Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Well, it was sweet.
And adorable.
Aiden switched hands on the steering wheel so he could reach over and shove Ronan’s shoulder. “Asshole!”
“I’m sorry,” Ronan gasped, trying to get a hold of his laughter. “It’s sweet.”
“Go to hell.”
He drew in a deep breath through his nose and slowly released it as he wiped his eyes a final time. God, when was the last time he’d laughed that hard? A thousand years, at least.
“I’m serious. How many people can say they’ve got family that cares about them like that?”
Aiden’s shoulders relaxed a little and he sank into his chair. “True. They’re very protective.”
“I’m guessing they have no idea…”
Aiden made a disgruntled noise in his throat. “No, not in the least. Until this year, they thought I had maybe a few hundred years under my belt, and I saw no reason to correct them. I…I liked who I was when I was with them, who I’d become. Telling the truth meant changing that image they had of me.”
“You were happy to forget about all those dark years that came before,” Ronan murmured.
Aiden flinched. “Ronan, I—”
“No, I didn’t mean it like that. We were good friends. We had laughs. Good memories. But we also spent a lot of our time waist-deep in blood and shit. I’m sure it was more of the same after you became a vampire. Who wants to remember that?”
“Yes.”
“But all that’s changed now. You’ve got an amazing family. Those sons of yours…and their mates…” Ronan drifted off, chuckling.
“They are something special.”
“How do you do it? How do you manage them and their…”
“Insanity?” Aiden supplied. “I imagine myself something of a tiny man in the middle of a train yard. I just try to keep them from running into each other and possibly pedestrians.”
Ronan snorted. “All while trying to not get crushed yourself.”
“They’re all good men at heart. They’re passionate like their mother.” Ronan watched the bright smile form on Aiden’s face at the mention of the woman, but then it faded almost as quickly to an expression of darkness and pain.
“So, we’re hunting?” Ronan asked, forcing some lightness into his voice. It was better to change the subject completely. Yes, he was dying to know more about this Julianna Varik, and he could easily ask around for the information he sought, but he wanted to hear it all from Aiden’s lips. He wanted his old friend to confide in him, trust him with the information.
But he understood about not wanting to talk about old pains. While he trusted Aiden, there were plenty of things in his past that he was in no hurry to discuss.
Aiden choked out a surprised laugh. Ronan’s segue wasn’t even subtle in the slightest, and he didn’t care.
“Yeah, if you don’t mind tagging along. This gives me a chance to feed and spend time out of the house. We get some time to talk.”
“And you figured that I wouldn’t act like a chaperone.”
Aiden stopped the car for a red light as they neared downtown Hartford and glared over at Ronan. “If you try, I will kick your ass.”
Ronan scratched his chin. “I don’t remember too much ass-kicking happening last night.”
Aiden made another scoffing noise. “I’m pretty sure you only remember the dancing.”
A low humming rumbled up Ronan’s throat and his heart skipped at the faint blush that painted Aiden’s cheeks. “I remember all of it, but yes, the dancing was my favorite part. You’ve always been light on your feet, but who knew you’d fit so well into my arms?”
The man behind the wheel swallowed hard and licked his lips. For a moment, Ronan was sure he’d slipped back into heaven. Aiden might have been unsettled last night and dealing with some complicated emotions, but the fact that Ronan was sitting there right now, that Aiden was looking at him with open longing, meant that his stupid comment hadn’t created irreparable damage.
Flicking his gaze out the windshield, Ronan’s smile turned to a smirk. “The light is green.”
“What?” Aiden asked, blinking a little slowly.
Before Ronan could reply, a car horn blared behind them. Aiden jumped, jerking his gaze straight ahead. He pushed on the gas and continued through the intersection. Ronan wisely swallowed his laughter. He might have won at swordplay last night, but he didn’t doubt Aiden could kick his ass if he put his mind to it.
“You’re an idiot,” Aiden muttered after several seconds of silence, earning a bark of laughter from Ronan.
Any lingering tension between them was broken, and they slipped into an easy conversation about moving to Connecticut and other interesting places they’d lived in over the years.
Fifteen minutes later, Aiden pulled into a secured parking garage and turned off the engine. As he climbed out of the car, Aiden reached into the backseat and grabbed a plain-looking jacket. He even popped a black ball cap on top of his chestnut locks.