Gun Moll (22 page)

“PTSD is hard to
manage.”

“Yeah,” she said,
“it is.”

“I’m sure he
appreciated what you tried to do, doll. And he no doubt loved you. ”

Melina tipped her
head lower, but Mac felt it all the same. Her tears. Wet and hot. They dropped
from her cheeks and hit his bare chest. Melina tried to wipe the proof of her
pain away, but it was already too late.

He’d felt it.

A tightness
wrapped his chest, taking away his air and allowing a dull pain to settle in
his middle. Mac couldn’t make the ache go away, no matter how hard he tried.

No woman should
cry in bed with a man.

Melina, for that
matter, should never cry with him.

“Don’t cry,” Mac
whispered into her hair. “Not with me, doll. It cuts me up inside. Please.”

Melina’s hands
wiped at her face again. Mac found her chin with his palms, tilted her head
back, and used his thumbs to sweep her jaw line.

“I’m sorry,”
Melina said quickly. “I’m not the kind of woman who cries. I didn’t mean to
cry. It’s just that I’ve not talked about it and—”

“Don’t apologize.
Let me help, all right?”

Melina said
nothing as Mac wiped away her tears until her face was dry and her lashes
fanned her cheeks. The natural pout of her lips drew in Mac’s gaze and he
pressed a quick, soft kiss to her mouth.

Instantly,
Melina’s eyes opened wide again.

“No tears when
you’re in bed with me,” Mac said firmly. “Or I’ll be forced to make you stop by
whatever means necessary.”

Melina smiled. “Is
that so?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll have to
remember that.”

“Do,” Mac said.

“You were right,
though,” Melina said quietly. “I am angry. I’m pissed off at everyone that
turned their back on my father and left him to survive alone after all he did.
It makes me fucking cold inside. Then I’m just numb from the anger and it’s all
I ever seem to feel. It’s easier.”

“Cold enough to
burn, doll.”

“Sometimes.”

“You do realize
that you have to burn through yourself before you burn anyone else, right?”

Melina blinked up
at him. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“Most people don’t
realize it until it’s too late.”

“Should I thank
you for letting me in on the little secret, then?”

Mac chuckled
deeply. “Babe, if you’d like, I’ll make sure you have at least one thing to
thank me for every single day, as long as you keep me around.”

“I’ll consider
it.”

“Good.”

Then, Mac rolled
to his back and pulled Melina with him under the sheets. She gasped out a
breathy laugh when she realized she was on top of him, straddling his waist.
Grabbing her face in his palms again, Mac pulled Melina down so that he could
kiss her hard. The moment her soft lips opened, he deepened the kiss until her
fingers wrapped into his hair and her tongue answered him back in a sweet,
tantalizing dance.

“What game are you
playing tonight, Maccari?” Melina whispered against his mouth.

Mac smirked, let
his hands travel down to her rounded ass, and grabbed tight. He pulled her into
his groin, letting the softness between her thighs grind against his hard cock.
“You’ve had a rough night. Why don’t you let me distract you for a little
while?”

Melina sucked her
lower lip in between her teeth. “Yeah?”

“Say the word.”

“Which word is
that?”

“Please. But if
you add my name into it as well, I’ll really make it worth your while, doll.”

“Do tell,” Melina
teased, rolling her hips over his groin again.

Mac held back his
groan. “If you’re a good girl, I’ll let you climb on top of my cock, and ride
yourself straight to heaven, Melina. Just say the fuckin’ words.”

Melina’s eyes
fluttered closed and a little moan escaped when Mac squeezed her backside again.
“I’m not a good girl, Mac.”

“I might be a
little biased where being good is concerned. And you know how I like your sass.
Give me what I want, and then I’ll let you take what you need until you can’t
feel anything else but my cock in your pussy and my name in your mouth.”

“God, that’s …”

“Wonderful. It is
fucking wonderful. You know it will be, Melina. Give it to me, come on.”

Melina’s tongue
swept her bottom lip before she breathed, “Please, Mac.”

That was all he
wanted to hear.

Without warning,
Mac let go of Melina’s backside, fisted her flimsy tank top, and pulled it from
her body. He made quick work of yanking her shorts down over her thighs, and
then pulling them from her smooth legs when she lifted off him enough to remove
the clothes. She pushed the sheets away with shaking hands before she tugged
his boxer-briefs down.

From that point,
Mac let Melina take the lead.

