Mother help me.
He looked down at his hands then back up at her. “Oh, sorry. Wanted to make sure you didn’t fall down.”
He hesitated then released her.
She studied him realizing that he hadn’t changed out of his BDUs.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Shopping?” he said with amusement as he tipped his head toward his buggy. She eyed all the fruits and vegetables.
“That’s a lot of food for one guy.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and she tried to ignore the way his pecs flexed—but she failed. She swallowed—hard—and forced her attention from them to his face.
“I like to eat.”
She rolled her eyes and turned to leave. She needed to get away—far away—from the temptation of Santini. If she were lucky he would leave her alone. His footsteps behind her told her she wasn’t so lucky.
She stopped and he almost ran his cart into her. With a sigh she turned to face him.
“What?”
His eyes widened and she realized that she had raised her voice. A glance around the department told her she had gained the attention of the few people shopping.
Maryanne slipped around his buggy. “I thought guys like you only shopped on post.”
Something that looked like guilt moved over his face before he hid it. Great, now he was coming up with a lie and they weren’t even involved. What the hell was wrong with her? This is what she found attractive? The perfectly nice accountant she had dated a few months earlier never lied to her but she just lost interest, mainly because he was perfectly boring.
“I had some work, which I’m sure you did too?” he said, his smile returning.
She did not want him smiling at her. She needed him pissed at her, being mean to her, and staying away from her. When he was smiling like that it just made her want to scream. And kiss him. She really, really wanted to kiss him.
“And you decided to drive all the way over here to Universal City to shop at the HEB? Isn’t there one closer to post?”
He nodded. “This one is closer to my apartment.”
Oh, so not good.
“Don’t tell me you live at the Live Oak Apartments.”
“I sure do. Just moved in two weeks ago.”
She narrowed her eyes as she studied him. Growing up as the only sister of three older brothers made her very good at detecting bullshit.
He seemed to be telling the truth, but there was that moment before that made her nervous. Worse, she wanted to believe him. Wanted to have him living near her so she could flirt with him, maybe kiss him…
Dammit.
She had no other choice than to chase him away.
“Listen, this might work with a lot of other women, but I don’t like stalkers.” She practically yelled it. He wore no expression on his face so she decided to get out before he could retort. Grabbing her cart, she hurried away.
Damn, she really did need to get a life.
Chapter Two
“Earth to Leo,” Vince said, amusement threading his voice.
Leo had to shake himself free of the thoughts that had been plaguing him for two days now. He glanced at his brother.
“Sorry, got a lot on my mind.”
Vince cracked a smile. “Thinking, soldier? I always thought you just reacted without thinking.”
It was a common comment from his brother. Controlling his impulses had been hard when he was a teenager, and for the most part, Leo was still that way. Except for work. Instinct ruled his life when he was at work.
“No, just getting settled in the new apartment, starting the new job.” He took the exit off 1604. “I saw Jeff yesterday.”
“Ah,” he said understanding. Vince was the oldest of the Santinis and had seen the most combat, so he knew where Jeff had been. He also knew what it was like to be in Leo’s shoes, as he had to watch some of his closest friends struggle with the worst of memories.
“Sorry. I pick you up at the airport and immediately bring you down.”
He shook his head as he studied the passing landscape of Universal City. “Nature of the job, Leo.”
All four of the Santinis were in the military, and all of them had seen action. They tried their best not to do shop talk when they were together.
“No. We need to hit the Riverwalk tonight. Should be a busy night. Hot weather brings out the hot women.”
The moment he said it, the thought of Maryanne Johnson sparked through his mind, leaving a trail of heat behind to tease him. Damn, last night she had smelled so...delicious.
“Dammit, Leo, you drove through that red light.”
“What?” He looked up in his rearview mirror and realized he had. Damn, just thinking about the woman was going to get him killed. He shook his head. “Sorry about that.”
“I think you have something else on your mind other than Jeff or work.”
Vince always had a sixth sense when it came to their lives. He always seemed to know when they needed him to visit, needed a phone call, and he could sniff out any kind of embarrassing situation. It was hell to have an older brother who didn’t have a problem rubbing their noses in it.
“It’s just this woman. Jeff’s physical therapist. She rubbed me the wrong way.”
He crossed his arms. “Oh?”
Leo turned into the apartment complex and inwardly cringed. He knew he sounded too defensive and that would intrigue Vince. “Oh, nothing. Just, we got off on the wrong foot and now she might think I am…well, stalking her.”
Before Vince could react, Leo spotted her. She was walking, wearing a little pair of exercise shorts and one of those sports bra things. Her hair was up in a ponytail again. It swung from side to side with that sassy little walk of hers. Damn, he would love to see her hair free, flowing over her shoulders. He bet it would feel like silk against his flesh.
He parked in his spot just a few feet from where she was walking. “There she is.”
“Why are you whispering?” Vince asked, but Leo’s mind was on Johnson.
