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.
Ronan cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at Aiden’s unexpected attire. “Are…are you in disguise?” Ronan teased.
Aiden glared at his friend, but there was no real fire behind the look. “The area I prefer for hunting will allow us to move without catching much notice from the humans, but other vampires tend to lurk there as well.”
“Ahhh…King Aiden prefers to escape their notice.”
“If you’re going to be this sort of helpful, I’m happy to leave you behind.”
“No. No. I’ll play along. But maybe I should tweak my appearance as well.” He stripped off his jacket and tossed it into the passenger seat before pulling his sweater over his head. The cream color made him into too much of a beacon in the darkness, and he didn’t want to ruin its softness if they found trouble. Underneath he wore a plain black T-shirt tucked into his slacks. Placing the sweater into the car, he pulled on his leather jacket.
He looked up to find Aiden smirking at him. “Feeling appropriately dangerous now for hunting?”
Ronan pointed at his friend across the roof of the car. “You understand just as well as I do the importance of looking the part when you’re out hunting.”
“Uh-huh,” Aiden muttered as he pressed the button on the key fob to lock the doors. “Come along, dangerous man. The hunting grounds are still several blocks away.”
There was no stopping his huge grin as he walked beside Aiden across the parking garage to the stairs leading to the street level. This man—away from his family and the trappings of his new station—felt more like the Aiden he remembered. Not that the other man he’d met was bad. He just felt stifled, as if he were being hemmed in by obligations, duties, and maybe even the worries of his family. It was nice to get Aiden away from all of that so they could spend a little time together.
They walked several blocks in relative silence, but it was surprisingly comfortable. It was only when they reached an area where the buildings looked more rundown and the streetlamps were more often broken than not that Aiden grew more cautious. The shadows moved