Page 140 of Shameless Royalty

I swallow hard, tilting my head slightly, letting him have more of me, letting myself give him this.

“You make me feel safe, Connor,” I murmur, my voice. “Even when I hated you, even when I wanted to pretend none of this meant anythin’… I never feared you.”

Connor stills, his breath hot against my skin. I take another breath, gathering myself, pressing forward because I don’t want to stop now.

“And I’m glad it’s you,” I admit, my fingers flexing against his back. “I’m glad you have all my firsts. I’m glad you’re the one who gets all of me.”

A groan rumbles low in his throat, his hands tightening on me, his body tensing like I just wrecked him. I wait for him to say something, to break the moment, to joke or deflect or push—but he doesn’t.

He just breathes against my throat, his hands splaying across my ribs, holding me there like I’m something fragile, something he can’t fucking believe he gets to touch.

“Babyface,” he whispers, “I swear to God, if you keep talkin’ like that, I’m gonna lose it.”

I close my eyes for a second, my chest tight, my throat aching, and before I can stop myself, before I can swallow the words down like I should, I whisper, “I don’t know what you see in me.”

Connor freezes and his grip tightens just slightly, just enough for me to feel it. Then he lifts his head, staring down at me, his green eyes dark, and filled with something I don’t have a name for.

“What?” His voice is rough and raw, like I just said the most insane thing he’s ever heard.

I shift slightly under him, suddenly feeling too exposed, too open. “I mean, I—” I swallow hard, licking my lips. “I just don’t get it. What do you see in me, Connor?”

His expression twists like the words physically pain him.

Then, before I can even process what’s happening, he grabs my face, his hands framing my jaw, his thumbs brushing against my cheekbones. His chest is rising and falling too fast, his breathing uneven, like he’s furious I even asked.

“What do I see in you?” he repeats, his voice quieter now, but no less intense. He shakes his head, his grip tightening just slightly. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me, Malachi?”

I blink, caught off guard by the sheer emotion in his voice. Connor exhales sharply, like he’s trying to collect himself, trying to hold himself back, but he’s failing.

“I see everythin’ in you,” he says, his voice shaking with conviction. “I see the smartest, sharpest little brat I’ve ever met. I see someone who fights, even when he’s been beaten down, even when the whole fuckin’ world tried to break him.”

His fingers tighten as his eyes burn into mine. “I see someone who had every reason to turn into a bitter, heartless bastard but didn’t. You care even when you don’t want to. You feel things deeper than anyone I’ve ever met. You act like you don’t need anyone, but you letmein.” His breath hitches, his jaw clenching. “And that? That fuckin’ ruined me.”

My heart slams against my ribs, my throat going tight, my entire body feeling like it’s melting under the weight of his words. “These eyes got me the first time I saw them; I just didn’t know how deep I would fall.”

He shakes his head, eyes locked onto mine. “So don’t you dare ask me what I see in you, Babyface. I see my fuckin’ future in those blue eyes of yours, and I’m never lookin’ at anyone else again.”

I don’t know if I’m breathing anymore. I don’t know if my heart is even beating anymore. All I know is him. His hands on me. His weight pressing me into the bed. His words sinking into my skin like a brand, like a vow.

And I can’t stop the way my lips twitch, the way my chest aches with something too big to hold.

I huff out a breath, my hands sliding up his arms, curling around his wrists as I tilt my head slightly. “Christ, you’re dramatic,” I murmur. “I was just fishin’ for compliments.”

Connor growls, his grip tightening on my jaw. “You little shite—”

I smirk, feeling some of the weight ease, feeling the warmth take over.

Then I arch a brow, dragging my nails lightly over his wrists, watching the way his jaw clenches, the way his breath catches. “Now will you kiss me again, you bastard?”

Connor’s face splits into another grin so bright before he crashes his mouth onto mine, and everything else disappears.

Chapter 55

Connor

Themorningsunfeelsdifferent today. Brighter. Warmer. Maybe it’s just me—hell, it probably is. But walking the grounds of the Crown Suites today feels like walking in a whole new fucking place.

I’ve walked this place a thousand times before, with an arrogant swagger and cocky smirk, knowing exactly who I am and exactly what I can do. But now? Shit, now, it feels like I’ve got something else.

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