12. Marko

CHAPTER 12

MARKO

SATURDAY AFTERNOON – TIME TO TALK

M y senses were filled with warmth and a delicious scent as I slowly came awake. It felt good waking up with Melissa snuggled close to me. Having her beside me brought me a peacefulness I hadn't felt since I was a child. I sighed in contentedness, but didn't open my eyes, not wanting that blissful moment to end yet.

Little Miss Pouty Lips was draped across my chest, one leg over mine, and it struck me how well she fit next to me. Breathing deeply and taking in Melissa's citrusy scent made my cock awaken. She shifted slightly and I could feel her watching me. I let my eyelids flicker open, a slow smirk spreading across my face when I saw her staring back at me.

"If you keep staring at me like that, I'm going to have to do something about it, and while I would love to keep you in bed with me for the rest of the day, we have things to talk about, and you also need to deal with what has happened to your home," I told her in amusement, although I was kind of hoping she kept staring so I could make good on my threat.

Down, boy! I told my cock as he jumped in agreement with my thoughts.

Melissa cleared her throat and with a small smile, pulled out of my embrace, and I couldn't help the sudden feeling of loss now that she was no longer in my arms.

"You're right, we need to talk. Then I need to contact my insurance company and deal with everything," she said.

Melissa's teeth sank into her lip as silence enveloped her, her thoughts visibly swirling behind her eyes; a vulnerability settled over her features. Reaching out, I pulled her close, hugging her tightly. I understood. The weight of her recent losses, of first her father and now her home, was palpable.

"Hey, I'm sorry about what happened. I know this must be very difficult for you, but I am here and happy to help so you don't have to feel alone or overwhelmed," I told her, wanting her to know that I meant what I said.

"Thanks," she said, her smiling reaching her eyes this time, before giving me a quick peck on the cheek then climbing out of bed.

"Can I grab another shower?" she asked.

"Sure, sweetheart. You use the one in here, and I'll take one in the other room. But wait a minute, and I'll get you something else to wear," I told her.

Melissa had gone to bed in the clothes I had given her earlier, but I always slept in the buff. Her eyes widened and her cheeks flamed at the sight of my naked body walking towards her. I bit back a smile. Considering what we had done earlier in the kitchen, I hadn't expected her to be so shy, and I found it endearing.

After opening the wardrobe, I deliberately lingered there for a few seconds longer than necessary, hoping she was checking out my bum.

A smirk tugged at my lips for being so vain. Normally, I wasn't, even though I worked hard to stay in shape. My whole family did; we needed to be ready to fight for our lives, making fitness a necessity rather than vanity.

However, I found that I really wanted Melissa to like my physique. Her opinion of me mattered more than anything at that moment, more than I cared to admit, actually. I wanted her to feel the same attraction for me I felt for her. That was the most important thing to me right then.

"You can wear the shorts again and this T-shirt until we sort out some proper clothes for you," I told her, handing her the T-shirt. My smirk increased when I saw that she had indeed been checking me out and from the look on her face, she liked what she saw. I mentally high-fived myself.

Wither her face aflame, Melissa quickly grabbed the T-shirt, mumbled, "thanks," and turned to leave. Before she could, I grabbed her and planted a quick, chaste kiss on her mouth. I wanted to do so much more than that, but if I did, I wouldn't get any answers today, and unfortunately, with her life in obvious danger, I needed to.

So rather than pushing her down on the bed and taking her the way I wanted to, I took a cold shower instead. It did nothing for my libido because all I could think of was her—how she tasted when I kissed her, how she responded to my touch, her moans of pleasure as I fingered her and how she felt surrounding my cock with her tight wet pussy.

My thoughts tortured me as the freezing water battered off my hard-on, adding to the painful pressure instead of relieving it. Sighing heavily and wishing I had given in to my needs and taken my Little Miss Pouty Lips back to bed, I instead took the source of my discomfort in hand and quickly relieved myself, knowing I wouldn't be able to function properly otherwise.

Eventually, after I had got myself back under control, I dried off and headed into the kitchen where I could hear Melissa moving about.

Little Miss Pouty Lips was boiling the kettle when I arrived, so I took over and made some coffee and sandwiches while she contacted her insurance company. Afterwards, we sat down to eat. I watched her intently as she nibbled on her lunch, lost in thought.

Melissa really was beautiful. The moment I saw this woman's photo, I'd liked her, but that was physical, of course. Now that I had spent time with her, I was even more enamoured. I just hoped my intuition about her was not wrong. If she turned out to be an enemy to my family after all, I was not sure how I was going to cope. Well, I guessed it was time to find out. I was just about to open my mouth and tell her it was time to talk when she spoke.

"Marko, I like you. I really do, but I have some questions I need answered before I can open up to you any more than I have already," she said.

"I will answer whatever I can," I told her with a smile.

My insides did a happy dance while I fought to keep my outer-self calm. She liked me. I wanted to pick her up and swing her around, then lay her down and ravish the hell out of her. But I reminded myself yet again that now was not the time.

I really couldn't help feeling elated, though. Earlier, when she had acted standoffish after we'd had the best sex of my life, I had been devastated. I'd tried not to take it personally because she'd been through so much and I figured that she was simply tired and feeling the effects of the day she'd had. But deep down, I had worried she'd regretted what we'd done. Her words now had bolstered my ego and relief filled me.

"What were you doing at my house last night just when someone was breaking in?" she asked.

"Straight to the point. Good," I replied, glad. The quicker we got things out in the open, the better. I wasn't exactly sure what to tell her, but quickly decided the full truth was best if I wanted us to have any kind of relationship, and I most definitely did.

So, I told her, and she simply listened.

Well, I told her everything except that Mathieson was not just missing but had been killed by us. I hoped Miki wouldn't be annoyed with me revealing so much so soon, and I sure as hell hoped I was making the right call, but it felt like the best thing to do.

Melissa's eyes widened at certain points, and she looked genuinely upset when I mentioned Krissa. Despite her visible distress, she remained silent, which I was grateful for. Her quietness made it easier for me to stay calm and matter-of-fact. If she had bombarded me with questions or offered too much sympathy, I might have lost my composure. The thought of how Krissa had died still ignited a deep anger in me, and I didn't want to scare Melissa off. It was already going to be challenging enough for her to accept me being Bratva, so I didn't want her to see me angry. If she did, she might be even more frightened, and that would jeopardise my plans to keep her close.

When I finished speaking, she still just stared at me. I let her take her time, waiting for her to process everything I'd shared, all the while praying she wouldn't want to run from me once she had.