Falling for a Santini

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Huh. Well, I just wanted to make sure I was still on the call list.”

  Meaning if anything went wrong, Anthony would be called.

  “Of course.” Until Friday night, he didn’t have anyone who needed to know other than the Santinis. Granted, Elena was a Santini, but this was different. He wanted her on the list—and he wanted to be on hers.

  He pushed those thoughts away and tried to concentrate on the conversation, because Anthony was still talking.

  “Good. I wish you could have found some time to come out here when you got back.”

  “Yeah, that would have been nice.”

  Then something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Elena was standing in the doorway wearing nothing but a shirt. It skimmed the tops of her thighs, but he had a feeling she didn’t have any panties on beneath it. The mischievous smile that curved her lips hit him square in the chest. Damn, the woman was a goddess.

  “So, do you know how long?” Anthony asked.

  She walked toward him. With each step the shirt moved, but not enough to let him see more. When he looked up at her face, he saw her eyes dancing with amusement. She knew just what she was doing to him and enjoyed it. There was something so damned sexy about a woman who knew how desirable she was. Layer that with a confidence in what she did for a living…in the way she held herself, she was irresistible.

  “JT?” Anthony said.

  “Sorry, what did you ask?” JT said, trying to keep his breathing under control. Of course, at the moment, he wasn’t sure his heart was still beating.

  Elena pulled the shirt up and straddled his lap. Well, hell, she definitely wasn’t wearing any panties.

  “How long?”

  “How long what?”

  There was silence on the other side of the “Are you sure you’re okay for another trip so fast?”

  Elena settled on top of him. He could feel the heat of her through his jeans. Then, she moved her hips.

  Holy Mother of the sweet baby Jesus. She was going to kill him. He almost dropped the phone, as most of the blood in his brain drained and headed south to his groin.

  “Huh, not sure how long.”

  “Well, get some rest and call me when you can.”

  “You got it.”

  He hung the phone up before Anthony could respond. Elena was laughing. He grabbed her face and gave her a long, wet kiss. Then, he lifted them both off the couch.

  “Where are you going, Jethro?” she asked as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

  “I’m going to show you what happens to a woman who does naughty things to me when I am talking on the phone.”

  Elena laughed as he marched them both into the bedroom.

  * * * *

  As Elena walked JT to the door, she physically hurt thinking of him in danger. She wanted to beg him to stay. But she couldn’t. She would not do that to him. His job was such a part of him. It was something she understood. Every Santini did.

  He stood in the doorway and slipped his hands around her waist. Bending his head, he took her mouth in a sweet, hot, wet kiss. She shivered as emotions rushed through her. She pushed them down, especially the one that was telling her to cry. She would not cry.

  He pulled back then rested his forehead on hers. “I wish I had never said I would go back under.”

  “Don’t say that. It would have bugged you.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I know you, JT. Whatever you are about to go work on is something you’ve been committed to for awhile.”

  “Too smart for your own good,” he said, shaking his head. There was no heat in the words.

  “Can you tell me what time you’re heading out?”

  “Seven.”

  She wanted to tell him how she felt. The idea of being separated like this was going to hurt so much, but she couldn’t put that on him. It would play with his head, and he needed to have his thoughts in order for the job. That would get him back safe.

  “If something happens, Anthony will be called.”

  She didn’t need to ask why his parents wouldn’t be first on the list. He rarely talked to them these days.

  She nodded and gave him another kiss, knowing this was the last one for a long time.

  When he pulled back this time, she let him go. “Be careful.”

  He nodded. “You be careful yourself, Elena.”

  He turned to leave, and she watched him until he got into his truck. As his taillights disappeared into the night, she shut the door.

  She didn’t move. Numbness stole over her. It was as if she was shell-shocked. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She was already thinking about him, about the danger he had just walked into. She couldn’t ask him not to do it any more than he could ask her not to fly her plane. But, damn, she had wanted to. More than anything else, she wanted to chase after his stupid truck and beg him to stay.

  That was not an option.

  Then it struck her. A bath would be perfect.

  She headed into the bathroom and started up the water. As soon as it was hot enough, she poured in the bubble bath. She grabbed and lit a few candles she had sitting on the counter, carrying a couple with her to the tub. After undressing, she stepped into the tub. She was more than a little sore from her weekend activities with JT. She wasn’t a virgin, but she definitely didn’t sleep around. It had been a long time since she’d been in a relationship, and her body wasn’t accustomed to the kind of lovemaking JT was into.

  Just thinking his name, she smiled. Then it faded as she noticed her vision wavered. Shit. Fear hit first. His job was always dangerous, but this one was going to be more hazardous than usual. She closed her eyes and tried to get her emotions under control. Immediately, the visions of him in her bed, and the way he had smiled at her materialized. Not seeing him for weeks on end had never been a problem before, but now…

  A sob escaped before she could stop it. Elena couldn’t fight it anymore. She leaned her head back on the bath pillow and let the tears flow.

