A Santini's Heart (The Santinis Book 10)

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Tia.”

  She looked up at him, and her eyes were wet, but the tears had not fallen. Not yet. It made her look even more vulnerable.

  “I’m sorry. All this mess, your little meltdown is because of me. I should have picked up on Chet being an asshole earlier.”

  “How? The man had more than a few screws loose. What he was trying to do made no sense. You just got caught up in it.”

  “And got you shot.” It didn’t take a genius to hear the self-recrimination in her voice.

  “No, that was me. I went in too early, but I just…Tia, I can’t have anything happen to you. Ever.”

  Her eyes widened, and he realized she really didn’t understand how he felt about her.

  “I told you I loved you last night.”

  She smiled. “I know.”

  Apparently she didn’t. He tugged on her hand once again, and pulled her onto the bed. He rolled them over the mattress so that he was on top of her.

  “Carlos, your shoulder.”

  “I’m fine.” Although, it was burning like a bastard at the moment. He ignored it. This was more important.

  “What you don’t understand is when a Santini, man or woman, says they love someone, it’s for life.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  Why did he have to fall for a woman who had no idea how much she meant to him? She didn’t realize that if she had been hurt today, he wasn’t sure what he would have done to Chet.

  “I told you last night and I’m telling you now. I plan on marrying you.”

  She frowned. “So you pin me to the bed, tell me you love me—”

  “Again.”

  “Yeah, whatever. Then you just tell me you’re marrying me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “This is unacceptable.”

  He blinked. “What?”

  “Do you think because I am kind of a tomboy for the most part that I don’t deserve romance?”

  “Yeah, you do. And I plan on pulling out all the stops. Don’t worry.”

  For a long moment, she said nothing, then her mouth curved and her face lit up.

  “Just so you know, I want it done right.”

  Joy and satisfaction filled him knowing she would be his.

  “And if I don’t, I’m sure you’ll let me know,” he said with a chuckle. She was laughing as he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her.

  EPILOGUE

  The wedding planning and the ceremony itself had been quick, but the reception lasted into the early hours of the next morning. Once again, the Santini family came out in full force.

  Carlos smiled as Tia leaned her head against his shoulder. They were sitting at the head table watching everyone party through the night. He kissed her forehead. She was a vision in ivory silk and lace, a simple dress for a complicated, beautiful woman. He would never forget the way she looked in it as she walked down the aisle on her father’s arm.

  “I kind of like being a Santini,” she said. He could hear the tired happiness in her voice. He could understand as he looked around the ballroom. His family did tend to do things big, especially weddings.

  “I like you being a Santini.”

  “That’s good, because you’re stuck with me.”

  He chuckled. Just then, Conrad Santini, the son of his cousin Brennan, came rushing toward them. He was five and sugared up.

  “Carlos,” he said louder than the music, which was a feat since it was blaring.

  “Whatcha need?”

  “Papa is trying to make me go to bed.”

  The man in question came running up behind him. “It’s almost one in the morning, Conrad.”

  The boy frowned and looked at Carlos. “Aunt Joey said that it was time to celebrate, and gave me three pieces of cake.”

  Carlos sat up and leaned down to eye level. “Well, just so you know, Aunt Joey has been drinking a lot tonight.”

  Brennan smiled. “I’d be careful, cuz.” It always sounded funny when he used slang. There was a ting of his mother’s British accent in Brennan’s voice. “Conrad tells that woman everything.”

  Carlos chuckled. “She has them all brainwashed.”

  “She didn’t wash my brain,” Conrad said. “She gave me cake.”

  His father chuckled. “Yeah, that’s how it all gets started. Come on.”

  He picked up his son, slung him over his shoulder, and carried him away.

  “Where is his wife?” Tia asked as she watched him walk away.

  Carlos glanced at her. “Died in a car wreck last year.”

  “How sad,” she said, looking out over the crowd. “What happens when a Santini loses his mate?”

  He shrugged. “Not really sure. Hasn’t happened during my lifetime.”

  “Hmm.”

  He leaned closer and nibbled on her earlobe. “How about we ditch these losers?”

  She laughed. “Yes. My feet hurt though. I need to take off my shoes, but I don’t want to trip over my dress.”

  “I can take care of that,” he said, rising from his chair. He leaned down and plucked her off the seat and into his arms. She didn’t resist. She entwined her arms around his neck.

  “Santinis are such showoffs.”

  He smiled at her. “Oh, darlin’, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

  THANK YOU

  Thank you so much for purchasing A Santini’s Heart. I hope you enjoyed Tia and Carlos’ story. If you did, please leave a review at your favorite online store and tell your friends about The Santinis!

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  The Fitzpatricks

  Join the hard living and hard loving Fitzpatrick men as they travel the often bumpy road to true love. For centuries, their family has been committed to family and community, but finding true love is their ultimate goal in life.

  At Last

  The Fitzpatricks Book One

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  A woman who gets under his skin.

