Grinning, Nathaniel crossed his arms over his chest and leaned on the side of the doorjamb. His gaze raked up and down Aiden’s body, leaving a tingle of recognition every place it landed. When his gaze zeroed in on Aiden’s groin, his eyes widened and his nostrils flared. Finally tearing his gaze from Aiden’s cock, he asked, “Yes?” His voice was a husky whisper.
Oh Galaxy, how embarrassing. Please don’t let me be blushing. This was the second time—the third actually, but his clothes had hid it well enough while they were dancing. He had to get out of here before he made a complete fool of himself. Make that more of a fool. “Good night, Lord Deverell.” Aiden turned to leave, cursing himself.
Nathaniel grasped his wrist, turning him back around. “Not yet.”
Chapter Seven
A small surprised sound escaped, but the younger man didn’t pull away. Slowly, Aiden’s cheeks turned bright red.
Real fucking smooth, Nate. He was going to have to remember the prince was not used to people being forward with him. “I wanted to ask you some things.”
“Me?” Aiden’s eyebrows shot up.
“Yes.” Tugging Aiden’s arm, Nate tried his best to keep his gaze on Aiden’s face. Nate would never get any answers if he started ogling Aiden again. He’d scare the man off. And damned if he wasn’t reluctant to relinquish Aiden’s company. Being attracted to him was a very bad idea, but Nate couldn’t seem to get his body to understand that. Heck, his mind didn’t want to see it either.
Nate walked them back into the study. “Jeffers, please give us some privacy.”
“I’m sorry, milord, I cannot do that with Lord Aiden in the room. I must act as his chaperone.”
Aiden’s blush actually darkened.
Galaxy, what would the man do if Nate were to— Nate sighed and let go of Aiden’s wrist. There he went again, thinking things he shouldn’t. This society may be a bit foreign to him, but he respected it and the basic principles it was founded on.
Looking for something to put Aiden at ease, he spotted the painting above the fireplace. It was doubtful that it was Aiden’s but it was art, something Aiden enjoyed. It was an unusual but very pleasing composition, the little girl, Muffin, was dressed in white lace, standing in front of a window, with the moonlight peeking through the dark curtains. She held a bouquet of black roses up to her nose. Her blue eyes sparkled over the petals. With her rosy cheeks and pale skin, she looked like an angel. The child was innocent in contrast to the ebony flowers with their deadly looking thorns. The highlights and shading were incredible. It was crisp superrealism, the texture so well done it beckoned the viewer to touch it. “That is one of the best fantasy pieces I’ve seen in a long time.”
“Thank you, but it’s not a fantasy piece. Those are Regelence Roses. They bloom at night and are found only on Regelence. It’s not one of my best, but it’s one of my favorites. If you like, sometime I’ll take you out one night while you are here to see them.”
Nate was stunned. Not that the roses were really black or that they bloomed at night, but the painting was amazing. Aiden was an even better artist than he’d assumed. “You’re very good.”
Aiden smiled, the blush gone from his cheeks. “Thank you.” He didn’t pretend to be bashful about his talent—he knew how good it was. The confidence was very sexy. “Why do you want to talk to me?” Aiden went around the desk, peering toward the monitor. The light from the monitor and the fireplace highlighted his high cheekbones. He cocked his head at the screen, contemplating it.
Fuck, the man was beautiful.
“Lord Deverell?” Aiden looked up, meeting his gaze.
“Nate.”
“I shou—” He grinned. “Okay. Nate, what do you want with me?”
What don’t I want with you? Nate walked to the other side of the desk, regarding the screen. It was a video of the hall leading to the basement and the storage. “Tell me how Payton shut Jeffers down.”
Aiden shook his head. “Why would I do that?” Breaking eye contact, he dragged his fingers across the surface of the desk. “Why are you here? What was stolen?” He looked back up, peering directly into Nate’s eyes.
