Page 6 of The Wolf Prince’s Mate (Marked Beneath the Moon #2)

six

CLAY

After the conversation with Nova that didn’t go anything like I wanted it to, I gave her space for a few days.

She seemed shaken up, and I figured she’d be more ready when she’d had some time to breathe.

So, I scheduled a late afternoon appointment with her receptionist for a tattoo consultation about a week after heat. We’d been talking about a leg sleeve for a while, and it was time to choose a design.

And time to talk about what I’d been itching to bring up.

When I met Nova in her studio, she was eating a cut apple that smelled like lemon juice—and she looked tired.

I sat on the edge of the long table she had set up, probably ready for her next appointment. “The bags under your eyes really make the green pop, Gorgeous.”

She scowled at me.

It was true, though. The color looked brighter against the dark circles of her exhaustion. She was stunning, even when she was wiped out.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

If she was having a hard time sleeping because of what we’d done…

Well, then I was in trouble.

Because I wanted to do it again.

And again.

And again.

“I’m fine,” she said.

“You always say that.”

“It’s always true.”

I lifted an eyebrow, and her scowl deepened as she held a hand out for the sheets of paper I was holding.

I gave them to her. “No word from your stalker, right?”

“No. Hunter’s tightened security seems to have worked.” She spread the papers out over the small table in the corner of her studio. Most of the artists worked in a large room together, but she had her own space. Her security team required it.

“I’m thinking we go with the forest.” I gestured to one of the pages. She’d left me with a few different ideas about directions we could take the piece in.

She studied the pictures, her gaze lingering on the leftmost one. It was similar to the ink on my existing sleeve. Too similar to put on my leg, I thought.

“You look like you’re thinking, Gorgeous.”

“Sometimes you just need to stop talking, Savage.” She picked up the forest sketch and lifted it toward my leg, her expression growing analytical. I’d worn shorts, to give her better access in case she needed it. It was just a consultation, but she had drawn directly on my skin before when I was considering a design.

“You were staring at the other one. Think it would look better?”

“No. I was just brainstorming.”

“Brainstorming what?”

Nova shot me an exasperated look.

I’d never seen her so exhausted.

I wanted to ask why, but that had already gone terribly. I obviously wasn’t going to be bringing up my friends with benefits idea the way I had been planning to.

I captured her hand and squeezed it before letting go. “I trust your judgment. Just tell me.”

Nova sighed, and gestured to my shirt. “Take it off.”

“You want me naked again, huh?”

She glowered at me.

The woman wasn’t in the mood for joking around at the moment.

I undid the top few buttons quickly, and eased the fabric over my head. Turning back to her table, she picked up the sketch again and trimmed it down. When she waved me over to the mirror, I followed her.

Her touch was light as she lifted my inked arm and placed the sketch on my side. The top was only an inch or so away from the end of my existing tattoo, and it didn’t take much imagination to see how the ink could connect.

“I think it would look good,” she said, studying my body closely.

The way she watched me made me hard. I hoped my jeans would hide my erection, because she wasn’t in the mood to see evidence of how much I wanted her.

“It would look awesome,” I said, though my gaze lingered on her rather than the sketch. I’d seen enough to know she was right, and even if I hadn’t, I trusted her judgment.

“The linework alone will take a full day.” Her gaze lingered on the sketch, and she moved it around slightly, trying to decide where to put it. “I think it needs to be bigger. Might take a day and a half, unless we start early and finish late. It would be better to get all the lines done at once if you can handle the pain.”

I knew Nova well enough to be sure which option she preferred. “Let’s go with the marathon. You know I can take it, Gorgeous.”

Her cheeks flushed suddenly, and she stepped back, putting the sketch back on the table. She glanced at the clock, then handed me the ones we hadn’t gone with. “My next client will be here soon, and I need a cup of coffee. Schedule it with the receptionist.”

I captured her hand again before she could make her escape. I couldn’t seem to resist touching her, even just like that. “Let me get your coffee.”

“I already called it in.” I could smell the lie on her skin. “You know where the door is.”

Pulling her hand free, she ducked out of the room. Both of her security guys followed, blocking my exit.

She could try to keep putting space between us for as long as she wanted. Eventually, things would get back to normal.

And then I’d bring up what I really wanted.

Her .