Gun Moll (35 page)

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.

“M
elina, 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 enforcers 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.

“Not that I know
of,” Melina finally replied.

“Well, this is
another amazing meal. You’ve really outdone yourself.”

“Thank you. A full
stomach is the way to a man’s heart, I’ve always heard.”

Mac reached across
the table and grabbed her hand. “You had mine before you learned your way
around the kitchen, doll.”

“You know, you’re
right. I guess being a domestic is really not that important in the grand
scheme of things.”

“No, but it is a
bonus that I appreciate.”

Mac rose from the
table and came around to Melina’s side. She watched him warily as he reached
for her.

“What are you up
to, Maccari?”

“Just wait and
see.”

In one swoop, he
lifted her from her chair and into his arms before he kissed her on the mouth.
Melina moaned as his tongue teased her lips. Instantly, she was aching for him.

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

“Weren’t you the
one who told me all is fair in love and war?”

Melina could only
smile as Mac took them into the bedroom.

Seeing the kids at
the center again had been so nice. The moment she’d walked through the door,
they’d been all over her, asking where she’d been and complaining that she’d
forgotten about them. Melina had spent the next two hours catching up with
everyone at the center. Before leaving and promising to return soon, she’d left
a little gift for the center. Mac’s generosity was at an all-time high since he’d
taken over Guido’s territory. Even now, she still had a wad of money in her
pocket.

It was strange in
a way though. Her financial worries were over. If she wanted something, she
could have it and there would be no questions asked. Her life had changed and
in the best of ways. She wondered for the first time what her parents would
think of her now. Would they be proud of her? Or would they be disappointed
that she hadn’t accomplished more?

 
If you’re
happy, they’d be happy.

Melina smiled.
Yes, they would be and she knew someone else who would be happy to hear about
her recent turn of good fortune. Before she could talk herself out of it, she
found herself heading towards the old neighborhood. Since hooking up with Mac,
she’d become so removed from her old life. It would be nice to see a familiar
face again. Melina looked around before she entered the building.

She heard laughter
as she headed towards the stairs. And then she saw Dulcea and some of the girls
sitting and drinking wine. A few of the doors to the bedrooms were closed.