Page 83 of The Wolf Prince's Mate

It worked.

Before he let me ink him, I hadn’t thought he was a man I could ever imagine myself with. He was too… pretty. Perfect. Upbeat.

I knew him better, now.

The perfection was just a front. A shield, to hide his darkness.

And I shouldn’t have wanted to pry that shield back to face his darkness, but I did.

He took the seat next to mine, and looked at me without lifting his finger to the button that would turn his car on. “Are you still sure about this?”

“Yep.”

“You know we’re going to drive by the crash site, right?”

“I don’t remember the crash, so I don’t think it’ll trigger me.”

Clay’s jaw tensed for a moment.

The wolf flashed in his eyes again.

I’d never seen him so controlled by the beast, and I was just a little bit fascinated.

Finally, Clay turned the vehicle on. “If you need to stop, tell me. I don’t mind.”

“Thank you.”

“Mmhm.” He backed out of the parking space, and I looked over my shoulder, checking the back seat.

Empty.

I was fine. Everything was fine.

Clay offered me a hand as he pulled out of the lot and onto the dirt road. I ignored it for a few moments, but as the vehicle accelerated, I finally grabbed it and held on tight. He maneuvered his fingers so they parted mine, and I gripped tighter.

“If you need your hand—” I started, and he squeezed my palm.

“I’ve been around a long time, Gorgeous. I can drive with one hand. If I can’t, I’ll let you know.”

Nodding, I forced myself to continue breathing normally. “When did I forget that you’re old as shit?”

“Probably when you rode my fingers in that seat a few weeks ago.”

I sputtered a laugh. “Don’t be an ass.”

“I happen to like asses. Particularly yours. By the way, I vaguely remember seeing part of one of your tattoos curl over your right cheek, and it’s been bothering me ever since. What is it? I was too overwhelmed by the rut to notice.”

“A rose.”

His chest rumbled. “I need a better look.”

“Then I guess you’ll have to come up with a way to convince me to strip.”

“I’m up for the challenge.”

I had no doubt that he was.

“Silas was the one who did all of your tattoos, right?” Clay asked.

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