The Santinis: Vicente, Book 4

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Worried?”

  “I…I thought you might have told him.”

  For half a second, she didn’t know what he was talking about. Then, it hit her. The kiss.

  “No. No, I didn’t see a reason to.”

  And seeing what Mike turned into, that could have been another weapon he would have used against her.

  “Oh.”

  Then nothing. He kept staring at her as if she were…well, like she was naked. Instead of being uncomfortable, it made her hot.

  “Was there anything else?”

  Something changed in his eyes that made her want to take a step back, but before she could he answered.

  “Yeah.”

  Then, he grabbed her and slammed his mouth down hers.

  Chapter Four

  Years after that first kiss, Vince felt himself falling again. Jules hesitated, not responding right away. He dragged his tongue over her lips and she opened them. He delved inside and lost himself.

  She tasted the same, but different. He slanted his mouth over hers, deepening the kiss. She moaned against his mouth and he wanted to take her right there. At that moment, he wanted her in bed, beneath him, moaning his name.

  But in the next instant, he felt a hand grab him by the collar and pull him back. He turned around, his arm raised to elbow the attacker. The man fell down, his head hitting the pavement hard. Jules made a desperate sound behind him, but he said nothing and stepped in front of her to face the intruder.

  “Fuck,” the man said. The voice was vaguely familiar as was the dark hair, strong jaw and the mean blue eyes.

  “Jesse?”

  He glanced up at Vince then groaned. “Shit, a Santini.”

  Vince looked down at MJ’s oldest brother wondering just what sweet hell he had dropped into. There was no way he would keep his damned trap shut about this. He held out his hand and Vince helped him up. “What the hell are you doing?”

  Jules stepped around him. “Did Vince hurt you, Jesse?”

  Jesse’s frown softened. “Hey, Jules. I’m sorry, I thought…well, I thought it was something different.”

  “So you two know each other?” Vince asked.

  She didn’t say anything for a second or two, but then said. “Yeah. Jesse worked with Mike.”

  He looked between the two of them, trying to figure out the relationship. Was this the man Mike had claimed she was interested in? But that would make no sense at all. Mike had said she wanted him out of the military and the one thing Jesse Johnson was not going to do was get out of the military.

  Apparently, Jules had enough of the stare down. She made an exasperated sound before saying, “Oh, come in the house you two. It’s silly to be standing out here.”

  They both stepped through the door after her. Vince picked up the jacket she had dropped on the floor and handed it to her. He realized she was standing in full view of Jesse with only a nightshirt on.

  “You might want to get a robe,” Vince said.

  She frowned then looked down at what she was wearing. Her face turned pink and she said, “Be right back.”

  The only sound in the living room was the sound of the clock ticking. Vince looked around the room and found so much of Jules there. He recognized her love of soft colors and cool tones, along with some of the memories of her Marine brat childhood. German knickknacks littered most surfaces. Family pictures decorated the walls.

  When she returned, Vince could tell she was embarrassed. He gave Jesse a hard look. The major just returned his look with a bland one of his own. Then, slowly, Jesse’s lips curved and an evil light filled his gaze.

  Shit. MJ would hear about this and damn sure his brothers would hear after that.

  “So, I understand you’re coming to brunch tomorrow,” Jesse said, sitting down at the breakfast bar as if he was making himself at home. “I didn’t know you knew Jules.”

  “We went to school together at Quantico.”

  “Oh.” Jules said looking at Jesse. “You’re related to the Santinis?”

  When Jesse looked at her, his expression softened. Vince couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something there. It was enough to have his irritation bubbling. He’d never been so damned possessive of a woman, especially one that had never been his to begin with.

  “I guess you met MJ tonight. She’s my sister.”

  She blinked as she study Jesse, then Vince saw recognition light her eyes. “Oh. Yeah, now I can see it. I didn’t make the connection.”

  “Mom was kind of disappointed you and the General couldn’t make it tonight,” Vince said. MJ and Jesse’s father was a three-star at the Pentagon, so most nights he was on call and at work.

  “Not sure what dad had going on, but I wasn’t supposed to be in until late tonight. I got an earlier flight so I would make sure not to miss MJ.”

  He might be pissed at Leo’s brother-in-law, but he was family in a round about way. “She’s huge.”

  Jules gasped. “Vicente Santini, that’s not nice.”

  Jesse ignored Jules. “From the pic I just saw, it might not be nice, but it’s pretty true. I can’t believe they’re having twins.”

  Vince laughed. “It’s going to be so interesting with a set of Santini twins running around.”

  “Yeah, between her and Leo, those kids are going to be a handful.”

  Then silence.

  “Was there something you wanted, Jesse?”

  He shook his head. “No. Just stopped by to check on you.”

  “She’s fine.”

  Jesse shook his head and smiled. “Settle down, Santini. I get the hint. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He stood and gave Jules a kiss on the cheek. Something dark slid through Vince blood and he had to bite back a growl. Jules gave him a narrowed look, but he said nothing.

  When she shut the door, she turned to face him. “Really, Vince. You should be nicer to Jesse.”

  “He’s an officer and you call him by his first name.”

