by Bethany-Kris
The sound of a key turning in a lock drew her attention. Slowly, she eased open the drawer of the nightstand beside her and pulled out a gun.
Her gun.
A Glock 19 Mac had reluctantly procured for her after they’d almost been gunned down. With a firm grip on her weapon, Melina calmly aimed it at the bedroom door. The handle turned and the door swung open. Mac stood in the doorway, bags in hand, staring at her.
“You can put the gun down, doll.”
Melina smiled. “Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t.”
“And why wouldn’t you?”
“Because maybe I’m thinking about ordering you to put those bags down, strip and please me in a thousand different ways while I hold you at gunpoint.”
Mac moved closer to the bed, setting down the two bags he’d been holding onto the nightstand. There was a twinkle in his eye.
“Now, why does the thought of that get my cock so damn hard?”
“Because you have issues.”
He raised an eyebrow as he reached for the sheet that was wrapped around Melina. “I have issues, huh?” he asked.
Melina’s breath caught in her throat as he eased the sheet away from her body. Cool air and Mac’s hot gaze met her body. Unhurriedly, his hand cupped her breast, toying with her nipple.
“Now, what man in his right mind wouldn’t have issues, knowing he had perfection like this waiting for him when he got home?”
Melina’s tongue touched her lips. “Home?”
Sitting down on the bed bedside her, Mac offered a smile and a shrug. “Yeah. Home. It’s wherever you are, doll.”
She turned away and fanned her face with one hand, while putting the gun away with the other. Tears were threatening to come, but she refused to give in to them.
“I hate you, Maccari. You’re making me all mushy and weepy-eyed. I’m not that kind of girl.”
She faced him and he placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “And that’s one of the things I love about you the most.”
Before she could answer, his lips were on hers. His kiss was hot, demanding, and all consuming. Melina leaned closer, easing her tongue into Mac’s mouth. He groaned against her lips as he grabbed her waist. Why did he have the power to make her feel like this? Regretfully, she pushed him away.
“What’s wrong? Can’t handle the fire?” Mac teased.
“Hardly. I just don’t need you having a heart attack from too much excitement.”
Mac snorted. “A heart attack? I’m in the best condition of my life. You know that from much personal experience.”
Melina shook her head and laughed before pointing at the bags Mac had set down. “Enough distractions. Give me my food. I’m starving.”
“Bossy today, aren’t we?”
Mac reached for the bags and began removing containers of food.
“Always, but what do you expect? You’ve been keeping me captive in this bed for days. I love sex much as the next person, but there is other sustenance you need to keep the engine running.”
“You know, you constantly surprise me,” Mac said.
He opened a container of shrimp lo mein and handed it to Melina.
She smiled. “That means you’ll never get bored with me.”
“I’m looking forward to a lifetime filled with surprises then.”
Melina took a bite of the Chinese food and chewed thoughtfully. A lifetime. Was Mac hinting at something? Sometimes, she couldn’t really tell with him. One minute, he was an open book with his full intentions right out there in the open. The next, he wore a mask that gave away nothing.
Putting down her chopsticks, she regarded him from beneath lowered lashes. “Did you mean something by that last remark?”
Popping open a Coke, he handed it to Melina before taking a long, healthy swallow of his Mountain Dew. “And if I did?”
Melina could feel her pulse beating in her neck like a steady drum.
“Don’t you think it’s a little soon to be thinking long-term?” she asked. “I mean, people are trying to kill us and the cops are on our asses. We’re not exactly the Cleavers.”
Mac laughed, but when he noticed she wasn’t, he stopped and grabbed her hand.
“When it comes to something I want, I play for keeps. I never thought I’d find a woman who could hold my interest for more than a quick fuck, and then you came along and showed me differently. That’s a big deal to me. When I told you I loved you, I didn’t mean it just for right now. When I love someone, it’s more than a passing moment.” He leaned close and kissed her softly on the lips before pulling away. “Do you get where I’m coming from?”
She nodded. Looking in his eyes, she could see his sincerity. The depth of his real feelings for her and suddenly she was afraid.
“This is going to sound really stupid but the thought of forever with someone scares me to death. Dying in a barrage of bullets … not so much.”
“That’s because you are a rare woman,” Mac said, smiling. “You were made for this kind of lifestyle.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. Someone shoots at you and you don’t even bat an eyelash while you shoot back. I mention things getting even more serious with us, and you’re ready to run out of here. That is definitely different from your average woman.”
Melina took another few bites of her food before she spoke again. “That’s because I’ve never been the girl who believed in a happily ever after … until you came along. Realizing we could possibly have one, that a man would be crazy enough to want to have one with me? That takes some getting used to.”
“Well, get used to it, because I’m not going anywhere. Every time you feel that cross around your neck, I want you to remember that.”
Reflexively, Melina fingered Mac’s cross. It was strange how it felt as if it had always been there, lying over her heart. A silent reminder of how he felt for her and according to him, would always feel.
A whole new world.
She cleared her throat. “And what about this mob stuff?”