Nate studied him, nearly getting lost in the cool gray, looking for any indication that the prince was playing him. He didn’t see any, and he was damned good at reading people. Nate gave Aiden the same calculated stare he used to intimidate junior officers into confessing their sins. But the young man never faltered. Aiden never blinked, his eyes didn’t leave Nate’s. It impressed the hell out of Nate. Innocent and naïve Aiden may be, but the man didn’t intimidate easily and damned if that didn’t make him even more appealing. Nate’s cock filled. What would that defiant mouth taste like?
Stepping closer, Nate caught Aiden’s chin with his fingers.
Aiden licked his lips. He swallowed, making the barely noticeable Adam’s apple move, but other than that he stayed rooted to the spot.
“Lord Deverell, please put distance between yourself and Lord Aiden or I’ll be forced to alert their majesties,” Jeffers said.
Letting go of Aiden’s chin, Nate stepped back. It was a contest to what he wanted to do most, thank Jeffers or try to give him a virus, maybe rip out his damned plugs. For the first time in a long time, Nate found himself in the awkward position of not knowing what to do. He was attracted to Aiden, no doubt about it, but he also had a feeling Aiden knew stuff that would help him figure out who took the weapons. If his instincts were wrong he was fucked, but he couldn’t help feeling that Aiden had nothing to do with the actual crime. His instincts were almost always right.
Swiveling the chair around, Nate offered Aiden a seat. “I’ll make you a deal. You tell me what I want to know and I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
Aiden’s lips quirked, then he nodded and took a seat. “Turn around.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Please.” Aiden raised a brow. “If you want to know, turn around.”
What was he up to? The hell with it. He was going to trust Aiden until Aiden gave him a reason not to. Nate narrowed his eyes a little bit to let Aiden know he wasn’t thrilled about the request.
Aiden glared right back.
Damn, the man was something. Nate turned around. He listened for any sudden movement, anything to indicate Aiden was up to something. But he didn’t hear anything other than the clacking of fingertips hitting the keyboard. What was he doing?
“Okay, you can look.”
Nate turned. Nothing looked different. “What did you do?”
“I bypassed security on this room and the surrounding rooms manually.”
Wonderful, another of the Townsend offspring who knew way too much about castle security. “You turned Jeffers off?”
“No, I tossed him out of here so we can talk. Shutting him down would compromise the castle’s safety, not a good idea with everyone asleep. Talk.”
Did he just give me an order? Nate’s lips twitched. The more he learned the more he liked. His dick got harder. “How did you do that?”
Aiden smiled, his eyes wrinkling at the corners. “It wasn’t hard—you were already in the system—but I can’t tell you. Not until— Give me a reason to trust you, Nate.”
If Nate hadn’t been watching carefully he might not have seen Aiden biting his lower lip then releasing it. Nate couldn’t look away. He couldn’t help but notice everything about the younger man.
He sat on the edge of the desk, trying to ignore his idiot libido. “I work for the IN. I’m captain of the IN Destroyer, Lady Anna. I’m here to investigate a stolen weapons cache. As soon as I figure that out, I’ll be out of your hair and back to my ship.” Nate studied Aiden’s expressions intently.
Aiden’s mouth opened then closed and his brow furrowed. After a few seconds he nodded. “I should have thought of something like that. Regelence has always had a good relationship with the IN, but I had no idea we were storing weapons.” A lock of hair fell into his eyes. “They were stolen when Payton took Jeffers off
line.”
Nate itched to reach out and brush the black hair off Aiden’s pale forehead. “Yes.”
Aiden blew at the hank of hair, getting it out of his face. He stared at Nate, his eyes wide. “How is that possible? No one knew but the four of us.”
Closing his eyes, Nate took a deep breath. Yes, this is exactly what he needed to know. If Aiden were lying, he was one hell of a liar. He opened his eyes, letting the last bit of doubt go.
Aiden’s face was a study in confusion. “One of the servants had to have done it.”
“That’s what Raleigh thinks. But that takes an awful lot of planning. Are you sure no one else knew?”
“Only Payton, Colton, Tarren and myself.”
“Not Rexley?”
Shaking his head, Aiden stood. “No, Rexley is a tattletale.” He began pacing back and forth in front of the desk, the white nightshirt molding against him as he moved. With the light from the fireplace behind him, the shirt was nearly see-through. The man had a hell of a body. He was slim, but very fit. His leg muscles were solid and clearly delineated through the thin fabric.
