15. Melissa

CHAPTER 15

MELISSA

LATE SATURDAY EVENING – GOING TO THE ESTATE

M arko bundled me into the back of the car and pulled me close. I clung to him, shaking. Heck, that had been close.

"I can't believe some asshole tried to run us over," I blurted out, adrenaline still coursing through me.

Marko held me tighter while his guy started up the car, and we revved off quickly in the opposite direction from where the car had gone.

"Where to?" the guy called back.

"To the Estate," Marko replied before turning back to me.

"Whoever was shooting at us knew where we were and must have been following us, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Whether they were after you, me, or both of us, it doesn't matter. We are going to stay with my family where it will be safer."

Wait, what?

I wasn't keen on the idea of staying with Marko's family. They were strangers to me, and I felt uneasy. Right now, I needed to calm down and preferred doing that alone with Marko. Shaking like mad, I wasn't ready to engage with a bunch of strangers just yet.

"Are you sure we can't return to the apartment and go to see your family tomorrow as planned?" I asked, my voice quivering.

"The apartment's not safe, Melissa," he said.

"We don't know that!" I practically shouted, pulling away from him and putting some distance between us.

The little voice in my head chided me for being unreasonable, but fear and agitation were clouding my judgment. Everything had turned upside down, and now strangers were intruding into my life, pushing me into unfamiliar territory. It felt overwhelming, and rationality seemed out of reach.

"Someone just tried to run you over. They must have had some way of tracking us to find you, or we were being followed and didn't realise before, so we can't return to the apartment. We are going to my family's estate, and you will stay there with me until this situation is over," he said, his voice filled with barely contained fury.

I stared at him, the charming, sexy nerd I had met seeming to vanish before my eyes, replaced by a hardened and dangerous man. A lump formed in my throat, a sudden fear gripping me. What did I really know about Marko? Sure, he had claimed he had a code against hurting women, but what if that was all just talk? I never truly considered him a threat, but now doubts crept in.

"Can I trust him?" I asked myself, biting my lip nervously. Deep down, I wanted to believe I could, but then the question extended to his family. Did they share the same principles? And who did he think he was, telling me what to do? Just because we had been intimate that didn't mean he could dictate my decisions. Annoyance bubbled up inside me, overtaking my momentary fear.

"I want to go to a hotel," I said, moving away from his side.

"We're going to my home," he replied firmly.

"No! I'm going to a hotel, drop me off at a hotel!" I practically shouted as anger took over rationality.

"Melissa, be reasonable. We've discussed this already. It's not safe," he pleaded, grabbing my hand.

"I'll check in under a different name. Nobody will know I'm there," I replied.

A muscle in his jaw twitched and I could almost hear the grinding of his teeth as he fought to remain calm.

"You're coming home with me!" he stated.

"You don't get to tell me what to do!" I shouted.

Marko went completely still, his intense gaze boring into me. You could cut the air with a knife. The waves of tension coming off him made me feel claustrophobic. Oh shit! I gulped, my palms beginning to sweat as I returned his gaze while desperately trying to hide the fear bubbling up inside me.

Marko must have noticed because I could see the moment he realised he was frightening me. His demeanour shifted, and a wave of concern washed over his features as he seemed to deflate in on himself.

"Shit," he said, raking his hand through his hair before taking a deep breath.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Melissa," he murmured quietly.

My heart raced and I couldn't meet his eyes, unsure what to think.

"Look at me, sweetheart," he pleaded, scooting closer and gently tilting my chin up.

Biting my lip, I slowly let my eyes meet his intense gaze.

"I know you are feeling overwhelmed right now, but you have nothing to fear from me, Melissa. I've told you that already, and I meant it. I'm not angry with you, just frustrated over the whole situation," he said.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small knife. My eyes widened as he flicked it open. What was he doing?

"Please trust me?" he whispered, his tone beseeching.

Biting my lip, I nodded even as my stomach churned with worry.

"When I was a kid, my brothers, and a couple of friends, formed a brotherhood of our own, which we called the Bratva Blood Brothers. Each of us took a blood oath, vowing to always protect each other and our families, especially the females," he told me, nicking his thumb with the blade.