  Aeden Fitzpatrick has been annoyed by his sister’s best friend for as long as he could remember. She is snooty and a know-it-all, and he just doesn’t like her that much. Of course, it doesn’t keep him from fantasizing about her, or getting irrationally angry because she dates so many men. That all changes the night of his sister’s wedding. One night and he is hooked. But Wendy has obligations so he will just have to wait.

  She never expected love.

  Wendy has always assumed she would never fall in love. She had made sure to date the kind of men who knew the score. Her childhood had proven to her that she was unloveable and she refused to take that from a man. Aeden changes all of that in one long, amazing night. Now, six months later, she’s not sure what will happen, but she knows she’s in love.

  A fan obsessed.

  Wendy returns to find out she is a local celebrity but she could care less. All she wants is to return to work and figure out what is going on with Aeden. Their courtship isn’t without it’s bumps in the road. Their chemistry in bed doesn’t help deal with their conflicting personalities. But when an obsessed fan starts to stalk Wendy, Aeden realizes that he doesn’t want to live without her in his life. When the stalking turns sinister, the lovers must fight for everything they hold dear…including their lives.

  Enjoy this unedited excerpt:

  Aeden Fitzpatrick rushed out of the train and through the milling crowd. Too many damned people at the airport. It figures she would leave the weekend everyone else decided they needed to go on one final fling with summer. Worse, he was running late because he had gone to the wrong fucking airport. Now, he had a one-way ticket he didn’t need.

  His phone vibrated. When he saw his sister’s face, he wanted to growl.

  “Where are you?” Kaitlin asked.

  “I’m busy.”

  Ther
e was a pause. Of course there was. She was either going to start crying or barfing. He wasn’t sure which one, but that is all she had been doing since she found out she was pregnant.

  “You’re supposed to be here to say goodbye to the Santinis.”

  Dammit. He forgot he was supposed to be at a brunch with her new in-laws.

  “Is Wendy there?”

  “No. She’s waiting at the gate.”

  Dammit. Life never did go right when it came to that woman. Couldn’t she be late once and miss her flight? At least she could have been standing in security.

  “Listen, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  Before she could say anything, he turned off his phone. He scanned the departures and found her flight. Fuck. He had less than 25 minutes to make it to her.

  He jogged past families and irritated businessmen as he hurried down the long hallways. Aeden was out of breath by the time he made it to the end of terminal. He scanned the throngs of people and his heart started to sink. Anger and disappointment weighed heavy on his shoulders. Dammit, he couldn’t have missed her. Then, a flash of a blonde ponytail caught his attention and the heaviness on his soul dissolved.

  She was third in line. His family had always said he was loud, so he shouted her name. She turned in his direction and her mouth hung open. He didn’t wait. He strode forward and people seemed to get out of his way.

  Still, she didn’t move. It was if she were glued to the floor. When he reached her, he took her bag, and set it down on the ground.

  “Aeden, what the hell are you doing here?” she asked.

  It figured she would ask him in that tone. It was if she thought he had lost his mind. And he had. It was the only explanation he could come up with.

  “What am I doing here?”

  Did their two nights together mean nothing to her?

  “Yes.”

  He couldn’t really answer her another way. There was only one action that would get her attention. Aeden cupped her face, and slammed his mouth down on hers. He had the pleasure of watching her eyes flutter shut before he shut his own. When he pulled back, his world had tilted.

  “That. That is what I’m doing here.”

  When she opened her eyes, tears shimmered in her blue gaze. “Aeden…”

  He shook his head. “No, don’t say anything. You have to go, I have to stay. We’ll just call this, to be continued.”

  She chuckled, albeit a watery one. “Okay.”

  She brushed her fingers over his cheek. “Be careful.”

  He nodded. “You too.”

  Then, he stepped back and watched her go through the gate. She gave him one last look over her shoulder, then she stepped through the door.

  He felt as if the center of his world had just been sucked out of him. The idea that he had no way of seeing her every day, or even talking to her was almost too much for him to accept. A month ago he would have scoffed at anyone who thought he would miss the woman. Now, he couldn’t even think of what to do now that she was leaving.

  Even knowing he should leave so he could avoid questions from his family. Aeden just could not seem to make himself leave. He stood by the window and waited until he saw the plane back out then make its way to the runway.

  It was going to be a long six months.

  TASK FORCE HAWAII

  EVEN PARADISE HAS A DARK SIDE.

  Working with local, state, and federal agencies, the men and women of TASK FORCE HAWAII work on cases ranging from bank heists to terrorism. A diverse team filled with ex-military, law enforcement, medical, and technical support, they are Hawaii’s last defense against the worst criminals. The series will include six books total.

  Seductive Reasoning

  BOOK ONE

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  He has a killer to catch and no time for love. Fate has other plans.

