The question did nothing for Aiden’s blush, he could actually feel the heat in his face. He tried to change the subject, hoping that would help. “Tell me about your ship. What’s it like being an IN captain?”
“It’s hard to describe. I wanted to have my own ship since I was a little boy. Which made me a bit odd among my peers, they all wanted to be Marines.” Chuckling, he shook his head. “The Lady Anna is amazing. I still remember when she was given to me.” He grinned fondly. “It was probably the best day of my life. The Lady Anna makes me proud. I worked hard to make captain, harder than I’ve ever worked for anything in my life. And she’s a constant reminder of that. She makes me feel like I can do anything.” He looked down at Aiden, still smiling. “To me, she’s probably very much like your art is to you. She’s my first love, I guess.” Nate groaned. “That sounds strange I know, but—”
“No, not at all.” It did sound like how Aiden’s art felt to him. It was a part of him. Something that he would never give up. He felt a kinship to Nate, yet he also felt a bit disappointed knowing he could never compete with Nate’s ship. Not that he wanted to, but if he did… It explained a lot, that boyish grin Nate got when he said “Lady Anna”. Aiden grinned. “You’d never give her up, would you?”
“Not without a fight.” Dipping his head toward another person passing them, Nate tipped his hat. “Look, there is a bakery. How about a lemon ice? Or something to drink?”
Aiden looked to make sure they weren’t too far behind the others and nodded. “Sure.”
Nate stopped and turned to him. “Stay here so that I can see you out the window. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
Aiden watched Nate open the glass door and go inside. The man had an amazing backside and those trousers were just tight enough to show off the heavy thigh muscles. He even had a naval officer’s scabbard with sword on his hip, reminding Aiden of Nate’s military background.
“Lord Aiden.”
Having been caught ogling Nate’s arse, Aiden flinched.
Lord Braxton tipped his hat, stepping close to Aiden’s side. “Whatever are you doing here alone? This is no place for a young lord to be un-chaperoned.” Braxton slid his hand beneath Aiden’s arm and began trying to maneuver him.
Aiden’s stomach dropped to his feet. Something wasn’t right. Braxton didn’t seem right. The man had a gleam in his eyes Aiden hadn’t noticed before. His pupils were huge.
Gripping Aiden’s arm so hard it hurt, Braxton crowded him with his body. All the while the man was smiling and going on about how Aiden needed a chaperone and how he’d protect him to make certain nothing happened.
Aiden dug his heels in, looking around. He didn’t want to cause a scene, but Braxton wasn’t getting the hint. Panic set in. When Aiden spoke it was low and not as adamant as he intended. “I’m not alone, Lord Braxton. Please, let go of—”
There was a growl, sounding like the words “hands off”, and a tug on Aiden’s arm as Braxton flew backward, jerking Aiden’s shoulder hard. It spun him around and he nearly dropped his sketchscreen. An arm wrapped around his middle, flattening his back against solid muscle.
“I don’t know who the fu—who you think you are, but you had better keep your da—your hands to yourself,” Nate hissed as he nestled Aiden closer to his side.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Aiden got a better grip on his screen. Nate’s nearness was comforting and the alarm that had held him in its grip earlier subsided. He turned his head toward Braxton.
He gazed at Nate, his top lip turned up slightly before he snarled. “Lord Deverell, wasn’t it?”
“It was.” Nate rubbed Aiden’s stomach. “And you owe Prince Aiden an apology.”
Aiden winced at the steely thread to Nate’s tone and put his hand on top of Nate’s, stopping it. He wondered if Nate even realized he was trying to soothe him.
Braxton blanched, his gaze darting to Aiden’s. He reached toward Aiden. “Lord Ai—”
In a flash, Nate sidestepped with him and ushered Aiden behind him, drawing his sword.
A chorus of gasps sounded from all around them and Aiden noticed the crowd they’d attracted for the first time. Galaxy, Father and Cony were going to blame this on him.
Scoffing, Braxton backpedaled. “Forgive me, sir, but I think you are quite overreacting. I was merely seeing that Lord Aiden was properly chaperoned. A young lord should not be on the street by himself. I was going to escort him back to his party.”
