Gun Moll (20 page)

Melina allowed Mac
to lead her from the bedroom. She expected Mac to lead them back towards the
hustle and bustle of the gathering. When he headed in the opposite direction,
she slowed her pace.

“Keep walking,
doll.”

“I thought we were
going back to the party.”

“If you want to
keep breath in that beautiful body of yours, then I suggest you stop
questioning me and let’s get the hell out of here.”

Mac pulled on her
arm, but Melina stood firm.

“I don’t know
what’s going on but if you don’t stop manhandling me, I’m going to ram these
stilettos in your groin and make you a eunuch.”

“Damn it, Melina.
Luca Pivetti wants you dead. Now please, sweetheart, let me get you out of here.”

Luca Pivetti
wanted her dead.

Fear exploded,
bitter and hot in Melina’s mouth. Her eyes flew to Mac’s face. His eyes were
hard, but there in just the shadows beneath was a touch of something she’d
never seen from him.

Fear.

Swallowing hard,
Melina nodded her head. “Okay.”

Mac’s hand closed
around her waist and he nudged her forward. It was all Melina could do not to
stumble as he all but forced her down the hallway. She couldn’t believe what
was happening. Her life was in danger. As if it wasn’t bad enough that the cops
were dogging her every move, now a Cosa Nostra boss wanted her dead. Tears
blurred in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She couldn’t show
weakness.

Not now.

Not ever.

But she was scared.
More scared than she had ever been in her life. There had to be a reason that
Luca Pivetti had it out for her and one way or another, Mac was going to tell
her what the hell was going on. The entrance they’d come in loomed ahead of
them.

Freedom.

And then the man
Mac had been watching earlier appeared. His steely green gaze swung from Mac to
her. She didn’t like the way his eyes roved over, measuring her worth like a
prized mare he was considering breeding with. As they came closer, he offered
her a thin smile.

“Mac.”

“Corelli.”

Melina could feel
Mac stiffening behind her. His grip tightened on her waist and she was sure
before she made it home tonight, she was going to have bruises that looked like
Mac’s fingers.

“I don’t think
I’ve had the pleasure of being introduced to your beautiful companion this
evening,” the man said.

Melina didn’t like
the look of him. He reminded her of a weasel, sneaky and unpredictable.

“Melina, this is
Anthony Corelli. Skip, this is my girlfriend, Melina Morgan.”

Anthony graced
Melina with a predatory smile before offering his hand. The last thing she
wanted to do was allow the slick bastard to touch her, but at this point there
was no reason to piss off another connected man.

“Melina, no wonder
Mac has been hiding you. If I had a woman as gorgeous as you, I wouldn’t want
to have other men looking at you, either.”

He took her hand
and brought it to his lips. Revulsion bubbled up in her stomach, but she forced
a quick smile.

“Mac is not to
blame for hiding me away. If anything, I’ve been keeping him busy.”

Corelli’s lips
lingered on her skin for longer than she would have liked before he released
her hand. His brow raised.

“Is that so?” he
asked, directing his question towards Mac.

“You’re looking at
her. What man wouldn’t be smitten with Melina? Beautiful, quick-witted,
entertaining. I’ve stumbled upon a rare woman.”

Melina smiled,
quietly touched by Mac’s vocal praise of her. She knew that they were still
playing a game, trying to maintain their image as a couple but it was more than
that. His lips pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and she leaned into his
touch. Anthony Corelli watched the exchange between the two of them, missing
nothing.

“Indeed, you have.
A man can’t help but be envious,” Corelli said.

Mac laughed. “A man
like you, Skip?”

The dark haired
man lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. “Perhaps.”

“We all have our
crosses to bear, but I’m glad we were able to speak before Melina and I
departed,” Mac said.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I owe you a
debt and I intend to repay it.”

“Ah, yes. The
unfortunate incident that went awry. I’d wondered when you’d get around to
that.”

Melina glanced at
Mac. His eyes went dark. No doubt there was some bad blood between him and
Corelli.

Just great.

Another problem to
add to their ever growing list.

“I’m a man of my
word. Whatever debt I owe, I will repay.”

“A Maccari that’s
a man of his word. That will be a nice change of pace.”

The atmosphere
changed and Melina was sure that if she didn’t do something, Mac would do
something he might not live to regret.

“Mac’s the most
honorable man I’ve met in a long time. If he gives you his word, he’s good for
it,” she said.

Anthony smiled at
her. “It’s rare to find a woman who will step up and defend her man so
passionately.”

