22. Marko

CHAPTER 22

MARKO

THREE WEEKS LATER – THE MORNING OF THE BIG DAY!

A loud snore woke me. I must have dozed off lounging in the chair in my office after looking over the MPs' security information one last time.

It was the big day, and I was filled with both excitement and trepidation, and I was also bloody exhausted.

Not that I was complaining. I'd taken the better than any book boyfriend challenge very seriously. It had been absolutely fantastic but at the same time, pretty exhausting. However, I'd been determined to pull out all the stops so that by the time we were ready to commit this heist, Melissa knew just how good we could be together. Because when all of this was over, I needed to make sure that she was willing to remain with me and give our relationship a real chance.

I probably shouldn't have gone in for another round last night though, I thought ruefully, just as I had done every morning since my Little Miss Pouty Lips came to stay. However, like an addict looking for his next fix, I just couldn't resist her and once was never enough. Nevertheless, I really should have got more rest for the day ahead. At least I had let Melissa sleep in for once. She had a tough job ahead and would need all her energy and focus to pull it off without me taxing her.

My body felt sluggish as I pulled myself out of my chair. I needed a cup of coffee, or maybe a bucket full. I yawned, my mouth stretching so wide it was a wonder I didn't swallow the entire room. Fuck, I really was tired!

Rubbing my eyes, I wished I had spent more time in bed last night actually sleeping. Maybe then I wouldn't be worrying about fuelling up on caffeine and adrenaline to stay awake. However, Melissa was too delicious to resist.

Sighing heavily, I headed to the dining room in search of my caffeine fix.

Everyone else was already there, including Melissa. She got up from her seat, approached me, and kissed my cheek.

"I missed you this morning," she said pouting, and my heart soared.

"I wanted to check some stuff before we head off later," I replied willing my cock to stay down.

"You look tired," she stated, her hand brushing across my cheek soothingly.

I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into me.

"That's because some sexy Little Miss Pouty Lips kept me up all night. Literally," I murmured, grinning at her.

She laughed.

"It wasn't me who wanted to go for round three, Mr Sexy Nerd," she whispered in my ear before slipping out of my arms.

"Sit, the coffee's on the table. I'll get you some breakfast. You need the fuel," she told me.

"Thanks," I said, obeying her.

Warmth spread through me as I watched her head to the buffet area. I liked that she wanted to look after me in this way, it made me feel special. I'd better not tell my brothers that. They ribbed me enough as the youngest boy without telling them how gooey inside I felt whenever Melissa did something nice for me.

Like them, I had a possessive, protective and very dominant streak running through me about a mile wide. So, I tended to prefer taking care of Melissa. However, now and then, I didn't mind her reciprocating. Melissa enjoyed showing she cared as much as I did, and that thrilled me.

My cock was at it again, jerking, as I watched her pout her lips as she decided what to pile on my plate. Exhausted or not, nothing stopped my cock from reacting whenever Melissa was near, or, in fact, whenever I even thought about her.

Melissa smiled as she returned to the table with a plate stacked with eggs, bacon, and toast.

"Got to keep your strength up," she said with a wink.

My cock gave another jerk, and I squirmed. Shaking my head, I did my best to ignore it.

God, the way I could barely control myself around this woman was disconcerting and yet I couldn't find it in me to care. In fact, I loved how out of control I felt around her. Usually, I held on to my control rigidly, but whenever Melissa was near, I felt lighter inside, even when my unruly member throbbed painfully. Considering the workout it had been getting the last few weeks, you would think it would need a rest, but no.

While I knew I would never let the thing distract me enough to put either of us in danger, it was going to be a bloody uncomfortable experience for me later today if I had to deal with a hard-on throughout the entire heist.

Sighing, I poured myself a strong black coffee and tucked into my breakfast because Melissa was right, I needed the energy.

As I ate, I watched her as she nibbled on some toast and chatted with Sonia and Gracie. Sonia whispered something in her ear, and Little Miss Pouty Lips nodded. All three then burst into giggles, shooting glances my way. Melissa turned to me and winked again while the others grinned. I couldn't help but grin in response as I preened, assuming she was confirming how well I was doing in the better than any book boyfriend department.

The guys glanced my way and smirked. I might have been the youngest of us all, but I could give them a run for their money any time. The fact they didn't rib me about it showed me just how concerned they were about what lay ahead.

We had a good primary plan for the heist and several contingencies based around every problem we could think might occur. Miki, in his usual thorough way, had ensured we were as prepared as possible. Yet, it was impossible to cover every scenario. Something totally unexpected could easily throw everything into disarray. That thought had my insides churning, not for myself, but for Melissa. I prayed nothing would go wrong.

Sipping on my coffee, I let its fragrant aroma soothe me. I would be glad when today was over and we had the evidence we needed on the bastard MP and finally got him out of our hair. There had been two more attacks on our businesses recently and several on our ally turned uncle, Glowacki's. Between those and the attacks on Melissa, the MP was far too dangerous to allow to run free any longer.

As I took another bite of bacon, I fervently wished we didn't even have to bother with committing this heist at all. Frankly, I would have preferred to simply kill the fucker, but he was a prominent MP, a member of the UK government, so we needed to tread carefully. Killing him might have been what I wanted to do, but it wasn't the best solution for my family. Unfortunately, that meant we had to deal with him in the manner my dad had with the MP's father, and bring him to justice using the full force of the law.

Melissa's laugh penetrated my thoughts, and I smiled as I watched her giggling again with my sister.

Today was going to be dangerous, and Melissa and I would be in the thick of it. I hated that she would be in danger at all, but there was no choice. Her special skill set was needed to do this job. It couldn't be done without her, no matter how much I wished it could be.

Besides, if I were totally honest, she was probably more capable than me when it came to dealing with this sort of thing. If anything went wrong with the heist, it would probably be my sexy little cat burglar that got us through it. If anything threatened her safety, well, that was different; I would deal with that. No matter what happened, we'd get through it together.

After breakfast, Melissa headed off to our room, and I headed back to my office to get started on the first part of the plan.

It took some time at first, but after hacking into the MP's security system a few times, I knew the initial levels wouldn't be a problem. The last two levels, though, would be tougher. That's where Luca and Melissa came in. Their expertise was crucial.

Within three weeks, Luca had worked his usual magic, worming his way into a prime position as one of the MP's top personal guards. The guy was a bloody genius at infiltrating our enemies and one of our best assets.

By planting evidence on one of the MP's closest bodyguards, sparking doubts about his loyalty and subsequently getting him fired, Luca had created an opening for himself. Then he had also orchestrated a disturbance at a rally, leading to an attack on the MP by the crowd. Luca swooped in to save the MP's life, earning his trust in the process. His position had allowed him to obtain the MP's fingerprints and the other detailed information I needed to navigate my way through all but the last level of security. I'd need to bypass that when we were inside.

Once I'd done all I could to prepare, I packed my laptop and other gadgets I'd need into a small backpack. Then double checked everything just to be sure.

Now, it was just a matter of waiting. With an hour still to go, I set an alarm on my phone and leaned back in my chair for a quick nap.