by Bethany-Kris
With her, closer was always better.
“Thanks for having my back again,” he murmured.
Mac should have told her that hours ago, but he had been stuck in his own thoughts, trying to figure out all the shit he had missed that led up to those final moments.
Melina smiled against his skin. “Isn’t that my job?”
“Seems so.”
“You’re not mad at me?”
Mac stilled. “Why would I be mad at you, Melina?”
“You told me to stay here, and I didn’t.”
Oh.
Maybe that’s what Mac was missing. It wasn’t that she needed space from him to process what happened; she wrongly thought he was angry with her for disobeying his request for her to stay where it was safe.
“I’m not mad,” he said softly. “You did the right thing.”
“By default, right?”
“You’ve got a good gut instinct. I’m not going to fault you for following it.”
Melina nodded. “Okay.”
“I’m not mad,” he repeated again, just in case she needed to hear it a second time.
She quieted in his arms for a long while. Long enough that he wondered if she might have fallen asleep. He quickly figured out she hadn’t when her head tipped up just enough to allow her sweet mouth to find his in the darkness.
Mac took her kiss, he let her deepen it until their tongues danced together, and her hands were traveling all over his body. The sweetness of the kiss quickly burned hot when he pushed against her lower back, driving her lower half into his growing erection.
Softness was gone in a blink.
Their movements, their intent, became a lot faster and more frantic in the dark.
Nails scoring over his chest. His teeth buried into her shoulder. She shoved his boxer-briefs down as he pulled her silky chemise up.
Melina’s sighs echoed in Mac’s ear when he rolled her onto her back and spread her thighs wide with the same roughness she had shown him. Sometimes, he just needed to connect with his girl on a level beyond words and passing glances.
Sometimes he needed to feel more.
Touch more.
Taste more.
…have more of her all over him.
Mac grabbed Melina’s jaw in his hands, forcing her head up so that he could see her brown eyes watching only him and nothing else for the moment. His palms slid down the slender column of her throat, the pads of his thumbs dragging along her pulse points and feeling her swallow beneath his hold.
She was so beautiful like this under him.
Waiting.
Watching.
Silent and still.
Perfect, really.
Melina shifted under him, flashing him one of her sexy, knowing smiles. He groaned at the sensation of her fingertips dancing across the underside of his cock just before her fingers wrapped the base in a firm grip. She stroked him slowly, but tight enough to make his breath catch in his chest.
“Jesus,” he mumbled.
Melina’s legs hooked around his hips, and then her heels pressed into his lower back, demanding without even saying a word. Mac knew what she wanted, and so he gave it to her. Taking one hand off her throat, he wrapped his arm around her lower back and pulled her up a little higher so her ass was almost in his lap. Stroking his cock once more, Melina shifted her hips just enough to let the head of his dick slide along the soft, wet lips of her slit.
She was always wet for him, no matter what.
Her body was made for his. He was sure of it.
“Come on,” she urged low. “Take it, Mac.”
How was he supposed to deny her when she talked like that, all breathless and dazed eyes?
Mac flexed his hips, and just like that …
Just like that, he found heaven wrapping him in a tight, hot grasp.
All over.
Melina shuddered from the force of the thrust, but she still met him there. Mac didn’t give her much time to adjust, because he couldn’t. Already, the need, his lust, and their love was surrounding his senses and coloring his vision red. He started a rhythm between them that was as punishing as it was good. Pushing up on her elbows, Melina’s body was suspended above the bed, and she was backing into him again.
And she watched him like that.
Saw his body tremble.
His cock taking her.
She looked so enraptured with them.
He was already lost in her.
“Yeah, ciao?” Mac blinked awake at the same time he put the phone to his ear. “Mac, speaking.”
At first, no one responded on the other end of the call. It made him wonder if he had actually heard the phone ringing in his dead sleep, or if his head was just making things up. It wasn’t like he had gotten a hell of a lot of sleep the night before, and frankly, neither had Melina.
Finally, someone spoke on the other end.
Mac felt a little less crazy.
“Mac, my home, two hours,” Luca ordered. “I know with girls like yours, she won’t let you go too far from her. My wife will have a breakfast spread waiting for Melina to choose from. You, however, will find me in my library today. Do not make me wait.”
“Okay, Boss. Do you want me to—”
Luca hung up the phone before Mac could finish his question. Confused and a little frustrated, Mac dropped the cell phone to the bedside table, and fell back into the bed. Melina met him there, her soft hands roving over his chest as her lips pressed to his bicep.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Luca,” Mac said.
Melina groaned, her forehead hitting Mac’s arm with a quiet smack.
Mac laughed. “I don’t think it’s bad, doll.”
“It never seems like it is until guns get pulled out.”
“Neeya invited you to breakfast,” Mac said, hoping that would soothe Melina’s worries.
She scrunched her nose. “Yeah?”
“I think you made another friend.”
“How long do we have?” she asked.
“Two hours.”
It was a half-hour drive, at least.
