Page 116 of Shameless Royalty

His fingers flex, then curl into fists. “That’s not—”

“It is,” I cut him off. “That’s exactly what this is.”

His breathing turns shallow, his eyes darkening. “You don’t fuckin’ get it.”

I bark out a laugh, but it’s bitter. “No, I think I do.”

His hand moves to my jaw, gripping me just enough to hold my gaze. “I need you to get it,” he says, his voice low, unsteady. “I don’t want to leave, but I have to.”

I force myself not to react, not to lean into his touch, not to let myself believe the things I want to believe. “Then go.”

His eyes flash with frustration and heartbreak tangled into one. “You’re making this harder than it has to be.”

“Good,” I whisper. “Maybe you’ll actually fucking feel it.”

His breath stutters. He looks at me for a long moment, searching, reading me like he always does. Then he curses under his breath, pulling back slightly, raking a hand through his hair. “You’re impossible.”

I let out a slow, shaky breath. “No, I’m just being realistic.”

Connor stares at me like he wants to shake me,and force me to understand something he hasn’t even put into words yet. But I do fucking understand.

I understand that I’ve been a secret since the day he kissed me. I understand that no matter how much I want to believe him when he says I’m his, I’m still a prisoner in his family’s estate, still wearing a ring that means everything to me and nothing to the world outside these walls.

I feel like a fool.

His fingers twitch against my skin before he exhales sharply, shaking his head. “This isn’t fair.”

I let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Oh, now you care about fair?”

He clenches his jaw, his green eyes flashing. “I never wanted you to feel like this.”

“Then maybe you should’ve thought about that before keeping me locked up in here,” I snap, the words cutting through the thick tension between us. “Before you gave me this.” I lift my hand, showing him the Claddagh ring. “Before you made me believe this meant something.”

Connor’s face twists, pain flickering behind his eyes before he looks away. “It does mean somethin’.”

“To who?” I demand, my voice rising now. “Because to me, it means I’m yours. But what the fuck am I to you? A kept fuckin’ secret?”

His nostrils flare. “You’re not a secret.”

I scoff, shaking my head. “Then what am I?”

His hands flex like he wants to reach for me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he curses under his breath. “I don’t know how to fuckin’ do this, Malachi.”

“That’s not my fuckin’ problem.” My voice cracks, but I don’t care. “You don’t get to claim me in private and pretend I don’t exist outside of this fucking room.”

“I’ve never pretended you don’t exist.” His voice is rough, barely controlled, and fuck, he looks wrecked, but I can’t find it in me to care right now. “You don’t fuckin’ understand what I’m trying to protect you from.”

I glare at him. “I don’t want to be protected, Connor. I want to fuckin’live.”

Something in his expression shifts, like my words just hit him somewhere deep.

I shake my head, my chest aching. “Do you even realize how fucked up this is? You go out and live your life, handle business, take on missions, and I’m just here, waiting for you like some kind of afterthought.”

His jaw tightens, his hands curling into fists. “You’re not a fuckin’ afterthought.”

I bark out another bitter laugh, shaking my head. “No? Then what am I?”

He looks at me, really looks at me, and for a second, I think he’s going to say something real, something that actually matters. But then he just exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair. “You’re mine.”

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