“Not many men are
worth defending.”

“Indeed they
aren’t,” Anthony conceded.

“I will make
arrangements for the drop as soon as I have it,” Mac finally said.

“I’m sure, but
perhaps you might be more amenable to a different arrangement. Some things are
worth more than money, after all.”

Anthony’s pointed
gaze fell on Melina, openly eyeing her breasts. His gaze was that of a man
eager to sample some new fare. The unspoken question he was asking Mac hung
heavy in the air between them.

A whore.

That’s all she was
to any of them.

It didn’t matter
that they thought she was beautiful. At the end of the day, she was nothing to
them. A commodity to be used and then discarded and branded. The black and
white truth of the matter stabbed Melina in the heart like an ice pick. Quickly,
she turned away and buried her face in Mac’s shoulder in an effort to get her
warring emotions under control.

“With all due
respect, Melina is mine and mine alone.” Mac’s hand stroked her back in a
soothing manner.

“Understood.”

“Good. Have a good
evening, sir.”

Melina
straightened in Mac’s arms and gave Antony a withering glare.

“To you as well.
It was a pleasure meeting you, Melina. Perhaps our paths will cross again.”

With a lingering
smile, Corelli started walking back down the hall towards the party. Melina breathed
a deep sigh and wasted no time reaching for the front door that would let them
out. Mac followed behind, neither of them speaking until they were in his car
and away from the monstrous estate.

“Are you all right,
doll?”

The word hung in
her throat. “No.”

“I didn’t figure
you were. I know that you can handle a lot, Melina, but even you must be near
your breaking point right now,” Mac said.

She sighed. “I
need to understand what’s going on. Why does Luca Pivetti want me dead?”

“It’s
complicated.”

“Well fucking
simplify it, Mac. This is my life we’re talking about.”

“It’s like this,
in the short time you and I have crossed paths, you stirred up a lot of shit.
The cops arrested you outside of Guido’s club and you killed a made man.”

Melina folded her
arms in the darkness. “What’s your point?”

“Luca Pivetti
hasn’t gotten to where he is by being stupid. He’s careful and runs a tight
ship. No outsiders. And then here you are unleashing a firestorm, so he has to
wonder exactly what your motives are,” Mac explained.

“My motives.”

“Yes. In his mind
you’re either just a whore I let get too close or you’re undercover. Either
way, to him, that puts your head on the chopping block.”

Melina gritted her
teeth. This was complete and utter bullshit. “I am the last person in the world
who would work with those pigs on anything. I’d rather go to jail.”

Mac’s hand found
hers and gripped it tight as they stopped at a red light. Leaning over the
space between them, he kissed her cheek. “I know that because I know you, but
no one else does. Luca is just being cautious, like he’s always done.”

“I don’t care. I’m
tired of people taking one look at me and assuming they know who the hell I am
or what my story is. I’m no one’s whore. I’ve never had sex unless it was what
I wanted to do and even in those cases, there was never any money involved. I
take care of my damn self.”

“These days, it’s
easier to assume than for people to bother to take time, but it’s their loss. I
don’t want you to take any of this to heart, doll. It’s cutthroat, but in the
end it’s really just about business.”

“Business? It’s
business to call a woman a whore, while at the same time, having a wife at home
and women on the side you fuck? It’s business to proposition a man to sleep
with his girlfriend like she’s some damned piece of meat to be passed around?
Well, excuse me but I don’t care for this particular business, Mac.”

“Cosa Nostra is … something
else.”

“Mac, I’ve always
had to fight and sometimes you just get tired.”

“No one
understands that better than me, but listen to me, Melina. Cosa Nostra is all
about how things are perceived. It’s ugly and unfair how you’ve been dragged so
far into this, but I’m going to protect you. All eyes are going to be on us
even more than they already are. I need to stay close to you, and I need you
not to fight me on this.”

“How close?”

“Closer than your
own shadow.” He squeezed her hand.

“I’m used to
having my own space.”

“I know that, and
I’ve done my best to respect that, but that can’t go on any longer, Melina. My
presence will ensure that even though you’re being watched, everything is on
the up and up with you. Besides, I’d like to spend a little more time with
you.”

“You would?” she
asked.

“Of course I
would. There’s so much about you I don’t know.”

She didn’t like
where this line of conversation was leading.

“There’s not much
to know.”

“I think there is,
starting with your father.”

“He’s dead.”

