Redemption (Rogue Nation MC #1)

25. Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

Mako

Before I even opened my eyes, every sound in my room seemed amplified. I could hear the wind from the ceiling fan and birds from outside the closed window. Loudest of all was the deep rhythmic breathing. The tightness in my chest loosened because I knew it wasn’t coming from me. It was my mate. I recognized the slight wheeze with every inhale and tiny shuddered exhale. He stayed with me. I lay beside him without moving so I could savor the quiet moment.

Before long, I noticed his breathing changed. “I know you’re awake, Eddie. How do you feel?” his voice was muffled by the pillow.

“OK, I feel OK.?” I ran my hand over his hip.

“You drank a lot last night. Want some coffee or some juice?” his slight body rolled into my side.

“Yeah. I’ll get it though. I need to brush my teeth. My mouth tastes like ass.” I lay still without opening my eyes. Bear was right. I never blacked out or forgot anything when I drank. For the life of me, I didn’t remember getting into bed last night. “How did we get into bed?”

“Bear helped get you to the bed after you passed out on the stairs. I got you undressed and covered up. I spent half the night watching you to make sure you didn’t get sick.” Regret clenched my gut. He lost sleep because of me.

“I’m sorry. Bear should have told you I’ve never gotten sick from drinking. Fuck, I should have told you.”

He brushed his hand gently along my jaw, scratching his nails through my beard. “It’s OK. He text me a few hours after we were in bed to let me know. That’s when I knew I could fall asleep. When would that conversation come up between us? It was kinda unexpected.” My breathing sped up. “Mako, please look at me. Open your eyes.”

I shook my head. “I can’t, because this might be a dream.” My voice was rougher than normal.

“A dream?” He rolled on top of me, and I could feel him looking into my face.

“Yeah, a dream. You left me. You’re gone. As long as I don’t open my eyes, I can pretend you’re still here with me. You still want to be my mate.” I felt the wetness slide down the side of my face towards my temple.

Placing kisses along my jaw and down my neck, “Do my lips feel like I’m gone?” He pressed his hips tighter against my groin, and I felt his hard cock against mine. “Does that feel like I don’t want to be your mate?” One little thrust. My cock hardened instantly. “Ooh, it feels like someone’s awake now.” He bit down on the claiming scar he left on my neck and sucked the flesh into his mouth.

I grunted and thrust my hips upward. “Baby, my breath. Teeth. Brush.” I managed between panting.

He reached into my boxer briefs and grabbed my cock. Letting my neck go with a loud pop, he whispered, “Wasn’t planning on you using your mouth. I get to taste you now.” As he kissed down my chest and licking across my nipple.

It took a few seconds for my mind to catch up with what he was doing. I’ll blame it on how good it felt having him touching me like that. Reality crashed into me like a freight train. “Theo, NO!” I sat up, jerking so hard he flew off my body and landed at the foot of the bed. I jumped to him and pulled him into my lap. “Are you OK? Did I hurt you? Baby, I’m sorry.” Everything was a jumbled mess in my head. All I could see was that sick fuck forcing my mate to take him into his mouth.

His eyes grew wide, and unshed tears pooled at the bottom. “Y-you know?” I just nodded my head. There was nothing for me to say. He crawled from my lap and began putting on a pair of sweats. “I suppose Owen told you.” His voice was too calm. “Now you know that I’m damaged goods. Definitely not good enough for you. I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you.” He walked out of the bedroom before I could say anything. I thought it best to leave him with his thoughts long enough for me to head into the bathroom to piss, brush my teeth and wash last night from my skin.

As I towel dried my hair, I heard Theo mumbling. Simple single words, nothing more, nothing less. A quick pass with a brush to slick my hair back as I walked into the kitchen area proved Theo had been on the phone. My phone. He lay it face down on the table while wiping at tears on his cheeks. After I poured myself a cup of coffee, I sat at the table directly across from him and reached for his hand. He pulled it away and placed it in his lap. With his other hand, he fingered the sides and lip of his cup nervously. “Baby?” He visibly tensed from that single word. “Who was on the phone?”

Without looking up from his cup, “Nobody.”

“Theo, if someone called my phone, it’s usually something important. What was it about?” I racked my mind trying to figure out how to get him to talk to me.

“It seemed important yesterday, but it’s not important now.” His voice was barely above a whisper and shoulders moving with silent sobs. I let the phone call go for the moment and got up. I walked over to him and pulled his chair away from the table and picked him up. A sob wracked his entire body as I pulled him to my chest. “Mako, please…”

“Wrong time and place for begging, baby. We’re gonna talk and I’m gonna hold you while we do.” There weren’t many times I would pull the alpha bossy attitude on him, but this time, I needed to. Settling onto the sofa, I put him on my lap and pulled him tighter to me. “My turn to talk and your turn to listen.” I wiped the tears from his face. “There are things about Owen you don’t know, and it’s not my place to tell you. If he wants you to know, he’ll tell you. That said, the morning he ran up my ass about you, he told Bear and I about some things that fuck nut did to you. He told me so I could know something that might trigger and upset you. He was hurting and angry for you and it came out in a rant. I’m sure he regrets Bear being there, but that can’t be changed. I would have to ask you to tell Bear, anyway. It’s information we needed to make the vote last night.” He sighed and leaned into my shoulder. I took that as a small win. “I want you to remember something, baby. Can you do that for me?” A gentle nod against my shoulder. At least he stopped sobbing. “Timeline, baby. Remember it? I knew BEFORE I mated with you. It didn’t matter then, and it doesn’t matter now.”

Theo raised his head and looked me in the eye. “You still love me? Still want to be my mate?”

I laughed. “I’m pretty sure want went out the window a while ago baby. I need you. You’re my mate and I don’t give a shit what some damn test says.” A small smile brightened his face.

“About that.” He climbed off my lap and went to his knees between my legs.

“As much as I like you in that position, I think you might wanna explain.” I ran my hand along his jaw. He nuzzled my fingers like a cat needing attention.

“The phone call. It was Doc.” I stopped breathing. “It’s positive we’re fated. He already sent the results into the government. And Mako…” he turned his head to look out the window.

“And?” I put my fingers on his jaw, pulling him to face me.