“One thing we have in our favor is that it’s not Pivetti. That means it’s someone lower on the food chain and since I have his blessing to take out whoever it is, I’d say we’re going to be okay.”
“Don’t forget, I was shot at, too. What makes you think I shouldn’t be the one to take out whoever is coming after us?”
Mac closed his empty carton of beef and broccoli. “Because lately you’ve been the one doing all the shooting lately. Leave something for me.”
Melina shook her head. “Selfish.”
“Hardly, doll. A man protects his woman, and besides that, this kill is just what it might take to advance me up the ladder.”
“Why am I not surprised you’re working an angle?”
“Because you’re starting to learn how I operate. Tomorrow, I’ll start putting some feelers out.”
“What’s so special about tomorrow?” Melina asked.
“I’m going back to work. I figure I’ve more than overextended whatever good graces Guido might have towards me.”
“So what time are we leaving?”
“We aren’t.”
Melina disposed of her empty carton and scowled at Mac. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I want you to stay here. Out of sight. Out of mind.”
“That’s not going to fly with me. I am not the little woman who waits at home. I won’t play the housewife, Mac.”
“I’m not saying you are, but until we get things sorted out right now it will ease my mind to know that you’re here. To know that when I am out there handling business, I can spend every second of my time working on who is out to get you and me. I can’t do that if my only thoughts are of keeping you safe.”
“I don’t need you to keep my safe. I was protecting myself long before you sauntered your arrogant ass into my life.”
Melina got out of the bed, unbothered by the fact that she was stark naked. She couldn’t believe
Mac. Did he really not know by now what kind of woman she was? Melina had never been and would never be a damsel in distress. If Mac didn’t understand that quick, fast, and in a hurry, then their new relationship was headed towards its first major problem. Stomping towards the bathroom door, her hand had barely closed around the knob before Mac was spinning her around to face him.
“Doll, listen to me.”
His eyes sought hers, silently begging him for a chance to further explain.
“You’ve got two minutes.”
“You may not need me, but I need you and if that means I have to make decisions that you don’t like in order to ensure that I always have you, then I’m going to do just that.”
She swallowed hard. “I’ve already proven that I can help you and that I don’t need protecting. I don’t like this.”
“I don’t expect you to. I’m just asking you to give me some time. After the dust settles, you can come to work with me every damn day, if you want. Please, Melina.”
She glared at him. The last thing she wanted to do was stay home, waiting and watching the door like some good little housewife, waiting for her man. The thought of it made her skin crawl in disgust. She was a go-getter, a doer. Sitting around had never been her style.
“And what am I supposed to do with myself all day while you’re out having all the fun?”
Mac’s hands slowly settled around her waist as his gaze lowered. He licked his lips as he stared at her bare body and Melina tried to ignore the rush of heat she felt beneath his gaze.
“Be here to remind me of everything good in this world and how lucky I am to have you to come home to.”
With a smirk, he maneuvered them back over to the bed until the back of her legs were touching the edge. Slowly he pressed her down on the bed and got on his knees.
“This isn’t over, Mac.”
He grinned at her as he eased her thighs open. “It is now, doll.”
His tongue touched her clit and Melina’s retort died on her lips.
The bastard.
He licked her pussy from back to front and Melina knew it was truly over. She’d lost, but this was one battle she didn’t mind not being the victor.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Melina asked.
“No.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“Too bad. You’re going to have to deal with this one, doll.”
Melina pouted. It had been absolute hell staying at her place this morning as she’d waited for Mac to come back. She’d spent half the morning cleaning, and the rest of the afternoon surfing the Internet. Saying she was bored out of her mind was a true understatement. She’d decided to punish Mac for her suffering.
Too bad her brand of punishment had turned out to be a reward for both of them. Her knees still ached.
She touched his thigh. “Can’t you at least give me a hint?”
“We’re almost there.”
Melina rolled her eyes. “Some hint.”
Folding her arms, she sat in silence as Mac drove. Even her attempts at seduction hadn’t made him reveal where he was taking her. All she’d managed to wheedle out of him was that they were going somewhere special.
Some place that mattered a great deal to him.
Some place he’d never taken a woman.
Melina still had no fucking idea where they were going. She watched the scenery around them searching for a clue as to where Mac was taking her. Finally, she saw a sign.
“Amityville?”
“Yep,” he said.
They drove into town and after more twists and turns than Melina could keep track of, they entered a small neighborhood where Mac stopped the car at the end of the street. A small one-level house stood, looking welcoming and cozy from the outside. He put the car into park and killed the ignition.
“We’re here,” he said quietly.
He turned to her and softly grabbed her chin, before pressing a kiss to her temple. Melina unbuckled her seatbelt as Mac exited the car and came around to open the door for her. She allowed him to help her out before he closed and locked the door behind her. Melina tugged at the hem of her dress, a slow dread creeping into her heart.
“If we are where I think we are, you could’ve given me a warning to dress more appropriately.”
“There’s nothing wrong with what you have on. You look beautiful, like always.”
