Falling for a Santini

by Melissa Schroeder

  That thought made him think of what Elena would look like pregnant. Funny, he never thought of Bethany that way while they were engaged. He never looked beyond what marriage was going to mean. A lifetime together, building a family, a happy life. It had all been about having a woman who didn’t really bother him. Damn, he was an asshole.

  With a sigh, he stifled the need to tell Elena exactly how he felt. He couldn’t say anything just yet. She would freak out if he did. Elena might talk a good game, but he didn’t know exactly what she wanted out of the relationship. She was younger than he was, by a few years, and she was just getting her career off the ground. Not telling her family was one thing, but he wasn’t going to let that go for long. Sooner or later, Dante was going to open his big mouth and tell the others.

  He noticed the light went out in the bathroom and the door opened. She was standing there wearing only a towel. She’d brushed her damp hair away from her face, and now that his eyes had adjusted to the light, he could see her. He loved her this way, all natural with no makeup.

  Lust coiled tight in his stomach, as heat shifted through his veins. He couldn’t help it. Just looking at her like that had him ready to pull her back in bed. JT had a feeling it was always going to be like this—probably until the day he died.

  “I’m sorry, I was trying to be quiet,” she said.

  “No problem and you didn’t wake me. Woke up on my own.”

  She nodded and headed to her closet. She opened the double doors, then stepped inside, shutting the door slightly. A shaft of light illuminated the room, but not directly in his eyes.

  “Do you have anything planned today?” she asked.

  “I have to head up to the office to talk to the boss. Afterwards, I have to go pick up my mail.”

  “Sounds good.”

  She stepped back out wearing a pair of boy short panties and a sports bra. She was holding her flight suit in one hand and her boots in another. She dropped the boots beside the bed, then stepped into her uniform. As she slipped her arms into the sleeves, then yanked it up over her shoulders, a delicious thrill layered over the simmering lust. He drew in a breath then released it quietly. Damn, watching her dress in her uniform was definitely a turn on.

  “I shouldn’t be late since we are doing the runs this morning. I have a few reports to check on, but it’s just tying up some things before my days off.”

  Damn, she was freaking sexy and she was his. It was something to know the woman beneath that uniform. It was like a special little secret they shared with just each other.

  She smiled at him. “What?”

  He shrugged. “It’s sexy to watch you get ready for work. That uniform is kind of hot.”

  She laughed and joined him on the bed. “Yeah? Being a pilot does get me some attention. But, I bet you’ll enjoy it more when it comes off.”

  She gave him a kiss, then slipped out of bed. Picking up her boots, she said, “I’ll leave an extra key on the counter in the kitchen. Make yourself at home.”

  She walked out of the room and left him to his thoughts. He heard her leaving a few minutes later.

  He continued to stare at the ceiling. Lord, the woman didn’t know what she was doing to him. There was no doubt she wouldn’t have taken a chance on him if she wasn’t serious, but work needed to be sorted out. He wanted to be here, be part of her life, but there were a few things he had to get set into motion before that would happen.

  Deciding it was better to get up and get on with his day, he forced himself out of bed and into the bathroom.

  * * * *

  Elena was almost out of the door when her commanding officer caught her.

  “Captain Santini,” Colonel Vent yelled out.

  She was so close to getting out of there that she wanted to scream. Still, the day had been good, and the training had been challenging. She liked that and thrived on it. It was one of the aspects she really liked about Vent. He might be an ass, but he challenged them and that made her happy. It made her a better Marine.

  So, just as all Santinis did, she gritted her teeth. She might not like him, but she respected him.

  She turned to face him. “Yes, sir?”

  “I understand you took the next few days off.”

  She nodded. “You approved it a couple weeks ago.”

  “Is there a particular reason?”

  She wondered just how many times he had questioned the men she flew with. “No. I wanted a few days off, and I always have use-or-lose time at the end of the year.”

  He nodded. “Make sure you make yourself available if need be.”

  She blinked. “Is there something I don’t know about?”

  “No. I had an issue with Lt. Marks. He didn’t have his cell nearby, and we couldn’t get a hold of him.”

  Which made sense. This was his first assignment. “Yes, sir. I am actually just staying in town, so no worries.”

  “You’re dismissed.”

  He turned and walked away. Elena caught herself before she gritted her teeth. At this rate, she would have to be fitted with dentures by the end of the year. She didn’t always make friends with her commanders, but they rarely took a dislike to her like this one. He was always on her case about things. Since he’d arrived six months ago, he had made more than one comment about her taking time off. It was hard not to take some leave while her parents and the rest of the Santinis had descended on Southern California for Dante’s wedding. And she was the freaking maid of honor. She had things to do.

  She brushed those thoughts away. She had a man to go see. Stepping out into the parking lot, something stirred on the back of her neck as if someone were watching her. She looked behind her, but noticed only a few folks in the parking lot. None of them were looking at her. Shrugging it off, she continued walking to her car, but she felt it again. Instead of looking around, she ignored it. She hadn’t had much sleep, and it had been a tough training mission. Add in her feelings towards the new commander, and it added up to weird feelings.

  She slipped into her car and decided that the next few days would cure her of any issues. She was pretty sure JT would dispel any worries she had. With a smile, she strapped on her seatbelt and started the engine. She definitely had more than a few things they could do to forget worries for at least a few days.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Three wonderful days later, Elena smiled at herself in the mirror as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail. It had been the most wonderful seventy-two hours of her life. She was even including the first time she got in a cockpit to fly. Spending time with JT alone had been amazing. She knew him so well, but Elena felt as if she had ripped another layer of complexity away and knew him even better. Granted, the sex had been mind-blowing, but there was more to it than that. Even in the short time she had with him, she had found out so much more about him.

