Monthly Bonus Content #1—The Perfect Date…well, nearly! (Nate PoV) (Patreon)

Sun pours across the green, spreading its golden light to encompass the whole of the curved lawn that spreads out from the forest to houses at the bottom of the hill.

Perfect date weather.

Birds tweet their tiny little hearts out around us, the gentle breeze caressing the trees’ canopy overhead, and whistles of crickets in the bushes create a chorus around us.

Perfect date soundtrack.

Nate looks wholly at ease in his worn, brown leather jacket, the check shirt beneath open to reveal a moss green t-shirt that stretches across his muscled torso. A smile sits on his lips that has a constant stream of happiness whirling through my body, as peaceful as the babbling brook which bubbles over rocks beside us.

Perfect date partner…You know, if this was the date it was supposed to be.

“This isn’t exactly what I pictured our weekend to be like,” I groan, hefting a box of surveillance equipment from the back of my small car. The vehicle seems to let out a sigh at having been relieved of the weight of it.

Nate’s expression creases. “I’m sorry, [Name]. It wasn’t exactly what I’d had in mind either.” He eyes the laptop I’ve set up in the open boot of the SUV parked beside my car, shakes his head, and decides to help me unpack instead of dealing with that.

The two cars are mostly hidden by thicket, out of sight of any nosey residents from the houses below (and I can think of at least three—I’m pretty sure Mr. Trevino lives behind his binoculars). But they’re not exactly inconspicuous to any walkers who might pass us by.

“And how exactly are we supposed to explain all of this to anyone who wanders on by?” I ask, voicing my thoughts as I lay down the box and begin digging out the necessary cables to hook up the small set-up of tech beeping and flashing at me.

“Ah,” Nate replies, holding up a hand as his eyes shine. “I’ve got that covered.” He rushes to the front of the SUV and yanks open the door. I let him continue on with his task, as I tether the monitors together, sorting out the slight static that buzzes across the screens before they finally settle.

When Nate appears at my side again, he has a cream linen wrapped package in one arm and a beautifully sewn, gold-embellished backpack in the other.

I eye the items before flicking my gaze back up to his. “What is it?”

“It’s camping equipment,” he states, a small frown creasing between his brows as he looks at the items to apparently check he has the right ones.

I bite at my lip to stop a chuckle. “Really? And just how much did that backpack cost?”

“I purchased it for the quality of the workmanship. It will last years,” he defends.

“Not once it gets damp with morning dew it won’t.” I tap at my lips, really struggling to contain my laughter now. “Have you actually been camping before?”

Obvious memories sweep a bright smile across his face. “Of course.”

“In the woods?”

His posture slackens as he glances away. “Well…no. It was at someone’s estate…and the tent was equipped with the essentials.”

“Essentials like?” I press.

“Electric. Plumbing. A small wardrobe.” His admission is barely more than a mumble.

My gaze drifts back to the backpack. “It doesn’t look like you managed to pack a generator in that bag.”

“Well, it will only be for a night to act as a cover story anyway,” he says with a shrug. “We’re having a romantic camping break. Just the two of us.”

“And Redland Topher’s mother,” I remind him, sweeping my hand out towards the monitors where a white-painted, adorable cottage-style house is captured on the screen. Redland Topher has been a pain in the Agency’s side for quite some time, but he knows how to stay hidden—by staying in the limelight.

The only way to get any information on the well-known businessman, who normally remains safely out of reach in the Big City, is to catch him where he’s vulnerable. And a trip to see his ageing mother might just be that ticket.

Unfortunately, the rest of Unit Bravo are covering patrols, and we were the only two left at last minute to cover the surveillance mission. Even after we’d planned a blissful weekend for just the two us.

Not that I’m bitter about it or anything.

Well, maybe just a little.

Nate sets the linen bag and backpack down onto the ground—doing a very good job at not wincing when dirt already stains the cream fabric—and closes the gap between us.

He brushes the back of his fingers against my cheek, and my body softens instantly at his touch. “I know you’re disappointed. I am too, more than you can imagine. But I hope we can make the most of what we do have.” He leans forward and kisses my forehead, pulling away with a smile. “And that is still time with each other.”

I both hate and love the way he can lift my mood with a few words and a kiss.

“You’re right,” I admit with a sigh, stepping closer and wrapping my arms around him. “Any second I can take with you is worth it.”

“Oh, such a sweet talker,” he purrs, curling his finger beneath my chin as his gaze dips to my lips. They part as if in command to his attention.

“I learn from the best,” I reply, leaning forward to show my eagerness.

A smirk curls one corner of his mouth. “And who knows, maybe Redland will decide not to turn up at all. Think of all the free time we’ll have to fill.”

His warm breath washes over me as he nears and once more my body reacts. He draws emotions from me I never thought possible, heightens senses I didn’t know I had, excites me in ways I’m desperate to explore.

His eyes fall closed, but I keep mine open a moment more to savour the sight of him.

His soft moan echoes between us before his lips even touch mine, but I only get to taste a whisper of them before we both realise it wasn’t a moan at all but a buzzing.

We draw apart, the distaste of disappointment leaving a sourness across my tongue, and we look towards the surveillance monitors.

“…Redland,” Nate sighs. “Of course, he’d turn up now.”

“And we hadn’t even set up the tent yet,” I comment, deciding it’s better to laugh than give into my annoyance—which will have me marching right down the hill to clap Redland in handcuffs just to get back to mine and Nate’s moment.

Nate tugs me up against him and kisses a slow line from my jaw to my lips. A hollowness aches within me at the quick contact as I’m left wanting more.

“I guess we better get to work,” he mumbles.

I try to draw in a breath through my heavy lungs. “I suppose we should.”

We don’t move away from each other for at least another minute.