Page 51 of Trained Royal
Patrick brought their clasped hands up to his face and rested the back of Kieren’s hand against his cheek. “Don’t be sorry. I don’t mind at all. If I have to spend every moment with you to make things easier, I will. It’s no hardship.”
“You might get fed up with me.”
“Possibly, but you might get fed up with me, too.” Patrick smiled. “I’m willing to try if you are.”
Kieren studied Patrick’s face and opened himself completely before sleep overtook him. “I’m willing to try. With everything. I trust you. With my life. With my body.” He paused, swallowing again. “With my heart,” he whispered.
Tears trickled down Patrick’s face, and he pressed his hand harder against his face. “I’ll look after it. I promise. And just so you know,” he rose and paused with his lips above Kieren’s, “you have everything of me. I trust you with it all.”
A lone tear slid down Kieren’s temple. “I hope I don’t make you regret it.”
Patrick closed the distance and kissed him, soft and slow. “Let’s take it a day at a time. We don’t need any more than that.”
“Okay.”
Patrick settled back into his chair, clearing his throat. “I would like to arrange for you to move into my rooms at home. Are you okay with that? I don’t want to crowd you or anything, but I wanted to look after you, and after what you’ve told me about the possible PTSD, it might work well to help you. What do you think?”
Kieren couldn’t explain how happy it made him without sounding like a sap, and he nodded. “That’s fine, but only if you’re sure.” He gasped, then winced when his side protested. “What will your parents say?”
“They’ll be fine. I promise. They love you anyway. Even more now that you saved me.” He chuckled.
“I don’t want to be a burden to you or your family.”
Patrick glared at him. “Did we not just go through theI trust you with my heartthing? That type of relationship is never a burden. I would love to spoil you—I mean, look after you.” Patrick winked, and Kieren chuckled, hissing again.
“Okay, duly noted that laughing and gasping are not good things to do at the moment,” Kieren wheezed.
Patrick chuckled. “Good to know. Oh, is there anyone I need to let know about what happened to you? Your phone has buzzed a few times, but I’ve not looked or answered it.”
Kieren tried to get his brain to work for a few more minutes. “Only Zane. He’s a friend. Feel free to answer or not if it’s him. My passcode is 2486.” His blinks lasted longer. “I’m gonna…sleep…now.”
“Okay. I’m right here.” Patrick squeezed his hand, holding the pressure long enough for Kieren to drift off with it in his mind.
****
Chapter 16
Patrick
As Kieren’s breath evened out, Patrick sat back in his chair and blew out a breath. The future he saw stretched out in front of them, and he was overjoyed. The actions of his cousin dampened it slightly. Would Kieren be in the line of fire now, too? He assumed so, and he didn’t like it one bit.
He was glad Charles was being held and questioned. Maybe the Commissioner would get some information out of him. Uncle Andrew was good friends with the Commissioner, and they often worked together on things. Patrick had limited interactions with the man, but he remembered how helpful he’d been when someone had accused Douglas of abusing them—it hadn’t been true, just a ruse an ex-member of the club had devised to get him back for rescinding his membership. Hopefully, Charles would squeal about what was happening, but Patrick doubted it.
Kieren’s phone rang again, and Patrick carefully pulled his hand free and reached for the phone in the drawer. Zane’s name flashed up, and Patrick cleared his throat and answered.
“Hello, Kieren’s phone.”
There was a pause. “Who are you, and what happened to Kieren?” a rough voice said.
“I’m Patrick. I’m his…” He wasn’t sure how Kieren wanted to describe them, and he didn’t finish the sentence. “There was an incident. He’s in hospital, but he’s fine. Nothing that some rest and recuperation won’t help.”
“Patrick. Ah, his protectee and…” Zane chuckled. “Never mind. Nice to speak to you, Your Highness. Can you tell me what happened?”
“Please, just Patrick. I don’t need the titles.” He sighed. “We went to an event. It’s probably all over the news now, anyway. Someone shot at…” He inhaled. “Someone shot at me, but Kieren got caught instead. The bullet went through his arm and into his chest but hit nothing. He’s lucky because it could’ve been much worse, and it was touch and go during the surgery to remove the bullet, but he’s fine. He’s just fallen back to sleep, actually.”
“I never understood why he felt the need to do this job.” Zane paused. “Sorry, that sounded shitty. I’m glad he protected you. It’s what he would’ve wanted, especially with how close you are. I just hate seeing him in harm’s way.”
“I know, and I’m sorry he was there. If it’s any consolation, he won’t be doing the job for a while.”
