Mafia's Broken Omega (Mated in the Mafia #6)

5. Cord

5

CORD

The lamp cast a soft glow across Avery's skin, highlighting the sheen of sweat that covered him. I pulled him close as his heart slowed to a steadier pace. He opened his eyes for a moment and smiled, soft and pliable in my arms.

That was when I knew one night wouldn't be enough.

The omega relaxed against me as my knot loosened and slipped out of his warm body. “Mmm, I needed that,” he murmured then pressed a soft kiss to my pec.

I chuckled. “Yeah, I did too.”

Having him in my arms for just one night didn’t seem like long enough. His scent was everywhere around me, yet I was already dreading the moment when he’d have to say goodbye.

I'd been with tons of omegas before, but Avery was different from all of them. He was special. And it seemed like maybe he thought I was special too. He might have been Velvet for other people, but for me, he was Avery.

A slight shiver ran through him, and he reached for more of my warmth. “You’re like a heater with all these muscles.”

I grinned and held him tighter. Having him in my bed felt too good. Tracing the line of his jaw, I tried to memorize every feature. When he walked out the door, I’d probably never see him again. And if I wanted to see him, I’d have to fight off all the other assholes at the club who wanted a piece of him. “Let’s do this again.”

He stilled against me before pulling back to look in my eyes. "What do you mean?"

I was sure it was a terrible idea, but I couldn’t just let him leave without a plan to see him again. “Let’s make this a regular thing. I’ll pay for your exclusive use.” I choked on the last word and shook my head. “Not use, but…you know what I mean. You can dance for other alphas but you only touch me…” I looked away, not wanting to see how pathetic I looked reflecting from his eyes.

Avery was quiet, and I held my breath, assuming I'd gone too far. “You want me to only be with you?”

"Yeah. I’ll pay you." I thought about it for a second and decided I’d pay just about anything. “Ten thousand a week. You don’t have to stay overnight, and I probably won’t be available every night but…only me. I’m paying for exclusivity. You’ll be available for me and only me.”

"Why?” His voice was soft, so I turned to look at him again. “Why me?”

I caught his eyes with mine and sighed. "I can’t explain it, but…it’s definitely you. You’re the only one I’d do this with."

Avery's mouth opened, but nothing came out. It was the first time I'd seen him without a clever comment. "But…"

"But what?" Did he already have a partner? Was I too late to ask for something exclusive?

"What about you?" He swallowed hard, and I heard the hope in his voice. "Will you be with anyone else?"

“No.” I pressed a kiss to his mouth with my eyes still open, watching him. “Just us for now. I’ve got a lot of shit going on with my family and work, and…you make me forget about all of it. I need this. I don’t have time for dating or romance or any of that bullshit.”

He smiled as he nodded. "And you don’t mind if I work at the club?"

"I don’t love the idea." I sucked in a deep breath and then exhaled in a huff. "But if you enjoy it, go for it. Just no touching." I reached for his ass and grabbed a handful. “This is mine. You’re mine, Avery.”

He let out a breath and kissed me hard. I could feel the shift in him as he relaxed against me once again. "Okay, Cord. I’ll do it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Avery’s eyes went dark again, and I could feel his cock pressing against my thigh. Apparently, exclusivity was as hot to him as it was to me.

Watching Avery drive away that first night was hard, but every night after that was even harder. I tried to focus on shit going on with the businesses during the day, but my nights were his. Sometimes we had dinner together, but usually, he danced in the afternoons, went home to shower, and then came over at bedtime.

It was almost a perfect relationship.

As the days went on, my feelings for him grew in a way that made little sense and was incredibly unexpected. I loved my time with Avery, and my time away from him should have been full of excitement and anticipation. But mostly, I just felt anxious and pissy when he was gone. Like, I was uncomfortable until he was back in my arms.

The few nights I got called away to do work shit were the worst. But I still had the family business to consider and had to be smart about the decisions I was making because they affected everyone I cared about.

For his part, Avery also seemed happy. I knew the money was part of it, but I couldn’t help wondering if he’d still be interested if there was no money changing hands. Not that it mattered. I’d give him my last dime if he needed it.

And that’s when the doubt crept in. Maybe Avery wasn’t as into me as I was into him. Maybe he was just fantastic at playing his part to keep his most lucrative client satisfied. Did it matter? It shouldn’t. He was a paid fuckboy.

He never complained. He always came when I beckoned him. He never said no when I asked for sex.

Was it because he didn’t feel that he could?

He wasn’t there for hearts and roses and neither was I.

At least, I didn’t want to be.

Then one night, while my knot was still snugly locked inside him, I decided to press for a hint of what he was thinking.

Avery was tucked into my side, his warm breath tickling my armpit when he said what every man loves to hear. “I might not be able to walk straight tomorrow.”

I chuckled. "Hope that doesn’t mean you need a break from me?”

He pushed up onto his elbow and looked me in the eye. "What do you mean?"

I shrugged, feeling more insecure than I’d ever admit. "I just mean, I’d understand if you don’t like sneaking in at night and out every morning. It’s got to take its toll."

His brow furrowed, and he frowned. "You trying to get rid of me, Cord?"

"No. Never." Oops, didn’t mean to admit that. Though, it wasn’t exactly untrue. “I just want to check in. Make sure you’re still good with our arrangement. It’s been several weeks. We never put a timeline on it.”

Avery's mouth quirked up at the corners, but I saw the crack in his confidence just as jagged as my own. "Sounds like you might be getting bored of me. You want me to bring a friend tomorrow?"

“Fuck no!” Just the suggestion pulled a growl from deep in my chest.

“I’m fine, Cord. I like how things are going. I don’t need more.” He reached for my cock that had slipped out of him and gave me a firm tug. “I mean, I’ll take more of this, but I know this is just a novelty for both of us.”

Was it? Hearing him lay it out so bluntly was kinda depressing. Technically, he was right and this was just a distraction from all the shit I had to deal with during the day, but it would have been nice to hear him say he wanted to be more than a novelty.

Avery didn’t have a lot of details, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew enough about what I did to know he was better off keeping his distance. The few times he’d asked about my business or my family, I kept it vague. It was safer that way. Easier. At least for him.

I opened my mouth to say something that might give him some peace of mind—or maybe myself—but then my phone rang. And it was the special ring tone I'd set for the emergency line. “Dammit.”

“You need to get that?” Avery's eyes were wide, and he instinctively pulled away.

“Yeah." I rolled to the side and answered the call. “What’s up?”

Andro was on the other end, his voice rushed and serious. “There’s been an explosion at one of the factories. We’ve caught a few of the guys, and your name came up.”

What the fuck? I had no idea what that meant, but it obviously meant something. “I’m on my way. Send the address.”