“Steven didn’t ask for anything.” Raleigh snorted. “The conniving bastard compromised me, but that is a whole different story. But to answer your question, no, he was only seventeen.” Raleigh grinned, taking the heat from his words. He searched the crowd until his gaze rested on Steven dancing with their oldest son. “Let that be a lesson. Don’t get caught with any unmarried gentlemen in private.” He patted Nate’s shoulder. “Have fun, enjoy yourself. Tomorrow we’ll start going through Jeffers’ data banks. I’m going to go give my two wallflower children the evil eye and make them go dance. You should do the same.” With that Raleigh walked away.
Nate was pretty sure which two of the princes the king-consort was referring to. Nate had had no intention of dancing tonight himself, but after seeing one of the wallflowers toss his card over his shoulder, Nate couldn’t help himself. He was fairly certain the prince hadn’t overheard the conversation in the study today, because the butler would have notified them, but this gave him the perfect opportunity to make sure. Not that it would be any hardship to dance with Aiden.
Nate remembered those full lips parting in surprise when he’d scanned his thumb. It was obvious the young lord was used to getting his way and he’d intended on going the night without dancing. He knew the rules, but he seemed to have no qualms about breaking them. In that, he reminded Nate a little of himself. But Nate would be lying if he said that was his only interest in Aiden. The young man intrigued him, like no one had in a long time. Society seemed to hold no appeal for him. When the gentleman kissed Aiden’s gloved hand, Aiden had appeared almost annoyed. It tempted Nate to see if he could seduce him. Unfortunately, there were several factors interfering with that. First, Nate was here to do a job, not have fun. Second, Raleigh would likely kill him if he so much as laid a finger on the prince. And third, the prince was an innocent. He wouldn’t have the first clue how to handle what Nate expected of his bed partners. More to the point, the man would probably faint dead away if he found out.
The song came to an end and he tried to ignore the excitement of getting to hold Aiden near. He tried to persuade himself he only wanted to be able to question the young lord in relative privacy, but his cock wasn’t at all convinced.
Looking around the ballroom, he spotted Steven and Rexley on the dance floor. Payton hid behind a potted plant on the other side of the room, opposite the one Nate was hiding behind. Or at least he thought it was Payton, Nate couldn’t get a good glimpse of the face, but the dark green evening coat and the fact that Raleigh was headed directly for him spoke volumes. Tarren held court near the punch bowl and a large ice sculpture of the Greek God of war, laughing as a group of lords vied for his attention. Colton flirted shamelessly with a very dangerous-looking fellow dressed all in black, but Aiden was nowhere in sight. Damn.
Nate scanned the crowd once more. He didn’t see Aiden anywhere. The heavy black velvet curtain covering the open patio doors swung closed, drawing his attention. Could the prince be outside?
Setting his glass on the tray of a passing servant, Nate made his way across the ballroom, being careful to stay on the white and black checkered marble rather than the wood dance floor. He scowled at anyone who looked remotely interested in hailing him, so no one did. Being big and intimidating was nice. And even if he didn’t look unapproachable enough, he had rank. Forgiveness went a long way when one was the heir to a dukedom or, in this case, the esteemed guest of the king. It took him several minutes to walk around the large room and through the crush of bodies, but he finally managed.
Upon moving the curtains aside he saw nothing out of the ordinary. The terrace was illuminated with candles neatly placed in sconces along the wall. Several couples strolled along the balcony talking while others ambled around the formal garden below.
Aiden sat on a bench against the wall of the house with a pocket-sized computer in hand. At a brisk pace, he wrote on the small screen with a stylus.
What the fuck was he doing with a computer at a ball? Nate watched him for several seconds completely unnoticed, which wasn’t a huge feat. Aiden seemed oblivious to his surroundings. Couples walked past him laughing and chatting. A man bumped into Aiden’s leg and stopped to apologize. Aiden never even looked up. Whatever he was doing on the computer held his undivided attention.
