“Have you heard from that sexy Marine?”
“Why do you say it like that?”
“Because I saw your reaction to him.”
She sniffed as she took the fitted sheet from Mary. “And what would that be?”
“You were all dreamy on Monday.”
She sighed. That was one bad thing about having her second mother work for her. She couldn’t lie to her.
“He is sexy. And, I did invite him over to dinner Saturday night.”
Mary wiggled her drawn on eyebrows. “Hubba hubba.”
She snorted. “Good God. It’s just dinner.”
“When was the last time you cooked for a date?”
She took another sheet from Mary and arranged it on the table. “I think Steve.”
“You dated him two years ago.”
She shrugged. “I haven’t been that serious about anyone.”
And as soon as she said it, she realized what she had revealed to Mary and to herself.
“Oh, interesting.”
“Not interesting. Maybe it’s because I labeled him forbidden fruit.”
“You’ve had more than one man in a uniform hit on you. How about that pilot last year? You had that girls’ night out and he asked for your phone number.”
She rolled her eyes. “No thanks. Fighter pilots are the jocks of the Air Force. You know how I feel about that.”
“And there have been others. What is it about this Nando that makes you want to date him? There has to be something special.”
She stood there for a long moment and thought about it. “He’s kind of sweet.”
“As in personality or in taste?” She wiggled her eyebrows.
“Auntie Mary!”
She snorted. “I know you aren’t a virgin. I don’t understand why you are so prudish about sharing your experiences with me. Aren’t I one of your friends?”
“You are a friend, but you’re also my second mother.”
The older woman’s expression softened. “Okay. But, still.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m going to make him something for dinner.”
“Are you trying to chase him away?”
“Hey,” she said laughing. She was not the best cook. She loved to bake, but her dinners could end in disaster.
“Maybe you should pick up a Zip Pack from Zippy’s.”
“I take it back. You’re not my second mother.”
“Okay. Maybe you could make him that vegetable lasagna?”
“I have to be here until five, so I don’t see that happening.”
“Why don’t you pick up the stuff tonight, put it all together, then just pop it in the oven when you get home Saturday?”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“And you can pick up some condoms.”
“Mary!”
“If the last time you had sex was two years ago, there’s a good chance any you have are out of date."
Dammit. She was probably right.
“I’m not planning on having sex.”
“Yeah. I wasn’t planning on having six kids either.”
She chuckled. “That’s because you are married to a stud.”
“Nope. I’m the queen in the situation. Men have lots of sperm, but it is our superior eggs that help the human race.”
She stared at Mary for a long moment, then she threw her head back and laughed. She had been blessed with two very original mothers. Both of them had never held back their thoughts on any subject.
There was a knock at the door and she glanced at the clock. Her first appointment was early.
“That’s got to be Shari,” she said.
“I’ll go get her. You prepare yourself and I’ll bring her back in ten.”
She nodded. “Thanks, Mary. For everything.”
“You’re welcome.” She started walking down the hallway. “And don’t forget the condoms,” she called out.
She smiled and shut the door, but her smile faded. She might just be getting in over her head, but she wasn’t quite sure what that was like. For someone who liked to take chances and go with the flow, she never did that in her love life. She had been very particular, and she had so many rules when it came to dating that she had never truly been in love. Not even puppy love. In high school, Sunshine had her hands full with her mother, even after she had been admitted to the nursing facility. College had allowed her time to explore her sexual side, but she had never really let herself fall. That was kind of sad.
She reminded herself she was just having dinner Saturday night. No falling in love, but a quiet dinner between two friends who liked to kiss. A lot.
She closed her eyes and pushed those thoughts aside. She had a client who needed her and a job to do. Dinner and romance would have to wait.
Chapter Nine
Nando drew in a deep breath and looked at Sunshine’s house. He could do this. He could control himself and have dinner with a woman who was getting under his skin. His mother had raised him to be a gentleman. He grabbed the bottle of wine he’d brought with him and slipped out of the car. A kid riding his bike down the street waved at him and he waved back. He liked this part of the island. His sister-in-law had called it the Florida Keys of Oahu and he had to agree. The people were different, the area was getting a little crowded, but there was a core of people here who refused to conform.
As he approached the front door, he could hear Kenny Chesney’s newest song floating over the air to him. He smiled. He couldn’t fault the woman. She did have good taste in music. He knocked on the door.
“Coming,” she yelled out. Then the door opened with a whoosh. Damn.
She had her hair up, lots of curls had escaped, but it gave him an excellent view of her neck. He wanted to nibble there and then make his way around her body.
“Nando,” she said, her voice a little breathless. Did she sound like that when she came?
Fuck. He had to stop thinking about sex or he would embarrass himself. Of course, being in her presence made it difficult to think about anything else.
He smiled. “Sunshine.”
She had dressed in another Hawaiian dress that reached her ankles. It was sky blue with big white flowers on it. He noticed that she had no shoes on. Not uncommon in Hawaii. It was even common for the cable guy to remove his shoes when he showed up at your house. But he could see she’d painted her toenails blue.