She needed it. He
could feel it in his bones.

To control. To
take. To
fuck
.

 Sometimes simply
feeling was needed. Not talking, wondering, or explaining. Simply feeling.

Melina leaned over
Mac’s form, dug into the bedside table, and pulled out a foil packet. He
watched her through hooded eyes as she tore open the condom, and then quickly
rolled it down his length with far steadier hands than before. Mac shuddered,
groaning low at the sensation of her fingertips gliding down his length.

“Fuck,” he
muttered heavily. “Do you know how beautiful you are above me?”

Melina laughed—a
sexy sound—moving back over his body with the grace of a woman who knew that
yes, she looked damn good. “I only have to look at you watching me, Mac, and I
know.”

The wet heat of
her pussy settled on his cock. Melina shifted her hips, letting her core rub
against his length with every little movement of her body. Mac grabbed her hips
and grinded his cock harder into Melina’s pussy, feeling the tip of his cock
glide through the fleshy lips with each flex.

“Do you like
that?” Melina asked, breathy and grinning. “Feeling me rubbing against you like
this? Could you come like this, Mac?”

“I could, but I
don’t want to. I’d rather be in you while you milked me dry, doll.”

“I think I can do
that.”

Then, she was
lifting just high enough to grab the base of his cock, and dropping back down
before Mac could get another word out. The tight heat of her pussy engulfed his
length and suddenly, Mac couldn’t fucking breathe.

He could feel.

God, could he
ever.

Her wet walls
flexed around him, shuddering and taking him deeper. Her pussy hugged him tight
enough to make his cock throb and ache, while the air rushed out of Mac’s chest
in a whoosh. Melina’s hands found his chest, her nails scored into his skin,
and then she was lifting from his length to begin a rhythm that was as fast as
it was punishing.

“Lean up,” Mac
demanded, somehow managing to find his voice.

He sounded coarse
and rough. Like he needed water and air.

Melina bit her lip
and did as he demanded grabbing onto his thighs to brace herself. She kept her
pace up, lifting and lowering her body onto his length. Mac had the perfect
view of his cock disappearing into her pink, slippery sex. She took his cock in
over and over, her juices coating his latex-covered length and her inner
muscles fluttering around his cock harder with every thrust.

The sound of her
sex taking him in, sucking him deeper, and their skin meeting in the darkness
was music. Perfect, dirty music. It was fucking filthy and he loved it.

Melina’s quiet,
rising cries were far better.

“Goddamn, look at
you,” Mac ground out through clenched teeth. He grabbed her hips harder,
pulling her into his cock with every lowering of her hips. “You look good on
me, Melina, riding me like that. Do you feel it, doll? Is it right there?”

“Yes,” Melina
whined.

“Get it for me,
and then I want you to make me fucking come.”

“
God
.”

“Come on, you know
you want it. Give it to me. Milk me fucking dry, doll.”

Melina’s
fingernails scored another set of lines across his chest. Mac didn’t mind the
sting. How could he, when all he could hear was his name in Melina’s mouth? Why
did it matter when all he could see was her pussy riding his cock like she
fucking needed it, her breasts swaying with each lift of her body, and the
small shaking rocking her shoulders like she was getting ready to lose control?

“Make me come,”
Melina demanded.

Mac didn’t know
how to deny Melina a thing when she wanted something. His hand slipped between
her thighs and found her clit, hot and hard under the pad of his thumb. He
circled the little nub with fast strokes.

“Oh, my God, Mac.”

“Louder,” Mac
demanded, loving his name in her mouth.

Melina choked out
a cry and his name came out far more broken than before. She was right there.
Her legs quaked and a sheen of perspiration dotted down her chest. Her eyes
squeezed shut a second before her stomach muscles clenched and her body tensed
all over.

Right there …

“Fuck.”

Mac pulled Melina
down as she shattered around him. He brought her trembling lips to his, and
kissed her through the orgasm.

Hot.

Soft.

Needy.

When Melina had
calmed enough to ask Mac for more, he put her on her knees, made her ask again,
and then gave her everything she wanted.

A good man didn’t
deny his girl, after all.

Melina was his.

Mac decided.

Simple as that.

S
he couldn’t figure
him out.

And that scared
the ever-loving hell out of her.

Lying beside him
in bed as the sun’s rays peaked in through the blinds, Melina could only wonder
what to expect next. Ever since the moment she’d laid eyes on Mac, her entire
world had been shaken so much that it would never be normal.