Nate groaned. The man had a great backside. Wide shoulders in comparison to the rest of him, narrow waist and hips, nice round ass. Trying to relieve the pressure on his cock, Nate shifted.
“What’s that?” Aiden turned around.
Instead of staring at his very delectable ass, Nate was now faced with a picturesque front view. Nate gazed up, looking into the handsome face. “What?”
“You made a sound.”
“I did?”
Aiden nodded.
Come on, Nate. Business. Think. “How did Payton get past the security cameras?”
Aiden sighed and stepped forward. “Okay, what I’m about to tell you—” He put his hand on Nate’s chest.
Covering Aiden’s hand and keeping it there, Nate leaned forward, aware of the heat emanating from the young man. Galaxy, he’d love to hold those slim wrists captive above his head as he— “Yes?”
“The cameras in the upper halls are on a loop. It’s a glitch, left over from when the security system was updated. The main rooms are on constant surveillance now, but the private rooms are not. They reprogrammed Jeffers to watch outside the castle and the family rooms continuously, but they forgot to change over the private halls when the video equipment got changed over. No one knows about it but Payton and myself.” Aiden’s gaze rested on Nate’s lips and he stepped closer. “You can’t tell any—” Aiden touched Nate’s beard tentatively at first, then his fingers dragged across it, exploring. Parting his lips, Aiden tilted his head, his gaze still following his fingers.
Damn, just damn. Nate let go of Aiden’s hand and slid his own around the younger man’s waist, pulling him even closer until Aiden’s hips were cradled between his thighs. Slowly, he leaned forward, his mouth searching for Aiden’s.
Blinking several times, Aiden closed his eyes and brushed his lips against Nate’s.
The kiss went straight to Nate’s cock. Leaving a hand around Aiden’s waist, Nate brought the other up and caressed one smooth cheek with his thumb as he nuzzled the corner of the younger man’s lips. “Open your mouth, boy.”
When Aiden’s lips parted, Nate deepened the kiss.
Aiden stood there, stiff at first, but soon his tongue was making timid touches to Nate’s. In no time, the prince was kissing back, his tongue tangling and exploring. He tasted sweet, like strawberries and chocolate and like…Aiden?
Moaning into Nate’s mouth, Aiden pressed even closer, bringing his very evident erection into contact with Nate’s stomach. He drew away, looking down. “Oh.” His eyes met Nate’s again and he dove right back into the kiss. Aiden’s hand cautiously slipped between them.
Oh, was right. Nate clutched a handful of the delectable ass and mashed Aiden against him. He worked his hands under the nightshirt, meeting skin and a lovely firm ass. An ass that would probably look even better with Nate’s handprint on it.
Aiden grabbed Nate’s prick through his trousers and squeezed. Moving his hand, Aiden explored, nearly blowing Nate’s mind in the process. Finding the ring through Nate’s cock, Aiden gasped, his eyes wide. He let go. “Uh…”
Regardless of the nice tight little ass in his hands, this time when Aiden pulled back he might as well have thrown water on Nate because it had the same effect. Nate let go and scooted back on the desk, trying to distance himself from the heat of Aiden’s body. What the fuck was he thinking? He should have considered how shocking his piercing would be to Aiden. Hell, in comparison to the things he wanted from Aiden, the Prince Albert was mild.
Aiden started walking backwards. “I—I—”
Nate let him go. He could not dishonor this young man. Aiden was intelligent and spirited. He’d make some man a great consort. Why not you, Nate? You could get used to being in this type of environment again, it’d be good for Trouble.
“I— Good night, Lord Deverell.” Aiden turned and fled.
Damn.
Nate sat in the computer chair and tried to ignore his conscience. He had to see if he could reverse what Aiden had done to the computer. It was surprisingly easy, but Nate would have never figured it out if Aiden hadn’t left the screen up. “Jeffers, show me audio and video outside the princes’ corridor right now.”
“Yes, milord.”