It still bugged him that she thought he was stalking her and he decided to set the record straight. Without saying anything to his brother, he slipped out of the truck.
“Uh, Leo, I think...”
He missed the rest of what his brother said. Leo walked up behind her, knowing she had to have heard him. “Ms. Johnson.”
She didn’t acknowledge him—and that was typical of women like her. They were huffing and condescending. And sadly, it made her more fascinating. Wanting her attention, he tapped her shoulder. She screamed. Without turning around, she shoved her bony elbow into his stomach. He doubled over as she came around with her right fist and connected with his eye. Sparks of pain erupted as he fell back. His head hit the pavement with a thunk.
He blinked, trying to focus on her but it was difficult.
“Santini?”
She leaned down looking at him her ponytail falling over her shoulder. It was then he saw the ear buds connected to her mp3 player. She pulled them out of her ears.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
He winced at the sound of her voice. “I just wanted to correct your misconception that I was stalking you.”
“Oh, well that went over well. Scaring the bloody hell out of me. What is wrong with you?”
The scrape of shoe against the sidewalk had him grimacing. Dammit, he’d forgotten about Vince.
“So, I see you can still charm the ladies, Leo.”
She looked up at his brother and her mouth dropped open. “Good God, there’s another one of you?”
His brother smiled. “Vincente Santini.”
She blinked and Leo was amazed when she blushed. “Maryanne Johnson.”
“I’m glad everyone is having fun meeting each other,” Leo said rolling up to his feet. Damn his stomach hurt and lord knew he was going to have a damned black eye. Explaining that to the major was going to be fun.
She gave him a disgu
sted look. “Every time I see you, you whine.”
“I didn’t whine last night.”
“No, you were just stalking me.”
He ground his teeth together. “I was not stalking you.”
“How long have you two known each other?” Vince asked looking from one to the other.
“Feels like a lifetime,” Leo said.
She rolled her eyes, then she zeroed in her attention on Vince. She sniffed in his direction. Vince smiled at her again and she frowned.
“Ugh, not another one. You’re not Army though. Marine?”
Vince nodded.
She threw her hands up in the air and released a sound of disgust. “All of you need to just stay away from me. Far away.”
She turned and hurried off. Then, she stopped abruptly and spun around. “You need to put some ice or better yet, a steak on that eye.”
Then she was off again. He watched her until she turned the corner and sighed.
“Ohhh, so that’s the way of it?” Vince asked.
He glanced at his brother. “What?”
“I heard that sigh. Someone has a little crush on the physical therapist.”
He didn’t. Not really. Okay, a little, but he’d damned if he would admit it. “No. Two days and she’s called me more names than I can keep up with. I don’t like women who are so damned contrary.”
Vince gave him a disbelieving look and headed to the truck to get his bag. Leo looked at the corner she had just turned and shook his head.
“She’s the damnedest woman.”
* * * *
Maryanne hated to apologize. She hated it with a thousand hot burning suns. In fact, the only thing she hated worse was being wrong. And she wasn’t wrong in this case. But, she thought as she walked up the steps to Santini’s apartment, she knew she had to do it. After lunch with her grandmother, she had no choice.
She sighed as she reached his landing. She should have never told her about the altercation. Her grandmother, ever the wife, mother and grandmother of military men, told her she had to apologize. It was hard to say no to her grannie, even if it was all because of a soft spot she had for military men.
She slowed down as she reached his door. It was three on a Sunday afternoon and she thought he might be gone, but she had seen his truck in his allotted spot. She had the worst luck lately.
With another heavy sigh, she knocked on his door.
“Coming.” One of them yelled out. She wasn’t sure which one, but she thought it was Leo.
Stop that. His name is Santini. Not Leo. Leo makes him nice, makes him sexy...makes him irresistible. He was not that. He was Santini.
The door opened and she had been wrong. It was his brother Vince. He was just as tall, just as beautiful. The same physique as his brother and damn, he wasn’t wearing his shirt.
Why did guys who looked like that always walk around shirtless? Cuz they look like damned Gods, that’s why.
When she looked up at him he was smiling. The one big difference between the brothers was that Vince didn’t have a broken nose...and his eyes were dark blue.
“Ms. Johnson?”
“Yes.”
“Is there something I can do for you?”
Before she could tell him to put on a damned shirt so her brain would work, the door was pulled open further. Good God, Leo wasn’t wearing a shirt either.
She was going to die from lack of blood in her brain.
Leo looked at his brother. “Go away.”
“So rude. Mom’s not going to like that when I tell her.” He smiled at her. “I’m her favorite.”
Then he walked away. No, sauntered away. That was the only way she could describe that walk.
“He is not mom’s favorite.” She blinked at him, her brain starting to work a little. He frowned in return. “Ms. Johnson, was there something you wanted?”
He was wary of her, but she didn’t really blame him. The black eye was not extremely pretty. It made him more attractive in a rough and tumble kind of way.
