As if he knew my cock was hard for him, his eyes flicked down so quickly, I could almost pretend he hadn’t taken a peek. Too bad I didn’t want to pretend. I put my hands into my pockets and tugged my pants a bit tighter across the crotch, bringing the outline of my erection into focus. Just in case he had any doubt.
He looked into my eyes with such intensity, I knew he was working extra hard not to look down again. “I’m not your babysitter,” he gritted out, smoothing a hand over his jacket lapels. “I’m your personal bodyguard.”
“Uh-huh. Is that what my father told you?”
His lips thinned. “That is my job description, and I have every intention of doing my job to the best of my ability. I’ve come to escort you. Your father has requested your presence.”
“Well, isn’t that a polite way to say that he’s sent my nanny to drag me downstairs, kicking and screaming.”
“Do you intend to kick and scream?” I loved the way his eyebrow arched, his voice rising in question.
Did he want me to scream? I could think of a few things he could do to me that would most definitely make me call out his name.
But no, Father would never allow anything untoward. Poor Devlin was expected to follow our strict code of conduct. He had to behave at every single turn, and as the newest guard in our retinue, all eyes would be on him, judging his performance. He would have to bend to my every whim, follow me around like a puppy. And he most certainly couldn’t touch me… no hands, no mouth… any sexual contact would be highly inappropriate.
I couldn’t stop the smirk from drawing up my lips. “I really hope my father’s paying you well, because I am so going to make you earn it.”
Now it was his turn to give me a smile, but it had the faintest hint of patronizing. “Does that mean you don’t intend to obey your king’s summons? Shall I throw you over my shoulder and carry you down to your father? Or is it past your bedtime?”
“How dare you speak to me like that! Don’t treat me like a child,” I snapped at him.
“Then don’t act like one.” He stepped aside and gestured with his arm for me to join him. “After you.”
I blew out a breath. Would he really throw me over his shoulder? Doubtful, though a small part of me gave a little thrill at the thought of his arms around me, bringing me back into line.
I gave one more extremely dramatic sigh—just in case he’d missed the part about how I was grumpy about being bossed around—and then stomped my foot. Still not a tantrum. “Yes, Daddy,” I muttered as I made sure to brush against his chest on the way by. His body tensed, and I swore I could smell his arousal as I passed.
Hmm, things were about to get interesting.
8
Devlin
“Yes, Daddy.” He’d meant it to be fresh, but gods, I liked the sound of it coming from his lips.
Oh, if I was his daddy, I’d have him over my knee, his hard cock pressed into my lap as I had him counting out his punishment, one spank at a time, his ass turning a delectable shade of pink. But I wasn’t his daddy and I never could be.
Like he said, I was his fucking nanny—his babysitter, because he what?
I gulped.
Because he was the kind of guy who would meet some random guy in a bar and blow him in a back room... that was why.
“Enough of that nonsense,” I scolded. “Your father is waiting.”
He walked just quickly enough that whenever I caught up with him he was two feet ahead, swaying his hips and shaking his ass. That was until just outside his father’s office, where he came to a stop, straightened himself out, and allowed me to lead the way in.
I didn’t have time to think about the whys of his actions, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be the first time even that day that I was going to be left perplexed by the sexy man in my charge. No. Not sexy. I needed to stop thinking about him that way.
“Father,” he spoke first, now standing beside me. “My new manny said you needed me.”
That earned him some giggles from his eldest brother, giggles that ended the second Prince Ezra gave him some serious side-eye.
I’d spent less than two hours total with Chance, and significantly less with Aiden and Brenton, and already I could see how they were the epitome of birth-order stereotypes, which, given they were from the same clutch, I found fascinating. Had I not overheard Ezra telling Aiden to be more understanding of his triplet on my way to get Chance, I’d have assumed there were years between each of them.
