Page 37 of The Wolf Prince's Mate

six

CLAY

After the conversationwith 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.

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