  Sometimes crying was the only thing a strong woman could do to keep herself together.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Elena loved all of her brothers. There was something about each one of them that she admired. They were good men, and they had always had her back. But, they all seemed to know how to get on her nerves. At the moment, Brando, the oldest of the other set of twins, was acting in a way that ensured him pain. Lots of it. She was pretty sure he would end up with broken bones if he did not shut the hell up. From the moment he showed up about a week ago, he had been a complete pain in the butt.

  “What do you mean, you don’t want to go out tonight?” he asked, irritation easy to hear in his voice. If she didn’t know better, she would think he was the younger of the two of them. Of course, Brando had always been hyperactive.

  Patience, she reminded herself. It was a freaking, fraking virtue. Or so they said. She usually had no problem keeping her cool, but Brando had been driving her crazy for days.

  “I have an early morning tomorrow for work. Anyway, I took you out the last three nights.”

  He made a sound of disgust but said nothing. He had been acting as if she were his personal social director since he’d arrived. When Brand got restless, he was avoiding something that was bothering him.

  Of course, he was the last of several visits from her brothers. The only ones she hadn’t seen were Nando, who just PCS’d to Germany, and Anthony, as he lived in Hawaii. And, truthfully, she wouldn’t put it past Anthony to show up unannounced. It was his way. Worse, Carlos could show up again and talk about taking her horseback riding. How the hell did they end up with a freaking Santini cowboy in the mix?

  Since Dante’s wedding, there had been phone calls, sudden appearances, and the worst one yet, a call from her Aunt Joey. The woman could have interrogated the most egregious enemy and gotten what she wanted without raising a hand. True, since JT had left, she had lost weight. Part of that had been worry about him, but she was
always dealing with new stress at work. Colonel Vent wasn’t really thrilled to be dealing with female pilots. He hadn’t harassed her, and he wasn’t that bad of a commander. It was just hard to work for a man who didn’t like you.

  Unfortunately, Brando wasn’t done arguing with her. “I’m older than you. You should be partying.”

  She rolled her eyes and was happy he couldn’t see her reaction. Since he’d shown up, he’d been dragging her around. She was too tired to even think about going out to a rowdy bar. Her three in the morning wakeup added to her decision.

  “I’ve never been that much of a partier.” That was partly true. She hadn’t really partied since the night she and JT had spent together. Even at Madison’s bachelorette party, she had been subdued. It was hard to have too big of a party. It was her, Madison, and, just found out she was pregnant, Hannah Johnson. “I also have to fly tomorrow. I never do that hung over. Go by yourself or call Dante.”

  “I can’t go by myself. I can’t drink and drive. Dante is too caught up in being married to want to go out. He said last night was the last time he would go.”

  Brando said it as if he couldn’t understand why anyone would want to stay in and spend time with his wife. It probably was a foreign concept to him. The man would never settle down.

  She stirred the sweet and sour sauce and looked at the meatballs in the oven. The rice was sitting warm in the cooker, and the broccoli was steamed. A couple more minutes and they could eat. She glanced at him and knew he wasn’t done arguing. Damn.

  “I think—”

  Her doorbell stopped him in midsentence. Elena thanked the good lord for the interruption.

  “Expecting someone?” he asked.

  She shook her head. Whoever it was, she would be happy to kiss them. When Brando got a hold of an idea, he would not let it go. Their father said that Brando could argue with a door.

  Brando sipped at his beer and walked to the door. He opened it and laughed. She leaned around the corner and almost dropped the spoon. JT was standing there. His expression was so damned comical, and she would have laughed. She couldn’t though. It had been months since she had talked to him. She had known he wasn’t hurt, or Anthony would have heard.

  “The Honorary Santini!” Brando said, giving JT one of his legendary bear hugs, lifting him up off the ground. He set him down, and Brando slung an arm over his shoulder and looked at Elena. “Look who’s back from the other side.”

  She couldn’t seem to form words. All she could do was look at him. He’d lost weight. It was the first thing she noticed. His jeans hung low on his hips, his T-shirt looked almost a size too big. He’d had a haircut and shave. Dark circles marred the skin beneath his eyes.

  He was staring at her as if he wanted her to say something, but she couldn’t think of anything. Her brain seemed to have shut down the moment she saw him.

  “Hey, JT.” How freaking lame.

  He nodded. “Hey, Elena.”

  His voice deepened over the syllables of her name. It sent heat racing along her flesh, and she had to fight a shiver. She glanced at her brother, who didn’t seem to notice.

  “I was trying to convince Elena to go out tonight,” Brando said. Of course, he hadn’t noticed. He was busy sizing up JT. He needed a DD and anyone would do.

  “And I said, I have to be at work early in the morning.” She looked at JT. “Also, he’s leaving out that he’s flying out to a boys’ week in New Orleans tomorrow. He doesn’t really need to go out. He just thinks he needs to go.”

  There was a beat of silence. JT kept staring at her.

  “But, JT’s here, and you should want to show him a good time,” Brando said. “It’s probably been months since he’s had some fun.”

  Another beat of silence. JT’s lips twitched. Elena felt her face flush with heat. Lord, she couldn’t remember the last time she blushed. She cleared her throat, and JT’s smile widened into a grin.

