It was.
“Milord, Lord Aiden is outside the study.”
Aiden froze.
Dust.
Before his brain clicked back on and told him to run, Nathaniel appeared in the doorway.
“Hello, Aiden.”
“Uh…” Aiden peered up at the object of his fixation. His pulse actually sped up and his stomach got a fluttery feeling. He was standing here in his nightclothes, completely indecent with an erection straining against his shirt. “Hi. I was just…” He nodded. He had to get out of here before Nathaniel noticed his plight.
Galaxy,
the man was big. Aiden was
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ultra-aware of the man after that little fantasy earlier. He glanced at the big hands he’d imagined wrapped around—
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.”
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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
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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
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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.
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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 offline.”
Nate itched to reach out and brush the black hair off Aiden’s pale forehead. “Yes.”
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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.
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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.
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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.