Melissa Schroeder - A Santini Takes the Fall (The Santinis Book #9)
Page 14
“I don’t remember.”
He shook his head, and she glanced away, then down at his feet.
“I never took you for a coward.”
When she looked up at him, it was easy to see the tears glittering in her eyes. It was a punch to the gut, and it tore at his heart. He had been responsible for this. He had jumped to conclusions as usual, and he had hurt her. He would rather take a bullet to the chest than hurt her ever again.
“I’m sorry.”
She punched him in the shoulder. “You should be.”
“I just kept thinking about everything you had there. Your life was filled with dance and, well, then there is Viktor and your other friends.”
“Viktor can be a pain in the ass, as he proved this week.” She sighed. “And I don’t want that. I had that. It was fun, but I am ready for this part of my life. I want to be here in Hawaii. It is a piece of my soul.”
He smiled, his heart finally feeling lighter than it had in the last two days. “I had planned to ask you to marry me, but I wanted a ring and to do it all right.”
For a second, she seemed to be holding her breath.
“Rings aren’t important to me, Anthony. You are.”
“I love you, Lalani.”
“I love you too.” She gave him a kiss. “You still haven’t asked me.”
He chuckled. “Lalani Hawkins, will you be my wife, my mate, my partner in everything that is important?”
The tears that had threatened just moments before spilled over onto her cheeks. “Oh. Wow, who would have known you would have such pretty words?”
“Why the hell does everyone think I’m an ass?”
“Because you ask questions like that during a proposal.”
Heat licked up the back of his neck. Damn, maybe he was an ass, but either way, he needed an answer. “Well?”
“Oh, come on, I’m hungry,” Marco called out from the lanai.
“I’m going to kill him.”
“He’s a SEAL, Anthony. Plus, I don’t want you with any injuries for the wedding.”
“I’m a Marine. I can kick his ass, and I have before.”
He suddenly realized what she had said, and his world stopped for just that moment in time. Who would have thought an ass like him would be able to pick such a perfect time to propose? Streams of late afternoon sun lightened her hair as she stood smiling at him, her eyes still shining from tears. And this woman…this goddess had agreed to be his.
“Yeah?”
She nodded and leaned up on her tiptoes to brush her mouth against his. “You are my world, Anthony Santini.”
He pulled her closer and kissed her, slipping his tongue between her lips. She welcomed him. Before it could get too much out of hand, his asinine family started clapping.
Resting his forehead against hers, he said, “I am going to kill them.”
“You do say you like an audience,” she said as she gave him a laughing kiss.
Ignoring the further catcalls from his cousin, he picked her up and kissed her. As long as he had Lalani by his side, he didn’t give a damn about anyone else.
EPILOGUE
Lalani was catching her breath after a dance with Viktor when a very large arm slipped around her waist. She placed her hand over his arm. The multicolored ring, along with the white gold band, sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the window.
“Hello, Mrs. Hawkins-Santini,” Anthony murmured in her ear.
She smiled. “Hello to you. And I told you it was going to be Mrs. Santini.”
He kissed her neck as he handed her a flute of champagne. The wedding had been weeks in the making. She had insisted on waiting until Alana had recovered from the birth, so she could be the matron of honor. It had been perfect. All of the Santinis had shown up from his immediate family, along with a few others from the other branches. There was a squeal of laughter from the dance floor. Viktor had lifted Annalise above his head. The shy twenty-three year old was blushing when he set her on his feet.
“Should I be worried about Viktor there?”
She followed his line of vision and found Viktor dancing with Annalise, one of the English Santinis.
“No. She seemed like a capable young woman. I mean, they do call him the bad boy of ballet, but I have a feeling Annalise might hurt him if he pushed her too hard. And, for Viktor, he is just trying to make her time memorable.”
He chuckled. “She does know how to fight dirty. Her brothers taught her.”
She turned around and he pulled her closer. “Do you think we can steal way?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Definitely. We cut the cake, we took pictures and we danced with people. You threw the bouquet. That should do it.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Plus, I am looking forward to using that massive suite.”
They turned to leave and ran into Joey and Marcella Santini. They both stopped in their tracks. “Where do you two think you are going?” Joey asked.
“Oh, Josephina, let them go,” Marcella said. She kissed them both. “Go.”
Anthony gave Joey a kiss, then tugged Lalani out of the ballroom and into the hallway. By the time they turned the corner, they were practically running. She had pulled her dress up so she could keep up with him. He kept his hand in hers as they laughed all the way down the hallway. As they sped by tourists and staff, she knew in that moment, she had never been happier than she was running through a five star hotel holding hands with Anthony Santini.
Life didn’t get much better than that.
