Page 112 of Shameless Royalty

I hesitate, just for half a heartbeat, before forcing myself to meet the questioning stares of the others. “Actually, while we’re on the subject of changes...” I pause again, my heart hammering hard in my chest. Fucking hell, this shouldn’t be this hard. “I’ve got somethin’ to tell you lot.”

Giovanni arches a perfectly sculpted brow, amusement dancing in his dark eyes as he lounges back, effortlessly casual. “If this is about your weird fucking obsession with Night Hunt, we already know.”

Nikolai smirks around the rim of his glass, the edge of his mouth twitching upward. “Yeah,” he drawls, voice dripping with dry humor. “You being a sadistic bastard isn’t exactly news, Cunningham.”

Rolling my eyes, I fight the urge to hurl my whiskey at their smug faces. Instead, I shift restlessly, jaw clenching as I struggle to get the damn words out. “It’s not that,” I snap, sharper than I intend.

Konstantin, tilts his head slowly, silver rings gleaming as his fingers tap against his thigh. His gaze sharpens, thoughtful and piercing, like he’s trying to read my mind. I let out another rough breath, flipping my knife absently between my fingers, the familiar, cool weight grounding me.

“I’m gay,” I finally say, blunt and unflinching. My pulse pounds in my ears, and for a few excruciating seconds, nobody fucking says a thing.

It’s not a long silence—not even awkward, really—but it feels heavy, stretching just long enough to make my heart trip painfully in my chest.

Then Nikolai shrugs casually, leaning further into his chair. “Alright.”

Giovanni gives a lazy nod, looking thoroughly unsurprised. “Makes sense.”

Konstantin blinks once, slowly, his dark eyes steady as ever. “And?”

I frown, eyes narrowing slightly as confusion wars with relief. “That’s it?”

Mihai snorts softly, flicking ash from the end of his cigarette. His eyes glitter with quiet amusement, the bastard clearly enjoying this too much. “What’d you expect, a fucking parade?”

My shoulders loosen just a fraction as I exhale the breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding. Relief floods through me, even though I’m still mildly annoyed that this isn’t going how I expected. I should’ve fucking known better; these guys—they’re my brothers, even Konstantin’s quiet arse. Of course they wouldn’t care.

But then Giovanni’s words sink back in, and my brows snap together sharply. I lean forward, whiskey glass clutched tight in one hand, and stab a finger accusingly at him. “Wait. What the fuck do you mean, ‘makes sense’?”

Giovanni smirks wider, the corners of his mouth quirking up, his expression effortlessly cocky. He leans toward me, elbows resting on his knees, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Exactly what I said. It makes sense.”

Mihai exhales a long-suffering sigh, dragging a hand down his face. “Jesus Christ, Gio, don’t fucking start—”

Giovanni ignores him entirely, eyes locked on me, smug and entertained. “Come on, Connor. You’ve always had that...” He waves a lazy hand in my direction, grinning openly now, “...I don’t know, vibe.”

I scowl deeper, flicking the knife toward him again, irritation prickling up my spine. “What fuckin’ vibe?”

He shrugs carelessly, settling back against the couch cushions, annoyingly calm. “That whole‘I could ruin you, and you’d thank me for it’energy.”

Nikolai barks out a sharp laugh, eyes crinkling with genuine amusement. “Shit, he’s not wrong.”

Konstantin finally breaks his silence, that dry smirk of his making an appearance. “You do have a certain...aura, Cunningham.”

My mouth drops open slightly as I set my glass down again with a sharp clink. My gaze snaps toward Konstantin, irritation flaring. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Giovanni laughs softly, openly enjoying my confusion now. He gestures vaguely in my direction again. “That whole broody, controlling,‘I could fuck you up in the best possible way’thing you’ve got going on? Yeah, people notice.”

I gape at him, disbelief sliding swiftly into annoyance. “People?”

Nikolai smirks wider, leaning forward conspiratorially. “You mean you didn’t know?”

“Know what, you cunts?” I snap.

Mihai lets out another deep, dramatic sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose like we’re giving him a fucking headache. He levels me with an unamused stare, though his mouth twitches with barely-suppressed laughter. “They’re sayin’ you give off strong‘Dom who likes ruining men’energy.”

For a second, I can’t even respond. I just stare at him dumbly, mouth opening and closing uselessly as heat burns along myneck. When I finally manage words, they come out strangled and pissed off. “Dom who likes ruinin’ men—what the actual fuck—”

Nikolai nudges my shoulder roughly, grinning wolfishly. “It’s a compliment, really.”

“Fuck off,” I growl, feeling my face heat further.

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