Page 22 of Trained Royal
“It’s okay,” he whispered, tightening his hand over Kieren’s, which was resting against Patrick’s stomach.
A shaky exhale rushed over his neck, and he waited to see if Kieren would say something. When the silence continued, Patrick rolled until he faced Kieren, putting the man’s hands back around his waist when he pulled them away. He placed his hands on Kieren’s chest, rubbing his thumbs back and forth.
“How did you know what to do?” he asked. Kieren’s forehead creased, and Patrick added, “The food, the drink, the massage?”
Kieren’s lips pursed, and if Patrick hadn’t known it was one of his tells that showed his embarrassment, he would’ve kissed him. “I had a conversation with someone while you were doing the aftercare with Cecily.”
Inwardly, he rolled his eyes. “Let me guess, Doug…no, Freddie.”
Kieren’s eyes widening would’ve given it away even if he hadn’t nodded. “How did you know?”
“I know him. He wouldn’t have been happy with how we left things at the party. He would’ve come to check on me no matter where I was. I should’ve warned you.”
“It’s fine. I’m glad he was there. It let me help you.”
Patrick moved his head a millimetre closer. “Thank you.” He rolled his shoulders as much as he could without dislodging Kieren’s arms. “My arms hardly ache, which is a first.”
Kieren smiled. “I’m glad I could help.”
Patrick dropped his gaze to Kieren’s lips and licked his own before closing the distance. He brushed his mouth against Kieren’s, then pressed harder, not trying to get him to open his mouth, but just so he could feel it against his. He pulled back after a moment, snuggling down until his head fit beneath Kieren’s chin and wrapping one arm around his waist and one leg over his thighs.
A chuckle vibrated through Kieren’s chest. “Are you quite comfortable?”
“Yes.” Patrick closed his eyes and breathed—just took a moment to soak in everything about the situation. He doubted they would have much time before someone knocked on the door to say the club was closing, depending on how long they’d been asleep, but he was determined to wrangle as much snuggle time as he could from Kieren before they went back to their real lives.
The knock sounded quicker than he’d hoped, and reluctantly, he pulled away.
“Who’s that?” Kieren asked, sitting upright.
“It’s what the staff does when the club is starting to close,” Patrick said as he headed for the door. He opened it a crack and nodded his thanks to his cousin, Elizabeth, who just stared at him before turning and walking away. Closing the door again, he sighed. “And sometimes, it’s the Monitors who do it.” He shook his head.
“Who was it?”
“Elizabeth.”
Kieren paused, then nodded. “Christian’s sister.”
Patrick snorted. “If you could call her that.” He grabbed the bottle and oil from the bedside table, threw the bottle in the bin and replaced the oil on the shelf. Sliding his shirt on, he buttoned it while watching Kieren move closer. “See something you like?”
Kieren’s heated gaze pierced him, reaching across the space between them to freeze him in place. “Definitely.”
Patrick inhaled at the tone, knowing what was coming. “But?”
“I can’t.”
Patrick stared at his hands as they finished buttoning his shirt, then he fetched his shoes and put them on. “Time to go.”
He refused to fight with Kieren about it. If the man didn’t want him, he wasn’t going to push him. The last thing he ever wanted to do was make someone do something they didn’t want to do.
“Patrick.”
“It’s fine. We know where we stand.”
He opened the door and led the way through the club, not checking to see if Kieren was following or not. He hoped he was when he saw Charles standing at the doors as if he was waiting for him.
“Patrick,” Charles said in a condescending tone. “I haven’t seen you with our cousins for a while. Had a nasty breakup?” He mockingly pouted.
“We’re doing well. Thanks for asking. How are Juliet and the kids?” He tried to sidestep around Charles to get to the door, but Charles stepped in front of him.