“Why don’t you come on in?”
She stepped back, and he entered her house. It wasn’t a big house, but it had a lot of stuff in it. The furniture looked comfy, and there were knick knacks everywhere. All the different colors and styles should have clashed but for some reason, it worked. The small living area was filled with bookshelves holding new and old books, along with lots of photos. There was a massive painting of a little red-haired girl in a white dress on the beach. She was looking out at the ocean, her hair flying behind her in the breeze. The painting wasn’t by a master, but there was a quality to it that mesmerized him. He couldn’t see the face of the girl, but somehow, he thought it might be Sunshine.
“Nice,” he said.
She smiled. “Thank you. I’m just glad my mother left me enough money to buy this a few years ago before the huge housing explosion. My house is worth almost twice of what I bought it for.”
He held up the wine. “I brought this. It’s a white since I assumed we would be eating vegetarian or fish.”
She smiled and took it. “Vegetable lasagna.”
He sniffed the air. “Smells delicious.”
“It’s the one thing I can cook. Well, one of a couple of things.” She took the bottle into the postage stamp-sized kitchen. Here, she used every space available. There was an island in the middle of the kitchen, giving her more workspace. The cupboards had glass fronts and were painted green.
She retrieved two wine glasses and opened the wine.
“I made a salad, so I guess we could have that while the lasagna finishes.”
He nodded. “Sounds good.
” She pulled out a big bowl filled with salad from the fridge.
“I hope Caesar is okay.”
He nodded. Hell, she could probably give him a bowl of dirt and he would be thrilled. After grabbing a couple of small plates, she said, “Hey, could you grab the wine? I have a little lanai in back that has great views of the sunset.”
He did as she asked and followed her out, trying to ignore the way her hips swayed. The dress wasn’t form fitting, but apparently, his body didn’t need it. When they passed the bedroom, Nando had to resist the urge to toss the wine glasses, grab her, and have his way with her.
When he stepped out on the lanai, he smiled. She was right. The back of her house faced west. They had a great view of the mountains and the sunset would definitely be beautiful. There was a small table with four chairs and an umbrella.
“Nice,” he said.
“I know it isn’t Alana’s house, but it’s all mine.”
He smiled. “I couldn’t live in their house. It is gorgeous, but I’m always worried I will break something. I do like the cottage though.”
“That is such a cute little house.”
She set the salad bowl down, then put the plates in front of the chairs that would give them the best view of the sunset. That also meant he would sit next to her.
She dished out the salad and they both settled in their chairs.
“So, how was your day today? Did you have a lot of clients?”
She nodded. “I had a really tough day. I’m glad I assembled the lasagna last night. Otherwise, we might not have a dinner tonight.”
“Salad would have been fine.”
That much was true. Since he was sitting behind the desk most days, he realized he’d been eating too much junk. Granted, he’d added a few more workouts, but he figured a few salads wouldn’t hurt.
She laughed. “Then you will love eating at my house.”
“You don’t have to feed me to get me over here.”
She looked at him, her eyes widening slightly, then a slow, seductive smile curved her lips.
“Yeah?”
He nodded. “I think I showed you how much you intrigue me the other day.”
“That’s a nice way of saying you had a boner.”
It was so out of character for her, that he laughed. “Beyond that.”
“Now you’re telling me that you don’t want to jump my bones.”
He had just taken a swallow of wine and choked on it. She slapped him on the back. “Are you okay?”
He nodded as he wiped his mouth. “Just...” He cleared his throat. “Seriously, woman, I still want you.”
“You mean you do want to jump my bones?”
“Will you quit saying it like that,” he said with a laugh.
“I just like the way it makes you react.”
“Any mention of you and sex has me half hard, so please stop.”
“Oh, gosh,” she said as her cheeks flushed.
“You’re blushing.”
She snorted. “One of the drawbacks of being a redhead.”
“You can sit there and say jump my bones, but me saying you make me hard is embarrassing?”
She shrugged. “I’m an odd duck.”
Nando smiled.
“Okay, tell me about your job.”
“I work in the finance commander’s office.”
“From what Alana told me, this is your first assignment behind a desk, right?”
He nodded. “I have a degree in business admin, but I’ve been in the infantry command for most of my career.”
“Hmm,” she said.
“What?”
“Well, that you are supposed to be a numbers nerd, but you go out fighting. I’m pretty sure a therapist might have a field day with that.”
“Not really. Dad’s an accountant.”
“Hmm.”
“Stop that,” he said with a laugh.
“Okay.”
“What did your mom do for a living?”
“She was a teacher. Art mostly, but also English.”
“Aunt Joey is an artist.”
She nodded. “Yeah, we’ve had long conversations about that.”
He thought back to the large painting in her living room. “Did your mom paint the one hanging in your living room?”
