One Night With a Santini

by Melissa Schroeder

  * * * *

  Kaitlin grabbed a nightshirt. She spotted the white shirt lying on the chair beside the bed. After putting back the nightshirt, she picked up his shirt.

  She was buttoning it up, when Brando said, “I like my shirt on you.”

  Turning, she found him leaning against the doorjamb watching her. “You do?”

  His mouth curved up on one side and he nodded. It was then she noticed he’d grabbed his jeans and pulled them on. They were zipped but not buttoned.

  “Let’s go find something to eat.”

  He followed her down the stairs into her kitchen. Opening the fridge, she was happy she’d hit the grocery store in preparation. She rarely kept that much food since she lived alone.

  Kaitlin bent down to look inside when the room started to spin. She blinked and spots appeared. She felt herself falling forward, but was helpless to stop it. Thankfully, strong hands grabbed her and pulled her back up.

  “Kait, are you okay?” Brando said; as he leaned down to bring his eye line level with hers.

  She blinked a few times and nodded. “Wow, that was…I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

  He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead.

  “Come on, you sit down. I’ll throw us something together.”

  “You’re my guest,” she said weakly. Actually, now that she thought about it, she wasn’t really hungry. In fact, the thought of food made her stomach turn over. Dammit, she didn’t want to get sick. The flu had been going around with the nurses and therapists at the retirement home. She did not want it ruining her time with Brando.

  “And, you’re tired. What kind of guest would I be if I didn’t take care of you? My mother would be appalled.”

  She smiled and allowed him to lead her over to one of the stools at the counter.

  “Want something to drink?” he asked.

  “Some water,” she said, rising but he waved a hand.

  “I can handle water. Ice?”

  She nodded. He set the glass in front of her. He crossed his arms over his massive chest—which was of course still bare—and frowned.

  “You look really pale.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve been feeling a little off, but this is the first time I felt this bad.”

  “Tell you what. How does some soft scrambled eggs sound? Bland but lots of protein.”

  It didn’t make her want to throw up so she nodded. With that, he smiled. God, he was so pretty. And all she had said was that she would let him cook for her.

  “Pans?”

  “Bottom cabinet to the right of the stove.”

  He clapped his hands and turned back to the stove. He pulled out the one he wanted, then placed it on the stove top before moving to the refrigerator.

  “So, is this thing with your brother going to be a problem?” he asked.

  “A problem?” she said, as she sipped at her water. “Oh, you mean with Aeden?”

  “Yeah.”

  “For whom?”

  He placed the carton of eggs on the counter and smiled at her again. “For us.”

  The way he put them together like that made her heart kick into high gear. That probably wasn’t a good thing for someone who had almost passed out just a few minutes beforehand.

  “In what way?”

  He shrugged as he opened up a cabinet and pulled out a bowl.

  “I just plan on spending a lot of time here. If there is a problem, then I think I need to have a chat with Aeden to make him understand the situation.”

  She watched him crack a few eggs into the bowl. “What situation?”

  He looked up at her, those big beautiful chocolate brown eyes narrowing. “I thought we were involved here.”

  This was not the playful lover she had been with upstairs. This was a hunter with his site set on her. And, lord help her, it gave her as much of a thrill as it did when he smiled at her. There was just something about having all his attention focused on her.

  “Well…I just didn’t know what you thought about that. I mean, it was for me. I don’t sleep around.”

  His expression cleared. “Oh good. I don’t sleep around either.”

  She laughed. “Sure, sure. Remember, I was with you in college. I heard the rumors.”

  He said nothing as he poured some half and half into the eggs. Then, she realized he was blushing.

  “Brando Santini, are you blushing?”

  “I don’t blush. I’m a Marine.”

  But he wouldn’t look up at her. She bit her lip and tried not to laugh. It was probably the cutest thing she had ever seen. She cleared her throat.

  “So, are you trying to tell me that you didn’t date that much in college?”

  “I didn’t date as much as people said. A lot of women claimed to be dating me.”

  “But you did date more than I did. I am sure that didn’t stop after college. Add the uniform and you are irresistible.”

  He shook his head. “What is it about uniforms that get men hot?”

  “I dunno. It just is.”

  “And it is the uniform. My sister is engaged and JT apparently gets turned on when Elena puts on her flight suit. Of course, that was more than I wanted to know, but JT doesn’t care. He shares a little too much with us.”

  She laughed. “Elena’s one of the other set of twins, right?”

  “Yeah. Dante just got married and they are already expecting their first child. Now, Elena will be married in just a few more months. It’s odd.”

  “And you never found someone special?”

  He shrugged as he dropped some butter into the skillet. “I wasn’t ready to settle down.”

  She rested her chin on her hand and watched him. “Never once? I mean, I find it hard to believe that in all these years you didn’t find one woman who tempted you to settle down.”

  He looked at her, his expression serious. “I did, but she was taken at that time.”

  A few long heart beats of silence, and she had to clear her throat again.

  “Oh.”

