Loving a Santini

by Schroeder, Melissa

  “Okay, since you aren’t going to date the fairy Sunshine, are you dating anyone else?”

  Dante never asked him about dates. Well, at least not since they were both younger. He knew there was another person at work here. “Mom has been after you.”

  His brother sighed. “Sorry, but she’s worried about you.”

  “And dating solves what?”

  “She just wants to know you’re back to normal.”

  “First, I have never been a heavy dater.”

  “Come on, even though you are the nerd of the Santinis, you dated a lot at Annapolis.”

  “Not as much as you think. You all did, but I found myself more selective.”

  “Get bent.”

  “Hey, not my fault that you were indiscriminate before you met Madison.”

  His brother chuckled. “I got the best of the best, that’s for sure.”

  He rubbed his chest. There it was. That ping of jealousy. Not of Madison, but of what they had. But at the moment, prospects for dates were low, and he wasn’t completely settled.

  “Tell Mom I’m fine.”

  “Tell her yourself.”

  “I do, as does Alana. It’s not like I’m not dealing with my issues. And let’s remember, I’ve always had sleeping issues.”

  As a kid, he would sleep walk whenever he was stressed. That meant that every time they PCS’d, Nando would sleep walk.

  “Yeah. I remember when you guys moved to Arizona, Mom was worried you would fall into the pool and drown.”

  It was why they had a fence around their pool. “Anyway, I tell her all the time, but tell her yourself. If she hears it enough times, she might believe it.”

  “Not sure about that, Runt. You’re her little baby boy.”

  “Like I said, get bent. And go to bed. You have a good woman to keep you warm and you’re on the phone with your brother.”

  “Damn, you’re right. Night, Nando.”

  “Night.”

  He clicked his phone off, then started getting ready for bed. He tried to keep to the same routines, which seemed to help, although lately, it was a fifty-fifty chance one way or the other. Once he was settled down into bed, he smiled. He had his issues, but he was living in Hawaii. The windows were open and again he thought of that sweet air. The breeze drifted over him and he immediately started to fall asleep. He wouldn’t dream of that night…the one that had left him unconscious and injured. He would dream of sweet air and the woman who had named herself.

  * * *

  Sunshine settled into her tub with one of her favorite books on her Kindle and a glass of wine on the little table beside the tub. She loved her house. It had been a steal a few years ago when she’d bought it, but mainly because it was such a mess. Two solid years of working on it and it was finally about done. Her own finances had slowed her down, but little by little she had made it her home.

  One of the things that had sold her on the house right away was the big clawfoot tub. It needed some refurbishing, but after a little bit of work, it was gorgeous, as was the rest of her bathroom. The soft greens and blues were always relaxing to her and she needed that, especially today. She had a full day ahead of her tomorrow, and one client in particular was giving her issues. He was the reason she was ignoring Nalini’s most recent release sitting on her Kindle.

  Nando Santini. She shouldn’t be worried about him that much, except she was. She had a lot of hot clients. Hell, she had polo players who came to her, and those dudes had some of the best damn backsides that ever rode a horse. Not once had she been tempted to cross the invisible line she had drawn. Dating clients was never a good idea for her. Actually, she had never dated a client; rather, she treated people she had dated. So, ass backwards as usual, she thought with a chuckle.

  Still, he drew her in. He was typical of all the Santinis she had met. She’d even met his uncle, Papa Santini. The man was old enough to be her father and still hot as hell. Add in a man like Marco, who made her friend Alana so happy, and she knew that they were a cut above the rest. But there were other things. Mostly his smoking hot body.

  She rolled her eyes. There she went again. Fantasizing about Nando wasn’t going to do her any good. She didn’t have the time for a romance right now, especially with a man who would never be in for the long haul. No, she was better with book boyfriends for the time being.

  With that thought, she clicked on her reader and began reading.

  Chapter Four

  Sunshine smiled as her last client walked out the door. Jeff was walking with more pep in his step, which would make his work as a teacher easier when classes started up next week.

  “He looks like he feels better,” Mary said.

  “Yeah.” Helping a client always made her feel so high. Seeing a person going from living in pain to living without it always reminded her why she started her journey in the first place. She had been called to helping people from a young age, and she loved her profession.

  “He’s the last one,” Mary said with a satisfied smile.

  “On the books.”

  “I told you that you shouldn’t take clients after hours. Besides being dangerous, you will wear yourself out.”

  “First, this is a one-time thing. If it works, we’ll work out a schedule. He’s Alana’s cousin-in-law. I guess that’s what you would call him.” Mary was still giving her the stink eye. “Seriously, I forgot to tell you. It’s been so crazy.”

  “I still don’t like it.”

  And that was why she forgot. Sunshine didn’t like confrontation, so in order to save herself undue stress, she would push those kinds of worries to the back of her mind. “I knew you wouldn’t. But, he needs help. He’s military.”

  Mary’s grumpy demeanor calmed a bit. Her father and two brothers served in the military. “Oh.”

