17. Melissa

CHAPTER 17

MELISSA

SUNDAY MORNING – TIME TO MAKE PLANS

S omeone was nuzzling my neck and kissing me, and it was bliss. Smiling, I cracked open my eyes.

"Morning, beautiful," Marko said, leaning over me with a sexy grin. I enjoyed waking up to him.

"Time to get up. We need to head down for breakfast. Everyone wants to meet you, then we will need to spend the morning, or possibly the rest of the day, making plans with Miki," he said.

"I'll take a quick shower, then you can," he told me before hurrying off towards the bathroom, but not before I had time to admire his muscular back and tight bum.

That was a sight I wouldn't mind seeing on a regular basis.

I grinned as I jumped out of bed in search of clothes.

A short while later, Marko came out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. I salivated at the sight of those muscular shoulders and sexy abs of his. My god, my Mr Sexy Nerd was built!

I watched him open-mouthed as he walked past me to the wardrobe. He dropped the towel and pulled on some jeans, and I stared with undisguised lust, my gaze travelling up his legs, across his sexy ass, and over his back. My eyes took every inch of him, thoroughly enjoying the view, and I wished we could return to bed, but I knew that we had to meet with the others.

I openly ogled him, licking my lips. My gaze zoned in on the gorgeous tattoo on his left shoulder, which I stared at with curiosity. It was a six-inch Celtic cross with an eight-point star, which I immediately realised was the Bratva symbol, in the round centre forming the middle point. A scroll ribbon was wrapped three times around its length with some words written inside. It was beautiful, just like him. I made a mental note to ask him what the words meant later.

Marko chuckled, and I looked up to see I had been caught checking him out yet again. I would usually feel embarrassed if some guy saw me checking him out so thoroughly, but not with Marko. I smirked and blew him a kiss instead before turning and running into the bathroom, giggling as he tried to grab me.

When we got to the dining room, Marko introduced me to everyone, and I could hear the pride in his voice as he did so, which melted my heart toward him even further.

"It's lovely to meet you, Melissa," Eilidh said with a warm smile.

"Hey there, Melissa, nice to meet you," Gracie said.

"Hi, Melissa, welcome to the mad, bad, world of the Rominov's," Sonia said with a huge grin.

Nonna kissed both of my cheeks, then pinched them between her fingers like I was five or something. "Bella!" she exclaimed.

"Grazie mille," I replied in Italian.

Nonna's face lit up in delight and she clasped a hand to her chest.

"Parli Italiano?"

"Si, ho vissuto in Italia con i miei genitori per un po'," I replied.

"You lived in Italy with your parents for a while? Well, you must tell me all about it later. For now, eat," she said, leading me towards a huge breakfast buffet.

"You've made a friend for life there," Marko whispered, and I chuckled.

As we sat down to eat, I couldn't help overhearing Gracie and Sonia chatting.

"Did you say you wrote books, Gracie?" I asked, grinning.

"Yes, are you a reader?" she asked shyly.

"I like romance," I said.

"Hell yeah! Join the club," Eilidh said, grinning across the table at me.

"Gracie writes some of the best and smuttiest dark contemporary romance books I've ever read. Her book boyfriends are amazing," Sonia replied, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

"Hey!" several disgruntled male voices shouted in unison, and I laughed as Gracie practically choked on her bacon, Sonia's eyebrows rose almost into her hairline, and Eilidh's grin froze in place as they all remembered that we weren't alone.

"Of course, we each have our own men who'd rival any book boyfriend," Sonia said pointedly, winking at me.

"Good save," Romi said from beside her as he leaned down to kiss her soundly.

"Just reminding you of that fact," he said when he broke off, leaving her gasping for air and swooning.

Miki followed suit, kissing Eilidh in a way that made me blush. Oh, my, that man was intense! And so handsome. If I wasn't falling fast and hard for Marko, and if Miki wasn't already attached, I might just be crushing over him big time. I mean, wow!

"I don't need to remind Gracie of anything. I'm her inspiration," Ash said, grinning widely and waggling his eyebrows.

Everyone laughed as Gracie simply shook her head and chuckled at his antics.

Some good-hearted ribbing followed and by the time breakfast was over, my cheeks ached from all the laughing we'd done. Marko's family were funny and full of life and laughter. Not at all like I expected a Bratva family to be. My concerns about staying with a family of criminals had all been for nothing it seemed, and I quickly felt relaxed with them.

It was great that all of us women, even Nonna apparently, shared a love of reading and especially romance. I was genuinely excited to hear that Gracie was a romance author herself and couldn't wait to read her books.

After breakfast, the ladies headed off to work, and the men headed to Miki's office.

"We'll be there in a minute," Marko told them as they left.

Pulling me aside, he wrapped his arms around me.