Creeping forward, Nate tried to catch a glimpse, hoping it would give him insight into the young man. Regrettably, the screen was at an angle and Nate couldn’t make out a thing. Probably a game—they were rare in this part of the galaxy, but not unheard of. “Did you forget our dance?”
Aiden jumped, clutching the screen to his chest. “Lord Deverell.” Pulling the computer away from his torso a tiny bit, he peeked down at it, then darted a glance back at Nate while hiding the device against himself again. He blanched and pushed a button on the top, turning the thing off, before hastily tucking away the stylus and depositing it in his inside coat pocket. “It slipped my mind.”
Nate raised a brow. Had it? Aiden seemed earnest, but given the circumstances of their promised dance… What was he hiding? He hadn’t wanted Nate to see what he’d been doing on the computer. Nate held out his hand. “Would you like to go dance? We haven’t missed it.”
“Listen, Lord Deverell, I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
“Yes?” Nate took a seat next to him. This should be interesting.
“About the tree incident.” He stared right into Nate’s eyes, meeting his gaze.
Ahh… “Yes?”
“I was wondering if we could keep that between the two of us?” Aiden fixed him with a pointed glare, almost daring Nate to refuse him.
Nate suppressed a grin. The man had grit, he’d give him that. There was a lot of substance behind the handsome face. “Why?”
“Why?” Aiden parroted.
No way was Nate going to make this easy. “Yes. Why?” He took hold of Aiden’s chin, forcing him to keep his gaze. It was rather forward, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He longed to touch the man, even if only through gloves. His errant cock seemed to like the idea of touching Aiden too. It began to fill with blood, hardening, just as it did every time he thought of the prince since laying eyes on him that afternoon. Not for the first time he cursed this society, his own honor and especially Aiden’s innocence.
Aiden’s gaze drifted down to Nate’s lips for several seconds before meeting his eyes once more. Blinking, he pulled back. “Well…because it’s not at all proper for me to be in a tree.”
Now he thought of that? How convenient. What was he thinking before? Nate already figured out that Aiden had little care for what society thought. If he did he wouldn’t have tossed the dance card, nor would he be out here on his computer in the middle of a ball. The corner of Nate’s mouth twitched. “Then why were you?”
Aiden bit his bottom lip and wrung his hands together in his lap, making his shoulders flex.
Damn, the man was something else.
“Because I was dra—because I needed some fresh air.” Aiden frowned and dipped his head once.
He was lying, that much was obvious, but why? Whatever the reason, Nate had the absurd urge to pull the man forward and try to kiss the truth out of him. The sooner he got the prince back inside with a roomful of people, the better. “Aiden?”
“Yes?”
“Come on. You promised me a dance.” Nate grabbed hold of one firm arm and tugged Aiden off the bench and toward the ballroom. Holding him close was going to do nothing for his peace of mind—but at least being in front of a crowd should abolish his erection and the yearning to kiss the man.
They entered the ballroom as the orchestra started the waltz. He turned Aiden to face him and swept the prince into the dance.
Aiden felt good—right—in his arms. Aiden had to look up a little to meet Nate’s gaze. He was stiff at first, but it soon became apparent he was a very graceful dancer. It surprised Nate. As adverse as the prince seemed to be to dancing, Nate half expected him to be a bit awkward and on the clumsy
side, but he wasn’t.
The man was an enigma. He didn’t like to dance, yet he did it beautifully. He was attracted to Nate, although he obviously didn’t want to be. Then there was the computer.
Aiden was distracted at first, his gaze raking over Nate’s face, like he was cataloguing features.
What was he looking at? Nate grinned. “Did you finally manage to ditch the dance card?”
Aiden’s eyes widened, a blush spreading across his face, then he nodded. “Payton beat me tonight though. And my friend Bannon wins for the most original card extermination this time. He accidentally dropped his in the punch bowl.”
Nate chuckled. “Is it a contest?”
“It’s ongoing. We judge on promptness and originality of destruction. Usually, I’m the first one to lose my card. Payton is generally the most original.”
