Page 34 of Ruined By the Mafia Kings (Alpha Mafia Kings #1)

“High praise indeed,” Conall remarked dryly, though Anders didn’t miss the pleased glint in his eye. “He found us ‘not terrible,’ brothers. We should be honored.”

“The bar was low,” Ty shot back, though a hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Being better than heat toxicity isn’t exactly a high standard.”

Anders uncapped the water bottle and shook out two pills from the medication container. “You need to take these,” he said, his tone making it clear this wasn’t a suggestion. “And drink all of this water. Your body is still recovering.”

Ty eyed the pills suspiciously. “What are they? Because if you think I’m just going to swallow whatever mystery pills you hand me, you clearly haven’t been paying attention to my trust issues.”

“Standard pain relievers,” Anders replied, holding them out on his palm for Ty to inspect. “Nothing that will harm you.”

“And I’m supposed to just take your word for it?” Ty asked, though he was already reaching for the pills. “The word of a mafia alpha whom I’ve repeatedly pissed off?”

“If I wanted to harm you,” Anders pointed out reasonably, “I wouldn’t need pills to do it.”

Ty considered this for a moment, then shrugged. “Fair point.” He took the pills and the water bottle, swallowing them quickly before taking several long gulps of water. “God, I’m thirsty. And hungry. Apparently, three rounds of alpha breeding works up an appetite. Who knew?”

Anders reached for the tray of food, setting it within easy reach on the bed. “You need to eat,” he said, moving to sit against the headboard. “Your body has been through significant stress.”

Before Ty could respond, Anders reached for him, pulling the little mouse into his arms with careful strength. The chain at his wrist jangled softly as he settled Ty between his legs, back against his chest, in one smooth motion that allowed no argument.

“What are you doing?” Ty protested, though he didn’t struggle as Anders arranged him more comfortably. “I’m not a ventriloquist dummy you can position however you want.”

“You’re weak,” Anders stated matter-of-factly, reaching for the bowl of soup. “This position provides better support.”

“And gives you complete control,” Ty said, though he relaxed slightly against Anders’ chest, his body betraying his exhaustion despite his protests. “Always the strategist, aren’t you?”

“Always,” Anders agreed, dipping the spoon into the broth and bringing it to Ty’s lips. “Now eat.”

Ty stared at the spoon Anders was holding out to him, then at Anders himself, disbelief written across his features. “You’re not seriously trying to feed me, are you? Because I lost my heat, not my motor skills.”

“Humor him,” Conall suggested with a grin. “He likes feeling useful. And in control. Mostly in control.”

“I can feed myself,” Ty insisted, reaching for the spoon.

Anders held it just out of reach, his expression implacable. “You’re still weak,” he stated. “And you need all of this food, not just what you think you can manage.”

Ty looked like he wanted to argue further, but another wince crossed his face as he shifted position.

After a moment’s hesitation, he sighed dramatically and leaned back more fully against Anders’ chest. “Fine. Feed me then, Mr. Control Freak. But only because I feel like I’ve been run over by a semi and then reversed over for good measure. ”

Something about Ty’s capitulation sent a surge of satisfaction through Anders’ chest. He carefully brought the spoon to Ty’s lips, watching as their little omega accepted the offering with surprising docility.

“This is ridiculous,” Ty said after swallowing. “I’m a grown man being spoon-fed soup by a mafia boss. My life has officially jumped the shark.”

“Consider it aftercare,” Conall suggested, his green eyes dancing with amusement. “We did put you through quite the workout.”

“Aftercare usually involves blankets and cuddling, not being force-fed like a recalcitrant toddler,” Ty retorted, yet he accepted the next spoonful without complaint. “Though I suppose the alpha sandwich I woke up in counts as cuddling. Very muscular, slightly terrifying cuddling.”

Anders continued feeding Ty methodically, ensuring he consumed all the soup and most of the bread. With each bite, color returned to Ty’s cheeks, his movements becoming more fluid, less pained. The medication was clearly taking effect, easing the worst of his discomfort.