“He is your guard,” the king scolded, “not your manny, although given your recent actions, getting you a nanny isn’t the worst of ideas.” He indicated an empty seat and Chance took it. I stood behind him, unsure of the protocol expected of my position. Liam and I—or was it King Ari and I—were going to need to sit down and figure out the details, especially now that I realized my charge was a grown-ass adult.
“Yes, Father.”
“Now that we have that settled, let’s get to the issues at hand.”
The first hour of the meeting was about things I only half understood. Different social engagements with required attendance, which I’d have to get the details of, made up most of the discussion. Royal life was turning out to be every bit as I imagined when I was a child—at least for the princes: go to events, do acts of service, and for the love of all that can turn to ash—don’t make the royal family look bad.
There was a ton of emphasis on the last part, something I had a feeling Chance didn’t struggle with as much as his father hinted. He could easily have gone to a local pub to let off steam if he didn’t care about appearances. For that matter, he could have taken his wings instead of bringing the royal pilot into the mess, something that had Liam rolling his eyes. But no—he went to the mainland, to a city at that. He wore very common clothing, even if he wore them uncommonly well, and he never once hinted he was more than just a twink looking for a daddy to have a good time with. A one-and-done, as it were.
But it wasn’t going to be one and done—he’d been coming back to my place, so more like one night and done. Same difference.
No. Chance wasn’t as bratty as he appeared, or at least not recklessly bratty.
“Now that we have that all out of the way, Aiden and Brenton... you are dismissed.” The king gave them no room to argue, and they got up and left without any fanfare, leaving me alone with Chance and his fathers.
“Your father and I have discussed living arrangements, and given you are no fan of your current quarters…”
From what I’d seen of them I could understand that. It was so... proper, and one thing Chance was not was proper.
“And to make it easier for Devlin to be close to you while allotting him some pretense of privacy…” At least he was honest about what I was in for. I liked that about him. “I feel it best you move into your old quarters.”
“Really?” Chance’s voice faltered. “My old quarters... the ones with a zoo painted on the wall and a nanny apartment?” He started to rise and immediately sat down. Ezra’s side-eye game was strong.
“You may do with it as you wish.” His father leaned back, in a relaxed posture for the first time since I’d met him.
“As I wish. I have your word?” What I would have done to have seen Chance’s facial expression at that moment. Something had him... I don’t know... somehow more alive.
“You may. And if you want assistance, your father and I will make it happen, but if you choose to do it yourself—that works as well.” The king got up. “Do not take that as an indication this isn’t serious. You are to go nowhere without Devlin. Not to town, not to the palace kitchens, not to see me. Is that understood?”
“Understood. For how long?” Where was the bickering brat I expected to see? Or was it that I longed to see the bickering brat so I could set him straight.
This was going to be harder than I expected... the keeping things professional thing.
“As long as it takes. You are dismissed.”
Chance rose, walked aro
und the chair to my side, and waited for me to head out, like a good obedient boy.
Or so I thought.
No sooner were we outside and the door shut that he spoke softly, a bit too close for it to resemble anything proper. “Bet you liked watching my ass on the way here, Babysitter.”
I let out a sigh. Boundaries were going to need to be set... and abided by. The problem with that wasn’t establishing them. That I could do. No. My problem was so much bigger than that.
I wanted to establish it with rewards and consequences, both of which would be delivered naked, and that just could not happen.
This was a job—more than a job. This was a career path. I needed to babysit until his father decided he’d learned his lesson, and then I could take my new position and live happily ever after.
“This time I want to watch yours. Lead me to our quarters.” He had a sassy mouth on him.
“Enough,” I snapped firmly. If he was going to be like this where anyone could just walk by and who knew how many cameras there were, the depths of his brattiness when we were alone, I could only imagine—boundary time was now. “You will treat me with respect and stop being defiant for the sake of defiance. Which way to our quarters?” Or from the sounds of things, future quarters, depending on how much work was to be done.
“Fair enough... you want to watch again.”
And gods help me, I did, all the way there.
