He put his hand over Cooper’s and gave a light squeeze. “Is this why you disappeared in that shop?”
“Yeah, I snuck out the back. I wanted it to be a surprise.” Cooper removed his hand from Nate’s and sat back down as the waiter arrived with their drinks. “So you like it, then?”
“I fucking love it.” He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled his own gift bag out and placed it on the table between them. “But also it explains why the artist seemed so entertained when I got this. She must think we’re a pair of saps, buying each other gifts.”
Cooper froze, eyes wide. “You…got me a gift?” He sounded shocked.
“I saw it, and I needed you to have it,” Nate echoed. “Just because.” Cooper remained silent and Nate bit his lip, worried that he’d somehow insulted Cooper or broken some secret werewolf rule. “Is that okay? Because if it’s not I can take it back—”
“No! No, it’s fine,” Cooper said hastily, pulling the bag towards himself. “It’s wonderful.”
“You don’t know that,” Nate said, growing nervous. “You might hate it.”
Cooper lifted his gaze from the bag, and Nate saw that his face was wreathed in smiles. “Nate, do you know how long it’s been since anyone got me a giftjust because?”
Judging from the way he was still beaming, Nate guessed it had been a while. But of course, if Cooperwassome sort of mob boss, it made sense. Any gift he received doubtless came from obligation or a need to win his favour.
Except, the more time they spent together, the harder Nate was finding it to imagine Cooper as a kingpin. He wasn’t ruthless or uncaring. Hell, he’d rescued a little kid from drowning yesterday. And his phone had remained silent after that one call yesterday, so maybe he was just an investment banker, or the national head of a Tupperware division or some shit like that.
Cooper was fidgeting with the drawstrings on his gift bag, almost like he was waiting for permission, so Nate said, “Go on, open it. And if it’s shit, lie and tell me you like it anyway.”
Cooper opened the bag and drew out the ring box, stroking the lid reverently before he opened it. He drew in a sharp breath, looking from the box to Nate and back to the box again, before sliding the ring from its confines and running a thumb over the etchings. “This is—” Cooper’s throat worked as he swallowed, and he ran the heel of the hand not holding the ring over his eyes. “Shit, Nate.”
He looked overwhelmed, and Nate didn’t know what to do with that, so he deflected. “Was that,‘This is shit, Nate?’or‘Shit, this is awesome, Nate?’You’ll have to clarify so I know whether I fucked up or not.”
“Not,” Cooper said, his voice thick. “You didnotfuck up.” He slid the ring onto the third finger of his right hand, and it was a perfect fit, like it had been made for him. He gave Nate a tremulous smile and said, “So, does it make me shallow if I say that this very pretty gift makes me want to take you back to the hotel and ruin you?”
“Well, if it does, then that makes two of us,” Nate said, because the sight of Cooper wearing his gift was doing strange things to him, stirring a hunger deep in his belly. He had a sudden deep yearning to lay himself bare, expose his throat and let Cooper take charge.
He tilted his head to one side, trailed a finger down the leather string of his new pendant and said in a low voice, “You can do whatever you want with me, Coop.”
Cooper’s smile widened, became more confident, and he drained his glass in one swallow. “Drink up, baby. I need you hydrated for what I have planned.”
Nate grinned back, finished his smoothie and said, “Lead the way.”
* * * *
“Baby?” A warm hand shook Nate’s shoulder. He rolled over and blinked awake to find Cooper sitting on the side of the bed looking down at him, a fond smile on his face. Nate didn’t even remember falling asleep, but that wasn’t surprising. Cooper leaned down and kissed his cheek, running one hand through Nate’s bedhead, and warmth bloomed in Nate’s chest at the show of affection. “I ordered room service for dinner. I didn’t think you’d be up for going out.”
He was wearing a pair of cargo shorts and nothing else. Nate couldn’t help running a palm over the muscled planes of his stomach, his hand coming to rest on Cooper’s hip. “How long was I asleep?”
Cooper shrugged. “A couple of hours.” He grinned, looking far too pleased with himself. “I think I broke you, baby.”
“I think you did too. Worth it.” Nate stretched and yawned, wincing at the deep throb in his arse—a reminder of just what they’d done when they’d gotten back to the hotel.
Led by some unfathomable instinct, he’d knelt naked—except for his new pendant—at Cooper’s feet, and silently bared his throat. And Cooper?
Cooper had let the wolf out.
Nate could still feel the echo of Cooper’s cock in his arse where he’d fucked Nate like a man possessed, and Nate’s thighs burned from where he’d ridden Cooper like a mechanical bull the second time around.
The sex had been primal and unrestrained, a wild and desperate thing, and Nate had enjoyed every minute of it—but he also couldn’t see himself moving anytime soon, let alone making himself respectable for dinner.
He rolled onto his back and noted that someone had cleaned him up—Cooper, obviously—and a wave of affection washed over him for the man who was thoughtful enough to wipe the jizz off him while he slept, and considerate enough to arrange room service.
God, he wished this didn’t have to end.
His gut twisted at the realisation that he only had three more days of this before Cooper would be gone forever. It was like a bucket of cold water being thrown over him, extinguishing his good mood. He forced himself upright, chest tightening as sick anticipation filled him, his breaths shallow and forced.
