“You wound me. I thought I had Solomon’s cheekbones.”
A ghost of a smile crossed her lips.
Then she did something that made my brain short-circuit completely.
She put on the jacket.
Myjacket.Myclothes. Onherbody.
The sleeves hung past her fingertips and the hem fell to her thighs, swallowing her whole, and my wolf was howling inside my skull.
I gripped the bedsheets to keep myself from crossing the room and doing something incredibly stupid.
She pushed her hair behind her ears and crossed her arms over her chest, completely unaware of what she was doing to me. Or maybe not completely unaware. There was a glimmer in her eyes.
Craving. Curiosity.
“Can I ask about your tattoos?” She suddenly asked.
“Sure.” My voice came out rougher than intended. A bit teasing as I slowly smirk. “You can even get a closer look.”
A mischievous smile tugged at her mouth. Knowing of my hint, matching what I was thinking. Mira walked toward me and my heart rate kicked up with every inch of distance she closed.
She stopped in front of me. Close enough to touch.
I sat up properly, looking up at her. Waiting, letting her decide.
“I haven’t seen those letters before,” she said, her eyes tracing the ink that covered my arms and chest. “It’s a different language. Is it ancient?”
I reached out and took her hand. Her skin was soft, warm, and her pulse jumped beneath my fingers. I brought her palm to my chest and pressed it flat against the symbols that decorated my ribs.
“This?” I dragged her hand slowly across the ink, letting her feel every line. “It is an ancient language. Not from here. You wouldn’t know it. Most people won’t.”
Her fingers moved on their own now, tracing the patterns with a curiosity that was doing very specific things to my body. The towel was getting uncomfortable, straining against the effect she had on me.
“What does it mean?” Her voice had gone breathy. Intimate in a way that made my blood heat.
I let her explore. Let her map the patterns while I watched her face, memorizing every microexpression.
“Some symbols from battles,” I said. “Some names of comrades. And some names of our... pack.”
Her eyes lifted to mine. “Pack?”
“Family.”
We stared at each other. The space between us had gone electric. I could hear her heartbeat, fast and unsteady. Could smell the shift in her scent, sweetness deepening into want.
“I know it’s not the time,” I heard myself say, “but you look so fucking hot wearing my jacket right now, Mira.”
Her breath caught. A flush spread across her cheeks, but she didn’t step back. Didn’t break eye contact. If anything, she leaned closer, drawn in by the same gravity that had been pulling us together since the moment we met. The first time, and the second time.
“You like what you’re seeing, Percival?”
My full name in her mouth. It hit me low in the gut, want twisting into a feeling that bordered on pain.
“Yes,” I managed. “Very much.”
I tipped my head up slowly. Testing. Giving her every chance to pull away.