  “And he’s open to alternative methods. He even does yoga and has already been to an acupuncturist. I think Reiki might complete the balance.”

  “Does this cousin look like he was invented for women to sin?”

  She was laughing when the tinkle over the door told her Nando had arrived. She turned and instantly felt the wave of heat spread throughout her body. Sweet holy daisies. The man was definitely made for sinning. She had never been a woman who fell for a man in uniform, but...damn.

  He was in his camo thingies, and they looked like they had been tailored for him. It was humid out—like 99 percent of the time in Hawaii- but his uniform looked crisp and clean. He held a motorcycle helmet in his hands. His broad chest filled out the jacket.

  “Hey, Sunshine. I hope I’m not late.”

  God, he gave her that smile. The one that made her go all melty inside.

  “Not at all. This is Mary, my office dragon.”

  Mary shot her a disgusted look. “And I’m staying.”

  “You can. But I’m not paying you.”

  “Is that any way to treat your favorite Auntie?”

  Sunshine smiled. “I was taught by the best of them.” Meaning Mary. She had taken up where Sunshine’s mother had left off. A lot of people thought that Sunshine was ditzy, but she had been taught street smarts by both of her mothers.

  “You,” Mary said as she pointed at Nando. “Come.”

  He shot Sunshine an amused look. The Santini men had no problem with bossy women, that’s for sure.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She watched as Mary led him down the hallway to room two.

  “Now, as Sunshine tells everyone, get as naked as you want. Then lay down on the table and cover yourself with the sheet. Do you want the heat?”

  “Not sure.”

  Sunshine watched as Mary’s demeanor changed into the auntie she knew and loved. She smiled. Mary might be the office dragon, but she was also the most loving auntie a girl could hope for. Sunshine watched as Mary stepped into the room but left the door open so her voice traveled down the hall.

  “I’ll leave it off for right now but tell Sunshine if you get cold during the session.�
��

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Mary was smiling when she walked back down the hallway.

  “I wonder why you decided not to tell me about him.”

  “I seriously forgot.”

  “Bull.”

  Yep, her Auntie knew her. “He’s off the books, free this time since he’s family.”

  One eyebrow rose.

  “Okay.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “He’s like a walking sex dream but he’s military. Not for me. And I will remind you that just a few minutes ago, you were thinking he might be a deviant.”

  “That’s before I saw him.”

  “So, he’s good looking and that fixes it? You know a lot of serial killers are good looking.”

  “No. They aren’t. But it isn’t that.” She stepped closer. “There’s something broken there.”

  “You sensed it too? I mean, it isn’t controlling him, but I feel that he’s still dealing with whatever happened to him on his last deployment. Or, at least, he’s having issues with something.”

  Mary nodded.

  “Still, I’ll get him fixed and on his way.”

  “You won’t date him?”

  “First, he’s a client. You know how I feel about that.”

  Mary sighed. “Healing first. I saw you toss that Patrick Chan away.”

  The millionaire was a local boy bred and raised on Oahu. He had asked her out repeatedly, but he had been a client. He also did absolutely nothing for her. She just couldn’t get into a man who placed so much importance on material things.

  “And he’s happily married now. We would have never worked out. Can you imagine his family being introduced to the hippy white girl?”

  “Who saved his life.”

  She rolled her eyes and went to the computer to print off Nando’s intake form. “I didn’t save his life. I just helped him understand what he needed to do for stress.”

  “Same thing.”

  She smiled. “You say that because you love me. Go home. I can handle this Santini. It’s probably going to be a ninety-minute session.”

  “I am going to wait right here.”

  She shook her head and walked back to the room. She knocked on the door. “Are you ready?” Sunshine asked through the door.

  “Yes.”

  She stepped into the room. Sunshine loved her treatment rooms. Soft, relaxing, and always accepting. That’s all people needed in this life.

  “I was reading your paperwork over. You have no more problems with your wound?”

  “Nope. You can see it on my shoulder.”

  She stepped closer and saw the puckered skin. He acted like it was no big deal. She knew differently. As a registered nurse, she understood wounds. Working at the ER and in Trauma for a few years gave her even more experience. But, from the way he moved, she didn’t think he had any issues now.

  “Did you have any other issues afterward?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Injuries to the shoulder can sometimes cause range of motion issues.”

  “No. I did a little PT as I noted on my sheet.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Alana was telling me you are also an RN.”

  “Yes. That was my first choice, but I found Reiki and massage helped some of my patients. I keep my license up to date.”

  “Cool.”

  She opened a drawer and picked up the holster that held her lotions and slipped it around her waist.

  “The way we’ll do this is a very light massage. I want to see how you respond to that. I’ll work your back then you’ll turn over. People sometimes fall asleep.”

  “That won’t be a problem.”

  “Falling asleep is not a problem?”

  “Doesn’t matter. I can’t even grab catnaps.”

  “Okay.” She wouldn’t argue with him. She pumped lotion into her hand. The moment she touched him, she realized she might have made a big mistake. The connection she felt almost left her breathless. She often had these feelings for her clients, just not this intense.