A loud clap of footsteps came from in front of them and Christy pushed her way through the small gathering. “Excuse me, Lord Deverell, what is going on?”
Nate nodded crisply and stepped aside. “Nothing.”
Lord Braxton tipped his hat and bowed to Christy. “Now that you have arrived, madam, and Lord Aiden is once again being properly watched, I will take my leave.” He walked past, then turned back, dipping his head. “Lord Aiden.”
Growling, Nate took Aiden’s arm and got him and Christy moving again. They walked in silence until they met up with Thomas and his brothers. He was still a little off kilter from Braxton, but Aiden couldn’t deny the happiness rushing through him at Nate’s actions.
“Aiden, are you all right?” Nate’s face lost the tension, his gaze searching Aiden up and down.
The protective gesture made a quiver race up Aiden’s spine. He smiled, trying to alleviate Nate’s concern. “Yes, thank you. I—he was insistent.”
“I noticed.” Nate pulled him to a stop, frowning. “Listen, I have got some things I need to look into. Will you be all right with Christy and Thomas?”
Was Nate mad at him? “Sure.” His unease returned, but this time it was different. He wasn’t afraid of Nate. Did this mean Nate no longer wanted him?
Grabbing Aiden’s hand, Nate brought it to his lips and grinned, while peering directly into Aiden’s eyes. “I want the first waltz tonight at the ball.” Kissing Aiden’s gloved hand, he let it go. “Stay out of trouble and stay close to your chaperones.”
Before Aiden could respond, Nate took the sketchscreen from him. “Just so your attention will be on your surroundings, I’ll take this back to the castle for you.”
Aiden stood there staring after Nate’s retreating back, trying to ignore the warring feelings of excitement and disbelief crashing through him.
Nate pulled on his boxers and his pants before walking to the mirror. For several seconds he stared blankly, trying to come up with answers. He’d spent most of the afternoon—after nearly beating the hell out of a lord of the realm—thinking about Aiden.
Closing his eyes, he rested his forehead against the cool glass. Practically since the first day he’d come here, he’d been trying his damnedest to be good and keep his hands off Aiden. He’d tried like hell to distance himself from Aiden, but the more he tried, the harder it got.
Seeing that horse’s ass Braxton with his hands on Aiden had sent Nate into a rage like he’d never before experienced. And the day before when he’d tried teaching Aiden a lesson to scare him away? Man, had that ever blown up in Nate’s face. He’d never expected the prince to show interest…to get excited. Aiden was supposed to have been appalled and run. It was supposed to have made Aiden’s infatuation with him disintegrate, not make Nate’s intensify.
Nate had been pissed off at seeing that pencil and thought of nothing but shocking Aiden and scaring him away…for both their sakes. Furthering their connection had never been part of the plan, but that’s exactly what had happened. Nate had seen the sheer excitement play over Aiden’s face as he watched and listened. Then Aiden had come and— Nate was getting hard just thinking about it.
“Hey, Hawk, you in here?” Trouble knocked on the door before opening it.
Well, that took care of his growing erection. Nate groaned and moved his head from the mirror. “Yeah.” Turning on the faucet, he stuck his hands under the cool water and splashed his face.
“Ready for the daily servants’ gossip? Tarren’s valet and Aide
n’s valet are having an affair. And one of the footmen knocked up the— What’s wrong with you?” Plopping himself up on the vanity, Trouble grabbed the towel from the rack next to him and handed it to Nate.
Nate took the towel and blotted his face. “I’ve lost my damned mind.”
“I was talking about right now. You lost your mind some time ago.” Grinning, Trouble pulled his feet up onto the black granite vanity top and rested his head on his knees. “What’s up, Hawk?”
Turning to lean his hip against the counter, Nate looked at Trouble. “Aiden.”
Trouble’s brow furrowed. “Okay, can you be a little more specific? What about him?”
“I want him.” Somehow saying it out loud gave it credence. He did want the man, could see building a life with him. And now that he thought about it, he couldn’t see any real reason to deny himself.
“Uh…” Trouble blinked several times. “The man is hot, but—”
Nate reached out and flicked Trouble’s ear.
