“So am I. I should have taken into consideration that you were still hurting over the loss of your mother.”
“No, we should have talked to you first. We’re sorry.” Bel sighed and dropped onto the couch. River immediately crossed the room and sat beside him, practically wrapping his slender body around Bel. Aiden wasn’t sure if he was comforting Bel or if he needed Bel’s comfort. Possibly both. They each had such tender hearts.
“I would appreciate it if we could discuss it before you feel the need to run around during the day in the rescue van,” Aiden said.
Marcus growled, “The rescue what? Do I even want to know?”
“Probably not, dear brother,” Rafe snickered.
Winter squeezed Aiden’s arm, drawing his gaze to him. “Last night, what I said, I was telling the truth. We want you dating and falling in love again.”
“Not that we were expecting you to be interested in men,” Rafe muttered.
“Oh yes, because you’ve got a monopoly on bisexuality,” Bel tossed at his twin.
Winter growled beside him. “The point is that we want you to be happy.”
“But are you sure you want to be involved with Ronan? I’ll give you that he’s handsome—” Bel started but was cut off by an objection from River. His son quickly nuzzled his mate, murmuring something along the lines of Ronan being nowhere near as handsome as Wyatt and River.
“But he’s with the Ministry,” Winter finished.
Aiden sighed. “Yes, I’m well aware of that and the fact that the Ministry likely has an agenda against me. Right now, Ronan and I are simply talking. We haven’t seen each other in a very long time. We each thought the other had been killed the night we were turned. I would like to have the chance to learn about him while we try to uncover the Ministry’s plan.”
“Do you trust him?” Marcus asked.
Aiden hesitated, but only because he was surprised that he had an answer so quickly. “Yes, I do. I know Ronan. I know I can trust him. I only hesitated before because I was afraid. However, I don’t trust his traveling companions. So while I am talking to Ronan, I’m not opposed to my sons looking into the other two envoy members.”
“And you’ll be careful?” Winter prodded.
With a nod, Aiden pulled Winter in for another hug. “I’ll be careful. If Ronan raises any red flags in my mind, I promise to share them. The European Ministry will not hurt me or this clan, I swear.”
“And we will try to meddle less in your burgeoning love life,” Rafe murmured.
“Never in my life did I imagine that I would be having this conversation with my sons,” Aiden sighed.
“Just wait for when we sit you down for the talk about the birds and the bees.”
Winter snorted out a laugh, and Aiden groaned loudly. “Good night, Rafe and Marcus. We will talk later at a more reasonable hour, after the sun has set.”
Rafe and Marcus wished them a good sleep before ending the call. Aiden hugged his youngest one last time. His heart warmed further when Fox hurried over and crushed him in a tight hug, whispering an apology against his chest. The little witch was too sweet for his own good and the perfect match for his grumpy son.
They slipped away, returning to their new home through the secret underground tunnel that linked it to Bel’s home.
He looked up to find a gentle smile on Wyatt’s lips as he descended the last of the stairs. “We are sorry, Aiden. We never meant to make you feel like we didn’t have faith in your judgment.”
“Thank you, Wyatt.”
“Ronan is settled in the room at the end of the hall. I just put fresh towels in the guest room next to it if you would like to use it. You can stay here and sleep, or I can take you home now.”
Aiden shook his head. “No, I’d prefer to stay for the day, and I’m assuming that someone around here knows how to make a decent breakfast.”
“Mmm…waffles,” River hummed happily.
“Ugh. No, sleep. I need sleep.”
Aiden should have felt the same way after the hunt and chase with the MacPhersons followed by the heated discussion with his sons. While his body was exhausted, his brain was wide awake, asking questions with no clear answers. Maybe after a shower, he’d be able to relax and sleep.
He followed the trio up the stairs and while they disappeared into the master bedroom at the opposite end of the hall, Aiden headed straight for the shower in the guest room. He washed off the dried sweat, dirt, and blood before slipping into a pair of lounge pants and a plain gray T-shirt that had been left out for him.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he shoved a hand through his damp hair. He should climb under the covers and sleep, but his brain refused to calm. It wasn’t so much that he was worried about his sons. They’d settled their fears for now, but he knew it would be a reoccurring conversation for a while. He wasn’t entirely convinced they would stop their meddling, but at least they might slow down a little.
No, his mind was on Ronan. They’d kissed. After a thousand years, they’d finally kissed, and it was even more divine than Aiden had thought it would be. He hated that they’d stopped kissing. He’d rather be on his knees in that abandoned building, still kissing Ronan if he had the choice. He longed to feel Ronan’s hands on him, hear the noises, taste his need on his tongue.
But while the kissing was wonderful, it left Aiden uneasy. Where did it leave them? When it came to Ronan, they could never have just a meaningless fling. Even if they never kissed again, there were too many old and new emotions tangled up between them.
Moving forward, what were they facing? Assuming Ronan wasn’t really trying to kill him or betray him as part of the Ministry’s plot, where did that leave Ronan? Would he betray the Ministry for Aiden?
Oh, God. He would.
Just the thought sent a chill through Aiden. Ronan was a fucking madman when he wanted something. If he decided he wanted Aiden, then screw all the European Ministry.
Pushing off the bed, Aiden crossed the guest room and stepped into the hall. He paused, staring at the door to Ronan’s room. What would confronting Ronan now change? Certainly not Ronan’s mind if he was right. No, it was better if he left Ronan to his dreams for now. Aiden needed to think.
With any luck, his friend had fallen asleep. There was no sense in disturbing him. He also didn’t want to give Ronan the wrong idea that he intended to crawl into bed with him.
Aiden was really tempted to do just that, though. To feel hands on his body again. It had been so long.
Nope. Nope. Not gonna think about that.
Aiden turned on his heel and silently walked to the kitchen. He was going to get a drink of water and shove everything from his mind so he could sleep. When he’d slept and was dressed in his own clothes, then he’d let himself mentally wade into this quagmire.
But he’d barely poured himself that glass when he heard soft footsteps shuffle into the kitchen behind him. He knew who it was without looking. Just a feeling, really.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Ronan asked in a low voice so as not to disturb the rest of the house.
Aiden shook his head before he looked at the open doorway. The man was dressed in only a pair of borrowed sleep pants that hung low on his narrowed hips. His wonderful, slightly furry chest was bare, making Aiden’s palms itch with desire. He wanted to run his hands through all that hair, to caress him and trace all the old scars with his fingertips.