“I came by to apologize for hitting you.”
He said nothing, just kept staring at her. It was hard to remain aloof when he was standing there almost naked. Okay, all he was missing was his shirt, but that couldn’t be legal in Texas. It would cause a ruckus if he went out like that.
“Seriously, I figured I would just hit you and run away. I never thought I would knock any man out.”
“You didn’t knock me out.”
“Okay, so I knocked you down. I’m sorry.”
He just stared at her and she had to fight her compulsion to say something. “Was there something else?”
She sighed. “Okay, see, I have to invite you to dinner as part of my apology.”
“Wait, what?”
“I’m inviting you and the other one for dinner.”
“His name is Vince.”
“Yeah, whatever. So, do you want dinner?”
He leaned up against the doorjamb and acted like he was giving it great thought. Again, she had to keep herself from saying something.
“Does this involve a home cooked meal?”
Irritated she settled her hands on her hips. “Of course it does.”
“And for some unknown reason, you have to invite me to your apartment for dinner.”
“And the other one.”
“Vince.”
“Yeah.”
He studied her again. She really hated the way he looked at her as if she were some kind of specimen. “What time?”
“Six.”
“Okay. Oh, what apartment?”
“Two-fifty-five.”
She turned to leave, when he stopped her.
“Are you going tell me why you have to invite me?”
“My grannie said I had to. Of course, I told her she was crazy, but she’s my grannie so I have to do it.”
Then she stomped down the stairs dreading the night.
Chapter Three
Leo picked up the bottle of wine he’d bought as he headed out of his kitchen. Vince had dressed for dinner, but he still didn’t look happy about the situation.
“What?” Leo asked.
Vince sighed. “I told you earlier that I’d stay home.”
“It will make me look like a dick. You came here to see me and one of the three nights you’re here, I’m going to go to dinner without you.”
“I completely understand. She’s smoking hot.”
Leo rolled his eyes and walked to the door. There was a reason Vince was thirty-five years old and single. He couldn’t see that a woman would take offense to that comment. Leo knew he had already started off badly with Maryanne. He wanted to make sure he made a good impression tonight.
“No. She said both of us.”
“Actually what she said was you and the other one. I'm not so sure she wants me there.”
That would not be good. He was already attracted to her and being alone with a bottle of wine was not a good idea. He needed Vince there to be a buffer. His main objective was to repair the damage and move on.
“So, was last night a little too much for you?”
Vince rolled his eyes. “Yeah. A few beers on the Riverwalk and some hot Tex-Mex food was a little too much for me.”
What they had done was spend the night up talking. They were a close family, but he and Vince were less than two years apart in age. They had gone through a lot together growing up and he was the only one who had understood why Leo had opted to go in the Army instead of attending college first. Leo knew he wanted to be a medic for longer than he could remember, and Vince had been the first one he had told.
“Come on. The food might suck, but I have a good wine, and we can always hit fast food later.”
“Okay, as long as it’s a Whataburger.”
“I have no idea how you stay so fit and eat like that. I got the shitty genes apparently.”
Vince chuckled as he followed him out of the door and waited for him to lock it. “I could have told you that, Leo. I
t was evident from an early age I had far superior genes.”
It only took a few minutes to get around the apartment complex to where her apartment was located. By the time they were walking up the stairs, his stomach was turning over. Not the kind that told him he was going to be sick. No, these were butterflies...like he was sixteen years old and picking up Sue Martin for his first date.
“Looks different here,” Vince commented.
“These are bigger apartments. They didn't have any open when I toured. I wanted one, but another one won’t open up for eight months.”
Before they reached her door, he could smell the food. Onion, garlic, and basil. She'd cooked Italian for a couple of Italians. He lifted his hand to knock but he didn’t get to. It opened with a whoosh. Again, all thought dissolved from his mind.
He had seen her in work and exercise clothes, but it had not prepared him for her in casual clothes. Her hair was down, the soft curls cascading over her shoulders. The hot pink shirt she wore clung to her breasts. And, lord, she had a body that was made for wearing those worn hip hugging jeans. Her feet were bare, but he saw the bright pink polish on her toes. It matched her shirt.
“Hello. Sorry, did I scare you,” she said. There was laughter in her voice and it made his heart jerk…along with other body parts.
Vince laughed. “No, but we are stunned by the smell.”
She smiled at Vince. Her whole face lighted with happiness. “Thank you. Come on in.”
Vince stepped over the threshold, but Leo stood there trying to get his brain to work.
“Santini?”
He shook himself and looked at her. Her brow furrowed as she studied him. Great, she thought there was something wrong with him. He forced himself to smile.
“Sorry.”
“No problem. Is that for tonight?”
“What?”
She pointed to the wine in his hand. “Sure.” He followed his brother in and didn't miss the smirk on Vince’s face. Leo knew he was going to get shit for this.
“Vince is right. Smells delicious.”
The Santinis: Leonardo, Book 1 Page 2