Pulling the younger man a bit closer than entirely proper, Nate squeezed Aiden’s waist where his hand rested and used his thumb to caress Aiden’s palm. He could feel the heat of Aiden’s body, smell him. The scent was nice, like bayberry, one of Nate’s favorite scents. Aiden’s ebony curls moved a little on every turn, tempting Nate to run his fingers through the locks. Instead he tried to concentrate on the conversation. “What do the winners get?”
“The satisfaction of knowing they won.”
The man was charming and competitive…not a bad quality to have. His innocence was obvious and extremely appealing, making Nate long to corrupt him.
Mirroring Nate’s steps, Aiden never faltered. He grinned, his eyes gleaming. The younger man’s face grew flushed with excitement, then he chuckled, throwing his head back a bit. “Thank you for catching my dance card.”
Nate laughed back, truly enjoying himself. “You’re very welcome. You don’t dance much, do you?”
Aiden shook his head, his gray eyes wide. “Not unless I’m made to, and then my mind is usually on something else.”
“Oh? And what is your mind usually on?”
“My art.” He bit his lip and gave Nate another one of those pointed stares. “I’m an artist.”
“That explains the computers. They’re sketchscreens?”
Aiden bobbed his head.
It made sense. Nate had noticed him watching things closely, as if in a daze. “What do you draw?”
“A little of everything. Still lifes, portraits, landscapes. Anything possible. I want to be good at all of it.”
Something about the way he said it, the zest, made Nate realize how important it was to him. Nate would be willing to bet Aiden was already very adept at it. “I’d love to see some of your work.”
Aiden relaxed again, a grin slowly spreading across his face. “You would?”
Nate nodded and twirled them around. “I would. I’ve always enjoyed art. I try and visit museums when I go to a new planet. I can’t draw a lick, even with the help of a computer, but I like to look. My mother loved the arts, painting, music, acting, but especially paintings and printed media.” It was one of the few things Nate held onto from his youth.
The smile Aiden gave him was absolutely radiant.
Nate smiled back and before he knew it, they were staring at one another, caught in the magic of the waltz as they danced around the ballroom. It was truly one of the strangest moments of Nate’s life.
The song came to an end but they barely noticed.
Nate gazed into the upturned face right below his own. The man had such a beautiful mouth. Dipping forward, Nate licked his lips.
Aiden tilted his head, his eyes closing.
Nate closed his own eyes, inches away from Aiden’s lips.
“Aiden!”
They jumped apart, the spell broken.
Fuck. Nate dashed a quick look around to see if they’d been noticed standing in the middle of the dance floor making eyes at each other.
The young blond man Nate had seen talking to Aiden earlier rushed toward them, stealing peeks behind him. Everyone else seemed to be leaving the room, oblivious to them.
When the young man stopped in front of them, he bowed.
Aiden motioned to him. “Lord Deverell, this is Lord Rupert. Rupert, Lord Deverell.”
Rupert bobbed his head. “Pleasure to meet you, Lord Deverell.” Turning his attention to Aiden, Rupert snagged Aiden’s free arm and started pulling. “You have to come to dinner with me. My sire is trying to get Lord Cromley to escort me into the dining room.”
Aiden glanced at Nate, wide-eyed. “But—”
Rupert looked at Nate, seeming to realize how rude he’d been. He gave a dip of his head. “Lord Deverell?”
Nate tipped his head. “Lord Rupert?”
“Might I borrow my friend?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to say no. He didn’t want to give up Aiden’s attention, which was rather disturbing. “Of course.” He let go of Aiden’s slender hand reluctantly.
Rupert beamed at him. “Thank you.”
Watching Nate the whole way, Aiden was dragged off the dance floor by his friend.
Nate stood there for several seconds feeling like he’d been hit upside the head.
Chapter Six
They left the ball at one a.m.—which was relatively early as far as balls went—but Nate was glad. It may be important for him to look like a guest to the staff, but he wanted to get a head start on the investigation. Raleigh had given him the pass code to get into Jeffers’ memory and Nate had every intention of using it. But first he went to his room to check on Trouble. With any luck the kid would have gotten some information from the servants.