“And there’s already breakfast waiting, so we don’t need to bother with that, right?” Melina asked, dragging a single fingernail down over his happy trail.
Mac’s throat tightened, and his cock hardened. “No. I can’t be late, according to him. I don’t even know what he wants.”
He figured it couldn’t be bad, given Luca could have killed him the day before if he wanted to after what happened.
Melina was on top of him before he could think. “We’ll make it fast, I promise. You won’t be late, Mac.”
“Make it worth it,” he argued, grabbing her hips roughly.
She laughed. “That, too.”
Mac walked into Luca’s library with his hands tossed in his pockets. The library was done in similar design to Luca’s office, but it was larger, with a second level. Books lined every wall in custom-made book shelves to fit the circular shape of the room. Brass ladders on wheels rested against the shelves attached to tracks.
Luca stood by one of the only windows, smoking a cigar. He didn’t turn at Mac’s entrance.
“Boss,” Mac greeted.
Luca waved a hand, as if to tell him to continue on in. Mac did, only stopping when he was in the middle of the large library.
“Everything has been handled,” Luca said, tossing Mac a look.
Mac understood the words that weren’t said: Guido had been taken care of and dispatched without issue.
“Thank you,” Mac said. “I didn’t intend to cause a mess.”
“Yet, it always does.” Luca waved at a couch in a sitting area just a few feet to the left of them and said, “Sit.”
Mac’s eye caught the items on the couch, and he froze.
A silver knife.
The picture of a saint.
A gold zippo.
A gun.
One bullet.
“Don’t let it bother you,�
� Luca said, hitting Mac on the back as he passed with a smile. “It looks more intimidating than the process of initiation actually is.”
Initiation.
He was going to make Mac a made man.
Today.
Mac finally snapped out of his daze. “Shouldn’t there be other people here for this?”
Luca chuckled. “Should there be? I’m the boss—while unprecedented to do the Omertà like this, it’s not entirely unheard of. My word, my choices, are law.”
Well, then.
Luca picked up the gun, slid the cartridge out, and inserted the one bullet before replacing the cartridge. Turning off the safety, he cocked the hammer back, and set the gun back on the couch with a great deal more care than he had picked it up with.
“Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to sit like I told you to?” Luca asked.
Mac was still pretty sure other men in la famiglia were supposed to be there. Luca seemed to pick up on Mac’s dilemma.
“I don’t need the permission or approval of others for what I already know,” the boss informed him quietly. “I can make who I want, if I feel they are deserving of it. And I would prefer to do it without the issues and jealousies of other men who might want someone else in your place.”
“Okay,” Mac said, understanding his boss a bit better.
“You will not waste time after today, Mac,” Luca continued, “not in this family. You have a ready-made position waiting for you where Guido’s old spot is concerned. You have proved yourself more than capable of handling it all. I know you do a great deal of the work as it is. There will be no apprenticing under another Capo to learn the position—you don’t need to.”
Mac nodded, surprised. “People might not like that.”
“That is something you will have to learn to manage and handle appropriately, as a made man.”
He could do that.
Probably.
“You’re never to speak of what happens in this library after you leave it,” Luca said firmly. “Not to your friends, other made men, or even your girl. It is sacred—so protected by us all. Do you understand?”
“Absolutely.”
Luca picked the knife up. “Sit, I said.”
Mac did as he was told.
“Are you ready?” Luca asked.
Was he?
Mac had waited a long time for this.
Did he deserve it?
“Yes,” Mac said.
Luca smiled. “You don’t sound sure.”
“I wasn’t expecting this. I didn’t think it would be like this at all.”
“We never do. Palm out, and repeat after me.”
Mac put his palm up for the boss, and he didn’t even flinch when his blood fell in droplets to the hardwood floor.
But he repeated every word.
“Melina, dear, is everything all right?”
Neeya’s voice startled Melina who nearly dropped her fork.
She met her hostess’ gaze and nodded. “Everything is fine.”
Neeya tapped her manicured hand against the table. “Now why would you want to insult my intelligence and mock my hospitality by lying to me?”
Melina swallowed hard, noting the edge in Neeya’s voice, despite the smile on her face.
“I meant no disrespect. This is all new to me. I’m not used to being the type of woman who worries about a man. It’s unsettling.”
Neeya waved a hand. “Is that what this is all about? Dear, the worst is over now. Relax. Take a breath. Good times are ahead.”
“I’m sure you’re right, but after being on edge for so long, it’s hard to let down your guard.”
“I never said to let down your guard, but it is okay to realize you can start to enjoy life again. Never let anyone take that from you.”
Melina speared a strawberry and took a slow bite before she spoke again. “But what is my life now? Everything is different.”
“Melina, I never pegged you for an indecisive woman.”
“Neeya, can I be frank with you?”
“Of course.”
“I’m not sure how to handle being a part of this lifestyle. I’m not talking about the danger or anything like that. I’m talking about all these traditions and unwritten rules I don’t understand. The last thing I want to do is step on any toes or cause any problems for Mac. He’s had to deal with enough.”
