There was one ring in particular that caught his eye, captivating him. It was asleek platinum band, engraved with stylised lines denoting werewolves all the way around. He had a sudden urge to buy it for Cooper—which wasridiculous. As nice as the ring was, Cooper didn’t want or need a present from Nate.
Yet somehow, after ensuring Cooper was nowhere in sight, Nate found himself buying it anyway, and not even blinking at the price tag.
It wasmadefor Coop, and Nate was meant to give it to him—that was all there was to it.
The owner of the gallery gave a pleased smile as she put the ring in its box then put it into an organza bag. Nate guessed he’d be smiling too, if someone had just dropped the amount he had.
He slipped the bag into the pocket of his cargo shorts and looked around for Cooper, but by the time he’d circled the gallery and come back to the front desk, he was still nowhere in sight. “Your friend went outside. He was looking for you,” the owner said, still beaming.
“Thanks.” Nate stepped out through the door and found Cooper a few feet up the laneway, sitting on a bench. He waved, and Cooper’s eyes lit up. He rose to his feet with the innate grace that all werewolves possessed and held out his hand. Nate took it, unquestioning. It was like the ring—it feltright.
“Did you get lost in there?” Cooper teased.
“Uh huh. The owner was trying to persuade me to be the muse for her next sculpture, so I had to hide in a cupboard.”
Cooper hummed. “You’d look good in marble. Sleek.”
“Damn straight,” Nate said, grinning.
“Sweetheart, we both know that there’s not a single thing about you that’s straight,” Cooper shot back. Nate threw back his head and laughed.
They wandered around the city for a while longer window shopping, Nate stopping to pick up a Lotto ticket, before the heat of the day started to set in. Sweat beaded at Nate’s temples and his shirt was sticking to his back. “It’s too bloody hot for this,” he said. “Let’s sit down somewhere.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Cooper steered Nate into the closest café. Nate didn’t miss the way his hand settled in the small of Nate’s back.
He didn’t hate it.
They found a table and Cooper went and ordered them each a mango smoothie. While he was gone, Nate put his hand in his pocket to check that the ring was still there. He’d been going to give it to Cooper tonight, but he decided he’d give it to him now instead. He couldn’t wait to see Cooper’s face when he opened it.
And if he happened to fantasise how the metal would look gleaming against the tan skin of Cooper’s hand while he jacked Nate off, well, that was his business.
Cooper slipped into the seat opposite him. There was a tense set to his shoulders that hadn’t been there before. “Everything okay?”
Cooper swallowed and tugged at the throat of his V-neck, revealing tan skin and a trace of chest hair. “I, ah.”
Nate frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Cooper ran a hand through his hair. “Nothing. Nothing’swrong.I, um.” He made a frustrated sound before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a flat black rectangular box. “I hope you don’t mind but I got you something,” he said, sliding it across the table.
Nate reached out and took the box. The logo on the lid matched the one on the box in his pocket, and he ran his fingers over the edges, mouth curving into a smile. “For me?”
Cooper leaned forward in his seat, hands clasped in front of him. “I just… I saw it, and I needed you to have it. Is that okay?”
Nate thought of his own compulsion to buy the ring for Cooper and nodded in understanding. He eased the top edge of the box up, and the hinge snapped open. Nate let out a soft,“Oh,”when he saw what was nestled against the satin lining.
It was an elegant hand-crafted silver wolf’s head pendant, hanging from a braided leather cord with a small silver clasp. It was gorgeous. He lifted it from the box and held it in the palm of his hand, taking in the incredible level of detail, from the topaz stones for eyes to the individually etched hairs on the tips of the ears.
He loved it an unreasonable amount.
He held the hand with the pendant out to Cooper. “Put it on me?”
Cooper nodded, giving a pleased smile. He came and stood behind Nate’s chair and fastened the clasp. Nate would have been lying if he said he didn’t feel a little bit like Julia Roberts right then—except Cooper left Richard Gere in the dust, in his opinion. The pendant sat solid and reassuring against his throat, like a claim and a promise.
Cooper trailed his fingertips down Nate’s throat, breathing out a whispered, “Gorgeous.”
“Yeah.” Nate’s voice caught. “It is.”
“I meant you, baby,” Cooper said, and in that moment, Nate believed him utterly.