When he entered his room, his son was sprawled out on his bed on top of the covers snoring. The pest wore a pair of flowered pajamas and the ridiculous white, fluffy bunny rabbit slippers he’d bought last year at one of the ports they’d visited.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he nudged Trouble. “Trouble, wake up.”
The pale, freckled nose wrinkled and he snuffled before opening his eyes. “Huh?” He blinked several times and sat up, his blond curls sticking out at different angles. He yawned, and a goofy, lazy grin slid into place. “Did you get lucky?”
Nate groaned. The kid had a one-track mind. “No, I did not get lucky. What are you doing in this getup?” Nate motioned to the flannel pjs. “I thought you were given sleep shirts.”
Trouble snorted. “No way am I wearing a gown. Gowns are for girls.”
Nate closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, a smile threatening. Trouble was wearing baby blue flannel adorned by little pink and yellow flowers, with floppy-eared bunnies on his feet, yet he was worried about looking feminine. “What are you doing in here? You are supposed to be sleeping in the room over there.” Nate pointed to the small room adjoining his.
“I was waiting on you. Besides, that bed isn’t very comfy and the room is tiny.”
Ignoring the gripe he’d heard at least three times since Trouble saw the room this afternoon, Nate stood and went to the nightstand on the other side of the bed. There was a decanter of scotch and two tumblers. Thank Galaxy. He poured himself a drink. “Did you learn anything?”
“Nah, not really. Can I have one?”
“No. And what do you mean not really? If you didn’t learn anything, why were you waiting up for me?”
Trouble eyed the glass of liquor and frowned. “You’re no fun, you know that?”
“Yes.” Nate made a “continue” motion with his hand.
Trouble sighed. “I was waiting to see what you’d learned.”
“Not a lot.” Crossing to the window, he peered out into the garden. The way the moonlight fell over the ivy-covered faux Greek ruins was picturesque. A sudden vision of Aiden lying out on the grass in the center of the fallen columns flashed across his mind. Damned, if that wasn’t a pretty picture. His prick threatened to harden. Nate took a drink. He had to get the man out of his mind. Maybe learning more about him would douse Nate’s interest. It sure couldn’t peak it any more, he could hope anyway. “Have you heard anythi
ng at all about the princes?” Nate turned his head from the window.
“Oh, I’ve heard a lot about their studlinesses.” The pest waggled his eyebrows.
Nate quickly downed the rest of his scotch. Something told him he was going to need it to get through the conversation without choking the shit out of Trouble.
“What do you want to know? There are five of them, all dark-headed, all gorgeous and available. But every last one of them is a virgin.” Shaking his head, Trouble made tsking sounds.
“Trouble…” he warned.
“Whaaat?” He held up his hands and smiled. “I’m just saying… Come on, even you have to admit it’s a shame. There is some prime male flesh there, all of age and all unconquered. It should be a crime.”
It should, damn it. Crossing the room, Nate poured himself another drink.
“Okay, okay. The staff has nicknames for them. Rexley, the oldest, they call him Lord Responsible. He’s a bit of a stick in the mud. Great ass though and he—”
“Jeremy.”
Trouble groaned. “There is Payton, his nickname is Lord Plague. He’s a little too brainy for his own good and the absolute plague of the staff because of it.”
“How so?”
“Apparently, he’s the one responsible for shutting the computer down. And he is always making messes doing experiments and stuff. He’s a computer genius.” Trouble hopped off the bed, went to the washstand and poured himself a glass of water. “You sure I can’t have scotch instead? All right, all right. Stop glowering at me.” Taking a drink, he set the glass back and padded to the bed, perching himself between the large end posts. “Tarren is the youngest—he’s known as Lord Terror. Which is pretty self-explanatory. Personally speaking, he seems like a lot of fun. He likes to hunt and has a lot of dogs. And from the looks of him in those tight pants…hung like a— Oh and speaking of horses, Colton is the horseman. His nickname is Lord Calamity, again it’s pretty obvious why, but boy does he have some great thighs. Muscular and—”
“What about Aiden?” If Nate sounded a little anxious, Jeremy didn’t seem to notice.
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