At least, never be
normal for her.

Melina had a lot
to figure out, but she had a measure of comfort that for once she wouldn’t have
to figure it out alone.

Mac was there.

For her.

For whatever went
down.

And she was
strangely happy about that.

“How long are you
going to lay here frowning?”

The deep timbre of
his voice made her body tremble, startling her. She swallowed hard.

“Have you been
watching me?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“Because I like
watching you. Because in those rare moments when you think no one is watching
you, you let down your guard and I get to appreciate just how beautiful you
really are. Inside and out.”

His hand reached
for her chin, tilting her head to look up at him. His eyes were soft and clear.
The faintest hint of stubble was visible along his jawline and he’d never looked
more appealing to her.

“Somebody taught
you how to do this romantic stuff well,” she teased.

Mac frowned for a
second, before it disappeared. “It sure as hell wasn’t my father.”

He shifted in the
bed and pulled her closer. Picking up on the visible tension in her lover’s
face, she used the tip of her finger to draw lazy circles on his chest.

“I’m sorry,” she
finally said softly.

“For what?”

“For reminding you
of things you’d rather forget.”

“You didn’t.
Actually, you just reminded me of how happy I am to not be like him.”

He brushed his
thumb over her lips and she sighed as a dull ache started between her legs.
What was supposed to be a night of cuddling and sleep had turned into a night
of full-on fucking.

And she’d loved
every second of it.

His eyes watched
her, darkening as she opened her mouth, subtly giving him permission to ease
his thumb into her mouth. Mac chuckled before pulling his hand away.

“What’s so funny?”
she asked.

“So you do wake up
like a sweet kitten in the morning. At what time do you turn into a lioness
again?”

Melina rolled her
eyes. “Oh, you’ve got jokes now, huh? I see it didn’t take you long to go from
Mr. Romance back to Mr. Arrogant.”

Mac shrugged.
“It’s how I am and I embrace it. Now, as much as I would love to stay in bed
all day—fucking you properly all over again—business waits for no one.”

Melina tensed.
“What kind of business?”

“Why don’t you
come with me and find out?”

She sat up and
pulled the top of the sheet around her breasts. “Do you think that’s a good
idea?”

Mac leaned against
the headboard. “Why not? We’re supposed to be a couple who can’t stay away from
one another. What better way to show that, than by having you by my side?
Besides, it’s time you got an inside view on how I make my money.”

“So you want me to
be your side kick?”

Mac shook his
head. “My gun moll.”

“How do you know I
don’t have something planned today?”

He cupped her chin
in his hand, staring deep in her eyes. “If, after last night, I can’t convince
you to spend more time with me today, then I didn’t do something right. Looks
like I’ll have to rectify that immediately.”

His mouth covered
hers with a slow, sensual kiss that nearly stole her breath away. Mac nibbled
at her lips before slipping his tongue inside and kissing her deeply. Melina
shuddered as his tongue rolled slowly across hers. She couldn’t help moaning
against his mouth as she grew wet for him. Melina pushed Mac away.

“I can’t trust
myself around you,” she said.

Mac cocked a brow.
“And that’s a bad thing?”

“For a person used
to being in control, it is.”

“Sometimes we all
need to let go, especially you, doll. Now get up and get dressed before I
change my mind and keep you here all day.”

He leered at her
and Melina quickly took the opportunity to head towards the shower. She needed
a chance to get her head together. There was no telling what kind of work she
would be doing with Mac today.

She looked good.

Damn good.

Mac hadn’t been
able to keep his eyes off her or his hands, for that matter. As she watched him
driving, barely holding the steering wheel, his right hand rested possessively
on her leg. The black leather mini-skirt and thigh-high matching spiked-heel
boots made her feel powerful.

And very aware of
her own sensual femininity.

Christ.

What the fuck was
wrong with her?

Lifting the long,
thin silver chain that hung between her breasts, she twirled it between her
fingers.

“Are you purposely
trying to drive me to distraction, doll?”

Melina bit her
lip, glancing at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He rubbed her
thigh before he slowly slid his fingers underneath her skirt.

“Yeah, the fuck
you don’t. Leather looks good on you and those boots … don’t get me started on
your red lipstick and the cleavage you’re showing. If I didn’t have men waiting,
I’d pull this car over and give you the ride of your life.”

Melina gasped when
he rubbed her clit through the soft silkiness of her panties. “Mmm. You never
play fair, Mac.”

