Page 141 of Locked in Wonderland

It suddenly felt ridiculous. A romantic gesture for a man who’d never shown the slightest interest in romance.

“I didn’t like the scar,” I admitted, stalling. “I wanted to cover it. I thought about getting a quote. Something in Latin or a line from a poem. But nothing felt important enough.”

I’d probably have rambled for another minute if Nico hadn’t already reached across and gently tugged my T-shirt aside.

His gaze settled on the raven.

“I had to lie about how old the scar was,” I said. “You’re supposed to wait at least a year before tattooing over it. And obviously it isn’t the same.”

It wasn’t.

The original had been plain black. This one shimmered with hints of green, blue, and pink beneath the light.

“I just thought...”

The words dried up when I saw the way Nico was looking at it.

Possessive.

Proprietary.

Satisfied.

“Do you like it?” I asked quietly.

His thumb traced the curve of one wing. My skin immediately offered goosebumps as a reward for the touch.

“Very much.” He lifted his gaze to mine, his thumb still stroking over my skin. “You realize what this means.”

“What?”

“That you belong to me again.”

I swallowed hard. “I don’t think I ever stopped belonging to you. I just needed time to accept it.”

“You needed me to destroy Wonderland first.”

“Maybe.” I laughed softly. “It certainly helped.”

His thumb drifted lower, brushing lightly across my nipple.

When I sucked in a breath, desire flared in his eyes. “Let’s get out of here.”

I was already off the stool before he’d finished speaking.

We left our unfinished drinks on the bar and walked out into the Berlin night without a backward glance.

Chapter Forty-three

Nico’s hotel room made every place I’d stayed over the past fortnight look like a hostel. He led me through the suite and into the bedroom, shrugging off his jacket as he walked. His T-shirt followed a moment later, both landing in an untidy heap on the carpet.

I deliberately kept my distance, determined to think with my big head instead of the little one throbbing behind my zipper. “Why did you destroy Wonderland?”

Nico glanced over his shoulder. “Do you want me to say I did it for you?”

“Only if it’s true.”

He slipped off his shoes and reached for the button on his jeans. “I did it for a lot of reasons.”