Lifting my hand, I winced as he did the same to mine, then pressed our thumbs together.

"I'm making a vow to you, Melissa, to always protect you. I will never hurt you. I swear that."

The intensity in his eyes and words sent shivers of lust straight to my core. All the fight left me and I swear he stole a piece of my heart in that moment. Chewing on my lip, I was at a loss for words as he continued.

"This whole thing has got me worried for your safety. We've only just met, but I already know that you are special to me. I'm terrified of how close I came to losing you twice now, before we've even had time to get to know one another properly, and I can't let anything happen to you. I need to keep you safe. Please let me," he pleaded, and I could see the conviction in his eyes.

I believed him, and I was in danger, so why was I fighting with him when all he wanted to do was keep me safe? Besides, the blood oath which some might find extreme was actually a huge turn on for me. Nobody had ever made me feel so special that they would vow to protect me in such a way.

"Please come and stay with me at my family's estate. We have security there. It will be the safest place for you. Even if you checked into a hotel under a different name, we don't know that they won't find you. They could still have someone following us, but even if they do, they won't be able to get to you at the Estate. Not with the level of security we have. I need to keep you safe. Please, Melissa?" he pleaded, leaning his forehead against mine.

Well, heck! How was a girl to resist?

Sighing heavily, I moved my head back so I could look into his eyes.

Although I would have preferred staying at a hotel rather than a house filled with strangers, especially criminal ones, I knew Marko was right once again. The flat was no longer safe, my home was destroyed, and I had nowhere else to go. If the MP's guys found me tonight, Marko was correct—they could easily track me down at a hotel.

My body trembled with fear at the thought. In the past two days, I'd been robbed, had a knife thrown at me, my home blown up in a gas explosion, and now almost run over. I was in way over my head. I needed protection and help if I was going to take down the MP before he had the chance to kill me. It made sense to agree.

Besides, Marko's proximity was weakening my resistance. The idea of staying anywhere with him was becoming more and more appealing as I gazed into those intense eyes and felt his breath on my face. Decision made, I nodded.

"Alright," I said, and he leaned down, pressing a kiss to my mouth.

"Thank you, sweetheart," he said, sounding relieved.

"But please ask me in the future before you make decisions concerning me," I told him firmly.

It was becoming evident that Marko could easily wrap me around his little finger, but I still needed to retain some of my autonomy. Although I had to admit, there were times when I felt having somebody to make decisions with, or even have help take over some of life's decisions, would be nice. Just not all of them. I was far too independent to submit completely to someone else making every decision for me.

"Yes, honey. I will," he said before kissing me deeply, that talented tongue of his chasing all my concerns away.

His phone vibrating between us a second later had us reluctantly pulling apart. Marko answered it and I could hear a man on the other end, his voice authoritative.

"I heard what happened. Bring her in now!" the man demanded.

"We're on our way," Marko responded.

"Good. It's the safest place for her, and I want everyone here until we sort this out. I spoke to Simpson. The bastard said his contacts told him that the person behind the new attacks against us is the MP, so I guess we can safely say we have a mutual enemy," the man instructed.

"I agree. The MP has gone too far. He's attacking our family and trying to kill my woman. He needs to be dealt with, and soon," Marko replied, fury lacing his voice once again.

"He will be!"

I barely registered the man's reply before he hung up because my mind was stuck on two specific words: "my woman". It seemed a bit soon for Marko to be getting possessive, yet I couldn't help liking the idea.

"Your woman?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in question, a small smile playing on my lips.

"Well, I would like to think that after what we did earlier and our date today, that you might… that we might…" he said, looking more flustered and embarrassed than I had ever seen him before. Seeing him so vulnerable, with his hand raking through his hair and his words trailing off, made my heart clench and a lump form in my throat. I cleared my throat.

"Might?" I prompted, my voice sounding breathy even to my ears.

Mr Sexy Nerd gulped hard, which only made him more endearing and I held my breath, awaiting his response.

"I like you, Melissa. I like you a lot, and I was hoping you might like me too," he said, less flustered this time but no less vulnerable.

I grinned. There really was no resisting this man.

"Yes, I do."

He grinned back before leaning in to reward me with a smouldering kiss.