She nodded as she sipped her wine. “That’s me by the way.”
He smiled. “I wondered about that when I saw it.”
“She was talented, just not enough to pay the bills, so she taught. And she was a rockin’ teacher. Up until those last few months, her students would come by to see her.”
Her voice quivered, and he reached out to settle his hand on hers. “Sorry I brought it up.”
She shook her head. “Mom was my whole world, so it took me awhile to deal with the grief. I am the woman I am today thanks to my mom.”
“Then I’d like to thank her.”
“Yeah?”
“For the care you gave me in our sessions, to how sexy and confident you are...she did an excellent job.”
“You like confident women?”
“And smart.” He winked at her. “My mother raised me right. And if she hadn’t, my sister Elena would have beaten it into me.”
She laughed. “Then I would like to thank both of them. You’re the best date I’ve had in months.”
There was a ding in the kitchen. “That means our lasagna is done.”
“Great, I’m famished.”
An hour later, the wine had given him a bit of a buzz, and his stomach was filled with delicious lasagna. They had carried the dishes back into the kitchen and were cleaning up.
“That was damned good.”
She offered him that huge smile of hers. “Thank you. Like I said, it’s one of the few things I can cook.”
“Then, I’ll have to cook next time.” Her smile faded. “What?”
“Sorry, I just...Nando, you’re dangerous.”
She went back to working on the dishes. He stepped up behind her and slipped his arms around her and kissed her neck.
“If I’m dangerous, you’re lethal, Sunshine.”
He continued to taste her skin, skimming his mouth over her flesh. He made his way over to her earlobe, scrapping his teeth over her lobe.
“Nando,” she moaned. His cock hardened and lengthened. He wanted her...almost needed her...right then. He stepped back and spun her around. He didn’t give either of them time to think. Instead, he cupped her face and kissed her. He didn’t try to be sweet. Instead, he invaded her mouth immediately. She slid her arms around his waist and pressed against him. God, she was going to kill him.
He reached behind her to turn off the water, then wrapped both arms around her. She pulled his tongue into her mouth, sucking hard. Fuck. He almost came then and there.
He forced himself to pull back, then down to his knees.
“What are you—” her question was unfinished and ended on a moan as he pulled her dress up over his head. There was just a small scrap of silky white material between him and her pussy.
Drawing in a deep breath, his head spun. The scent of her, that happy sunshiny scent combined with her arousal left him slightly lightheaded. Or maybe it was the fact that most of the blood from his brain had traveled southward. He set his mouth against the fabric, then slid his tongue along her slit through the fabric. She shuddered and moaned. He needed a taste, just a taste of her, but he wanted to see all of her. He pulled back and smiled when she complained.
“Hey,” she said, but he was pulling her toward the bedroom.
They fell on the bed together, her laughter filling his heart with joy. That is one emotion he would always associate with her. Pure happiness.
He helped her off with her dress, then grabbed her panties. He had meant to slip them off her but ended up ripping the delicate fabric.
He said nothing, tossing them on the floor behind him. Now she was laying there, completely naked and his brain just shut down. He couldn’t think of anything else. She
was perfect. Alabaster skin with a sprinkle of freckles here and there. Her breasts weren’t big, but they were just perfect for him. He let his gaze slide down to her sex. Red curly hair covered her mound.
He slid his hands over her thighs, then pushed them apart.
“Definitely time for dessert.”
She laughed, then moaned when he thrust his tongue inside her. God, she tasted just like she made him feel. Light, happy, so damned seductive. He continued to feast on her as he slid one hand up to her breasts. Her nipples were so damned hard.
“Oh, Nando...yes!” She was so damn wet, and hot. He teased her clit as he slipped two fingers between her folds.
That was enough to send her hurtling over. She screamed and bowed up against him as she came. He gave her one long last lick before slipping from the bed and taking off his clothes. She watched him, as she pulled at her nipples.
“Damn, that’s one of the sexiest things I’ve seen,” he said.
She smiled as he grabbed a condom, sliding it down the length of him.
He joined her back on the bed. He rose to his knees and pulled her up. He entered her with a long hard thrust to the hilt. She was wet, but still tight for him.
“Oh, God, yes,” she said.
“So tight, baby, yeah, that’s it.”
Again and again, he drove into her, edging closer to his own orgasm.
He was thrusting into her so hard that her headboard smacked against the wall. Her breasts jiggled with each thrust. He bent down and pressed his forehead against hers as he continued to move in and out of her.
“Come with me again, baby.”
Again, she bucked up against him, his name a scream ripped from her soul. It was all he needed. He thrust once...twice…on the third thrust, he came, pouring himself into the condom as he held himself deep inside of her.
He collapsed on top of her, every bone in his body seemed to have turned to liquid.
“You weigh a ton,” she said, but she wrapped her legs and arms around him.
“I’ll get up in maybe an hour.”
She laughed and he felt all the little vibrations against his cock.
Loving a Santini Page 9