  Former Army Special Forces Officer Martin “Del” Delano has enough on his hands chasing a serial killer and heading up TASK FORCE HAWAII. He definitely doesn’t need the distraction of Emma Taylor. From the moment they meet, she knocks him off his feet, literally. Unfortunately, she’s the best person to have on the team to make the connections to help them catch their killer.

  For Emma, it’s hard to ignore the lure of a man like him. Tats, muscles and his Harley cause her to have more than a few fantasies about Del. He’d never be interested in a geek like her, but she can’t resist toying with him. When she pushes the teasing too far, she ends up in his bed. She convinces herself she can handle it until the moment he steals her heart.

  Del can’t help falling for the quirky genius. She’s smart, funny and there’s a sweet vulnerable side to her that only he can see. As Emma gets more involved with the investigation, she becomes the target of the psychopath. When the danger escalates, Del promises to do anything to save the woman who not only captured his heart but also his soul.

  Martin Delano stepped out of his pickup and shut the door, as a light trade wind danced over his skin. He slipped his shoulder holster on, then looked up and down the street. Finding no traffic, he jogged over to the other side, following the lights set up by the Honolulu Police Department.

  Being former military, he should be used to the early morning wakeup calls, but it didn’t mean he had to be happy about it—especially this morning. The lights burned his eyes. Damn, he was getting old when he couldn’t seem to make it up and at work without a cup of coffee. He should have grabbed one before he left his house in Hawaii Kai.

  Police tape marked off the spot, and a very serious looking young officer in uniform stood by the entrance. His militant expression told Del this was his first big assignment. The kid raised his hand as if to stop him…or die trying. God save him.

  He wasn’t in the mood.

  “HPD only, sir,” he said, his voice stern.

  Del sighed and pulled out his Task Force badge. He’d been there a year and people in the department still didn’t know who he was. Of course, the officer looked like he was straight out of the academy, so that was probably the reason. However, the department was small, and Del had been on TV enough that he thought everyone knew his face. And, as the local members of his team kept telling him, everyone knows everyone else on the island.

  The officer’s face reddened. “Sorry, sir.”

  Del nodded and attached the badge back onto his belt. “I’m looking for Rome Carino.”

  “Of course, sir.” He turned and motioned with his hand. “He’s right over there, by the Medical Examiner.”

  Del glanced over and saw where he was talking about. There was a barrier set up along the opposite side of the bridge. That would have been done probably before the ME had shown up.

  “Mahalo,” Del said, as he walked past the officer towards the ME. He passed a few familiar faces. Some smiled, some frowned, and others barely acknowledged his existence.

  The air was muggy from the recent rain, and the sun would start rising soon. Traffic in Honolulu was always a bitch. The influx of tourists added to the locals’ aggravation, but figure in the water main breaks and the rail construction, it could be a real pain in the ass. Being Monday made it worse, and the McCully Bridge over the Ala Wai Canal was always busy.

  As he approached the group, he noticed a handful of detectives he knew. He had been there for a year now, and he still felt like an outsider. Being a Haole didn’t make for easy detective work in Hawaii. Not to mention, a few of them thought he shouldn’t have been given the job. Carino had been offered the job at one time, but he declined. Now, Del was starting to understand why.

  Del knew it was a bad sign when Carino called him. Del’s team only handled the major crimes, the ones that would require more than a little diplomacy working with various law enforcements. Not that he was always good with diplomacy, but in other words, Carino didn’t want the headache.

  He noticed Drew Franklin, the ME assistant. Nice kid, local, tall and skinny, with a world class mind and an irritating habit of trying too hard. But he was good o
n the job, even if he did have an odd sense of humor, and an odd choice in clothing. He was wearing a pair of jeans today, his regular sneakers, and a T-shirt that said ‘I like big books and I cannot lie.’

  “Howzit, Del, I just got here too.”

  Del nodded. “Did you get the call?”

  He pushed his horn-rimmed glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “Dr. Middleton called. She said I didn’t need to be here, but I thought maybe Cat would be called out.”

  “Nope, I was on call last night, so I took the call.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “I’m glad you think so,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, but it went over Drew’s head.

  He just smiled as they walked together. The closer they got to the scene, Del’s worry grew. He knew it was a dead woman, but for him to be called out, it had to be huge. Maybe a celebrity or dignitary. That meant it would hit the news services soon. Damn, he hated dealing with the press.

  Carino noticed him and turned to greet him. Lean and tall, with feral eyes, he’d moved to Hawaii from Seattle several years earlier. The homicide detective had been one of the most welcoming in the HPD. His wife had insisted on inviting him over for dinner several times. A lot of folks weren’t happy when they hired an outsider like him, but Carino had been a transplant also, and Del had an idea he had wanted to make everyone know that he accepted him.

  “Sorry about calling you out, Del, but Dr. Middleton thought it was important. Usually, I go with her gut, and when she showed me, I was sure of it.” He nodded. “No problem.”

  Carino looked at Drew. “Dr. Masterson could use some help.”