Liz’s expression softened. “If he was one of those people, he would never have signed up for this. And if it helps, he does it too.”
“Does what?”
“Looks at you like you hung the moon. Leans into you like a sunflower chasing the sun. Tracks your every move. Touches you without realising it. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s feeling the bond as well. He just doesn’t know it.”
Cooper thought about the way Nate’s hand had sought out his in the car, how he’d tangled their fingers in the water and the jealous expression on his face when Liz had touched Cooper’s arm.
“You know what? It does help.” He took a deep breath. “I like him, Liz, quite apart from the bond. He’s funny, and he’s smarter than he gives himself credit for and the things he does with his—”
“Aaand this is where I invent an excuse not to hear any more details of your sex life,” Liz said, holding up a palm. “Go see your boy. And figure out how to convince him that you’re it for him, like he is for you, before your contract expires and his profile opens up for other bids.”
“No.”The low growl rumbled out of Cooper unbidden at the thought of anyone else getting their hands on his Nate. “Take him off the site.”
Liz raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on his forearm. “Calm down, Cooper. I can’t de-list his profile without his permission, but nobody’s touching your boy. If you need more time to tell him, we can just extend your contract.”
The fist of dread in Cooper’s chest unclenched at that.Yes.He’d suggest that Nate sign on for more time while he courted him for real. And when the time was right, he’d explain about mates, and ask Nate to come home with him—for good.
* * * *
The elevator seemed to take forever, and Cooper found himself tapping his foot with barely suppressed impatience. He knew that the strength of his urge to be close to Nate was temporary and, like the flush of new love, would fade with time, but for now, it was almost overwhelming. He wanted to be near Nate—to touch him, hold him and claim him—and he had to remind himself that the smart movewasn’tto burst through the door of their suite, declare his devotion and whisk Nate away like a fairy-tale princess. Not after one day.
No, he’d bide his time.
When he entered the suite, Nate was sprawled on the bed naked, sand still on his calves and bare feet, one arm thrown over his head. His eyes were closed and he looked utterly at peace. Cooper couldn’t have stayed away if he’d wanted to. He stripped out of his own beach gear before sitting on the edge of the bed and leaning down to kiss Nate’s cheek.
Nate scrunched his nose and squirmed before opening one eye. When he saw Cooper, his face split in a smile, and he propped himself up on his elbows. “Oh, hey! I was waiting for you so we could shower the sand off together.”
“Mmmm. A shower does sound good.” Cooper plopped down on the bed next to Nate and rolled so he was hovering over him on his elbows, caging him in, and leaned forward for a kiss as he savoured the heat of Nate’s skin against his where they were pressed together.
Nate wrapped his arms around Cooper’s neck and kissed him back. He tasted of the ocean and arousal, and Cooper’s cock twitched at the heady combination. Nate pulled back and glanced down between their bodies, grinning, at the same time as his erection thickened against Cooper’s thigh. “Maybe before we shower, you could get me dirty?” he said, rolling his hips.
“Yes,”Cooper growled low in his chest, and Nate’s eyes went dark. Cooper pulled him in for another kiss before working his way down Nate’s body, tugging and teasing at his nipple piercing, tracing over his tattoos with his tongue, mouthing at the soft skin of his belly, tasting every inch of ocean-salted skin that he could reach. When he reached Nate’s now-straining cock, he licked the tip before raising his head. The floor-to-ceiling windows caught his eye, and he said, “I want to fuck you against the glass, baby.”
“Absolutely not,” Nate said, struggling up onto his elbows. “There’s no way that glass is safety-rated for that, and I’m not ending up inThe Bell Tower Timesas ‘Naked Man in shattering sexual experience at the Ritz.’”
“It’s safe. It’s double glazed,” Cooper pointed out, his mind filled with images of Nate plastered against the glass as Cooper fucked him in front of the whole city, cementing his claim.
“It’s not werewolf glazed, though,” Nate said, the corner of his mouth twitching, and Cooper justknewhe was thinking back to their first time together.
“Oh, you want a glazed werewolf?” Cooper said, raising an eyebrow and grinning. Then he took Nate’s cock all the way into his mouth.
Nate gave a shout, his back arching, and Cooper’s mouth flooded with the tang of pre-cum. He sucked at Nate’s cock, head bobbing and throat working as he took Nate deep. He didn’t slow down until Nate was shaking, tiny tremors running through his entire frame—and when Natedidcome, Cooper didn’t swallow. Instead he pulled off and, closing his eyes, let the warm stripes of cum hit his face and neck as he wrapped a hand around Nate’s shaft and milked him dry.
Nate collapsed back against the bed, breathing hard. When he looked at Cooper through heavy-lidded eyes, his pupils were blown wide. “Fuck, why is seeing you marked up like that so hot?”
“Maybe you like claiming me as yours,” Cooper said, before licking the cum off his bottom lip.
Nate’s breathing hitched. “Fuck, yeah. That’s probably it.”
He reached over and ran a thumb down Cooper’s cheekbone, through the mess there. “Jesus, seeing you like this makes me want you inside me. Like, right now.”
“My pleasure, baby,” Cooper purred, while his wolf danced with joy at the thought that Nate wanted to claim him.
He didn’t waste time, opening Nate up with slick fingers and sliding inside in one smooth stroke. It was like coming home. The velvet softness of Nate’s insides as Cooper rutted into him, combined with the littleunh-unh-unhsounds he made with every thrust, drove Cooper wild with the need to claim him. He gave into the urge to lean in and suck at the soft skin on the curve of Nate’s neck, nipping at the spot where his claiming bite would go.
Nate let out a broken moan, his arse clenching reflexively, and it had Cooper’s balls drawing up tight. He gripped Nate around the waist and fucked into him once more,hard, and seconds later his release hit him like a freight train. His hips stuttered and that familiar lightning raced down his spine, pleasure washing over him and his cock pulsing as Nate moaned and gasped under him in a way that was nothing short of intoxicating.
After he’d ridden out the aftershocks, Cooper buried his face in the crook of Nate’s neck and rolled them to their sides. Nate squirmed when Cooper’s softening cock slipped out of him while Cooper soaked up their combined scents. He would have been happy to stay there in a tangle of limbs, except the cum on his face was starting to feel decidedly unpleasant as it dried.