9
Chance
I was aware of and couldn’t ignore Devlin at my heels. My rapid heartbeat made sure of it. How far away was he? Not close enough for his breath to be on the back of my neck, though I wanted it to be. I strained to hear his breathing, but us striding along the path leading to my old nursery drowned it out.
But we were walking in tandem, our footfalls in perfect time with one another. Seeing Devlin in his new uniform had me wondering if he’d been in the military. The one he was wearing fitted him perfectly. A little too well, and I noted a staff member we passed giving him the once-over. Perhaps I could arrange for another one two sizes too big. That’d stop the stares. Maybe.
A thought occurred to me—he might start up a relationship with someone here. One of the housekeepers or gardeners? He’d be living and breathing the entire palace experience, but he had to have a day off! How would I cope with that? If that happened, there was no way I could control my dragon’s jealousy. Stop thinking of what might be.
I pulled myself back to the here and now. If I stopped suddenly, would Devlin run into me? Nah, that’d be a dick move, and knowing my luck, he’d knock me over. Me flailing with him on top had me cringing. And there were enough gossips at the palace for that to get back to Father. Besides, even though I was hot for Devlin, I couldn’t and wouldn’t jeopardize his job. I may lack air and graces and be immature, but I wasn’t a complete ass.
I chewed my bottom lip as I pondered various solutions on how to get my new nanny to break his code of professional conduct and fuck me without anyone finding out. A picnic outside the palace grounds? Just the two of us. At sunset. Hmmm. A definite possibility.
Climbing up one of the palace towers would be easier, though, and we’d be undisturbed. In ancient times, guards wielding swords would have paced over the parapets. Now there were cameras. But I’d wormed my way into the security control room because the guy on the night shift, Alex, was a sweetheart, and I’d known him since I was a kid. And I’d discovered there was a blind spot on the towers.
Having sex in my old nursery was not an option. The vision of Devlin and me naked, our bodies heaving and thrashing about and us moaning, was ruined when I pictured the pair of us in my old racecar bed! Oh gods, Devlin’s going to see it. The red childhood bed I’d adored, where I’d dreamed of me and my dragon conquering the world and going on expeditions. Talk about embarrassing. Perhaps I could pretend to faint. Devlin might give me mouth-to-mouth. Nah, not for passing out he wouldn’t.
I’d been thinking of little else than Devlin since I’d been summoned home from the pub. That as well as my annoyance at Father’s insistence that I wasn’t mature enough to manage my own life. Desire and vexation. The first pushing the second out of my head until the latter tripped it and rushed back in. Vexed, yeah. That was the perfect emotion for a prince of the realm. “Ancient princes were always fucking vexed.”
“I have no doubt, Your Royal Highness.”
Fuck my life, I said that out loud! Him emphasizing the last three words suggested he was, what? Laughing at me? Possibly. Damn him!
My face heated up and a blush crawled over my cheeks. I covered up my embarrassment with a fake coughing fit. But Devlin wasn’t fooled. He stood in front of me with his arms folded. “I can slap you on the back if necessary. Hard.”
Jesus, that brought back memories of his stiff cock in my mouth. My arousal was leaving little space in my pants. Avoiding his gaze, I waved my hand at the entrance to the nursery with cartoon characters plastered over it. “This is it.”
He inspected the stickers peeling off the wood. “Interesting.”
Having no idea what that meant, I snapped, “I haven’t used it since I was ten!” and pushed past him. That was a fib. I’d been at least twelve. But as I stormed into my childhood haven, I was hit with a musty odor that had me screwing up my nose, and I flung open the shutters and the window, gulping in the fresh air.
I leaned on the window ledge, collecting my thoughts and thankful for the sweet fragrance wafting in from the garden. Devlin said nothing, but I sensed him judging the younger me as he studied the fort, a broken swing, motorized cars, books lining one wall, a zoo mural on the other, and stuffed toys piled in baskets. When I couldn’t stand the silence any more, I turned around to find him flipping through the pages of a large book. Shit! Not a book. An old photo album! The universe hates me.
