Falling for a Santini

by Melissa Schroeder

  With JT on her mind, she rolled over and reached for him. Unfortunately, she found the bed empty. She opened her eyes and looked around. At first, she thought JT had left. There was a stillness in the room. Something cold shifted in her chest and it almost hurt. JT did have a reputation with woman, and he tended to disappear from what she’d heard. She noticed his shirt laying on the chair beside her bed, but not jeans. She listened carefully and heard movement in the kitchen.

  Elena slipped out of bed and snatched up his shirt on the way to the bathroom. After taking care of her pressing needs, she slipped the shirt on over her head. She pulled on a pair of panties, then went in search of JT.

  She found him in the kitchen drinking coffee and looking out the window. He wasn’t wearing anything but a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips. Lord have mercy, the man was a god of golden skin and muscles.

  Elena still couldn’t believe he was there. For years she had been attracted to him. It wasn’t easy gaining the attention of her oldest brother’s best friend. Especially when that friend had known her since she was twelve. She had flirted a little, and he had practically patted her on the head. She had almost given up, and probably would have if she hadn’t run into him and Dante the night before. With a little liquid courage, she had taken a chance.

  JT must have sensed her presence, because he turned his head and looked at her.

  Damn. Those amazing gray eyes always seemed to see more than other people. She was sure it was one of the things that made him good at his job as an NCIS agent. The silence stretched between them, and she had to fight the need to shift her feet.

  “Morning,” she said, feeling suddenly shy.

  Elena wasn’t someone who usually had problems with the morning afters. She didn’t sleep around, but she also wasn’t ashamed to have a sex life. Her mother had raised her to have a healthy view of sex. Of course, she couldn’t really remember a man looking at her the way JT was looking at her now. He was watching her like a predator. One that wanted to take a big, juicy bite out of her.

  “Morning, Elena,” he said, his mouth curving up on one side.

  Oh, boy.

  She couldn’t speak. For a long moment, she stood there not able to even move. Her heart beat hard against her chest, as her brain went amazingly blank. His gaze dipped down her body then back up. Her body flushed with heat. She felt awkward the longer he stared at her. Mentally, she shook herself and smiled.

  “Amazing sex and coffee in the morning?” She walked to the counter to grab a coffee cup and fill it up. “I might just have to keep you around.”

  Before she could turn around, he stepped up behind her and slipped his arm around her waist.

  “I was hoping for more than one night, though.”

  She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself. Elena had such a crush on this man for so long, she really didn’t know what to say to him now. She knew it wasn’t just the exciting feelings of a schoolgirl. Love. She did love him, and it scared the living hell out of her. But, she couldn’t deal with that right now. And she couldn’t make him deal with it. His next assignment was going to be probably the most dangerous of his career. He didn’t need baggage from her to worry about.

  She turned around and was surprised to see the earnest expression on his face. He wasn’t flirting; he was serious.

  “JT,” she said, setting her coffee on the counter then cupping his face. “I would love to say we will have a future, but we talked about that last night.”

  He nodded. “Yes, and I can handle that. Sort of. And I have things to do. I hate to leave like this.”

  She nodded. “I understand.”

  “I wish we had more time together.”

  She smiled. “We’ll have time when you get back.”

  Something close to relief filtered over his expression. “Yeah?”

  Her heart squeezed tight. She knew that the request hadn’t been easy to make. You didn’t grow up in a house with five brothers and not understand how their minds worked. Pride was more important to them than the air they needed to live. She leaned forward and brushed her mouth over his, then pulled back.

  “I need to go get my car from Madison’s house.”

  He nodded. “I can take you, then I need to go in and do a few things for work.”

  She nodded. “I guess we better get our butts in gear.”

  “Not until I have a proper good morning kiss.”

  The way his voice moved over the syllables had her toes curling against the linoleum.

  “Is that a fact?”

  He nodded as he bent his head. She rose up on her toes to meet him halfway, unable to wait. The moment their mouths touched, she felt need explode within her. Heat coursed through her veins as he deepened the kiss. By the time he lifted his head, they were both breathing heavily.

  “I need to take a shower.”

  He set his coffee cup next to hers. “Imagine that.”

  “What?”

  “So do I.”

  Her brain just stopped working right then. It was as if it had melted somewhere along the way. Then, she laughed and slipped away from him. She turned and walked backward.

  “I’ll share…only if you catch me.”

  His eyes darkened and she turned to run. He easily caught up with her and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder.

  “Jethro put me down.”

  “Nope,” he said, smacking her rear end.

  He made his way to the bathroom, then set her down on the floor. He kept her close against his body, and it was hard to miss the erection straining against the denim.

  “Elena.”

  She barely heard him whisper her name. Her heart trembled, then tumbled down. Oh, god, she was going to hurt so much when he left. It was going to feel worse than going unnoticed. Now she knew what it was like to lay beside him in bed and feel him there next to her.

  He leaned down and took her mouth in a sweet kiss, one that did more to overwhelm her than anything he had ever done before. It was soft and wet and she felt it down to the bottom of her feet.

