Gun Moll (14 page)

M
elina stretched
and rolled right into a hard body. Her eyes opened wide.

“Morning, doll.”

Melina groaned as
the events of last night came rushing back to her. She’d had sex with Mac, and
not just a hot meeting of fumbling bodies. No, it had been a great deal more
than just sex. Mac had taken her body to heights of pleasure she’d never
experienced before, and no doubt, heights she would never find again.

“Melina?”

His hand captured
her chin and forced her to face him. They lay side by side, gazes meeting.

“Yes?” she asked.

“What are you
thinking about?”

In usual Melina
fashion, her defenses climbed higher to keep from allowing her thoughts and
feelings from being known. “Look, just because we had sex does not mean I’m
going to be sharing my deepest, darkest secrets with you.”

“Why not? You
already shared something else pretty significant with me.”

Melina punched Mac
in his arm. “You did not just say that!”

He caught her fist
and held it before pulling her closer to him. A half-grin tilted the corners of
his mouth up, making his usual strong, sexy features even more boyishly
handsome in the morning light. His eyes were soft and unguarded in a way she’d
never seen him before.

“I most certainly
did. I think after a man spends half the damn night with his face between a
woman’s thighs, that qualifies him to say whatever the fuck he wants to.”

Melina frowned at
him. “A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”

“I never said I
was a gentleman, doll.”

“Indeed, you
didn’t.”

Mac’s fingertips
ghosted over Melina’s skin, barely touching her as he traced the curves of her
body. She pressed her thighs together, but it didn’t help. It only intensified
the ache that was starting to build all over again.

“I can see your
wheels spinning,” Mac murmured.

“So, you’re a mind
reader now?”

“It doesn’t take a
mind reader to know what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours.”

“Well, since you
have all the answers, pray tell what thoughts are rolling around my mind.”

Melina bit her lip
as one of Mac’s fingers traced lazy circles on the top of her pubic bone. Her
nipples turned to tight pebbles, and Melina didn’t have to wonder what was
coming next. Mac’s eyes said it all.

“You’re thinking
that you shouldn’t have let me fuck you. You’re afraid that because you opened
yourself up to me, and showed me the raw and uninhibited side of you, it means
you’ve lost your edge. When it comes to sex, you like to have the power because
you figure if you’re in control, then you’re safe. It’s supposed to be just sex,
feeding a desire, Melina, and nothing else. Last night was much more than just
sex and you’re scared, but I’m not going to let you run away from me.”

Momentarily
rendered speechless, Melina gasped when Mac’s hand found its way between her
legs and began to stroke her. The pad of his thumb rubbed her clit slowly and
methodically, while another finger dipped inside her. Mentally, Melina cursed
herself. Her body was betraying her once again, and Mac was right, no matter
how much she hated to admit it. Last night had been something entirely
different from just a tumble in bed.

Mac had taken his
time to please her in every way. To dominate her and take control. To show her
his vulnerable side and put her needs above his own.

She hadn’t been
expecting that. What she’d hoped for was a quick fuck that would prove Mac had
more bark than bite, and that his less than stellar performance would do away
with whatever feelings she might be harboring for him.

It hadn’t.

And now, as her
body hummed to life beneath the expert skill of his hand, she realized that she
was about to be screwed again in more ways than one.

“Say something,
doll. It’s not like you to be so tight-lipped. Looks like I need to give you
some help.”

Before she
realized his intentions, Mac forced her to her back and covered her body with
his own. His fingers never stopped their slow torture between her thighs.
Stroke after firm stroke of his fingers inside her wet sex; circle after slow
circle of the pad of his thumb to her throbbing clit. Sparks of pleasure
cascaded over her skin, promising release.

“You’re not
playing fair,” she whispered.

Mac flashed a
sinful smile. “I never do when it comes to something I want.”

He leaned down and
kissed her hard. Her mouth opened and allowed his tongue inside. She savored
the flavor of Mac’s mouth while his lips owned hers. Melina whimpered against
his mouth as her body hovered on the precipice of another orgasm.

And then the phone
rang.

“You’d better get
that.” She somehow managed to groan out the words.

“Whoever it is,
they can wait,” Mac growled.

His tongue warred
with hers as the phone kept ringing. Mac’s fingers worked her clit in time to
the phone’s rings and Melina came.

Hard and hot all
over Mac’s hand.

“
God
.” She
moaned, giving into Mac’s wants and her own wants.

“No, it’s Mac,
sweetheart. Remember?”

A retort rolled
off her tongue, but it was silenced by Mac’s phone ringing again. She wished
she could catch her damn breath.

“You’d better get
that this time,” she finally said.

