Page 30 of Marko

“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.

CHAPTER 16

MARKO

LATER THAT SAME NIGHT – GETTING ACQUAINTED

Miki was waiting outside the house for us with Ash, Romi, and Vlad when we arrived. I took in the size of the males as if I had never seen them before; they certainly looked intimidating, and I hoped the welcome party didn’t scare Melissa off.

We stopped and climbed out. I slipped an arm around Melissa’s shoulders, hoping to reassure her but also as a show of possession as I led her over.

“Melissa, these are my brothers, Miki and Ash, my cousin, Romi, and our good friend, and Miki’s bodyguard, Vlad,” I introduced them.

“You’ve already met my bodyguard, Trigger,” I said, gesturing towards him as he retrieved her bags from the car.

They each smiled at her, and she seemed to relax. I was thankful for that because I wanted her to feel comfortable with my family and in our house, her new home. She might have thought it was just a temporary arrangement, but it would be a permanent one if I had my way. I inwardly smirked at myself. Miki was right, I was as bad as him and Ash. They both fell hard and fast for their women, and those women were now their wives and pregnant. It looked like I was falling just as hard and fast.

I stole a furtive glance at Melissa beside me as we walked towards the house, wondering if she had any idea what I was thinking and how she would feel about it if she did. A fleeting image of her in a wedding dress and then holding a baby also crossed my mind, and I pushed them quickly aside. Hmm, yep, I was definitely following in my brothers’ footsteps.

However, one step at a time, I told myself; we had an enemy to deal with before I could think about a real future with my sexy cat burglar.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Melissa, Marko has told me a lot about you, but I know there is still much to discuss. However, you must be tired, so I would suggest you both retire for the night. We can meet again in the morning to talk things over,” Miki said, turning and gesturing for us to head inside.

As I led my Little Miss Pouty Lips into my home for the first time, all I could think about was getting her alone.

Our afternoon and evening together had been perfect, right up until we were nearly run over. Despite that, I had been eagerly anticipating getting Melissa alone in my bed again. I wanted to keep her to myself a little longer, but after everything she’d been through lately, bringing her home was definitely the right call.

She would be safer here, surrounded by my family and security. Plus, this would give her a chance to get to know everyone better. If she was going to be a permanent part of my life, she needed to feel comfortable with them. With Gracie, Eilidh, and Sonia around, I knew they’d make her feel welcome.

For a moment, I considered taking her to a guest room so she could rest, but quickly dismissed the idea. I shouldn’t just assume she’d want to come to my bed again. But I wanted her there, so I wasn’t giving her another option. Besides, she’d been receptive of the idea of further play between us when we left the restaurant and I was sure that hadn’t changed.

Opening the door to my suite, I pulled her inside, closed the door, and pounced.

Flicking my tongue across her lips made her open them to me, and I delved right in. Not giving her any time to even think about anything else, as I claimed her mouth in a deep kiss.