Healing Aiden (Lords of Discord 5)

“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.