  Mike had been enlisted and while not everyone went by the rules, Vince knew Jesse well enough to know he would expect a proper address from an enlisted wife. It was…odd.

  “I’m not in the military. And, I know I have a lot of customers are in the military and I call many of them by their first names. I call you by your first name.”

  “I’ve known you forever.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Not really.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Once Mike and I got married, you disappeared.”

  “I didn’t disappear.”

  She shrugged.

  “What do you mean by that?” he asked, getting aggravated now.

  She threaded her fingers through her hair. It was done in agitation, but he found it mesmerizing. And arousing. He wanted to do the same, but she didn’t look like she would welcome that right now.

  “Oh, good lord, Vince, could you just go?”

  “No. I think we need to talk about what happened.”

  “That you acted like an ass in front of Jesse?”

  “Before that.” Then he realized what she said. “Wait, I didn’t act like an ass.”

  “You did. And there’s nothing to discuss.”

  “Really?” He crossed his arms.

  “Yes. It was just a kiss. No biggie.”

  He let one eyebrow rise. “I think we were five minutes from you being naked.”

  “And I think you are overestimating my attraction to you.”

  “Why don’t we test that theory,” he said and started walking toward her.

  Panic filled her face and he stopped. This wasn’t something normal, there was another level to the expression on her face that seemed…over the top.

  “Look, Vince, I think you should go.”

  “I’ll go, but we are going to talk about this.”

  “Why do we need to talk about it? Let’s just let it go, pretend it never happened. Like you have for over fifteen years.”

  “Wha
t?” It was a stupid question for him to ask because he knew. When she had told him she had no choice than to marry Mike, he had walked away.

  “I think it’s best to forget it again.”

  Forget it? Is that what she did? She had no idea that he had compared every woman to her. They had never made love, but he remembered the feel of her mouth beneath his, the way she clutched at the lapels of his tux, and the scent of jasmine that surrounded them.

  He took a step closer until he was only a few inches away. He could smell it now, that intoxicating scent. It was on her skin. He could imagine lying in bed, having it on his sheets.

  He gently cupped her face. “I never forgot. I wanted to, but I never could do it. Now…I refuse. I won’t push you tonight, but I don’t plan on ignoring this. I’ve always wanted you, from the moment you hit me with that damned locker door.”

  He settled his free hand on the door behind her and leaned closer. Without closing his eyes, he brushed his mouth gently over hers. He watched the flare of arousal darken her eyes before her eyelids slowly shut. He lost himself in her.

  Vince slipped his tongue inside her mouth and drew her closer. She shuddered against him. He slipped the tie of her robe loose and slid his hand up to her breast. He brushed his thumb over her nipple and it hardened. He deepened the kiss and pressed against her. Vince knew without a doubt that she could feel his arousal. She moaned against his tongue and he felt his control slipping. He wanted—needed—her now. Right now. But he knew if he pushed her tonight, it wouldn’t be good. With regret, he pulled back.

  “I have to go now, or I won’t make it out the door. I just want you to know that I will be back.”

  She opened her mouth, probably to argue, but he settled his fingers on her mouth.

  “No. Don’t. I’ll give you time, Jules, but I won’t give up.”

  She sighed and nodded. He dropped his hand.

  “Why not come to brunch tomorrow?”

  She shook her head. “No. Tomorrow will be busy at work. With spring approaching, its kind of crazy at the shop.”

  He nodded. They both needed space. “Okay. How about dinner Monday night?”

  She chuckled. “Not waiting this time, Santini?”

  He gave her a quick hard kiss. “Nope. So how about it?”

  She sighed. “Can you call me tomorrow and get my answer?”

  “Playing games?” he asked.

  Jules shook her head. “No. I want to make sure I don’t let my hormones get in the way.”

  “Okay.” He kissed her nose. “Sleep tight, Jules.”

  She slipped out of the way and opened the door.

  “Night, Vince.”

  It took all of his control to walk out of that door. He waited until she closed it and locked it before walking down the steps to his car.

  He was on his way home when he realized what he’d just started. When it came to Jules, he never seemed to have any control. A guy just didn’t kiss his best friend’s fiancé the morning of their wedding if he had control.

  He sighed as he turned onto Highway 1. Vince knew that if he started something up with Jules it wasn’t an affair. She was the one woman he had always loved and getting tangled up with her would be serious. Get married and have kids kind of serious.

  Vince waited for the panic to set in. It always hit him about this time when he thought of marriage, but it didn’t. Instead, a feeling of rightness settled in his gut. He wanted Jules. He wanted her forever.

  He sighed. Now, he had to figure out a way to convince Jules.

  Chapter Five

  Jules was helping Mrs. Markinson pick out some annual flowers when she felt the fine hairs stir on the back of her neck. She looked out over the hundreds of flowers filling the greenhouse and saw Vince Santini pretending to shop. She wanted to be irritated because she wasn’t too sure how she felt about the kiss or last night. She didn’t like pushy men, and that was one thing Vince was. Well, he was in a way. When they’d been in high school, he’d been a bit of a nerdy jock…and so sweet.

