They sat on their spread beach towels, ate the protein bars from their backpack and drank their sports drinks. When they did go back in, they didn’t bother with the snorkels, choosing to float in the shallows, splashing each other for fun, before deciding that it was time for a late lunch.
They dried themselves and donned their shirts. When Nate noticed Jayden’s mum was also packing up, he offered to help, and she accepted with thanks. After they took a hand each, Nate helped her to swing-walk her toddler up the stairs while Cooper walked ahead with Jayden, carrying her stuff like it weighed nothing, muscles flexing under his singlet. Nate shoved down another burst of not-jealousy when he saw her checking out Cooper’s arse.
It wasn’t like he could blame her—not when he was doing the exact same thing.
They left her waiting for the island bus. He and Cooper cycled back to the settlement at Thompson Bay, taking their time. Nate snickered every time he saw a quokka at the side of the road. Cooper ignored him, eyes fixed forward.
They ate lunch at the pub. Since the weather was hot and the beer was crisp and cool, they stayed there for a while longer, drinking and talking and soaking up the relaxing vibes. Nate was enjoying himself far more than he’d hoped to when he’d first signed up for this. Cooper was quick to laugh at his jokes, throwing back his own one-liners. Was there anything sexier than a clever, funny man? Nate didn’t think so.
Nate also noted how every eye in the place seemed to be drawn to Cooper. He couldn’t help the pride that flooded him at the fact that the hottest man in the room had chosenNateto spend his Companion time with.
If this were a normal day, he reflected as he drained his glass and gathered his backpack, he would have been mixing mortar and sweating his bollocks off. But instead, here he was living the dream, spending time with a hot guy, going to the beach and sitting at the pub. Later, they’d doubtless end up having more of the best sex of his life, and Cooper would say things about Nate being special and perfect and his, in a way that made Nate’s stomach flutter and his nerves tingle in a way nobody had before.
It was just a shame it had to end.
Chapter Six
Cooper watched Nate’s mouth curl up into a tired smile as he gazed out of the window on the flight back. His wolf rumbled with satisfaction at the sight. His mate was relaxed and happy, which was as it should be.
Not that Nateknewhe was Cooper’s mate because Cooper hadn’t told him yet, because he was a fucking coward. In his defence, it wasn’t exactly the kind of news he could drop over a pint. Cooperdidintend to tell him though…just as soon as he told him the other thing.
His lips thinned as he considered his options. Might it be better to tell Nate they were mates first? Then maybe it would be easier to explain why he’d somehow failed to mention that he was the CEO of the Shiftercorp Companion Programme. And depending how Nate took the news, he might even be able to gloss over the fact that he’d…notcheated, exactly, in his bid to win Nate for himself…but hehadtaken advantage of his position to make things go his way.
Maybe if he explained that he’d felt an undeniable pull when he saw Nate’s profile, and that it was after the original bidder had fallen through that Cooper had felt compelled to make Nate his partner, Nate might even find it romantic.
And the thing was, it was true.
Once Cooper had seen Nate’s picture, he’d been unable to shake the image of him. And when the first contract had fallen through, the chance to make Nate his, even for a week, had been irresistible.
He’dneededNate as his companion, so he’d made it happen.
To her credit, Liz, his Perth Head of Operations, had been nothing but professional when he’d called her and told her he intended to acquire Nate for himself, and he didn’t care what it took. While she’d agreed to organise a meeting, and even to play along with the fiction of Cooper being a random bidder, she’d also let Cooper know in no uncertain terms that she thought he should tell Nate the truth. She had reminded him that if Nate wasn’t interested, then it didn’t matter if Cooper was God himself, the partnership wouldn’t go ahead.
He’d always liked Liz and admired her combination of warmth and practicality. In fact, he’d been so impressed at the backbone she’d shown in her insistence at sticking to the SCP guidelines that he’d arranged a salary increase to show his appreciation.
Luckily, Nate had been willing to give Cooper a chance, and now, after a single day and night together, Cooper couldn’t imagine his life without Nate in it.
And now that his wolf had made him aware that Nate was hismate,the one person who could spark a fire in his belly and make his protective instincts come roaring to the fore—fuck, had Cooper threatened to kick aquokka?—he was faced with the question of how, and when, to tell Nate the truth.
The impatient, animal part of him wanted to shout it from the rooftops right now, claim Nate for his own before anyone else got a chance—but the sensible, strategic part of himself knew that he was better to wait, to spend this week convincing Nate that he wasn’t just some blow-in who was here for a quick fuck.Thentell him that he wanted more.
As the helicopter descended, Nate flashed him a bright smile, and Cooper’s heart clenched with possessiveness. He wondered if Nate felt the pull between them as well—some humans could, although it was rare.
Gods, he hoped so. It would make everything so much easier.
Once they landed, a car took them back to the hotel and satisfaction washed over Cooper when Nate reached out for his hand. Cooper let their palms rest together, and Nate gave him a crooked grin. His hair was a windswept mess, his cheeks were ruddy and his skin sparkled with traces of salt and sand.
Cooper wanted to devour him.
The car pulled in at the hotel and they got out. Nate’s eyes were bright as he stretched, showing off a strip of belly skin in a way thathadto be deliberate, and said, “I’m exhausted after all that swimming. I think I need a nap.”
Cooper didn’t need to hear the skip in Nate’s heartbeat to know that it was a lie. The scent of lust was rolling off him in waves. “That so, baby?” he murmured, leaning in close as they made their way towards the bank of elevators, their boardies and sand-filled thongs incongruous among the marble grandeur. “Maybe I’ll join you.”
“Mmm, yes please,” Nate said as he made a show of looking Cooper up and down. “That would be—”
“Mr Hudson?”
Cooper’s head snapped around at Liz’s voice. She was sitting on a small couch dwarfed by the vast foyer, a picture of elegance in a stylish summer dress with her ankles crossed, and she was holding a clipboard. She stood and walked over to them, expression apologetic. “I’m so, so sorry to interrupt your time together. I tried calling, but I got no reply.”