  When he pulled back, she blinked trying to stem the flood of tears that threatened to embarrass her.

  “What?” he asked.

  She shook her head, then smiled. “I think you earned a shower with me, very special agent Jethro Thomas.”

  He made a face as she walked over to start the shower. It always took it a while to heat up.

  “Do me a favor?”

  She looked back over her shoulder. “What?”

  “Stop calling me Jethro Thomas.”

  She laughed. “If you promise to scrub my back.”

  He grabbed her and pulled her closer, turning her so she could face him. “I promise to do a lot more than that in the shower.”

  She ignored the anxiety that was clenching her stomach and kissed him. She’d worry about missing him tomorrow.

  * * * *

  Elena glanced at the clock beside her bed. Three A.M. It was always bad when she got insomnia. Usually, she would get up and work out, or maybe do some other kind of busy work. She didn’t feel like it.

  After leaving her brother and Madison, she had been unsettled. She wished it had to do with what had happened. It’s not every day your friend sees a murder and your brother’s house gets trashed. Guilt flitted through her, but she ignored it. Elena knew she couldn’t help but worry about JT.

  He was going to leave on Monday morning, and he would be gone for a few weeks, maybe even months. She didn’t know exactly what this was about, but she knew it was important enough for him to go right back under. Since Anthony was an agent also, she knew they rarely went back into undercover work without a little down time. Even knowing it was a strain on him, JT had volunteered. She admired him for that. Santinis always served in some capacity, and since he was considered an honorary Santini, she knew it was in his blood to serve too. She just didn’t expect it to be so hard.

  She was in love with him.

  She had thought the
words before, but now she was being hit over the head with it. It was killing her not knowing when she would see him again. He was going into a dangerous situation; she knew that for sure. And she would have to wait for a call from Anthony if JT did get hurt.

  Her cell phone buzzed, and she looked at the display.

  JT.

  She drew in a deep breath and answered.

  “Did I wake you?”

  She closed her eyes and tried not to let her emotions take over. Elena knew she was pretty close to begging him to come to her apartment.

  “No. I was up.”

  “I’ve been up all night.”

  Opening her eyes, she frowned up at the ceiling. “That’s not good. You need your sleep.”

  “Yeah. But, then, I wanted to see you.”

  “I’d love that too, but I assumed you had work to get out of the way.”

  “I did. I’m all ready. Bags packed, everything ready for an extended absence.”

  “Hmmm, but you still can’t sleep? I could help with that.”

  “I’m pretty sure you could. In fact, that’s what is keeping me up.”

  “Really?” she asked, her heart doing a little jig. The fact that he was thinking about her too boded well for when he got back.

  “Yeah. I can’t stop thinking about the way you taste.”

  She couldn’t talk. Air tangled in her throat, rendering her almost speechless. Heat raced over her nerve endings. Her heart was pounding so hard against her chest, Elena was surprised he couldn’t hear it over the phone.

  “I especially like hearing you moan my name.”

  She closed her eyes and tried to get her hormones under control. She loved when he said that to her. “You really shouldn’t call me and say things like that. It’s not fair.”

  “Well, I guess that’s good then.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m standing outside your door.”

  She sat up. “My door? At my apartment?”

  “Yes.”

  She jumped out of bed and made her way there. “Why?”

  She opened the door before he could answer. He was standing there, holding his phone and looking too delicious to ignore.

  He turned off his phone. “I had to see you.”

  Without a word, she grabbed his hand and yanked him into her apartment. He kissed her, slamming the door shut with his foot and fumbling with the lock as she tore at his clothes. He didn’t let her finish right there. Instead, he pulled back and pulled her up into his arms.

  “We only have a few hours,” he said, his voice deep with need.

  She kissed his neck. “So what are you waiting for?”

  He laughed and made his way back to her bedroom. “I like a woman who knows what she wants.”

  “Then you’re going to love me.”

  He threw her onto the bed, and covered her body with his. And neither of them talked about anything else for quite some time.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The next morning, JT was worried. Not about the mission, which was a whole other batch of worries. He was concerned about the woman sitting beside him.

  She’d been quiet since they’d had breakfast. It was an air of pensive thought that filled the apartment, and he wondered if she was having second thoughts.

  When he had suggested a movie, something they had both seen before, she’d agreed. Now, though, he thought maybe he should have kept her busy. In the quiet times, he could almost hear her thinking.

  “What’s got you so quiet?”

  She glanced at him then back to the TV.

  “I have a lot on my mind.”

  That didn’t sound good. Elena rarely was so quiet.

  “Having second thoughts?” he asked.

  She shook her head.

  “Elena.”

  She turned and focused on him. “I’m not really. It’s just that stuff with Madison and Dante. It’s a lot to handle for people in normal situation, but Mad has made so much progress. I would hate to think this would derail that.” She sighed. “Plus, I’m trying to figure out what the hell is going on between Mad and Dante.”

