Page 63 of Her Lawless Prince

Payton pressed her lips tightly together.

“Someone needs to be held accountable,” he stated. “No matter how much I want things to be different, this isn’t some story we get to make up. It’s reality. Everything is bigger than the two of us.”

Payton hated that he was right. She started to nod but failed. “Bigger than what we want.”

“I’ve always known I was on borrowed time. If I could change the past, I would. All I want is to offer you everything.” Nyle’s hand finally made contact with her. He cupped her cheek. “Even if the Federation doesn’t hold me accountable, the Cydgodian people will as they should. They need closure. I need the nightmares to end.”

She hated the picture he painted of reality. She didn’t want to think about it. She wanted to run. Her leg twitched, and she felt the forest calling her. They could disappear and hide there.

“Maybe there’s hope,” Payton whispered. “A way we can’t see.”

“Sure.” His sad smile said he didn’t believe it. “Maybe.”

They were lying to each other.

His hand remained on her cheek. She couldn’t bring herself to sever the contact.

Payton forgot about the guards, about thoughts of duty and honor. Instead, she remembered what it felt like to be trapped alone on the ship without him, isolated and desperate.

“You once told me if you were worthy of me, you would fall in love with me,” she said.

“I was wrong.” Nyle brought a second hand to her cheek. “I am not worthy of you, Princess, and I have fallen in love with you anyway.”

“That’s good because I’ve fallen in love with you too, Nyle.” Payton took hold of his shirt and pulled him toward her. “I need you to kiss me. I don’t want to think of or feel anything else. Right now, I just want you to kiss me.”

His thumb ran across her bottom lip, causing her to shiver. “As you command.”

Their lips joined, but it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. Her hands needed to feel him.

Payton tugged his shirt over his head, resisting the urge to claw it off like a wild animal. Nyle tossed it aside before scooping her up into his arms. He carried her toward the bed, between the curtains, to deposit her onto the soft mattress.

She crawled back into the shadowed cocoon of the enclosed bed. He quickly undressed. She watched the seductive show through the part in the curtains.

Payton ran a claw down her chest and stomach, cutting open the shirt without nicking her skin. She pulled it off like a jacket before pushing the pants from her hips. The silken covers caressed her naked flesh.

“Come here,” she ordered, beckoning him onto the bed.

Nyle obeyed, crawling toward her. The mattress sunk with the weight of his hands, causing her to rock gently back and forth. She felt his heat before she felt his skin brushing up against her.

“I wish I had the power to lock us in this very moment.” He gave her a soft kiss.

Payton chuckled. “You might want to wait a few seconds. The next moment’s going to be even better.”

She ran her foot along his calf before hooking his thigh to pull him down against her. The intimate contact with his body caused her to gasp. She wanted to touch everywhere at once. Her legs moved up and down his. Her hands explored his chest and shoulders before her fingers threaded through his hair.

Their lips met, tongues frantically moving as if they could consume each other. Desperate pleasure erupted under each caress. It would be easy to forget the outside world when everything inside their little fortress was perfection, but the threat of it loomed, shining in on them like light from the parted curtains.

Payton wished she could freeze time and keep them in this moment. She didn’t want to lose him. She didn’t want to have to choose between love and everything else.

Nyle entered her slowly as if to prolong the experience. His eyes gazed down into hers. The light outlined his head, but her shifter vision easily cut through the shadows to fully take in his expression.

The slow pace could not last. They rocked together, harder with each thrust, seeking to fulfill that raw, primal need. As much as she wanted to stop time, her body wanted the exact opposite. All the stress and worry, and fear begged them for release. Climax washed through them, muscles tightened, and bodies shook in perfect unison.

The sound of their heavy breathing mingled in the quiet. Nyle pressed his forehead to hers briefly before rolling over on his side. He gathered her into his arms.

She listened to the sound of his heavy breath. A distant thump made her concentrate on his heart. She laid her hand on his chest, but the sound didn’t match his heartbeat. The thumping became louder. One became two. Feet. Running.

Frowning, Payton pushed up on the bed. “Something’s not right.”

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