Taking her hand in his, Mac led them to the front door of the small gray house and rang the doorbell. They waited for less than a minute before the front door opened.
“James.”
James?
It took Melina far too long to realize that James was Mac.
She felt stupid.
“Hey, Ma,” Mac said.
Standing in the doorway was a middle-aged woman with blonde hair lightly streaked with gray. Her eyes were the same as Mac’s and right at that moment, those eyes were firmly focused on Melina.
“Good to see you, son. Who is this you’ve brought with you?”
The woman’s gaze never wavered from Melina.
“Ma, this is my girlfriend, my Melina.”
“Your Melina?” Mac’s mother said as she raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah. Mine.”
“I see.”
Melina couldn’t remember the last time that a person had made her feel so unnerved beneath their gaze, but Mac’s mother was doing just that. She smiled as the woman appraised her from head to toe before extending her hand.
“Melina, welcome to my home. I’m Cynthia.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am,” Melina said.
The two women shook hands, but there was no mistaking the tenseness that hung in the air between them. Though Cynthia Maccari wore an apron like she was Susie Homemaker, Melina wasn’t fooled in the least. Mac’s mom was an alpha female and she was sizing up the woman her son had brought home, looking for weaknesses.
“Thank you, Melina. Why don’t you come in? Dinner’s almost ready.”
Cynthia motioned for them to follow her inside. Melina shot Mac a look as she entered the house behind his mother. She took in her surroundings. The home was small but nicely furnished in shades of black and gray. It was something Melina would’ve chosen herself. Well, at least she and Mac’s mother had one thing in common. Cynthia took a seat on a black high-backed chair. Melina allowed Mac to lead her to the matching love seat.
“You know, James has never brought a girl home before,” Cynthia said.
“Mac, Ma,” Mac said.
“Not to me,” his mother replied firmly. “As I said, never once.”
“He mentioned that,” Melina admitted.
“Did he? My son is usually a man of few words.”
“Not all the time, Ma,” Mac said.
“So it seems. Well, there’s a first time for everything. If you two will excuse me a minute. I have a few things to finish up in the kitchen,” Cynthia said.
“Do you need any help?” Melina asked.
“Do you cook?”
“Not particularly well, but I try.”
Cynthia gave her a terse smile. “That’s all right, then.”
As the woman disappeared from the room, Melina buried her face against Mac’s neck.
“Your mother hates me,” she groaned.
“No, she doesn’t, doll. She’s just in shock.”
“Yeah, she can’t believe her son brought home a hooker.”
Mac pulled her back to look at him. “What’s going on with you? I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Meeting your mother is a big deal. I want to make a good impression. It doesn’t bode well for a relationship if your boyfriend’s mother hates you.”
“Melina, she doesn’t hate you. She’s just trying to figure you out. To bring you here means I obviously care about you, so she just wants to know what makes you so special to me.”
“And you’re sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I’m wearing a red bodycon dress, stilettos a
nd I’m not some willowy, blonde, white girl?”
“Positive. Now stop stressing.”
Mac pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. Her nerves were rattled, but Mac’s quiet confidence in her and their relationship was easing some of her fears.
“Thanks.”
“For what?” Mac asked.
“For believing in me.”
“I’ll always believe in you. That’s what you do when you love someone and we both know how much I love you.”
“Do I?” she asked.
“Yeah, you do, doll.”
Holding her face, he kissed her softly on the lips.
Once. Twice. Three times.
The sound of a woman’s throat clearing made them break apart. “Dinner is ready.”
Mac helped Melina to her feet. “It smells wonderful, Mamma.”
“It should. I made all your favorites.”
“You’re in for a real treat, Melina. My mother is the best cook around.”
Cynthia beamed at her son, basking in his praise. Anyone could see the love the two of them had for each other. Melina swallowed a lump in her throat as she thought of her own mother, gone from the world over ten years. Quickly blinking away tears, Melina followed Cynthia down the short hall to a small kitchen and dining area. A tall, raised mahogany table was covered with platters of food. It looked like Mac’s mom was trying to feed an army.
“Wow. Ma, you outdid yourself,” Mac praised.
“Thank you. Your sister’s missing out.”
“Where is Victoria, anyway?” Mac asked as he pulled out a chair for his mother.
“She was too busy to come for dinner. You know how your sister is. Speaking of siblings, do you have any, Melina?”
“No,” Melina replied. “It’s just me.”
Melina sat down in a chair, staring at the food in front of them.
“Ah. Well, dig in you two. There’s stuffed meatballs, lasagna, garlic bread sticks, and chicken parmesan. Oh, and tiramisu for dessert.”
Mac rubbed his hands together with glee. “This was well worth waiting all day for.”
“This is impressive, Mrs. Maccari. Have you always cooked like this?”
Cynthia smiled. “Yes. Cooking large meals is an Italian tradition. When we cook, we make enough to last for days.”
Melina took a bite of the lasagna and moaned. “This is one tradition I could grow to love very much.”