Page 48 of Shameless Royalty

I shake my head, trying to break free from the weight of this moment, from the way his hands linger, from the way my fucking body reacts to him. “You kidnapped me, Connor. I don’t belong to you.”

His fingers tighten around my jaw. “Then why aren’t you fightin’ me?”

My throat works, but I don’t answer. I can’t.

His eyes darken. “You don’t have to tell me who did it, but don’t fuckin’ think for a second that I won’t find out.”

I swallow hard. Connor isn’t the type to let things go. I know that. And worse, I know that when he does find out, my father is dead.

I push at his chest again, trying to put some space between us. “You think you can protect me?” I ask, and I don’t even know why I say it, but the words spill out, anyway.

Connor’s grip on me doesn’t waver. “No,” he says. “I know I can.”

A bitter laugh escapes me. “You’re not a fuckin’ hero, Connor.”

He leans in again, lips brushing against my jaw, his breath hot against my skin. “I don’t need to be a hero,” he murmurs. “I just need to be worse than whoever hurt you.”

My mind is a whirlwind of confusion and heat, my body reacting before my brain can catch up. I’m breathless, my chest heaving as I stare up at him, wide-eyed and flushed.

Connor doesn’t leave. He stays there, hovering over me, his green eyes blazing with an intensity that feels like it’s burning right through me. My chest is still heaving, my lips swollen from the kiss, and I can’t seem to move.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me?Me,the only heir to one of the largest Syndicates in the country,” he says, his lips brushing against my neck. The softness of it makes me shiver, but it’s the raw frustration in his voice that makes my chest ache. “You’ve ruined me,mo stóirín.”

My heart pounds harder, every beat echoing in my ears as his words sink in. He presses a kiss just below my jaw, before trailing his lips lower.

“You’re all I think about,” he whispers. “All I fuckin’ want. And it’s drivin’ me insane.”

I want to say something, to tell him to stop or to keep going—I’m not sure which—but the words get stuck in my throat when his hips press against mine. The hard line of him grinds into me, pulling a sharp gasp from my lips. My hands clutch at him, like it’s the only thing keeping me grounded.

Connor chuckles, the sound vibrating against my skin. “You think you’re the only one feelin’ this? I’ve tried to cut you out, to forget about you, but the more I try, the more you fuckin’ burrow under my skin.”

I don’t answer, can’t answer, because my thoughts are a tangled mess. He grinds into me again, slow and purposeful, and I can’t help the small, broken sound that escapes me. His smirk grows wider at the noise, his lips brushing the shell of my ear sending a shiver through me.

“Connor,” I manage, my voice barely a whisper. He pulls back just enough to look at me, his green eyes burning with need. “I haven’t done anythin’.”

His breath is warm against my cheek as he lets out a disbelieving laugh. “Exactly,” he says. “And yet, here I am. A goddamn mess because of you.”

He leans down again, his lips grazing the side of my neck, right where my pulse is hammering. When his teeth graze my skin, a shiver runs through me, and I hate how much I want more.

“You’ve ruined me, Malachi, and I don’t know whether to thank you or kill you for it.”

Those words make my chest tighten and my breath catch in my throat. I don’t know how to respond, don’t know what to say that won’t make this worse—or better. And maybe that’s the problem. Maybe I don’t want it to stop.

I shake my head, forcing myself to look away. “You’re wrong,” I say, my voice low but sharp. “I haven’t ruined anythin’. I haven’t done anythin’. And I definitely don’t feel… whatever it is you think I feel.”

Connor’s smirk returns, slow and knowing, like he sees right through me. “Don’t you?”

“I don’t,” I snap, my voice louder now, though it cracks at the end. “And I’m not—”

“Not what, Babyface?” he interrupts, his green eyes narrowing as he studies me. “Not into me? Not hard because of me?”

“Both,” I say quickly, too quickly.

Connor chuckles again, and the sound sends a shiver through me that I can’t stop. “You think not sayin’ it out loud makes it go away?”

I flinch and he notices. His expression softens just slightly, like he regrets pushing too hard. But I know him well enough by now to understand that his version of soft is still made of steel.

I shake my head, frustration clawing at my ribs. “Just let it go, Connor.”

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