Page 134 of Perfect Liar

Will waited while his brother left the gym.

“Before we go, first I want you to see this on my arm, baby.”

I slid down the front of him to the floor.

“What is it? Have you been hurt?”

He lifted one brow, and then the corners of his mouth twitched as he extended his arm.

Sucking in a sharp breath, mouth hanging open, I stared at his arm while he stood there waiting for me to say something. I swept my fingers over his warm skin, unable to pull my eyes away from the half-sleeve tattoo on his left forearm, wondering how I could have missed it.

At the center, a dagger with a climbing rose winding around it. Even with a lot of feminine details, the design overall was still very masculine.

My name ran down the length of the blade, and he’d had it spelled the way he said it—Elle. Each letter had been crafted so artfully, appearing as if they were literally engraved onto his arm. Crimson drops of blood dripped from the tip of the blade onto his wrist, and a pretty green gem bedazzled the handle.

Finally, I moved my eyes to his.

“It’s so beautiful, Will.”

He pulled up my chin to lift my face higher.

“You’re more beautiful.”

My cheeks heated a little.

I couldn’t quit looking at his arm, couldn’t stop tracing the tattoo’s details with my fingertips, circling around the gem. Then it hit me…I recognized the shade of green.

“Is this?—”

“—the color of your eyes,” he finished.

My breath caught. I shook my head.

“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered.

“Say you love me, Elle. That’s all I’ll ever need.”

I shoved my hands into his back jeans pockets.

You’ve got this, girl.

“I do love you, Will.”

Tiny flutters tickled the walls of my stomach as he smiled with his eyes for the first time since Ethan’s death. He lowered his head, and we joined our lips, not really kissing but keeping them together.

As we entered the great hall a few minutes later, a security alarm went off.

Lissie ran shrieking down the staircase.

CHAPTER 37

I had settled Lissie in the family lounge with Chelsea and Mrs. Bates. The house alarm had frightened her, and then she had scared us all by tumbling down several stairs before Will got to her.

“Ben’s quite sure it was a false alarm,” Will said.

Ben nodded to reassure me and followed us to the war room.

Will held my hand while using his other to put his palm on the electronic entry pad.