Page 43 of Her Lawless Prince

He held his breath, waiting for her to finish, scared that if he exhaled the moment would be over.

“Anything like you,” she whispered. A tear slipped down her cheek. “I’m sorry, Nyle. I feel like I betrayed you before I even knew you.”

Nyle went to her and pulled her into his arms. The smell of desert sand scented her hair from their time on Torgan’s surface. A hint of dust still smudged her cheek.

“I had no right to act with jealousy over Yevgen,” he said. “You couldn’t betray anyone. There is too much honor in you.”

“You don’t hate me for being half mated?”

By all the blessed stars, how could he resist the pull of her beautiful eyes staring up at him? How could any man be mad at a woman like her? He could no more hate her than he could wish to cut off his own arm.

“Hate you?” Nyle shook his head. “No, princess. If I had to name what I feel when I’m with you, I would say I’m amazed by you. You’re attractive and brave and strong. If I were worthy of you, I’d fall in love with you.”

Nyle could have easily said,I love you.It would have been the truth. It didn’t seem fair to put that on her, though. There was no future for them. She was a princess. He was a space bum with a jaded past. In no reality was he worthy of her.

Oh, but how he wished he were.

When this was over, she would remain on Qurilixen. He doubted her royal family would welcome him into their home, let alone their family. No part of him wanted to make that moment harder for her. It would already be torture for him when it came time to leave.

And he would have to leave. Someone needed to return to Cysgod to ensure the virus formula was destroyed before anyone got hold of that old article and went to the laboratories looking for it. Before, no one knew what they were looking for, and the dangerous trip wouldn’t have been worth it. That damned newspaper chip was like a pirate’s treasure map.

He should not hint again at loving her. Sometimes love was keeping the words inside, to forgo what one wanted for what the other person needed.

Her eyes remained on his. “What are you thinking just now? I can normally read people, but for some reason, there are moments when you’re a complete mystery.”

“I desire you,” he said.

“Well, that part is obvious.” Payton laughed. Her smile brightened her face, and it radiated over him. Her nearness pulled him like gravity, and he forever wanted to be in her orbit.

Her gaze dipped to his mouth. When she looked up at him again, her eyes had lightened with the threat of a shift.

“I desire you as well.” The glow subsided as she suppressed the animal within. Her lips parted, and she leaned closer. It was all the invitation he needed. He would always give her whatever she wanted.

His heart quickened as their lips touched. The soft movements of their mouths encouraged the sway of their bodies. Time slipped away, just as it had in the storage room.

His fingers skimmed her clothing as he looked to free her. She held his face, keeping his mouth to hers. When she pulled back to draw a heavy breath, her hands slid down his neck to rest on his shoulders.

“Take off those clothes.” Payton pushed the button to retract the couch and then pressed a second one that slid a bed from the wall. “I don’t want to lose a second.”

He obeyed. How could he not? Nyle kicked off his boots. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor.

Payton unbuckled her top and wriggled out of it. She took a deep breath. “I’m glad to be out of that thing.”

Nyle gave a half smile. “I can’t say I disagree.”

She kicked her shoes and pushed her pants down her legs. Nyle did not turn away from the show.

Payton grinned when she caught him staring. She hooked her fingers into his waistband and pulled him closer. When she kissed him, it was deeper than before. Need filled him like a darkness desperate to feel the light.

She was that light.

Payton walked him back to the bed, leading him to the edge of the low mattress. Tugging at his waistband, she swung him around so that he landed on his back with a small bounce. Almost instantly, she appeared at the end of the bed. Deft hands pulled the pants from his hips and off his legs.

She crawled forward. Her hair hid her face as she came over him. The strands tickled his legs. Each brush was a tease.

Payton kissed his inner thigh, sending a shiver over him. He reached for her, wanting her close. He slid her up his body before turning to pin her beneath him. Her legs naturally parted, and he settled between them.

Nyle took his time exploring her body, kissing her neck before moving down the valley of her breasts. He felt the heavy beat of her heart hammering beneath his mouth, and he knew she was as affected as he was by their joining. Her fingers curled into his hair as if to navigate his movements. She steered him to one nipple and then the other.

---