing, baby.”
Nate rolled his eyes. “Fine. But telling me not to tease is pretty bloody rich, coming from the man whose arse should be illegal in those shorts.”
Cooper laughed and rode away.
It was a pleasant enough ride despite the relentless heat, and they didn’t rush, stopping along the way to take plenty of photos, but it was still as hot as balls. There were a lot more hills than Nate remembered from when he had been a kid. His singlet was sticking to his back with perspiration by the time they approached the bay, but he perked up when he saw a cluster of small, furry creatures in the shade of the low bushes, right beside the road and in the perfect spot for photos.
“Coop! Quokkas!”
Cooper stopped and dismounted, setting his bike on its stand before walking towards the animals. Nate shadowed him, phone at the ready. As Cooper approached, two quokkas hopped right up to him. He crouched down, and Nate got a halfway decent shot of him next to the animals before he straightened up again.
“Wow, they’re fearless little bastards, aren’t they?” Cooper said, fascinated.
“Oh yeah. They know they’re not in any danger.”
Cooper looked almost offended at that. “They might be. I’m an apex predator.”
“Uh-huh,” Nate said, as a quokka hopped up onto Cooper’s foot.
He wasn’t prepared when Cooper froze, a low rumble coming from him. When Nate looked from Cooper’s foot to his face, Cooper looked almost horrified, and the tips of his fangs were peeking over his bottom lip.
“Coop?”
Cooper closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were blazing gold. He glared at the creature, and Nate could have sworn that it gave a grin in response. Cooper swallowed, and through clenched teeth bit out, “Get. It. Off.”
Nate raised his eyebrows. “Really? It’s tiny.” He tilted his head, trying to make sense of Cooper’s reaction. “Are you afraid of a fuckingquokka? Because it’s cute as fuck, and you look like you’re freaking out.”
Cooper’s nostrils flared, and his hands clenched into fists at his side. “I’m not—” He exhaled, closed his eyes again and mumbled something too low for Nate to hear.
“Sorry, what?” Nate crouched down and observed the quokka as he tried to figure out what the problem was.
“I said, it’s athreat.”
“No it isn’t. You could swallow it whole—but please don’t. There are massive fines for that.”
Cooper let out a noisy sigh and ran a hand down his face. “Nate, my wolf sees that fat little fuck as a threat toyou,my companion. It’s put itself between us, which means my instincts need it gone. So either you move the fucking thing, or I punt it across the road. But either way, I want it off my foot.”
A growl escaped him, and his hands unclenched and clenched.