“Stop hedging,
doll. Luca brought him up for a reason, so how about you tell me why a Cosa
Nostra Don is so interested in a dead veteran.”

“Y
our place or
mine?” Mac asked.

Melina twisted her
hands in her lap, watching the buildings pass by as the car flew down the road.
“Mine, I guess. You might as well see the inside, seeing as how you’ve been
hanging around the outside enough.”

Mac chuckled. “You
were listening, after all.”

“I listen, Mac.”

“Me, too,” Mac
murmured. “So, here’s what I’ve heard coming from you, even if you aren’t
outright saying it.”

Melina cleared her
throat, seeming surprised. “Try me.”

“You’re frightened
and worried because you don’t know how to handle what’s happening around you,
or how to control it. You’re out of your element, your safe place where you are
top dog, and that’s unsettled you. You’re uncomfortable with how you were
treated by the men at the Pivetti mansion, while the wives were respected like
little queens. How close am I?”

“How do you do
that?”

“You’re not so
hard to read, doll.”

Melina scowled. “I
like to think I am.”

“You’re like ice
to me. Crystal-clear, strong, and cold all over.”

“Ouch.”

Mac flashed a
smile. “I never said I didn’t like it.”

“I’m not always
cold, thank you.”

“No, you’re
certainly not. I had you pretty hot earlier, didn’t I?”

Melina’s cheeks
tinted with a light pink. “Hey, now—”

“Keep your bark,
Melina.”

“Mac!”

“Save the bite for
later,” he finished with a wink.

Melina huffed,
crossed her arms, and glared at him from the passenger seat. “Does this really
seem like the right time for you to go on with your usual cockiness? Do I look
like I’m in the mood for any of that?”

“You look like you
need a break,” Mac answered honestly.

And she did.

Melina’s eyes were
tired, her usual fight was dulled. She wasn’t sitting as straight as she
usually would in her seat, and a wariness emanated from her.

“So,” he
continued, drawling out his words, “… forgive me if I’m trying to make you
relax a little bit, doll.”

“Relax, huh?”

“Yes. It seems as
though we’re going to be spending a lot of time together in the near future,
and not all of it will be fun. Relax. Get comfortable. Right now, we’re safe.
Chill the fuck out and don’t sweat the rest.”

“Easy for you to
say,” Melina muttered. “No one wants to kill you.”

“You do realize
that my public statements about being with you put me on the same platform as
you, right?” Mac asked quietly. “Calling you mine, vouching for you, and
bringing you into the fold like I did, makes me responsible for you, Melina. If
Luca decides to pull the trigger on you, then I will quickly follow.”

Melina quieted in
her seat. “Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh’.”

“I didn’t know it
was like that.”

“The mob sees a
man for what he is underneath his charming smile and nice clothes. A human—one
with a word and blood. If his word can’t be trusted, then his blood can be
spilled. You have my word, Melina. Please let me keep the blood from spilling,
too.”

“Okay,” she
whispered.

“That all you
got?”

Melina sighed. “No,
but I’m too tired and confused to come up with something better. I think
relaxing sounds pretty damn good right now.”

“I agree. How big
is your bathtub?”

“Excuse me?”

“Your bathtub. How
big is it?”

“Big enough,” she
replied.

“For two?”

Melina glanced
away, but Mac had seen the hint of her smile before she did. “I guess we’ll
find out.”

“I guess we will,
doll.”

“This was not what
I thought you had in mind when you asked if my tub could fit two people,”
Melina said softly.

Mac grinned,
continuing his massaging of Melina’s ankles and calves from the other side of
the large bathtub. Her smooth, caramel skin, wet from the hot water and
bubbles, felt like satin under his fingers and palms.

“Is that so?” he
asked.

“I thought … well,
never mind.”

“Sex. You thought
I wanted sex.”

Melina shrugged.
“Don’t most men?”

“Haven’t you
figured it out yet, doll?”

“You’re not most
men,” she said, sinking lower under the water.

“Well, I try not
to be.” Mac laughed a husky chuckle. “I won’t deny that I’m not thinking about
sex with you in this tub right now, but that’s not what you need.”

Melina opened one
eye, watching Mac over the mounds of bubbles and sloshing water. “How do you
know what I need?”

“The same way that
you knew what I needed earlier at the Pivetti mansion. It’s no different.
People pick up on things, doll. Now, shut that pretty mouth and let me work
here.”

She did, but not
without a playful glare.

