He’d clicked on Nathan’s complete profile to see what was sparking such interest. When he’d opened the full gallery of photos, he’d found himself unable to look away, intrigued. There had been something about Nathan, with his imperfectly styled hair and hint of stubble. Maybe it was the tan, muscled forearms, or the hint of ink peeking out of Nathan’s cuffed shirtsleeves or perhaps it was the wide, open smile that lit up his face. Whatever it was, Nathan had struck Cooper as someonereal.
Cooper—and his wolf—had wanted him, plain and simple.
So, ignoring his own rules, he’d made some calls. In a stroke of luck, it turned out that D973 was, in fact, ineligible to bid, due to an unfortunate bitcoin encounter that had left them insolvent, and for the first time ever, Cooper had taken advantage of his position within Shiftercorp. Instead of allowing the option for Nathan’s company to pass on to the next-highest bidder as per the usual operational protocols, strings had been pulled, a computer glitch manufactured, a profile and bid uploaded, and just like that, Cooper hadbecomeD973—the director’s cut, so to speak.
After that, it had just been a matter of flying from Sydney to Perth and hoping that Nathan Watson could be convinced to take a chance on a complete stranger.
Given the way Nathan was looking at him right now, it seemed Cooper’s gamble had paid off.
Liz cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. “The guidelines state that the first meeting is chaperoned.”
“Yeah, nah. We’re past that, Liz,” Nathan said, his gaze fixed on Cooper in a way that made Cooper’s wolf perk up. “First meeting’s done.”
“Agreed,” Cooper said, the hint of a growl in his voice. “We don’t need an audience for whatever happens next.”
“But what about the contract? It has to be signed,” Liz said. Cooper could sense the determination radiating from her—she was the head of West Coast Operations for a reason—and she was right, of course. The formalities had to be completed. After all, the cornerstones of the success of the SCP were visible,enthusiasticconsent from the human employees, and impeccable paperwork.
So instead of backing Nathan up against a wall and nuzzling his throat like he wanted to, Cooper dropped his hand from Nathan’s shoulder and stepped back with a sigh. “Of course. Nathan—I mean, Nate—are you happy with the standard contract?”
“Where do I sign?” Nate said, his gaze roving over Cooper’s body. Cooper could feel the chemistry crackling between them. He hadn’teverbeen this drawn to someone, and he was thrilled that the attraction was mutual.
Liz led them over to the small desk in the corner of the suite and Nate almost snatched the pen from her in his eagerness. Once he’d signed, Nate turned and handed Cooper the pen, eyes wide and lips parted. Cooper wanted nothing more than to lick into that mouth and taste his new partner.
But first things first.
He signed his name with a flourish and Liz looked between them with a knowing smile. “If you don’t need me for anything else, I’ll go and file this.” She wasted no time scooping up her copies of the paperwork and heading out of the door, then Cooper was left alone with his new boy.
He took a half-step forward so he was almost toe to toe with Nate, so close that he could see a smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose and smell the fresh mint of his toothpaste. He leaned in and, like he’d wanted to since Nate had walked in the door, buried his face in the crook of his throat, inhaling deeply. Nate’s breathing was fast, and Cooper could hear his heart racing, but his sensitive werewolf nose didn’t pick up any traces of fear in his scent. No, Nate smelled of nothing except anticipation and pure, unbridledlust.
Cooper could relate.
Nate let out a shaky breath. “That…should not be as hot as it is.” He half-moaned, tilting his head to one side.
“Uh-huh.” Cooper licked a stripe up Nate’s throat, lifted his head, and grinned. “Want me to stop, baby?”
“I didn’t say that.” Nate reached up and fumbled with the knot of his tie, and Cooper congratulated himself on giving instructions for Nate to wear a suit. Well-dressed young men were a personal weakness. While he’d suspected that Nate would scrub up well if given the chance, justhownicely he filled out his suit was an unexpected bonus. Of course, the downside was that now he was wearing far too many clothes for Cooper’s liking.
He placed a hand over Nate’s and helped tug the knot of his tie loose, slipping it over his head and flicking the top two buttons of his shirt open. The action released a wave of salt, sweat and heat from Nate’s body into the air. It was intoxicating. Cooper dropped the tie, then slid his hands inside Nate’s jacket and onto his hips, holding him in place as he leaned in and, reining in the wolf part of him that wanted toclaim, devour, consume,placed a gentle kiss on that plush, soft mouth.
Nate froze at the first touch of Cooper’s lips, but then he wrapped his arms around Cooper and kissed him back, fierce and passionate. Nate probed at the seam of Cooper’s mouth, seeking entrance with his tongue, and rocked his hips forward, his erection obvious. He slid one hand around and clutched Cooper’s arse, sending sparks up his spine.
Huh. So much for taking it slow.
Cooper smiled at the small triumph then opened his mouth to let Nate in, their tongues sliding against each other. Nate was right—this was far hotter than it should have been. They hadn’t even made it to the bedroom, and already Cooper’s cock was throbbing and his wolf was clamouring formore, mine, now.It took every scrap of his self-control to pull back, but Cooper hadn’t made it to where he was today by being rash.
He ended the kiss and took a step backward, running a hand through his hair. He let out a long breath. “So, how far are you willing to take this today?” He hoped he didn’t sound as desperate as he was, but he suspected the rasp in his voice gave him away.
Nate’s eyes were bright, and his lips were kiss-plump and swollen. He stepped back into Cooper’s space, one hand trailing down Cooper’s chest and coming to rest on his abs. “I want… God, I want anything you’ll give me.”
Relief and anticipation coursed through Cooper at the same time. “Anything?”
Nate nodded, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Yeah.” He leaned in, and Cooper took the hint and kissed him again, nipping at Nate’s bottom lip and savouring the moan it earned him. He slid one hand into Nate’s hair to hold him in place, and he didn’t miss the way Nate’s arousal spiked when he gave a gentle tug to his curls.
Nate’s mouth was all plush heat, and his scent was a heady mix of sweat and arousal. It wasn’t long before Cooper’s wolf was whining, insisting that kissing wasn’t enough. Cooper broke the kiss. “Ready for more, baby?”
“Uh-huh.” Nate nodded, and Cooper smirked at his glazed expression—although in truth, he was sure that if he checked the mirror, he’d see the same look reflected back. Everything about Nate was addictive, and Cooper wanted more of him.
He slipped his hands under the shoulders of Nate’s jacket and guided him out of it, dropping it over the arm of a chair and running his hands up and down over Nate’s chest. The muscles jumped under his touch.
