Their chests brushed and Ronan’s smile returned.
“You’ve gotten faster,” Aiden said through clenched teeth.
“Learned it from you,” Ronan replied.
And then Ronan’s free hand gripped Aiden’s hip. Aiden’s ragged breath became trapped in his throat as that strong hand burned through his slacks, the touch so intimate.
“Ever notice how our swordplay is so like a dance?” Ronan observed.
Aiden licked his lips, trying to find his voice again, as he stared into deep midnight eyes that were somehow so familiar to him and yet so foreign. He could feel some of the tension slowly leave Ronan’s sword, allowing Aiden to relax. The fight was over, and this was becoming something else as he stood there. A cautious voice was demanding that he step away, put many feet of open air between them, but Aiden couldn’t get his body to move. Didn’t want to step out of Ronan’s touch.
“It can be,” he said roughly.
“Would you dance with me?”
Aiden blinked. Not what he’d expected from Ronan. He couldn’t remember ever seeing his friend dance with a woman. But to dance with him? “We never would have when we were human—”
“I mean right now. Would you dance with me right now?”
Aiden couldn’t speak. Luckily, he didn’t need to. Ronan carefully slid his wooden sword along Aiden’s until they were disengaged. He dropped his weapon with a muffled clatter on the carpet and just as cautiously caught Aiden’s free hand in his.
“Ronan,” Aiden breathed, hating how shaky his voice sounded to his own ears.
“Shh…I’ve got you. It’s just a dance.” There was a quiet confidence to Ronan’s voice Aiden had never heard before. The man he’d known was all cocky and bombastic enthusiasm. This new, self-assured man was even more dangerous than he’d expected. Maybe that was why he couldn’t get himself to release his death grip on the wooden handle of the sword even after Ronan wrapped his hand around Aiden’s and started them slowly swaying.
Ronan didn’t seem bothered by the weapon. The hand on Aiden’s hip slid around to rest on his lower back, pressing them closer together while he continued to guide Aiden in a gently rocking dance to music only Ronan could hear. Or maybe he was dancing to the beat of their hearts knocking against each other.
“I don’t know what you expect,” Aiden said after a moment as he frantically tried to organize his thoughts while at the same time ignore the wonderful feel of Ronan’s arm around him.
“Expect? Nothing.” Aiden frowned at Ronan and his friend laughed. “It’s true. I thought you were dead. A thousand years, Aiden. There was no hope of ever seeing you again, hearing your voice.” He paused and smirked. “Seeing your scowl.” He stopped again and Aiden was shocked to see tears well up in Ronan’s eyes. “But last night, I saw you. You were smiling and surrounded by your family. You were alive and happy. Last night, we talked. I heard your voice, your chuckle. You said my name. Tonight, we’ve talked, laughed, and fought like the old days. I’m holding you.” Aiden swallowed hard and when Ronan continued, his voice was rough. “I treasure each of these things because I never thought I would have them again. And I, like you, I know too well it can be all ripped away in the blink of an eye. So I cherish every second with you.”
Aiden finally dropped the sword he was clinging to and placed his hand on Ronan’s broad shoulder, closing the circle between them. “So do I.”
The roguish smile returned. “That doesn’t mean I don’t hope for more. Even a rich man can find himself wanting something more, and right now, I am a very rich man in your presence.”
“I don’t remember you being half this charming as a human,” Aiden teased.
“I’ve never had a reason to try to be charming.”
Aiden’s head was swimming. He’d never danced with a man before, and he’d never even dreamed that it would one day be Ronan in his arms as they slowly moved about the floor. He was so tempted to give in to Ronan’s charm and sweet words.
Maybe this was all a wonderful dream. Ronan held him and he was smiling, making teasing remarks. The real world seemed so very far away. They could steal this moment. They could escape into this dream and be happy, the kind of happiness they’d never had as humans.
“I’m not expecting you to start trusting me simply because I made you blush and beat you with my sword,”