He kissed her
hard. “There’s something else I’d rather get.”

Melina bit her lip
and smiled as Mac rolled off her and reached for his phone.

“Mac here.”

He sat up straight
in the bed like someone had lit a fire under his back. Melina rolled onto her
side to watch him, leaning up on her elbow. A furrow formed between his brows
before his eyes opened wide.

“You’re fucking kidding
me. Why?”

With one arm folded
across his torso, Melina’s eyes were drawn to his defined muscles and his
washboard abs. As much as she hated to admit it, the man had a beautiful body.
A real work of art. Not to mention, a particular part that was standing proudly
beneath the bed covers. Still watching him, Melina slid her hand under the
covers and grabbed his cock with a firm grip. He was hard, hot and heavy in her
hand. Mac’s eyes hooded with lust as she stroked him from base to tip. It was
the only reaction he gave to her teasing.

“I see. I’ll make
it happen.”

Mac ended the call
and placed his phone on the bedside table. His eyes narrowed on Melina.

“What? Why are you
looking at me like that?” Melina asked.

“Because as much
as I’d like to let you continue, we need to talk and I need to be focused in
order to do that.”

Melina’s hand
stilled. “Okay. Shoot. What was that call all about?”

“You’ve made
waves, really big waves.”

“Meaning … what?”

“The boss wants to
see us,” Mac explained.

“I’ve already made
Guido’s acquaintance. I’m in no hurry for a repeat performance.”

Mac shook his
head. “I’m not talking about Guido.”

Melina sat
straight up clutching the sheet to her chest. “You can’t mean …”

“Yeah, I do. Luca
Pivetti.”

Melina swallowed
hard as Mac’s words sank in. The boss of the Pivetti family wanted to meet her.
She didn’t know why, but she was pretty sure that whatever the reason was, it
couldn’t be good.

“He wants me dead,
doesn’t he?” she asked.

“No. If the boss
wanted you dead, you would be already.”

“So what does he
want then?”

Mac shrugged.
“That, I don’t know.”

Mac opened his
arms and she moved into them, leaning against his chest.

Melina’s eyes
closed as his lips pressed to her forehead. She was tired and deep down she was
scared. It was one thing to deal with cops. It was something else entirely to
be on the radar of a mob boss the police were trying to take down.

“What happened?”

Melina tensed. “I
don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do.”

“What happened to
you?” she asked turning in his arms to face him.

“We’re not talking
about me. We’re talking about you. I know opening up is not easy, but sometimes
it helps to get it out.”

Melina was silent.
He was right. The burden of everything she was dealing with weighed on her like
an elephant sitting on her chest, crushing her vital organs. In a perfect world,
there would be somebody she could tell her secrets to; someone that she could
trust, no matter what. Mac seemed to want to be that person, but people seemed
to be a lot of things until the going got tough.

“Not today, Mac.”

Before he could
stop her, Melina was out of bed and hurriedly dressing.

“You’re running
away now?”

“I’m not running.
I just need time.”

“Time for what,
Melina?”

“To know just how
much I can trust you.” She faced Mac. A muscle moved in his jaw and his eyes
grew dark. “Okay?”

“I see.”

“Nothing personal.
I just …”

“You have to
protect yourself. I get it.”

Melina nodded.
“Good. I’m going home.”

“I’ll be in touch.
Until we find out what’s going on, we need to keep up appearances.”

“That won’t be a
problem. No one is better at keeping up appearances than me.”

With a smile,
Melina turned on her heel and was gone. Mac was getting too close, too fast.
There were too many changes in her life now. She couldn’t afford another.

Especially when
her heart was involved.

For so long, the
vault to her feelings had been closed. Anger had become her way of life, the
way in which she coped with one disappointment after another. She wasn’t ready
to give Mac a chance to become yet another disappointment, no matter how much
her heart might want otherwise.

This shit had to
stop.

It had been two weeks
since Melina had killed Tip, and she was being followed.

Again
.

Fresh anger burned
like lava in her throat. Hadn’t she been harassed enough during lock up? Now
they were upping their game by following her everywhere she went. They thought
they were so smart in their unmarked cars, but Melina was smarter. She could
spot a cop a mile away. The air stunk with their stench.

She’d tried to get
back to her life. The only problem was that she didn’t know what that was
anymore. Escorting as a way to make her money was out of the question. Even if
the cops weren’t watching her, Dulcea had told her she was done working with
Melina. The attention from the official side of things made her boss run scared.

Once again, Melina
was on her own. No job and no one to lean on. She’d thought going down and
hanging out with the kids at the center would make her feel better, and it had …
for a little while.