Neeya offered her a wide smile. “Spoken like a true woman in love. It’s amazing how you’ve changed in the short time I’ve known you.”
Melina laughed with a touch of nervousness in her voice. “You mean from being an independent, take-no-shit woman to some sap who constantly worries? I have to say, I’m not much of a fan of the new me.”
“You still are an independent, take-no-shit kind of woman. That’s why we get along so well. Not to mention, you know your way around a gun. But listen to me well, Melina. Just because you love, does not diminish who you are as a woman in any way.”
Melina nodded. “I guess I didn’t think of it like that. I was so worried about losing my edge.”
Neeya sipped her mimosa before she responded. “I seriously doubt that will be happening anytime soon, and in regards to your other concern, there’s an extremely simple way to avoid the headache of any of it.”
“And how’s that?”
“Take your cues from Mac. If he wishes to discuss things with you, then fine. If he doesn’t, then respect his silence. Undoubtedly, he has a good reason for keeping some things to himself.”
“Is that how things work with you and your husband?” Melina dared to ask.
“Yes.”
“And you’re all right with not knowing things? It doesn’t bother you?”
Neeya laughed. “Of course not, because at the end of the day, I know that Luca is good at what he does. He would not be the boss if he did not earn the spot. And in the event there ever was a real reason for concern, he would have balls enough to tell me.”
Melina nodded as she popped another fresh strawberry in her mouth. Maybe Neeya was right. Maybe she really was worrying and obsessing over nothing. Guido was dead, and Mac was very much alive. Surely they’d come through the worst of whatever Fate had to throw at them. Maybe it was time to really live a little.
“You two need to hurry up.”
The sound of a girl’s voice drifted into the room where Neeya and Melina were eating breakfast. A few minutes later, three young women entered the room. Melina recognized them as Neeya and Luca’s daughters from the painting immediately.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought that I taught you girls better manners than yelling through the house,” Neeya said.
The tallest of the girls gave her mother a small smile. “I’m sorry, Ma. We’re going shopping and as usual Hope and Lora are bringing up the rear.”
“Rose acts like we’re actually going to have to wait or something. They shut down every store we shop in and give us exclusive access. It’s not a big deal,” the shortest of the girls said.
“Lora, just because you have a privilege doesn’t mean you have to abuse it.”
“Wrong. If you have a privilege, I expect you to abuse the hell out of it,” came a new voice.
Melina’s attention shifted to the staircase. Luca and Mac were descending and for the first time since she’d met the Pivetti Don, he seemed to be in a good mood. A real smile tugged at the corners of his face as he approached his daughters.
“After all,” Luca continued saying, “I didn’t provide all of this to you girls for nothing.”
Melina’s gaze shifted to Mac. There was a look in his eyes she hadn’t seen before.
A look of wonder.
His steps seemed lighter as he stood near his boss. A white bandage had been wrapped around his left hand.
Something was going on, and she meant to find out what it was.
“Luca, I thought we talked about this.”
“Nonsense. Nothing is too good for my principessas. Let your enfo
rcers know you’re leaving and have a good time.”
“Thank you, Daddy,” Lora said.
She leaned close to her father and kissed his cheek. Rose and Hope rolled their eyes before they quickly bid their parents goodbye, and dragged Lora from the room.
“When our girls become incorrigible, spoiled brats that no man wants, you shoulder all the blame for it, Luca,” Neeya said.
“I will happily take that blame, wife. That simply means I don’t have to give them away. Now … a friend of mine and I are going to take a walk around the grounds, if you need us.”
Luca kissed his wife on the cheek before he turned to leave the room. Mac gave Melina a thin smile before his face became an impassive mask. When she and Neeya were alone, Melina cleared her throat.
“What was that all about?” Melina asked.
“You really don’t know?”
Melina shook her head. “No.”
“Whenever a man has been made, he is introduced as ‘a friend of mine’ by another made man. The man in question is never to speak of his initiation or his new status.”
Mac had been made.
She was quiet as she let Neeya’s words sink in. He’d done it. Mac’s hard work and loyalty had finally been rewarded. Wow.
“Speechless?” Neeya asked.
“Something like that.”
Yeah.
Something like that.
“Doll, are you sure you’re not Italian? Every meal you make gets better and better.”
Melina smiled at Mac’s praise. In the two weeks since Mac’s “promotion”, they’d settled into an easy routine. He usually left around nine in the morning, before returning home for lunch and a quick round with Melina in bed. Afterwards, he’d leave for a few more hours before he was home around five in the evening. Some days he came home even earlier. Melina had no complaints about his new duties. They spent more time together and much of the stress he’d been under as just simply a soldier was gone.
Not to mention that every night he did come home, she made sure he had a hot meal. The cooking lessons Victoria had given her were really paying off. She found she enjoyed cooking, so she didn’t mind. Mac had confessed how much he looked forward to seeing what she was whipping up next.