Ty’s position, sitting up with his back against Anders’ chest while the alpha fed him, brought them into intimate contact.

Anders could feel the warmth of Ty’s skin against his own, the slight weight of him settling more comfortably as the meal progressed.

The proximity was having a predictable effect on Anders’ body, his cock hardening against the small of Ty’s back.

Ty stiffened slightly as he felt the evidence of Anders’ hardness, then deliberately shifted his position, pressing back against it with a teasing motion that could not possibly be accidental.

“Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” he quipped, glancing over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “Actually, don’t answer that. I can feel exactly how happy you are.”

Anders’ hand tightened on the spoon, his control slipping just a fraction at Ty’s deliberate provocation. “Finish your food,” he instructed, his voice rougher than before.

“Yes, sir,” Ty replied with mock obedience, the sarcasm evident in his tone. But he accepted the next spoonful without further comment, though the slight smirk playing at the corners of his mouth suggested he was well aware of the effect he was having.

Conall watched the exchange with undisguised amusement, his own reaction evident as his gaze tracked Ty’s every movement. “Our little mouse is feeling better,” he said, his voice dropping to a register that made Ty’s breath catch audibly. “Strong enough to play games already.”

“Not playing,” Ty countered, though the slight flush on his cheeks suggested otherwise. “Just making observations. Very hard, throbbing observations.”

Anders set the empty bowl aside, his patience wearing thin with Ty’s deliberate teasing. Their little omega’s heat might have broken, but the scent of him, jasmine and honey with an undercurrent of desire, was filling the room, triggering Anders’ most primal instincts.

“You should rest,” Anders said, his voice strained with the effort of control. “Your body is still recovering.”

“I’ve had enough rest,” Ty replied, deliberately shifting against Anders again, the movement sending a jolt of pleasure through the alpha’s system. “And apparently, so have you. All of you,” he added, his gaze flicking to where Conall and Wyatt made no attempt to hide their own physical interest.

“This isn’t heat,” Anders pointed out, his hands moving to Ty’s hips to still his provocative movements. “You don’t need this for survival anymore.”

Ty turned in Anders’ hold, his eyes meeting the alpha’s with unexpected directness. “Maybe I want it anyway,” he said, the challenge clear in his voice. “Maybe I want to remember what it feels like when I’m fully conscious and not dying of heat fever. Is that so hard to believe?”

It was, actually. After everything that had happened—the captivity, the forced breeding, the heat crisis—Anders had expected Ty to retreat, to rebuild his walls and distance himself from the alphas who had claimed him so thoroughly.

This deliberate provocation, this apparent desire for more, was unexpected.

“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” Anders warned, his control slipping further as Ty’s scent intensified with obvious need. “This wouldn’t be like before. We wouldn’t be gentle.”

“When is it ever gentle with you?” Ty countered, his hands coming up to rest on Anders’ chest, fingers splayed across the hard muscle. “Besides, who said I wanted gentle?”

The last thread of Anders’ restraint snapped.

With a growl that seemed to vibrate through the room, he captured Ty’s mouth in a bruising kiss, one hand tangling in their little omega’s hair to hold him in place.

The kiss was all possession and demand—his tongue plunged deep, claiming every corner of Ty’s mouth as his own territory.

He tasted of the soup they’d just shared and something uniquely Ty, a sweetness that seemed designed specifically to drive Anders mad with hunger.

Ty responded with unexpected fervor, his lips parting eagerly as his tongue met Anders’ in a hot dance that sent fire racing through both their bodies.

His arms wound around Anders’ neck, fingers threading through the alpha’s dark hair and pulling him closer with surprising strength for someone who’d been at death’s door hours earlier.

Their bodies pressed together, Ty’s smaller frame fitting against Anders’ larger one with a perfection that seemed almost designed.

When they finally broke apart for air, Ty’s pupils were blown wide with desire, only a thin ring of hazel visible around the black. His lips were swollen and reddened from the force of Anders’ kiss, his breathing quick and shallow.

