Page 40 of Thrown into the Mob

But I didn’t need my sight because my mate’s breathing changed, alerting me he was getting close as my own climax was hurtling toward me. Now he plowed into me as sweat sprayed over my body.

“Conrad, open your eyes. I want you to look at me.” There was a plea in Madd’s voice, and I pried my eyes open. My Madd, my mate, was in me and holding me as my body convulsed and cum spurted from my cock, covering us both.

But Madd wasn’t done. He kept his eyes on me as he thrust inside me before arching his back and yelling, “Conrad.” He released inside me and toppled on top of me.

There was no sound in the room other than us panting, and we were locked together as his knot swelled and claimed me.

“Mate,” he mumbled against my skin.

TWENTY

CONRAD

I was warm when I opened my eyes.

I paid no attention to the light coming through the curtains or weekday sounds from the street below. Putting a hand on my shoulder, I rubbed Madd’s mark which had now healed. It was comforting in a world I hardly recognized.

But the warmth was coming from the body beside me. I didn’t move, worried I’d wake him, and I wanted to enjoy this because I'd never woken up next to someone and I wanted to remember it. I imprinted it on my memory so I could pull it up whenever I wanted.

Madd was on his stomach with one arm hanging off the bed, and his face was pressed into the pillow at an angle that couldn't have been comfortable, not that I dared move him. His breathing was slow and even and his muscles were slack. Whatever his wolf was doing, he wasn’t standing guard. He must have decided this bed was safe.

My dragon was snoozing and told me he wasn’t waking up unless it was an emergency, so I snuggled up to my mate and slung an arm over him.

It was mid-morning when I eventually slid out of bed and went to the kitchen. The expired coffee was gone because we'd finished the last of it at four in the morning and the tea bags had withered. I opened the fridge that contained Arnie’s containers, half a carton of milk from the convenience store, along with butter and bread. It wasn’t enough for today no matter what we decided to do, though that probably involved staying inside.

I closed the fridge and made a list because I liked organization. We needed a bit of everything. Food, coffee that hadn’t expired, and cleaning products because this apartment had been empty for six years and there were dust bunnies everywhere. I found a pen in a drawer and used the back of an old lease document to start writing.

“Are you making a list?”

I hesitated for a moment because I kinda expected him to say good morning. Wasn’t that what people did? Madd was leaning in the doorway wearing sweatpants and no shirt. How did he have time to work out because those biceps didn’t happen by accident. His hair was in disarray and he was squinting at the bright morning light.

“We need provisions.”

I narrowed my eyes at him using that word. Had he been watching old westerns where people traveled by horse-drawn wagons?

“If you mean food and other essentials, I’ve got this.” I held up the lease agreement. “And don’t worry, coffee is on here.”

“Thank gods.” He rubbed the sleepiness from his face.

We were having a normal couple conversation, but this was the morning after. We’d had sex last night, and I would have expected some awkwardness from one or both of us.

Madd leaned against the kitchen counter, and I noted the soft flesh above his waistband. I had the urge to fondle it and drag him back to bed. But I strolled over to him and nestled my legs between his. He grabbed my shirt and smirked before pulling me to him and kissing me.

Having someone not just like me but love me was so new. Everyday activities like a good-morning kiss were so different and exciting, I wanted to begin every day like this.

“I like this start to the morning,” I mumbled into his mouth.

My mate laughed and tugged at my bottom lip with his teeth. “You’ll keep.” He pushed me away and opened the fridge as though I might have missed something.

He tilted his head, and I contemplated kissing him again. “Have you ever been to a supermarket?”

I made a face. “I went to a convenience store with you last night, and we were in a gas station before Flint arrived.”

Madd pulled me into his arms again. “They don’t count.”

The compound had staff who handled provisions, as Madd called them. I knew supply chains, distribution, and the cost per unit of bulk purchasing, but I had never stood in an aisle and chosen between brands of anything.

“How hard can it be?”