Mac went back to
his exploration of Melina’s legs. Her quiet little moans filled the bathroom as
he massaged away the stress in her muscles and washed her mile-long legs.

“A good man always
takes care of his girl,” Mac said quietly.

Melina’s eyes
opened again at those words. “But I’m not really your girl, Mac.”

“So? I should
still take care of you.”

“What if I was?”

“My girl?” Mac
asked.

“Yes.”

Mac cocked a brow,
eyeing Melina as she grabbed a loofa off the ledge of the tub and began
dropping dollops of milky-colored body wash onto the frilly cloth. “I don’t
understand what you’re asking.”

Melina drew the
loofa over her arms, covering her slick skin in white suds. “If I was your
girl, then what would you do, Mac?”

Ah.

Mac smiled, leaned
forward, and snatched the loofa from Melina’s hand. He ignored her quiet “hey”
and started running the loofa up and down her legs with smooth, long strokes.

“Mac, I asked you
a question,” Melina said.

“I would spoil you
rotten,” Mac said, shooting her a look through his hair that had fallen down
over his gaze. “Whatever you wanted, whether you needed it or not, I would make
it happen. I’d make damn sure you felt as beautiful as you looked, regardless
of what you needed to feel that way. I’d take you out every chance I could,
just to show you off to the people who can’t have you because you’re all mine.
But I’d have my fucking hands on you all night, so that they’d know to stay
away. It’d probably feel like my fingerprints were burned into your skin
because I’d be holding you that tight.”

Melina’s tongue
peeked out to wet her bottom lip. “What else?”

“I’d always keep
an eye on you, even if you didn’t know I was doing it, just to make sure you
were good and safe. I’d wake you up in the morning, every single morning, with
my hands all over you and my mouth kissing all the spots I could find. I’d make
sure that whenever you were stressed out, or something was on your mind—bothering
you—that you could take some time away from life and the world to be just you
again. Simple stuff, you know.”

“Simple.” Melina
scoffed. “Right. That sounds more like worshipping, Mac.”

Mac didn’t see the
difference. “If a man cares enough, worshipping his woman should be the
simplest, easiest, and most obvious thing for him to do every day, doll. She
should be the most important thing on his mind. The first and last thing he
considers every day and night.”

Melina’s gaze
flitted from Mac’s face and then down to the bubbly water. “Oh.”

Oddly, it bothered
Mac like nothing else that he could tell Melina had never been given the
pleasure of having a man treasure her like she should be treasured. No one had
every loved her enough to worship the very ground she walked on, or had seen
her for the beautiful gift she truly was.

It nagged in his
chest.

Poked at him like
a needle.

Over and over.

Like a damned
tattoo was being penned permanently to his skin, reminding him that Melina
deserved someone who would treasure and treat her the way she should be cared
for. Didn’t he have enough going on where this girl was concerned, without
adding something like that to the pile as well?

Mac sighed,
shaking off the strange feeling. “I suppose it doesn’t matter, anyway.”

Melina sucked in a
quiet breath before asking, “Why not?”

“You’re not mine,
doll. Or at least, you don’t want to be.”

Melina didn’t
respond, but she wouldn’t meet Mac’s eyes again.

He continued
washing her stress away.

Mac didn’t need a
response.

Mac lifted the cup
of coffee to his lips and took a sip of the hot liquid. The coffee settled on
his tongue, heady and bitter, as he took in Melina’s apartment again. The place
was in need of decorating, as it was just the basics for furniture and the
walls were bare. With several wide, large windows overlooking a quiet part of
the city, it had a great view. Mac bet the place looked spectacular in the
morning, with sunlight flooding in through the glass and spiraling across the
hardwood floors.

“Admiring my view,
huh?”

Mac spun on his
heel at Melina’s uncharacteristically soft voice. She stood in a simple cotton
shorts and tank ensemble. Her bare toes wiggled against the hardwood floors as
she watched him with a smile.

“It’s pretty
nice,” Mac admitted. “You’re higher up than I realized.”

“Do the heights
bother you?”

“Not a bit.
Besides, a bit of fear keeps a man awake. What doesn’t kill you, and all that
nonsense.”

Melina laughed.
“You have a funny way of looking at things.”

“Yeah, I try. I
was wondering about something else, though.”

“Shoot.”

“The cost of this
place,” Mac said, carefully choosing his words. Melina was not the kind of
woman who would like a man pointing out that she had clearly picked an
apartment that was far above her price range. Independence and all that
garbage. “Can you afford it?”