“Well,” he managed, voice rough with want, “that’s one way to shut me up.”

“There are others,” Conall suggested with a wicked grin, moving closer on the bed. “Many, many others. Would you like a demonstration, little mouse?”

Before Ty could respond with what would undoubtedly have been another snarky comment, Anders moved with alpha speed, flipping their positions so that Ty was beneath him on the bed, pinned by the alpha’s superior weight and strength.

The chain at Anders’ wrist rattled with the sudden movement, the cold metal sliding across Ty’s heated skin and drawing a shiver from him.

“Last chance to change your mind,” Anders warned, his voice a low growl as he hovered over Ty, their bodies not quite touching. “Say the word, and this stops now.”

Ty stared up at him, challenge flashing in his eyes despite the vulnerability of his position.

“What, afraid I can’t handle you?” he taunted, deliberately arching up so that their bodies made contact—his hard cock brushing against Anders’ stomach, leaving a smear of wetness on the alpha’s skin.

“Or afraid you can’t handle me and giving as good as I get? ”

The provocation was deliberate, calculated to push Anders over the edge, and it worked.

With a growl that sounded barely human, Anders descended on Ty like a force of nature, his mouth claiming the little mouse’s in another devastating kiss.

This time, he sucked Ty’s tongue into his mouth, drawing a surprised whimper from the omega that vibrated between them.

The sound traveled straight to Anders’ cock, making it throb with renewed urgency.

Ty responded with equal fervor, his arms wrapping tightly around Anders’ neck, pulling their bodies flush together as if trying to eliminate any space between them.

His legs came up to wrap around Anders’ waist, the position aligning their hardened lengths perfectly.

The friction as they moved against each other drew groans from both men.

“Careful, little mouse,” Conall warned from where he watched, his hand moving lazily over his own hardened length. “Our brother doesn’t respond well to challenges.”

“Good thing I like living dangerously,” Ty retorted when Anders finally released his mouth to trail biting kisses down his jaw, his neck, his collarbone. “Besides, what’s he going to do? Fuck me senseless? Been there, done that, got the delightfully sore ass to prove it.”

Anders’ response was to bite down on the sensitive juncture where Ty’s neck met his shoulder, not hard enough to break skin, but enough to leave a mark that would last for days.

The action drew a startled moan from Ty, his body arching up into Anders’ with instinctive need, his hardness grinding against the alpha’s stomach.

“Marking your territory already?” Ty gasped, though the effect of his sass was somewhat undermined by the breathless quality of his voice and the way his hands clutched at Anders’ shoulders, nails digging into muscle. “Very alpha of you.”

“Mine,” Anders growled against Ty’s skin, the word more primal instinct than conscious thought. “Ours.”

He continued his downward exploration, mouth tracing a path of fire across Ty’s chest. The little mouse’s skin was impossibly soft under his lips, smoother than any male Anders had ever touched, another unusual omega trait that made Ty unique.

When Anders reached a pink nipple, he circled it with his tongue before taking it between his teeth, tugging gently.

The effect was immediate—Ty’s back arched off the bed, a broken sound escaping his throat that was nothing like his usual sharp commentary.

“Sensitive here,” Anders noted, his breath hot against the wet peak, making Ty shiver. He moved to the other nipple, giving it the same thorough attention—licking, sucking, gently biting until it stood hard and red against Ty’s pale chest. “Very sensitive.”

“For scientific purposes, I’m sure,” Ty managed, though his attempt at sarcasm was undercut by the way his body responded to Anders’ touch, back arching to offer more, his hands now clutching at the sheets beneath him. “Very clinical of you.”

“Nothing clinical about what I’m going to do to you,” Anders promised, continuing his downward exploration. His mouth traced a path down Ty’s stomach, tongue dipping into his navel, following the smooth skin to where Ty’s cock lay hard and leaking against his belly.

Conall moved closer on the bed, his green eyes dark with hunger as he watched Anders reduce their sassy omega to incoherent pleasure. “Room for one more?” he asked, his hand coming up to stroke Ty’s hair back from his forehead.