Page 8 of Bound to the Mafia Guard

After reading a shitton of pages and using up a whole pad of notebook paper, my eyes were burning. I finally gave up, and we went to bed early.

Even though I was wiped, I stared at the ceiling, unable to quiet my mind as I desperately tried to ignore Trev’s steady breathing from the bed across the room.

Why was Andro torturing me by making me share a room with the sexiest alpha working for him? Trev was broad and jacked like a lot of alphas, but he had a kind face. Not so hard or jaded like a lot of the other guys who worked for my cousins.

But Trev was clearly uninterested in me, not to mention he was loyal to Andro, so he was unlikely to ever cross that line. Yet another reason that Andro chose him. I rolled toward the wall and eventually fell asleep, despite the lumpy, old mattress

Wednesday wasn’t much better.

My labs stretched on endlessly, with Trev's watchful gaze burning into my back as a constant reminder of his presence that was so close yet still too far away. Not only that, my joints wereachy like maybe I was coming down with something. My time in isolation hadn’t done much for my immune system.

I got through the day, but by evening, I was a bundle of raw nerves. My skin felt too tight, and all I could think about was tearing off my clothes and begging Trev to give me something I couldn’t quite name.

I paced the tiny dorm room, unable to sit still.

"What's got you so worked up?" Trev's eyes followed my movements with a hint of concern in his tone.

"I don't know." I threw my arms up then grabbed a handful of hair. I was having a tantrum and didn’t understand why. I was never this emotional. Usually, I was completely emotionless… "Sorry, I just... I feel like I'm gonna crawl outta my skin." I wanted to shout, to throw something…to…to…I don’t know what I wanted.

Trev narrowed his eyes, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply.

Fuck. Was my restlessness affecting my scent? That wasn’t embarrassing at all. Being an omega and broadcasting my emotional state to every alpha within smelling distance was a real pain in the ass sometimes.

"Maybe you need to blow off some steam." Trev moved to the window and cracked it for some fresh air. "When's the last time you hit the gym?"

The idea of physical exertion suddenly seemed incredibly appealing. "That...actually sounds perfect."

The campus gym was quiet at night, so I didn’t have to worry about a line behind me as I attacked the heavy bag with single-minded focus. The rhythmic thud of my fists drowned out the chaos in my head, at least for a few minutes. The distraction of my burning muscles was nice even as each drop of sweat slid down my back.

"Not bad form." Trev leaned against the wall and watched with his arms crossed over his chest. "For an omega who has never been in an actual fight in his life."

I shot him a glare, but there was no real heat behind it. "Care to show me how it's done, then?" My father had insisted on self-defense classes from the moment I could walk. I may not have been in a real fight before, but I could take a punch. I had the scars from Russo to prove it.

A slow grin spread across Trev’s face. "Thought you'd never ask."

We spent the next hour sparring as Trev patiently corrected my form and showed me how to fight smarter, despite the size of my opponent. I even got a few hits on him, which was oddly exciting. My education up to that point had been more technical and less hands on.

Sweaty and breathless, I actually enjoyed hanging out with him.

As we walked back to the dorm, I felt some of the tension finally start to drain from my shoulders. "Thanks, Trev. I needed that more than I realized."

Trev just nodded, but I caught the hint of a smile on his usually stoic face.

After a quick shower, I fell into bed more exhausted than ever.

5

TREV

I couldn't tear my eyes away from Rowan's sleeping form across the cramped dorm room. His chest rose and fell with each shallow breath, and those dark lashes fluttered against flushed cheeks. Even from my own tiny bed, I could see a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead.

The past two days with him had been torture. At first, I was annoyed to be stuck babysitting the sweet and sheltered cousin, but now I couldn't stop thinking about running my hands over his smooth skin or burying my face in the crook of his neck to inhale that intoxicating scent.

A scent that was growing stronger by the minute.

Rowan shifted restlessly and a soft whimper escaped his parted lips. The sound went straight to my cock, making it painfully hard.

I gripped the sheets, fighting the urge to cross the room and climb into bed with him.

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