“Ow. Whaaat? I’m just saying…” Glaring at Nate, Trouble dropped his feet back down and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. “Let me finish before you go smacking me around. I was going to remind you that you told me hands off the princes. Do you really want to end up leg shackled for a roll in the hay?”
That was exactly what he wanted. Nate ran his hands down his face. Fuck it! He was tired of fighting it and thinking it to death. He knew what he wanted and he wasn’t likely to change his mind. “Yes.”
“I didn’t think s— What?” Trouble’s mouth fell open.
Nodding, Nate swiveled around, looking for his shirt. He’d talk to Raleigh and Steven later.
“Whoa, wait a minute, Hawk. Have you taken complete leave of your senses?” Jeremy grabbed his arm, trying to turn him.
Nate gave in and focused his attention back to his son. “Probably. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve made up my mind and I’ve decided to keep him.”
“You can’t just decide to keep someone. They sort of have to agree. Besides, what the fuck are we going to do with him after we go back to the Lady Anna?”
Nate picked up his shirt. “Watch your mouth. He’ll agree. And I don’t know. I’ll figure out something.” Putting his arms into the shirt, he waited for Trouble to protest. When he didn’t say anything, Nate started to get worried. It wasn’t like the kid not to voice his opinion. “Trouble?”
Trouble was quiet for several minutes. He resumed pacing while Nate continued dressing. “I don’t want to leave the ship. I don’t care if you bring Aiden with us, but I don’t want to leave the Lady Anna.” Moving to face Nate, he bit his lip, his eyes practically pleading. “It’s home.”
Nate stopped in the middle of tucking in his shirt. He hadn’t planned on it. There was no reason Aiden couldn’t come with them.
Trouble nodded and resumed pacing. “Try sticking me in a boarding school and you will live to regret it.”
What? Where had that come from? He’d never even considered putting the pest in a boarding school. Trouble could be a real pain sometimes, like all kids Nate supposed, but Trouble was the only family he had. Nate had raised the kid since he was nine, adopted him and made him Nate’s legal heir. He couldn’t love the pest any more if Trouble had been his own blood.
Focusing his attention on his surroundings, Trouble looked everywhere but at Nate. He wrung his hands and worried his bottom lip. Stopping to lean against the vanity, he turned his feet in. His left foot covered his right and he stared at his toes.
Uh-oh. Nate had always thought of that position as Trouble’s insecure pose. Not a stance that showed up very often. In fact, Nate hadn’t seen it in years.
“What’s wrong?”
Trouble shrugged. His bottom lip quivered, even caught, as it was, by his teeth.
“Jeremy… For crying out loud you look like you did when I first met you when you stopped those boys you were hanging out with from slitting my throat.” Nate grinned at the memory. He’d turned on Trouble after those kids had run off. The kid had looked so helpless and innocent, despite having just taken on a group of boys twice his size. He’d been half starved, yet he’d respected Nate’s uniform, enough not to want to steal from him. Nate shook it off. It was a long time ago. Trouble wasn’t the same kid anymore. He had a nice, sheltered life now. Hell, Nate spoiled the boy.
Trouble was silent for all of ten seconds, then everything came spilling out in a babble Nate could barely understand. “What if he doesn’t want me around? You should have married when I was a kid and cute, now I’m not little and no one wants a grown kid, he’s going to want his own kids not some orphaned bastard you picked up in a space station, I wanna stay with you. I don’t wanna leave, please don’t make me leave.”
Whoa. Nate blinked, stunned. “Jeremy Hawkins.” Nate finished tucking in his shirt and buttoned his pants as he made his way in front of his son. He lifted Trouble’s chin to make him look Nate in the eye. “How could you think that?”
Trouble shrugged, turning his head away.
Taking the kid’s chin in hand again, Nate made Trouble look at him. “Even if I thought Aiden was the type to have a problem with you being around—which I can’t imagine—I’d never abandon you. You are my son and whatever happens nothing can change that.”
Trouble worried his lip for a few more moments then nodded slowly. “’Kay. But for the record, I don’t want to stay here, this planet is too stuffy.” Trouble snuffled a little, then mumbled, “I love you, Dad.”