  “Jules, dear, did you hear me? I said, I’ll take another flat of marigolds.”

  She shook herself back to the present. “Of course, I’m sorry, Mrs. Markinson.”

  She helped the retired schoolteacher to the check out then went in search of Vince. She found him in the fountains. God, why was he here? He had apparently stopped by the shop without going home after brunch. He was wearing a polo shirt tucked into a pair of casual dress pants.

  He must have felt her watching him because he asked, “Why would someone want one of these in their yard?”

  “It brings birds to the yard that will eat bugs, adds another level of decoration to your garden, and flowing water helps reduce outside noise.”

  He looked at her then back at the fountain. “No, why would someone want a naked little boy in their yard?”

  She looked at the fountain and laughed. It was one of the Cupid fountains. “That’s Cupid. He’s not a little boy. Considering the stories your mother has told me about you, you should not be judgmental. Oh, and don’t forget The River Incident.”

  He looked out of the side of his eye at her. “I can’t believe you told the women that story.”

  She raised one eyebrow and crossed her arms. “The women?”

  “They’re now a group. A scary group.”

  She laughed. “Your father always said there was nothing that scared a Santini man more than his woman.”

  “I hope you didn’t tell Mom that.”

  “No. What are you doing here?”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I was driving by and thought I would stop.”

  “Ah.” She looked at the fountain again. “So, you’re not here to buy things for your garden. Your mother said it needed a lot of work.”

  He rolled his eyes. “That woman. She’s been after me since I moved in last fall.”

  “It will add value to your house.”

  He smiled. “Indeed?”

  “Yes. If you’re just here to flirt with me, I don’t have time. Plus, you kind of suck at it. I mean, asking me about fountains? Really, I expected more out of a Santini.”

  At first, he looked stunned, then slowly, his mouth curved.

  Oh, my. Her heart did a little jig and she had to draw in a deep breath to calm it.

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes.”

  “So what do you expect me to do about it?” he asked.

  His voice had deepened and brushed over her nerve endings. Heat threaded through her blood. Oh, this was not good. He was just smiling at her and she was losing control. The man was lethal to a girl’s libido.

  “Well,” she said inching closer. “What do you want?”

  For a second, he only stared at her. Then he swallowed.

  “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice a little deeper, and God, it sounded good. She could just imagine hearing him whisper in her ear as he woke her up in the morning.

  Damn.

  “Well, do you want something that lasts just a little while or are you looking for something longer?”

  His eyes widened and then darkened. “Huh?”

  She crossed her arms. “Do you want annuals or perennials?”

  For a moment or two, he said nothing. Then, he threw back his head and laughed.

  “I forgot what a warped sense of humor you have.”

  And Vince had always appreciated it. Mike never had. Now that she looked back, she realized it was probably because Mike didn’t get her jokes. Vince always did.

  “Hey, it’s hard not to be warped when you’re raised in the military, right?”

  He continued to smile at her and she felt her heart bump up against her chest. Oh, lordy, not good.

  “Maybe you should come by and look at the mess of a yard I have, then you can help me pick what I need.”

  “You’re serious?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Mom’s right but I don’t know where to start and I trust you not to make it look too flowe
ry.”

  She laughed. “Trust a Santini to make that kind of statement.”

  “What?”

  “You’re asking me to come by and decide on flowers, but don’t want it to be too flowery.”

  “You still didn’t answer my question.”

  She sighed. “Okay. When do you want me to come over?”

  “How about tonight?”

  “Hmmm. I have a lot—”

  “I can close up,” Angela said from behind her. She looked back over her shoulder at the younger woman.

  “See,” he said with a smile. “I’m on my bike if you want a ride.”

  She knew she shouldn’t. Riding on the back of a bike was not something Jules Andrews did. Not anymore. And she had Rufus at the shop with her today.

  “No. I need about thirty minutes to close out some things on the computer.”

  He looked like he wanted to argue, but he apparently accepted her excuse. “Okay. You know where I live?”

  “Yeah, your mother told me.”

  “Of course she did. I’ll see you in a few.”

  He turned and walked out.

  “Lord love a duck, that is one fine man. And seriously, I couldn’t let you ignore an invitation like that.”

  “I should though. Santinis are never easy.”

  “Who wants easy when they can have a Santini?” She shook her head. “Wait, there are more?”

  “All taken, sorry.”

  Angela sighed. “And you have the last one in here drooling all over you.”

  “He was not drooling on me.”

  “He was. He watched you for awhile with Mrs. Markinson.”

  She didn’t know how she felt about that. “Either way, not really sure I’m going to do anything about it.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, but Jules stopped her. “Don’t. You know I have my reasons.”

  She hadn’t told Angela about her marriage. Jules assumed that she picked up on things, but she didn’t really tell anyone about it. Her therapist said it wasn’t healthy, but Jules figured that she could only take one step at a time.

  “Yeah, but you need to get out there. Have some fun. That Santini dude looks like he would be a lot of fun.”

  “That might be the problem,” she said more for herself than for Angela. There was no reason to question her decisions right now. She had said she would go out to his house so she would. “Okay, I’m going to shut down my computer and head out.”