I snatched it out of his hands saying, “I’d like to see photos of you as a kid!” But I didn’t miss the smile which reached his eyes. If I had to describe that grin, I’d guess it was more tender than disapproving. He was getting me hot and bothered and he’d hardly said a word.
The built-in closets contained a few long-forgotten remnants of my childhood. No! Not the blue-and-white sailor suit! Shit! I’d bought it online without my parents’ knowledge—until it appeared on their credit card statement—and then insisted I was off to explore the seven seas. Please gods, don’t let Devlin have seen a pic of me wearing that.
Focus, Chance! If this was where I had to lay my head each night, I’d have to fix it. I made mental lists of paint, furniture, bathroom fixtures, and bedding, while stabbing at online sites on my phone, ignoring Devlin who was leaning against a wall, his arms crossed again.
“Are we going to talk?”
He speaks! “What’s there to say? I had a vivid imagination as a kid. It’s not a crime, is it?” My childish antics right now were proving Father right. But the desire pumping through my veins for the alpha on the other side of the room was doing a number on my head.
“Chance…”
“Your place is through there.” I jerked my head at an open door that led to the nanny suite which contained a bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette, and a small living room. “It also has a separate entrance and there’s an enclosed garden and terrace off the living room. You can either cook for yourself or order food from the kitchen.”
I gulped. “My b-bathroom’s on the other s-side of this room.” I was babbling and the mention of food had me wanting him more. Eating me, swallowing my cock, fondling my balls, and then shoving me against a wall and pushing inside me. No doggy style for him. He’d insist on seeing my face as he fucked me.
But it wasn’t just the alpha that had me flustered. My dragon was clamoring to get out, clawing at my insides, his forked flames licking over me while flicking his menacing tail.
Sweat dotted my brow and I rubbed a hand over my eyes. Getting the rooms livable was the priority. “I assume you’re going to help?” I snarked. “And not just observe while I organize everyth
ing. Otherwise, you’ll be sleeping in the racecar bed!” Alone. “And I’ll be in the fort.”
10
Devlin
I hated to admit it, but this had probably been the best week of my life.
Also, the worst.
Getting to know Chance and spending time with him had me developing all kinds of feelings for the young prince. We moved straight into the new quarters and got to decorating—out with the old, in with the new—a fresh coat of paint and plush carpets. And this was when I learned that there was more to Prince Chance than the petulant man-child that people took him for. Beneath his brattiness, he was smart and sweet, considerate and hardworking.
“Lift with your legs, Your Highness. I don’t want your fathers blaming me if you get injured.” I tried so hard to address him with his formal title, setting the boundary between prince and bodyguard, but it always sounded like I was patronizing him.
Chance rolled his eyes at me, muttering “Seriously” under his breath, but he did correct his posture as we lifted the racecar bed and moved it out the double doors into the hallway.
I tried my best not to watch the way his shoulder muscles were flexing under his shirt as we moved the furniture out. I didn’t miss the way his eyes gleamed with tears when we plonked it down in front of the group of movers who were coming to haul the old furniture away. We’d been told it would be donated, so it wasn’t going to waste, but I didn’t think that brought any comfort to Chance.
“Are you okay?” I asked as he watched the bed get carted away, and he quickly turned away from me and dashed away his tears, giving a tiny sniff.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” He stomped back into the room, and I barely made it back in before he slammed the door shut.
“Chance,” I said in a low gravelly voice, chiding him for his avoidance. I should have addressed him with his honorary title, but it was far too easy to slip into a more nurturing role with him. Maybe I needed to set some boundaries for myself too. “You know it’s natural to feel sadness or disappointment. This is closing the door on a part of your childhood.”
The Dragon Prince’s Daddy: An M/M MPreg Shifter Romance (Royal Heat Book 1) Page 4