  She continued to work the lotion and learn the muscles in his back. With each move, she felt even more connected to him. She closed her eyes and pushed those thoughts aside. He was her client and that was all that mattered, his healing was more important.

  * * *

  Nando was floating. He wasn’t sure if it was in the ocean or just a dream, but for the first time in months, he was completely relaxed. There was music and the sound of rain, so probably not the ocean.

  “Okay, Nando, were done. I’m going to leave you alone. Don’t get up too fast and let me know if you need help.”

  He opened his eyes and found Sunshine leaning over him. He blinked and more came into focus. The room...his treatment.

  “Man,” he said.

  She smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Just come out when you are ready.”

  She gave his shoulder a squeeze before she walked around the table and out of the room. The door shut with an almost silent click.

  He lay there for a long time trying to figure out if he was ready to sit up. He still felt like he was floating but more tethered to the earth. After a couple more minutes, he felt a little better and sat up. Swinging his legs over the edge of the table, he stood, then almost felt. The room spun a bit and he grabbed hold of the table. When he finally felt settled, he let go and drew in a deep breath.

  “Damn.”

  He didn’t know if it was going to help him, but he felt...better. He knew part of it had to do with Sunshine and not just the massage. From the moment she entered the treatment room, she had kept her hands on him. Not just during the treatment, but as she walked around the table, she had kept one hand on him if possible. It was something he noticed right away. It was as if she felt her touch, along with the music and her soft, gentle voice also helped beyond what she did when she was working a particular muscle.

  He took his time dressing and then opened the door. He walked down the hallway following the soft female voices.

  “You need to call that man back,” Mary said.

  “Why? He’s not important to my life now and I want nothing to do with him.”

  He slowed his steps. He could see Sunshine, who had her back to him.

  “Sunshine.”

  Sunshine must have sensed him because she turned around. The smile she offered was filled with warmth. It reached her eyes—those damned green eyes—and he felt his body react. He was thankful he was in his CUU and that the shirt would give him a little cover.

  Mary walked toward him, her hands on her generous hips as she studied him. Damn, he had gone to a Catholic school at one time and those nuns had nothing on Sunshine’s auntie.

  “Your color looks better,” she said.

  “I feel much better.”

  “Of course you do. Sunshine is a gift from the Gods.”

  Sunshine shook her head. “Tell me how you feel?”

  “Why don’t we talk about it over dinner?”

  She opened her mouth, he guessed to tell him no, but Mary rescued him.

  “Yes. I need to get home and Sunshine never eats enough food.”

  The look Sunshine tossed her auntie wasn’t nice. She looked back at him. Now that he knew what it felt like to have her hands all over his body, he was going to have a hard time ignoring her. It wasn’t at all sexual, but for him, it had pushed his buttons. Of course, he had controlled it, or he wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep like he did.

  “Why not? I do need to eat because I forgot lunch again.”

  He smiled, happy to have her agreement. “Great.”

  Then his stomach rumbled loud enough for all of them to hear. Sunshine chuckled. “Apparently I’m not the only one. Let me take care of the room and then I’ll be ready.”

  “Sure thing.”

  After she left, Mary stepped closer. “I’m only going to give you one warning.”

  “About what?”

  “My girl. I helped raise her. You hurt he
r, and I will come after you.”

  “I wouldn’t expect any less.”

  “She’s going to fight you, but make sure you don’t push. Well, not until it’s time. Be easygoing.”

  “Why are you telling me this? Alana told me Sunshine doesn’t date military men.”

  “True, but there is something else there. You two...” she shook her head. “You make her smile.”

  He studied the older woman for a long moment. “I think Sunshine smiles a lot.”

  “Not the way she does for you. Just remember that. I’m off for the night. Tell Sunshine the back is already locked up.”

  “Thank you.”

  She nodded and left him alone. Before he had a chance to decide just what her comments meant, Sunshine returned.

  “Did Mary finally leave? I hope you don’t mind she was kind of pushy.”

  “I’m a Santini. Our specialization is pushy women.”

  “Can I tell your mother and aunt that?”

  “I’ll deny it,” he said offering her a smile.

  She laughed as she grabbed her purse. He opened the door and waited for her to go through then followed her. She locked the door.

  “What kind of food are you in the mood for, Captain Santini?”

  “Hmm, I hear there’s a great burger place near here.” Then he remembered she didn’t eat a lot of meat. Also, they’d had burgers the night before. “Oh, wait—”

  “No prob. They make the best Portobello burger, and they also serve fish—especially some fantastic tacos. I eat it every now and then. We can walk. It’s just down the block.”

  “Great,” he said. They walked down the block, which had a lot of little shops on it. All of them seemed to fit the area.

  “I find it kind of weird that things look like they fit in here. Even the McDonalds is designed like that.”

  “It’s an ordinance. Haleiwa didn’t want to get like Honolulu, so they made sure that if the big guys moved in, they conformed to us, not the other way around. I would prefer they all stayed in Honolulu.”

  “Yeah? So you don’t like slick buildings and insane traffic?”