“Good.”
He kissed her again, quickly, before he put the car in drive and eased back onto the highway. Mac reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. Melina smiled as the numbness that had become a daily part of her life started to ebb away.
“I love you,” she said quietly.
“Whew, I can breathe a sigh of relief. For a minute there, I was scared.”
Melina laughed. “Just a minute?”
“More than a minute.”
“I thought so.”
“Ah. There’s the smart-mouthed woman I fell in love with.”
“She never left,” Melina replied, grinning.
Mac smirked. “Glad to hear it because I need her back and ready for action.”
Melina cleared her throat, a small tendril of worry creeping inside her. “What kind of action?”
Mac flashed her a smile. “Dinner with my mother, for starters.”
“Um, that didn’t go so well last time and exactly how are you going to explain my absence?”
“She saw the papers.”
Melina covered her face with her free hand. “Dear God. There’s no telling what she must be thinking.”
“Actually, she thought the picture of us together was very sweet.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope.”
Melina squeezed Mac’s hand. “Well, there might be some hope for me yet.”
“And there’s one more thing, doll.”
“Oh?” she asked.
“Your presence has been requested at the Pivetti mansion.”
Melina sank lower in her seat. “Just great. What does your boss want to do now? Grill me? Impress upon me the importance of keeping quiet?”
“Relax, doll. Nothing like that. Neeya has been pestering Luca about seeing you as soon as you got out. You’ve really made an impression on her.”
“Oh. Neeya. It would be nice to see her again.”
Silence stretched between them as Mac drove along the highway moving closer to the innermost part of the city.
“So what happens now?” Melina finally asked.
“Whatever we want.”
Whatever they wanted.
Melina could think of a few things.
“If you stay in there any longer, you’re going to turn into a prune.”
Melina opened her eyes slowly. Mac was sitting on the edge of the tub, staring at her with undisguised interest.
“You let me fall asleep.”
“Well, after I gave you that massage, you looked so relaxed and peaceful. I figured it would be rude to disturb you.”
Melina moved closer to the side of the tub. “You could’ve joined me, you know.”
Mac’s eyes darkened as his gaze roved over her exposed arms and back.
“I couldn’t have.”
“Why is that?”
“Because the minute that happened, you and I would be locked inside this apartment for days, making up for all the time we’ve been apart.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“Fuck no, but it would be a bad thing to disappoint my mother and piss Luca off.”
Melina rolled her eyes. “Yes. One must not keep the boss waiting.”
Standing up in the bath tub she stretched, feeling revitalized after Mac’s stellar massage and the restful nap she’d had inside the warm, bubble-filled tub. Mac cleared his throat and it was then that Melina noticed that her breast was barely an inch away from his face.
Melina smiled sweetly. “Something wrong?”
She lowered her arms back down and subtly thrust her chest forward, teasing him a little more.
Mac groaned. “Get dressed and meet me in the living room.”
Before she could say another word, he was up and leaving the room, but not before she noticed the tell-tale bulge in his pants. Sighing, Melina got out of the tub and quickly dried herself off before she went into her bedroom.
That was when she noticed the boxes and bags on her bed.
“Mac?” she called out.
Reaching for the first white box lying on the bed, Melina lifted the top and looked inside before she lifted out the item. It was a wine-colored evening gown with strategic cutouts to showcase her slim waist and a long slit on the right hip. The gown was both sassy and elegant.
She loved it immediately.
Noticing Mac still hadn’t ventured into the room, Melina yelled out, “I’m pretty sure that there’s a whole new wardrobe in here, and that’s why you’re hiding. But don’t worry, payback is coming.”
Laughing, Melina looked through a few more of the boxes before she gave up and got dressed. Still nervous about making a good impression on Mac’s mother, she settled on a black dress with a wide belt and four-inch black pumps. She left her hair loose and flowing. Adding wide, silver hoop earrings and a touch of mascara and red lipstick, she finally deemed herself ready. Walking into her living room, she found Mac sitting on the couch. He stood as soon as he noticed her presence.
“You look beautiful,” he said.
“Thank you.”
They stared at each other for a long while, simply soaking each other in, before Mac tore his gaze away first.
“Are you ready, doll?”
“Yes, but there’s one thing.”