"What about me? Do I rival your book boyfriends?" he asked, grinning.

"Oh, you are way better than any of them," I reassured him with a chuckle.

"Right answer," he said, before kissing me so thoroughly my toes curled.

When he eventually let me up for air, I was panting hard and my whole body felt like a live wire. But he wasn't finished. Not by a long shot. Pressing me hard against the wall, his hand loosely around my throat, he kissed me once more.

While his tongue assaulted my mouth, his hands slipped into my leggings and rubbed my sweet spot. Lord, the things this man could do to me. Within minutes, I was bucking against his hand and crying into his mouth, and I swear I saw stars when my release came hard. My knees wobbled and if it wasn't for his body pressing so close to mine, I would have crumbled to the floor.

"That was so good!" I panted against his neck.

"Just making sure you have a comparison for future reference," he chuckled, sounding very proud of himself.

"Whenever you're reading, honey, let me know if there is any scene you want to try out and I'll be only too happy to oblige and show you just how much better I am to any fictional male," he said with a wicked grin and a wink.

My cheeks were on fire with all the delicious possibilities those words conjured up, and I was still giggling at my thoughts as we entered Miki's office.

Miki turned towards me, and his raised eyebrows and smirk told me he knew what we'd been up to. I cleared my throat and squirmed under his scrutiny until Marko stepped in to save me from further embarrassment.

"Melissa, meet Luca, one of our men and a close family friend," Marko said, introducing me to the new guy standing beside Miki.

"Pleased to meet you, Melissa," Luca said with a wink.

Marko huffed loudly and stepped between us.

"Enough of that. Keep your charms to yourself," he snapped at Luca.

"Oh, you've got it as bad as the rest of them," Luca replied, laughing.

"How the mighty fall. Isn't that what you said to me once, Marko?" Miki said, chuckling as Marko huffed again.

My embarrassment forgotten, I bit back a grin as I watched Marko squirm under the scrutiny of the two men. My heart did a little flip as Marko turned and winked at me.

"If you two have had your fun, shall we get started?" he said, leading me to where the others were seated around a large conference table.

Obviously, Marko had told Miki about me, but I wasn't sure what the others knew, so when he asked me to tell them all about myself, I didn't hold back.

As I spoke, I noticed that they all reacted in some small way to Mathieson's name when I told them how we were connected. However, none of their anger seemed directed at me, so I felt more relaxed.

Now that I had spent time with the family, I wasn't as worried about working with them anymore. So, I was being candid because I needed to build trust with these men. First, so that we could work together to bring the MP down, and second, because if Marko and I were to have any kind of actual future together, then I wanted to be accepted among his family and friends.

"Marko has told me what Mathieson did to your family and your friends, and I am sorry about that. I realise that he is missing and that it likely means you guys had something to do with it and he is likely dead. I just want you to know I understand why you would have felt it necessary to deal with him. His letter clearly said he was not a good man, and I believe that. I didn't know him, and I am glad, as he is not the type of person I would want anything to do with. The same can be said for my so-called uncle. The MP obviously doesn't want to know me, and I sure as hell don't want to know him, so whatever we need to do to ensure the safety of your family as well as myself, I'm up for that!" I said, finishing my speech in a rush.

The guys all stared at me. I think I shocked them a bit with just how candid I'd been, but I could see that I had done the right thing when each of them smiled at me.

"Glad you're working with us, Melissa. We'll do whatever it takes to destroy the MP and end his barbaric practices — for his victims and for the safety of our family, which now includes you," Miki said, his wide smile radiating warmth.

I returned the smile, a wave of happiness washing over me. Miki, as the Pakhan and head of the family, had welcomed me into their fold, and it was a relief to shed my feelings of isolation.

As we pored over the microchip and photographs, I scrutinised their reactions closely, hoping my trust in them was well-placed. These men were formidable, after all, their histories likely marred by acts of torture and murder. Yet, Marko had assured me of their code: they spared women and children, reserving violence only for those who directly threatened them and only as a last resort. I desperately wanted to believe that their principles were genuine.

The disgust on their faces was palpable. Each grimace and sharp intake of breath spoke volumes. The images of women in distress hit them hardest. Ash, visibly shaken, clenched and unclenched his fists, while Romi steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. Their reactions reassured me—these were not men who took pleasure in inflicting pain.

The urgency to dismantle the MP's operation surged within me. This wasn't just about my safety or that of this family; it was about stopping his abhorrent practices for good.

Marko had hacked into the MP's security system, revealing the extent of his paranoia. With the multiple layers of security around the rooms where Mathieson's letter claimed the MP kept his most sensitive information; our task was daunting. I leaned on the skills my father had taught me, outlining how they could help us uncover the hidden evidence. Their approval bolstered my confidence; maybe, just maybe, I could meet their expectations.