  “And, I didn’t want to do anything those first few years in the military. Some people make it work. It’s hard though. I’ve seen so many good marriages fall apart.”

  She nodded as he poured the eggs into the pan.

  “You are very handy in the kitchen.”

  He tossed her another smile over his shoulder. “Yeah. My mother made sure we could all cook. She said it was a Santini tradition that the men could cook as well as the women. The only one who failed was Anthony.”

  “You’re oldest brother?”

  He nodded as he turned back to the stove. “Yeah. He can cook two things. And he is a master with a grill. Past that, you are taking your life into your hands.”

  She smiled. She liked hearing him talk about his family. Not many people had huge families like both of theirs, and it took someone from that kind of family to understand.

  “Plates?” he asked.

  “Left cupboard.”

  He grabbed them and plated the food. “Now, I am sure this isn’t as fancy as your brother the chef could make up, but it might help with your dizziness.”

  She smiled as he set it in front of her. “I don’t think anyone has ever cooked for me in my own kitchen.”

  He grabbed his plate and joined her. “Well, maybe this is first of many firsts.”

  She forked up some of the eggs, ready to lie even if they tasted gross. Instead, they were light and soft, and so good.

  “Oh, those are good.”

  “Breakfast is my specialty. When you’re feeling better, I’ll make some of my ricotta pancakes.”

  “So, you saw almost everyone when you made your way out here?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Anthony and Nando were the only ones I didn’t see. Nando is in Germany right now, and Anthony’s in Hawaii. But I should see them soon.”

  “Why?”

  “My baby sister is g
etting married, so that means we will all try and make it, even if we can only be there for that day.”

  “I like that. It reminds me of my family.”

  And it did. She had always wondered why some military people she knew had closer families than other people. The Santinis were a prime example. They might be thousands of miles apart, but there was a connection there that seemed similar to the one she shared with her family. Like Brando, she knew if she lived in California, her brothers would be there the moment they knew she needed them.

  He nodded. “You seemed especially close with Aeden.”

  “We’re only sixteen months apart in age, and he sometimes forgets I am not twelve anymore.”

  “It’s nice though.”

  She thought about her irritating brother and smiled. “Yeah. And so is this. Thank you for cooking for me.”

  She leaned over and gave him a kiss.

  “There is the matter of payment.”

  She laughed. “I am pretty sure we can work something out.”

  “So, I was thinking, if you weren’t busy this weekend, we could just hang out?”

  She thought about it then nodded. “I would like that a lot. When do you have to go in?”

  “I stopped by and checked in already. I don’t have a meeting until Monday afternoon.”

  “You mean I get to have you to myself for the rest of the weekend?”

  He smiled. “Yeah. I’m all yours. I’ll worry about Aunt Joey next week.”

  “The infamous Aunt Joey?”

  “Hopefully, she won’t bother me too much.” He shook his head. “She will, and we always go along with her.”

  She heard the love in his voice. It was one of the things that drew her to Brando. They both had deep family roots and didn’t have a problem showing affection.

  “I know the feeling.”

  She finished up her eggs and was happy that her stomach seemed to be settling down. Brando picked up their plates and started to clean up.

  “I could get used to this. I don’t think I can remember a man ever cooking and cleaning up for me. Declan will cook, but he makes a huge mess and never cleans up.”

  “I would happily cook for you any day of the week.”

  She tried to ignore the way her heart danced at the promise he gave her. Kaitlin knew that she couldn’t get too attached to him, but it was hard not to. She understood he didn’t want to get married while he was still active duty, but it didn’t mean she could keep herself from dreaming.

  “I think we need to get you back to bed,” Brando said as he set the last of the dishes in the dishwasher.

  “Is that a fact?”

  “Yeah, you need some rest,” he said as he approached her. Before she knew what he was doing, he lifted her off the stool and walked her to the stairs.

  “Brando, put me down.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t want to.”

  “Are you trying to be romantic?”

  “Maybe I am. Is it working?”

  She cocked her head to the side and pretended to think about it. “A little bit. You really don’t have to do things like this.”

  He stopped on the landing and looked at her. His expression was serious.

  “You’re a woman who deserves to be romanced, Kaitlin. Don’t ever think you don’t.”

  She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  He started to climb the stairs again. “Not a problem.”

  She smiled, enjoying the way it felt to have a man like Brando Santini at her beck and call. She could definitely get used to it.

  * * * *

  As dawn broke the next morning, Brando decided for once, he would stay in bed. That said a lot because he was usually out of bed by five-thirty in the morning. But now, it was cozy and, he thought as he reached for Kaitlin, his bedmate made it easier. Unfortunately, she wasn’t there. He opened his eyes and sat up. There was light coming from beneath the bathroom door, and there were not so very nice sounds coming from behind the door.

  He slipped out of bed, grabbed a pair of boxers and walked closer to the door. The gagging had stopped and the toilet flushed. Water was running.

  “Kaitlin, are you all right?”

  She didn’t answer right away, but after a few moments, he heard her footsteps. The door opened. She was pale and there were huge dark smudges beneath her eyes.