He flashed her a
grin. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“You’re too much,
Maccari. Too much.”

“But that’s
exactly why I keep you interested …” he trailed off.

The winsome smile
he’d just given her was gone and replaced by the blank mask and cold-eyed
expression she’d seen him adopt at the Pivetti mansion. When he stopped
touching her and parked the car, she grew faintly alarmed.

“Is something
wrong?”

He faced her and
shook his head. “No. I just need to make a few things clear. I brought you with
me to observe. I don’t want you participating in any of this shit. If something
goes down you see nothing, you hear nothing, and you know nothing. Got it?”

“I’m not some
wilting wallflower, you know? I can handle myself.”

“You don’t have to
remind me of that. I just don’t want you getting your hands any dirtier than
you have to.”

Melina smirked.
“Okay. We’ll do this your way.”

Mac leaned across
and kissed her softly on the lips before he exited the car. Before she could
touch the door handle, he was opening the door and helping her out. When she
stood beside him, he gave her a low whistle of appreciation.

“Watch yourself,
Maccari.”

“No time for that.
I have to watch you.”

Grinning at
Melina, he took her hand in his. As she walked with Mac, she took in her
surroundings. This was a part of town that she’d never been in before. Then
again, there seemed to be a lot of firsts, when it came to Mac. A light sheen
of snow and gravel crunched under her boots and even though there was still
snow on the ground, Melina was grateful that no cold wind blew. The black leather
coat she wore kept away most of the chill.

A rusted silver
warehouse rose up in front of them. There were spider-web cracks in the windows
and a sliding aluminum door that stood open. Shiny silver chains hung from the
door handles.

“Is someone here
already?” Melina asked.

“They’d better be
or there’s going to be hell to pay.”

From the look on
Mac’s face, Melina didn’t doubt it. He let go of her hand and opened the doors
of the warehouse. He motioned her back as he took out his gun and stepped
inside. She waited a minute, trying to keep her nerves calm in the process.
When he stepped back outside, his gun was in his pants and he motioned for her
to follow him.

When she entered
the warehouse, Melina nearly gasped. The place was full. There were boxes from the
floor to the ceiling. She didn’t even want to ask what was inside of those
boxes. Sitting in the middle of the warehouse were six vehicles, being taken
apart piece by piece. Melina leaned close and whispered in Mac’s ear.

“Chop shop?”

“Among other things.
Give me a minute, okay?”

Melina nodded
before Mac walked away and headed towards one of the men directing the dissembling
of the vehicle. She watched the two men shake hands and start talking, but she
couldn’t hear what they were saying over the noise of the machines. When Mac
nodded in her direction, the man he was speaking to gave her an appreciative
glance. From the glare Mac gave the man, it seemed her lover was two seconds
away from giving the man a hit to the face to remind the man that he was walking
a subtle line between disrespect and appreciation. A few minutes later, Mac
walked back to where she was standing.

“Follow me,” he
said in a terse tone.

She allowed him to
lead her to a corner of the warehouse that housed a small room with a plate glass
window. Inside was a small office with a desk and fold-up chair.

“Let me guess. You
want me to stay here while you work.”

“Yes. You’ll be
able to see everything and keep out of sight if anything starts to pop off with
any unhappy customers.”

“How long are we
going to be here?”

Mac shrugged. “As
long as it takes.”

“You know, I
could’ve stayed in bed if this was all you had in mind.”

Melina flopped
down into the folding chair. Mac kneeled down beside her.

“I told you I
brought you with me for appearances sake, and while that part is true, it’s not
the whole truth.”

Melina crossed her
legs. “So, what is the truth?”

“The truth is that
I like having you close, even when that means I’m being selfish in the
process.”

“So, he finally
admits that he has flaws. Wow. This is a big day. I’m going to mark it down on
my calendar.”

“If wanting you is
a flaw, it’s one I’m damned-well happy to have.”

He stood up and
winked at her before he turned on his heel and headed back out into the main
part of the warehouse.

So, he liked
having her close.

She wished that
she could ignore the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, but she couldn’t.

There was
something real developing between her and Mac that she’d never expected. Yes,
circumstances had forced them together unexpectedly, but he could’ve walked
away from her at any time, leaving her to fend for herself.

But he hadn’t.

Instead, he’d been
there with her every step of the way, helping her navigate her way through a
life that she knew nothing about.