THANK YOU
Thank you so much for purchasing A Santini Takes the Fall. If you enjoyed Anthony and Lalani’s story, please think about leaving a review at your favorite retailer and telling your friends about the book.
THE SANTINIS
Don’t miss out on any of the Santini romances!
LEONARDO
GIANNI MARCO
VICENTE
A SANTINI CHRISTMAS
A SANTINI IN LOVE
FALLING FOR A SANTINI ONE NIGHT WITH A SANTINI
and be sure to catch Semper Fi Marines, the first Santini spinoff about MJ’s brothers!
TEASE ME
TEMPT ME
TOUCH ME
A LITTLE HARMLESS RUMOR
Coming August 25!
ALL BUYING OPTIONS
Rumors are swirling about the fall of Sean Kaheaku, but he’s ignoring them. Six months earlier, he had his entire world turned upside down and he still doesn’t know what to do about it. He retreated to his home in Hawaii to recover and reassess what he wants to do now that he’s been burned as a security agent.
Now lovers, Randy and Jamie arrive in Honolulu to find the lover they once knew is now even more secretive and belligerent. He refuses their help, but they are both too stubborn to leave—especially since they sense something dangerous is stalking Sean.
As the three lovers spend more time together, old feelings float to the surface and the twosome becomes a threesome. Nights are even hotter than the Hawaiian sun, and all three lovers find the connection exciting and overwhelming. But, the trouble is still out there and arrives intent on destroying Sean and everything he loves—including Randy and Jaime.
»WARNING: This book contains three spies who like to play games in and out of the bedroom, hot m/m loving, more m/m/f loving, dangerous games, lies, a few misdemeanors, and love scenes so hot, even most Addicts will be shocked. There is also a group of Alpha males with badges who will have their own series, a heroine who knows how to handle her two men, and two men who know exactly what she likes. As usual, ice and towels should be handy to help you through the book.
* * *
And don’t miss out on the PRELUDES. Find out how Sean met Randy and Jaime years earlier!
PRELUDE TO A RUMOR
PART ONE
Available August 11th.
PRELUDE TO A RUMOR
PART TWO
Available August 18th
EXCERPT
Sean Kaheaku padded barefoot down the hall,
keeping his back against the wall. He made as little sound as possible. There was no reason to alert anyone in the penthouse that he had arrived. If the package he had been sent to steal wasn’t there, he could disappear without an issue.
When he reached the door to the room, he took hold of the door handle. A slight twist told him it was locked.
Dammit.
With deliberate moves, he pulled out his kit, picked his favorite tool. He squatted down and got to work. Why was he even doing this? He gets a message from a brother he didn’t know existed, telling him to get this package. It must have been important because his brother paid with it for his life.
He heard the click of the door unlocking. He slipped his tools back into his pants pocket. With a quick look down the hall in each direction, he twisted the doorknob and opened the door.
It opened slowly and he found a completely empty room.
He frowned. There was an open window with wind billowing the sheer white curtains. Other than trash and a few rodents, nothing remained. He stepped into the room making sure to keep his attention trained for any little sound. He walked over to the window and looked out. Nothing…just the quiet stillness of the night.
Fuck.
What now? He had been so sure that the package would be there. Lassiter had paid him to make sure. This is why he hated working alone. If Jaime and Randy had been with him, they could have used all their contacts to ensure the best results. But, for some reason, Lassiter had wanted only him on the job and when someone pays you ten thousand for a job, you just do it. At least in his business you did.
A creak sounded behind him. He turned to confront the threat, but he was too late. He saw nothing but a piece of wood that came rushing toward him. He had no time to prepare for the smack. A sharp brutal crack to his skull left him dizzy, the room spinning around him. He tried to walk, blinking to gain focus. He heard another whoosh before the wood made contact with the back of his head. Then, he was falling into a deep dark pit of nothingness.
TASK FORCE HAWAII
Even paradise has a dark side…
Coming this Fall from Melissa Schroeder and Harmless Publishing, a new spinoff from the bestselling Harmless Series, TASK FORCE HAWAII.
Working with local, state, and federal agencies, the men and women of TASK FORCE HAWAII work on cases ranging from bank heists to terrorism. A diverse team filled with ex-military, law enforcement, medical, and technical support, they are Hawaii’s last defense against the worst criminals.
Check out the SERIES TRAILER.
SEDUCTIVE REASONING
Resisting her might just kill him.
Former Army Special Forces Officer Martin “Del” Delano has enough on his hands chasing a serial killer and heading up TASK FORCE HAWAII. He definitely doesn’t need the distraction of Emma Miller. From the moment they meet, she knocks him off his feet, literally. Unfortunately, she’s the best person to have on the team to make the connections to help them catch their killer.
A temptation she can’t ignore.