  “Oh, baby. Come on. You get in bed.”

  She shook her head, but he ignored it. He led her to the bed and helped her into it. He pulled up the sheets.

  “Do you want the comforter?”

  She shook her head. “Too hot.”

  “Okay. You get comfy and I’ll get you some water.”

  “Thank you.”

  He kissed her forehead. After relieving himself, he made his way downstairs. He would get her some crackers and water and baby her all she wanted. Apparently, her lack of sleep the last couple of nights was weighing on her. Before he could make it to the kitchen, there was knocking at the door.

  “Come on, Kaitlin. I know you’re in there and it’s damned early this morning.”

  He frowned. The voice was definitely male. Worried the man would disturb Kaitlin, who needed to rest, Brando walked over, unlocked the door. He found a tall, irritated man standing on the stoop. He had long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes narrowed—the same shade as Kaitlin’s. His frown turned darker when he saw Brando and what he was wearing.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  CHAPTER TEN

  For a moment, Brando tried to find the humor in the situation. The fact that two of her brothers had said the exact same words to him was kind of funny. In fact, both of her brothers reminded him of Anthony. Big, loud, and obnoxious. Apparently, Kaitlin got all the sweetness in the family.

  He wanted to tell the massive man to kiss his ass, but he couldn’t because of Kaitlin. From the looks of this one, he was Declan, the chef. His hair was too long for him to be a fireman. Telling her brother to kiss his ass would have felt good, but he was still trying to win the woman over.

  “I’m assuming you’re Declan,” he said.

  His eyebrows rose in surprise. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

  “Come on in. Kaitlin is upstairs.” It was then that he noticed the box Declan was holding. “I doubt she will want to eat any of those. She’s under the weather.”

  Declan stepped in, a frown still marring his features. Brando would give him crap about it, but he decided to give the man a break. He’d heard the story of Anthony showing up and finding his best friend at their sister’s apartment early in the morning. Brando thought he would give the guy a break.

  “Where is she?”

  “Upstairs in bed resting.”

  Before he could finish, the behemoth put the box on the coffee table and made his way up the stairs. He sounded more like a herd of elephants.

  “Kitty Kat,” Declan yelled.

  With a sigh, Brando shut the door and followed him up the stairs. He heard Declan demanding to know what was wrong with her and just why the hell Brando was at her house. At least he could take some comfort in that. Apparently her brothers weren’t used to finding a man at her house. When he got there, he found Declan sitting on the side of Kaitlin’s bed.

  “I’m fine,” Kaitlin said as she gave Brando a dirty look. He shrugged. What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t hide the fact that she had been barfing just a few minutes before.

  Declan looked at Brando, then back to Kaitlin. She still looked pale to Brando, but she looked much better than she had just a few moments earlier. “You look fine but soldier boy there told me you were sick.”

  “I’m a Marine.”

  He shrugged, much like Aeden had the night before. “Same thing.”

  “No, there is a difference. Or maybe I should call you a short order cook.”

  The look he gave Brando would have withered a weaker man. O
f course, Brando was a Marine and a Santini. With an older brother like Anthony, not to mention a cousin like Vicente, Brando was able to put just about anyone in their place.

  Declan turned around to face Kaitlin. “When is he leaving?”

  Kaitlin rolled her eyes. “Quit being rude.”

  “I’m just being me.”

  She laughed. “Go downstairs. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “I think you should stay in bed,” Brando said. “You had that dizzy spell last night.”

  She gave him a look that was scarier than her brother’s. He was definitely going to pay for that later on.

  “You were dizzy? What the hell, Kaitlin? Why haven’t you been to the doctor?”

  “I was tired. Go downstairs, Declan. We’ll join you in a second.”

  He didn’t want to go, but apparently, he wasn’t going to fight it. He hesitated for a moment, then he walked out the door. After they were finally alone, she crossed her arms.

  “What in the world do you think you were doing telling Declan that I was sick?”

  He shrugged, completely confused by the direction of the conversation. “Because you are sick.”

  “The worst thing in the world is to tell any of my brothers I was sick.”

  “Why?”

  She sighed. “Of course you don’t understand. I was kind of a sickly child. The guys get a little overprotective when they find out I feel unwell. Add in my failed engagement, they can be horrible.”

  “He’s just trying to look out for you.”

  And while he might not like Declan and Aeden’s methods, he had to appreciate them. It spoke of a close family, and that was one thing a Santini understood more than anything. Family was everything.

  “I know he is, and it is sweet. But I don’t need it. I’ve been kind of off the last couple of days, but I feel better now. I plan on spending today and tomorrow in bed for the most part.”

  She gave him a sexy smile that told him she expected him to be there with her.

  “So, let’s keep this under wraps if we can. If not, you’ll have all the idiots not on duty over here bugging us. We won’t get any…rest.”

  He returned her smile. “Okay. Your brother had some donuts or something downstairs.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, he made me some yummies. Can you do me a favor?”