A light slapping sound could be heard seconds before Aiden ran down the hall, white nightshirt billowing behind him. Stopping outside his room, he heaved in a breath and rested his head against the door with a soft thud. He rolled his forehead against the wood, then banged it a few times before turning the knob and going inside.
Nate sat there, staring as the screen changed to a different hallway. He should go after Aiden and talk to him. But to what end? Putting himself in the same vicinity as Aiden and a bed was not a good idea. He was proving to have very bad willpower where the prince was concerned.
Nate was up bright and early the next morning. He was determined to keep things professional between himself and Aiden, but he was going to request that Aiden be allowed to help him with this case. And it had nothing to do with the intense attraction they shared, or so he kept telling himself. Raleigh and Steven were too busy to sit around helping him and he needed someone who knew the servants. Besides, he could easily pretend to court Aiden. On Englor it wasn’t unusual for an out-of-town visitor to show interest in his host’s daughters. Sometimes the father even invited foreign business associates over to see if their daughters suited before an actual betrothal was announced.
Upon walking downstairs, Nate took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of brownies, his favorite. He looked around the foyer, amazed. A table with an emerald green tablecloth that hadn’t been there the day before sat in the entryway, covered with white bakery boxes. There were calling cards attached to the boxes, and the hum of people talking came from the parlor.
Nate looked through the French doors. The parlor was filled to the brim with lords vying for the young princes’ attention. Nate had expected flowers and visitors. On Englor it was customary for gentlemen to pay ladies a call and bring flowers after a ball. But the baked goods…that was new. Apparently, on Regelence they took to heart the ancient saying “a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. He chuckled, heading toward the breakfast room.
If those men wanted to win Aiden’s hand, they’d be better off buying him some canvas and paints. The smile froze on his face and he backtracked, going back to the parlor doors. Rexley, Tarren and Colton all sat side by side on a couch, with Steven to their left. Aiden was nowhere in sight. How had he gotten out of entertaining?
A rustling sound brought Nate’s attention back to the baked-goods table. A slender hand came out from under the green cloth, reaching on top. When the pale hand found a box, it latched on and slowly moved it, pulling it under the table. Nate frowned. That better not be— He crossed the hall and lifted the emerald linen. Damn it.
A headful of platinum curls bent over the now-open
ed box. The head rose at the intrusion and a set of big aquamarine eyes met Nate’s.
Trouble grinned sheepishly, chocolate on his lips and nose. He fluttered his icing-covered fingers. “Hi, Hawk.” Trouble held up a chocolate-chip cookie, offering it to him.
Closing his eyes, Nate counted to ten, then kept right on going. He was going to strangle the kid this time, he was. And there was no one here to stop him.
Laughter rang out behind him and he turned to find Raleigh standing there. The king-consort sauntered forward. “Your son?” he asked quietly once he was beside Nate.
“For the next few seconds.”
Raleigh bent and took the cookie Trouble was now presenting to him. “And after that?”
“He’s going to be dead.”
Trouble blanched, swallowing audibly.
Taking a bite of cookie, Raleigh held out his other hand to Trouble. The pest took the offered hand and unfolded his willowy form from under the table.
Raleigh ruffled Trouble’s hair, grinning ear to ear, and finished off the dessert. “He’s adorable, you shouldn’t kill him. What’s your name?”
Trouble beamed at the man. “Jeremy.”
“Trouble,” Nate growled.
Raleigh’s brow furrowed. He stared at Jeremy for several seconds then shook his head. Nate was about to ask what was wrong when Raleigh chuckled and spoke again. “Ah, well, we should keep him away from my Terror, something tells me they could likely bring the entire castle down about our ears if they combined their efforts.”
Strange. What was that odd look about? Nate narrowed his gaze on his son, but decided to let it go. He was fairly certain Raleigh would tell him if Trouble had been into something…make that something else besides cookies. Then it occurred to him that Raleigh knew about the staff’s nicknames for the princes.
Raleigh retrieved the box Jeremy had left under the table and handed it to the kid. “You are supposed to be a servant, remember?”
My Fair Captain Page 10