Nate hugged him and patted his back. “Love you too, Son.” What a day. He’d never been very good with this emotional crap. But he did not like seeing the pest upset. He smiled and tried to lighten the mood. “No way am I turning you loose on the galaxy yet.”
“Afraid I’ll take over and become some evil dictator?”
“Absolutely.”
They both chuckled.
Nate ruffled the kid’s hair. “Then you aren’t going to freak if I marry Aiden?”
“Nah. I still think it’s a little extreme for a piece of ass, but if that’s what you want…”
Nate rolled his eyes and stepped back, pointing a finger at Trouble. “Watch—”
Trouble waved his hand. “My mouth, I know.” He hopped back up on the counter.
After putting his shoes on, Nate went back to the mirror, found his hairbrush and ran it through his hair. He was actually excited about this ball and he wanted to look nice. It wasn’t every day a man declared himself.
Chapter Ten
Aiden stared out over the crowd of military uniforms, his fingers itching to draw. The ball was being held in honor of veterans and most men in attendance were Regelence Naval officers. There were also a few Regelence Marines and three or four IN officers, including Nate.
Aiden hadn’t realized Nate was attending in the capacity of an IN officer, but before leaving the castle Cony had informed them Father and Nate had gone to the ball early for The Fallen Warriors ceremony. Since then, Aiden had been dying to see Nate in uniform.
All day Aiden’s mind played over the scene this afternoon and Nate’s flirting with him. He didn’t quite know what to make of it, but he was excited nonetheless.
“Lord Aiden, how are you this evening?”
Aiden turned to find the Duke of Keithman’s second son, Christian Morris, standing next to him, all decked out in his black and silver dress uniform. Aiden bowed. “Lieutenant Commander Lord Christian.”
Christian smiled and gripped Aiden’s hand. “I’m sorry to disturb you.” He wasn’t conventionally handsome, but he was attractive in a rugged way—the IN uniform only enhanced that. He brought to mind an avid outdoorsman, with his tanned skin and reddish-brown hair.
“You didn’t. I was only watching the dancers while I wait for the next dance.”
“Were you stood up?” Christian frowned. “I’d love to dance with you. It’s such a shame you should have to sit out. Whoever your dance partner is, they must
not be very smart giving up the chance to dance with such a fine young man.”
“I’ve no partner for this set, but thank you for the offer. I’m catching my breath, waiting for the next one.” Aiden spotted his friends Rupert and Bannon heading toward himself and Christian. Dipping his head in greeting, he realized Lord Christian was doing the same.
After pleasantries were exchanged, Bannon turned to Aiden. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“No, of course not.” He may not have seen Bannon for a few days, but they were friends. Like Aiden and Rupert, Bannon was a fellow artist.
“The gentleman staying at the castle, Lord Deverell? What is his given name?”
Aiden had no right to feel pride, but he did. “Lord Deverell’s name is Nathaniel Hawkins.”
The lieutenant commander smiled. “I met Captain Hawkins during my service with the IN. Surprising to find out he’s an earl. The man is practically a legend. His war record is phenomenal.”
“Oh yes, I’ve been meaning to ask you…” Rupert’s grin should have warned Aiden what was to come. “What happened on Platt Street today? I’ve heard everything from fisticuffs to a marriage proposal.”
Aiden’s eyes widened. They were saying he and Nate were engaged?
Lord Casey, one of Christian’s acquaintances, stepped up beside the lieutenant and answered before Aiden got the chance. “My brother says he saw you and Lord Deverell walking together this afternoon. He said Deverell called Lord Braxton out for trying to kiss you.”
Good Galaxy, the gossip had made the rounds already. Aiden shook his head. “No, that wasn’t it at all. It was a misunderstanding. Braxton was trying to rescue me thinking I’d lost my chaperone. And then Na—Lord Deverell rescued me from Braxton.” At least according to Braxton that was the story. Aiden wasn’t convinced. Braxton had seemed…different today, threatening.
“Speaking of rescues. I heard Lord Deverell rescued a Regelence ship that was under attack and in flames,” Bannon stated.
“My father told me he’s a mustang captain, that he was promoted the first time every time. He was one of the youngest men to make captain in IN history,” Lord Casey said.
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