But when he tried to rise, Ronan surprised him by rolling Aiden onto his back. He blinked and found himself staring up into dark eyes and a brilliant smile. Ronan looked radiant, as if he’d shed some old shadow Aiden hadn’t fully realized was hanging over him.
“You stay. I’ll get a towel.”
Ronan jumped to his feet and crossed to the en suite bathroom. He listened to the sound of water running and stretched out in the bed. There was a delicious muscle burn and an all-around relaxed feeling humming through his frame. When was the last time he’d felt this relaxed and sated? Years. It had been with…
His brain immediately shied away from the thought. He didn’t want those memories intruding on this moment. Ronan and Julianna deserved better than that.
“I was gone less than two minutes, and you’re already frowning,” Ronan said as he walked into the room, pulling Aiden from his thoughts.
The smile returned easily as he watched Ronan approaching. “Then I guess you should stop leaving me alone.”
“Happily.” Ronan leaned down and gently kissed him before he started cleaning off Aiden’s stomach, chest, and dick. “You know, I fantasized about this part as much as I did about the sex.”
“Really?”
Ronan nodded and Aiden didn’t miss the look of peaceful happiness on his face. “You always took care of me.” He paused and blushed. “Well, not quite like this, but any time I got drunk or wounded or even sick, you were right there.”
“I liked taking care of you.”
Ronan huffed softly. “Yeah, but I never got to take care of you.”
“I got wounded and sick too. Maybe not as drunk as you.”
Ronan tossed the towel on the floor and climbed into bed, next to Aiden. He pulled up the blankets, tucking them around their bodies as he snuggled close again. “Sure, but I was usually sick or wounded right beside you. I was never the one taking care of you. The second I heard about King Aiden, the second I saw you, I swore that it was going to be different this time. I was going to take care of you.”
Aiden’s brow furrowed at the intense look on Ronan’s face. He turned on his side so they were facing each other, their legs tangled together. “It’s okay. You don’t have to.”
Ronan reached up and cupped the side of Aiden’s face, his thumb caressing his cheek. “Yes, I do. For both of us. I need it to reassure myself that you are safe and cared for. That you know at all times that you are loved. And you need it because you’re king now. I don’t think you’ve let that concept sink into your brain.”
Aiden snorted, his brain torn over the two different ideas. It wanted to pursue this love notion, but Aiden skipped away from it, not ready yet to contemplate that complicated emotion. It was easier, safer, to talk about his job.
“The king thing is just temporary. Maybe a year or two until we can set up a more permanent form of government that gives a voice to everyone.” Ronan gave him a skeptical look, and Aiden glared back. “It’s the truth. I have no desire to be king.”
“I don’t doubt that, but you’re lying to yourself if you think you’re going to be king only for a couple of years. When have you ever known vampires to agree on anything quickly?”
Okay, that was true.
Ronan’s thumb brushed against Aiden’s lower lip when he bit on it. “Werewolves settle things quickly—if somewhat violently. Vampires are the long-term plotters and schemers. We love the political maneuvering and secret alliances. Getting all of them—or even just most of them—to agree on anything that is even remotely fair is going to take time.”
Aiden sighed. He knew he’d been lying to himself. It was the only way he could stomach the idea of claiming power over the region. He’d been protecting his sons, his clan, but it was always with the hope that he’d be handing over power soon.
“You’re right,” he muttered.
Ronan shifted his hand to tilt Aiden’s head up so that he was forced to meet his gaze again. “And I’m going to be right here for you. I know your clan is perfectly capable of protecting you physically, but I want to be the person at the end of each night that you turn to when your mind is too burdened with worries that you don’t want to share with your sons. I want you to whisper them to me, trust me with your fears so we can work through them together.”
Fresh, unshed tears burned Aiden’s eyes, and he swallowed against the lump that had formed in his throat. Ronan’s words were the promise of relief. He shared much with Marcus, but all his worries came filtered, not wanting to place too much burden on his son’s shoulders after he’d already spent so many years watching over his mother and three brothers.
Ronan placed his finger to Aiden’s lips as he tried to speak, stilling his words. “But I’m not expecting you to trust me immediately. Not even after amazing sex. I’m happy to wait and steadily earn your trust. I’m here for as long as you want me.”
Aiden pressed a kiss to his finger and moved it aside. “How about forever, then? I think I’m going to need you forever.”
“Forever sounds perfect to me.”
Aiden’s eyes slid shut as Ronan leaned in, gently kissing him over and over again. He could feel it with every kiss, the beat of Ronan’s heart. I love you. I love you. Those three words repeated over and over again. He’d known it a thousand years ago, and it was humbling to think that those feeling had survived after so much time.
Slowly ending the kiss, Ronan smiled at Aiden, pure joy twinkling in his eyes. He flopped onto his back and sighed. “Even if the world comes crashing down around us right now, I’m still happy. Nothing is going to change that.”
Aiden chuckled. “We’ll see if that changes after you’ve had a chance to meet the entire clan.”
Turning his head on the pillow, Ronan looked at Aiden. “Do you think it bothers your sons that you’re with me? I mean…Julianna was their mother.”
“They might think it’s weird, but I wouldn’t think it bothers them. There have been some nudges in the past for me to date, to find some personal happiness.”
“Did you?”
“No. I wasn’t interested in finding anyone. I only wanted to spend time with my sons. With you, their only concern is your link to the European Ministry, though I’d say that’s largely settled now. They only wish to keep me safe.”
Ronan snorted. “That link is a lot weaker than anyone may truly understand. I was nothing more than a paid contractor at best. The Ministry knows I had no real loyalty to them, but doing paid jobs on occasion made them feel slightly safer and less inclined to try to kill me simply because of my age.”
Shifting to lean on his elbow, Aiden threaded his fingers through the hair on Ronan’s chest, reveling in the fact that he could so easily touch him now. But he was more interested in learning about Ronan’s past. They hadn’t talked much about it since they’d found each other again.
“What do you mean? Do they know how old you are?”
“Not exactly, I don’t think. But they suspect I’m older than dirt. From what I’ve been able to gauge, they have the same guess about you but no way of confirming it. The concern is that I’m not part of a clan. Haven’t been since I was a fledgling. I’ve roamed aimlessly around Europe for centuries. No close friends, affiliates, or alliances. They’re afraid that I’m going to get it in my head to claim one of their seats. Or maybe follow in a certain American king’s footsteps and claim all the seats.”