For Emma, it’s hard to ignore the lure of a man like him. Tats, muscles and his Harley cause her to have more than a few fantasies about Del. He’d never be interested in a geek like her, but she can’t resist toying with him. When she pushes the teasing too far, she ends up in his bed. She convinces herself she can handle it until the moment he steals her heart.
A killer obsessed.
Del can’t help falling for the quirky genius. She’s smart, funny and there’s a sweet vulnerable side to her that only he can see. As Emma gets more involved with the investigation, she becomes the target of the psychopath. When the danger escalates, Del promises to do anything to save the woman who not only captured his heart but also his soul.
THE FITZPATRICKS
If you loved Aeden in One Night with a Santini and A Santini Takes the Fall, make sure to check out The Fitzpatricks: Aeden, coming this fall! Like The Fitzpatricks on Facebook!
And, join her NEWSLETTER to get the free short story detailing what happened before Wendy left for Africa! Coming this Fall exclusively to newsletter subscribers.
About the Author
From an early age, USA Today Bestselling author Melissa Schroeder loved to read. First, it was the books her mother read to her including her two favorites, Winnie the Pooh and the Beatrix Potter books. She cut her preteen teeth on Trixie Belden and read and reviewed To Kill a Mockingbird in middle school. It wasn’t until she was in college that she tried to write her first stories, which were full of angst and pain, and really not that fun to read or write. After trying several different genres, she found romance in a Linda Howard book.
Since the publication of her first book in 2004, Melissa has had close to fifty romances published. She writes in genres from historical suspense to modern day erotic romance to futuristics and paranormals. Included in those releases is the bestselling Harmless series. In 2011, Melissa branched out into self-publishing with A Little Harmless Submission and the popular military spinoff, Infatuation: A Little Harmless Military Romance. Along the way she has garnered an epic nomination, a multitude of reviewer’s recommended reads, over five Capa nods from TRS, three nominations for AAD Bookies and regularly tops the bestseller lists on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. She made the USA Today Bestseller list for the first time with her anthology The Santinis.
Since she was a military brat, she vowed never to marry military. Alas, fate always has her way with mortals. Her husband just retired from the AF after 20 years, and together they have their own military brats, two girls, and two adopted dog daughters, and is happy she picks where they live now.
Keep up with Mel, her releases, and her appearances by subscribing to her NEWSLETTER or join in the fun with her Harmless Addicts!
* * *
Mel’s Facebook Series Pages
The Santinis
The Harmless Series Semper Fi Marines
The Fitzpatricks
Keep up with Mel
@melschroeder
melissaschroederfanpage
www.melissaschroeder.net
Melissa@melissaschroeder.net
Also by Melissa Schroeder
HARMLESS
A Little Harmless Sex
A Little Harmless Pleasure
A Little Harmless Obsession
A Little Harmless Lie
A Little Harmless Addiction
A Little Harmless Submission
A Little Harmless Fascination
A Little Harmless Fantasy
A Little Harmless Ride
A Little Harmless Secret
THE HARMLESS PRELUDES
Prelude to a Fantasy
Prelude to a Secret
THE HARMLESS SHORTS
Max and Anna
A LITTLE HARMLESS MILITARY ROMANCE
Infatuation
Possession
Surrender
THE SANTINIS
Leonardo
Marco
Gianni
Vicente
A Santini Christmas
A Santini in Love
Falling for a Santini
One Night with a Santini
A Santini Takes the Fall
SEMPER FI MARINES
Tease Me
Tempt Me
Touch Me
ONCE UPON AN ACCIDENT
An Accidental Countess
Lessons in Seduction
The Spy Who Loved Her
THE CURSED CLAN
Callum
Angus
Logan
BY BLOOD
Desire by Blood
Seduction by Blood
TEXAS TEMPTATIONS
Conquering India
Delilah’s Downfall
HAWAIIAN HOLIDAYS
Mele Kalikimaka, Baby
Sex on the Beach
Getting Lei’d
BOUNTY HUNTER’S, INC
For Love or Honor
Sinner’s Delight
THE SWEET SHOPPE
Cowboy Up
Tempting Prudence
LONESTAR WOLF PACK
The Alpha’s Saving Grace (part of Romancing the Wolf Anthology)
CONNECTED BOOKS
The Hired Hand
Hands on Training
A Calculated Seduction
Going for Eight
SINGLE TITLES
Grace Under Pressure
Telepathic Cravings
Her Mother’s Killer
The Last Detail
Operation Love
Chasing Luck
The Seduction of Widow McEwan
COMING SOON
Prelude to a Rumor, Part One
Prelude to a Rumor, Part Two
A Little Harmless Rumor
Seductive Reasoning
Aeden