  God, she had missed him. She wanted to hit him, but she had missed him like crazy.

  “You two can go out,” Elena said. Why did she say that? She didn’t want JT to go out. She wanted him here, naked, and in her bed.

  “We can talk about it,” Brando said. “Why don’t you eat with us? There’s enough for all of us, right, Elena?”

  She nodded.

  JT smiled. “Been awhile since I’ve had a home-cooked meal.”

  She returned his smile. “Good. Grab another plate, Brand.”

  Brando took off to do her bidding, probably hoping to get JT to go out with him.

  “Hope you like sweet and sour meatballs.”

  JT hummed, low and easy, and just loud enough for her to hear. “I’ll take anything you’re offering.”

  The way he said it told her that he was talking about more than dinner. A moment of silence vibrated between them. She curled her fingers into the palms of her hands, trying her best to resist touching him. Her body warmed as her hormones did a little dance of anticipation.

  Neither of them said anything. She couldn’t really come up with anything to say, and her apartment was too small. Brando would hear.

  Still he stood there, apparently happy to stare at her forever. It took all her control not to fidget.

  “You look tired,” she said.

  “I am. It’s been a long couple days of debriefing.”

  She nodded.

  “I would have called.”

  She shrugged. As a Santini, she understood duty and work. “You couldn’t. You were being debriefed.”

  “Yeah.”

  Silence again.

  “Want a beer?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll take some water.”

  “Come on.”

  He followed her into the kitchen, and she entered just in time to find Brando sticking his finger into the sauce.

  “You idiot.” She smacked him on the back of the head. “Get out of there. You’re going to get burned.”

  She pushed him out of the way.

  “Get JT a bottle of water.”

  JT smiled. “Nice to know that nothing ever changes with the Santinis.”

  Brando handed him a bottle. “Yeah. How’s that?”

  “All of you act like idiots, and Elena is trying to make you act better.” He unscrewed the top of the bottle. “I think it’s about the same every time you all get together.”

  “That’s true. So, when did you get back?” Brando asked.

  Elena needed something to do, so she applied herself to making dinner. The sooner they ate, the sooner Brando would probably head out for the night. Then, hopefully, she would have JT to herself.

  * * * *

  JT took a sip of water and tried to be patient. As soon as he had been cleared, he’d headed over to Elena’s apartment. He knew he should have called first, but he had been so eager to see her. Controlling his need for her was hard enough, but with Brando there, he was ready to scream. He wanted to touch her. Just a little touch. But he knew if he started, he would probably not be able to stop.

  Instead, he leaned against the kitchen counter and watched her work.

  Every movement was precise. That was the way it was with Elena. She always had a plan. Right now, she was placing the meatballs in the sauce. God, he had missed her so fucking much.

  The assignment had been bad, but he knew he had something to go back to. Every night he had gone to sleep thinking of her, of the way she laughed, the way she looked as she slept, and the way she moaned his name.

  Dammit. He had to keep his mind on the topic. When Brando rambled on about things, you never knew where the conversation would end up. Thankfully, Brando’s phone rang. He answered and walked down the hall to take the call.

  God, he’d missed her, he thought again. Granted, they’d only had two nights together, but it had been the one thing that had kept him going. So many things had gone wrong on the assignment, and he had spent too long undercover. Each week that had passed, he had fallen deeper into the muck.

  Elena lifted
up on her toes to reach a bowl on the top shelf, and he stepped closer to get it for her. This close he could feel her body heat and smell her shampoo. Also, he smelled her. That unique scent that he would swear he could sense the moment he woke in the morning.

  She froze, then shuddered.

  “I missed you,” JT whispered. “I just didn’t know what to do when Brando answered the door.”

  She nodded. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I can tell him.”

  “Tell him what?” she asked, still whispering.

  “About us.”

  She turned and looked up at him. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, and this is the way he thought of her. There was nothing plain about the woman…but there was a down to earth quality to her beauty. He knew that fifty years from now she would be just as beautiful. Dark blue eyes were framed with brown lashes, and set off by her bangs. Her full lips and high cheekbones just accentuated her appearance.

  “No. Not yet. Seriously, we don’t even know what the hell is going to happen, and we don’t need my brothers sticking their noses in.”

  He nodded, barely hearing the words she was saying. All he could think of was that he wanted—needed—a taste. This close, he couldn’t resist. He leaned down to give her a quick kiss. But the moment he did, he was lost. All that was horrible in the world faded away. The memories of what he had been through dissolved. He slipped his hands down her back and over her full rear end, urging her closer. God, this felt right…good. He had thought of little else the last few months, needing something to keep him going. He wanted nothing more than to take her to bed right then. Fuck dinner. Fuck her brother and anyone else. He needed her with him, like this.

  He heard Brando walking down the hall, his voice rising up. “My sister’s making dinner, then I can meet you out.”

  They sprang apart right before Brando turned the corner. He was laughing as he hung up the phone. JT turned away from Brando and grabbed his water. He drained the rest of it in one long swallow. Damn, he had no control whatsoever when it came to Elena.

  “What’s up?” Elena asked. Her voice was surprisingly calm.