  “Yeah, I got a vibe from them too.”

  “He’s always had a thing for her. He just never admitted it to anyone, especially himself.”

  He nodded and grabbed some more popcorn. “He knows about us.”

  She slanted him a look and took some popcorn too. That was somewhat better. Not much got in the way of Elena and food. When she showed little interest in one of her favorite snacks, he’d wondered about it.

  “He didn’t say anything, did he?”

  His mind went back to the discussion they’d had at Dante’s house. “Just that he knew about us. I guess I should have gotten another shirt. He did say to be wary of your brothers.”

  “He better have not warned you off me. He will be very sorry if he does. Or, if he tells the others. World of pain kind of trouble. ”

  He watched as she turned back to the movie. There was something in her tone that clicked. “You have blackmail.”

  She snorted as she slanted him a look out of the corner of her eye. “Well, if you swear not to reveal what I know…”

  He crossed his heart. “Swear.”

  She laughed and turned to face him. “See, when Dad was stationed at the Pentagon—”

  “When you two were in high school?”

  She nodded. “We were actually living close to Quantico. Dad had a long drive, but they wanted to keep us sort of in a normal area. Anyway, there was this O-6 at Quantico who had this horribly trashy daughter.”

  “Really?”

  She shook her head. “No one really knew it. She acted like some kind of saint when adults were around, but she went after every abled-bodied guy in the vicinity when out on her own.”

  Again he studied her. “This sounds personal.”

  “Damn right it is. She slept with Roger.”

  “Who’s Roger?”

  “He was supposed to be my prom date.”

  “When was this?”

  “My freshman year.”

  “You had a prom date your freshman year?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t remember that.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I doubt very much you were paying much attention to Anthony’s little sister at that point.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Anyway, she set her sights on Dante. And, even knowing it was going to be a problem, he slept with her.”

  He shrugged. “Oh, is that all? I thought it was something bad.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You are just like all those losers I share DNA with, but the blackmail lives on. First, her father was about to become our father’s next CO. Add in that he snuck into her house, he knew he would be in so much trouble with Mom and Dad.”

  “Wait. Dante snuck into an O-6’s house?”

  She laughed. “Yeah.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “I caught him sneaking back in. You should have seen the look on his face. I thought he was going to pass out. Of course, it means more now than it did then.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, that colonel went on to bigger and better things.”

  Something tugged at his memory, suddenly it hit him. “Holy shit, your brother bedded General Cassidy’s daughter?”

  “Yep. I tortured him forever about it.”

  “She was older than you two.”

  “Yeah, she was a senior. And I think she was his first.”

  “He bedded the Commandant of the Marine Corps’ daughter.”

  She laughed. “Not only that. He snuck into the house. I think he broke her heart also, because he realized just how bad it was when Dad told us who his new CO was. He completely broke it off with her. Oh, lord, I think he had a real freak out over that.”

  JT chuckled. “Dante was always getting in trouble.”

  She nodded as she munched on some popcorn. “It has been delicious messing with him over it. At that p
oint, he wanted an agreement that we wouldn’t intrude in each other’s relationships. It’s hard on him because you know how all those idiots are, but I have that blackmail.”

  “You are very scary.”

  She leaned over the bowl of popcorn and kissed him. “Just remember how scary.”

  Elena was pulling away, but he cupped her face and kissed her again, this time taking it deeper. She tasted of salt and butter from the popcorn, but also of Elena. It was something he would remember until the day he drew his last breath.

  He was just thinking of how to convince her to ignore the movie when his cell vibrated against the table next to the couch. He had to keep it on because of work. She sighed and slipped away.

  “Go ahead.”

  One thing about Elena was that she understood about work. He looked at the number and inwardly winced. Anthony.

  “It’s your brother.”

  “You know him. Answer it or he won’t quit trying. He probably knows about the UA.”

  She gave him another quick kiss, and left him alone.

  He answered. “Hey, Anthony.”

  “Hey back. Where have you been?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve been trying to get hold of you since yesterday.”

  Damn. He forgot about the calls he had missed.

  “I’ve been kind of busy getting ready.” And the moment he said the words, guilt tightened his stomach. Damn, he hated lying to Anthony, but he had to respect Elena’s wishes—for now.

  “Yeah? Well, maybe you should think to call your best friend before going UA.”

  “I was going to call tonight.” Maybe.

  “Sure. Anyway, just wanted to tell you to keep your ass in one piece. My mom also said to be careful. She says you’re her favorite son.”

  Mrs. Santini had adopted him. They all knew his background with his father. Calling Jed Thomas an alcoholic was too good of a label for the bastard. He cut ties with his father the moment he graduated from high school, and he didn’t even know where he was. From that point on, Mrs. Santini had treated him as one of her kids.

  Great, more guilt. He was probably going to have an ulcer by the time he told everyone in her family.

  “I went out with Dante the other night. Had a couple of beers and ran into your sister and one of her friends. Seems there’s something going on with him and a new woman.”