  She’d decided to go ahead and take the entire rest of the week off. After a call to her commander, she had gotten one more day added to her leave. She had so much leave and time was running out to use it. With an inspection this fall, she knew they would have a lot of work ahead of them. At least now, she wouldn’t just have the leave dissolve. And well, JT was definitely worth a little leave.

  They were finally leaving the apartment; although, she would have been perfectly happy to stay there until Monday morning. JT said they needed sun and since was a beautiful day, she suggested the beach

  She grabbed her cover up and tugged it over her head as she walked into her bedroom. Since she’d gotten home Monday night, they had spent every moment together. They hadn’t even left for food. They had just eaten what she had, then started to order out. And, they always seemed to find themselves in bed. Not just for sex. They ate in there too. And talked. They did so much talking. Not anything serious, just little things like regular couples did.

  But she could almost feel JT’s need to set things right with her family. It irritated her on one level. She was a grown woman, and the United States Marine Corps trusted h
er with millions of dollars of hardware every day she went up in the air. So, the fact that he thought they needed to tell her family about her relationship didn’t make sense to her. On that level.

  On another level, the one that encased her heart and drew her even closer to him, she admired it. He respected her and her family. It was the only reason he wanted to clear the air. Plus, it also spoke of his commitment to their relationship.

  That word made her pause for a second. Relationship. She realized she was standing there grinning at herself in her dresser mirror, and she looked like a fool. But she didn’t care. She was in a relationship with Jethro Thomas, the man she had been in love with for most of her adult life.

  So, she needed to be careful. They needed time to get to know each other better without the scrutiny of her family. If things went bad, she knew they would blame JT, and she didn’t want that. She knew they considered him family, and she couldn’t bear it if something ruined that.

  She shook those worries away. She made sure she had her sunglasses in her bag, as she practically skipped out into the living room. It had been a long time since she’d been to the beach and even though there would still be a lot of tourists, she was okay with that.

  JT smiled at her. “I thought you said you didn’t want to leave. You look pretty happy to me about it.”

  “Truthfully, I am pretty happy about the beach. And although it will make me sound like a goofball, I’m just happy to be going with you.”

  His eyes warmed and his smile widened as he walked toward her. “Is that so?”

  He slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. “Maybe we should forget going to the beach.”

  He finished the sentence the moment before he brushed his mouth against hers. He didn’t close his eyes. By the time he pulled back, her body was humming with need and excitement, and she couldn’t remember why they thought it was a good idea going out.

  “Let’s stay here,” she said, pulling him back to her mouth. She kissed him as if her life depended on it. By the time he pulled back, they were both breathing heavily.

  He shook his head. “No. We’re going. We need some vitamin D, and maybe we should make sure this isn’t just about sex.”

  She wanted to tell him it wasn’t. She knew without a doubt she loved him. But, guys freaked out about things like that.

  “Plus, I’m not sure I can keep up with you. I am getting a little too old for this.”

  She let one eyebrow rise as she slipped on her flip-flops. “Is that so? Do you mean you used to make love more than four or five times a day when you were younger?”

  He chuckled. “What can I say? You make me feel young.”

  She smiled. “Well, that’s good.”

  She walked past him and he shook his head. “I should have known you were going to be trouble.”

  “Just remember that when I irritate you.”

  * * * *

  JT had just settled on his towel as Elena pulled off her cover up. It had been hard to force himself out of that apartment, especially since she didn’t want to go, but now he was going to have to see her like this. Damn, the woman was practically naked.

  Okay, it wasn’t any worse than most of the woman on the beach, but she was wearing a bright blue bikini that barely covered all the important parts.

  She handed him some sunscreen lotion. “Do me.”

  He studied her for a second. Her sunglasses hid her eyes, but her smile told him she was daring him to say something. The woman had a warped sense of humor. He could tell from her smile, she was daring him to say something. He said nothing and waited for her to sit down on her towel.

  “It’s not as crowded as I thought it would be,” she said as he poured the lotion in his hand and rubbed it on her back.

  “Middle of the week.”

  “But it’s summer. I thought there would be more tourists.”

  He said nothing to that. He couldn’t. It was hard touching her like this on a public beach and not being able to do more. Inwardly, he scoffed. He had said he was worried it was all about sex. He knew for himself, that wasn’t true.

  JT wanted forever. The fact that he still wasn’t freaking out about that had him itching to call her father. But they hadn’t really dated, not for long, and she had been right. They needed time together before they had family intruding. There was one thing the Santini family was good at and that was intruding. Secondly, he needed to talk to Anthony. His friend needed to know up front that he had fallen in love with his sister.

  “So, I guess we proved this isn’t about sex.”

  He sighed and leaned forward so he could whisper in her ear. “It is taking all my control not to pull you down on the towel and ravish you.”

  She laughed. “Sure.”

  “Seriously.”

  She turned and looked at him. The smile she wore did little to cool his need for her. In fact, that sassy grin made her even more attractive. He loved confident women, and Elena had confidence in spades.

  “I believe you, but that doesn’t matter,” she said.

  “It doesn’t matter?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. My parents are still like that. And so embarrassing at times.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She sighed and settled on her towel. “At Dante and Madison’s wedding reception, my parents couldn’t keep their hands off each other. It was embarrassing that they were getting more comments than even the newlyweds. They danced the Tango, and there was little doubt that Dante wasn’t the only Santini getting lucky that night.”

  “I think it’s nice.” And it was. The fact that her parents had been married for so long and still adored each other was comforting. He’d wanted that all his life. Some kind of woman who could stand up to him as much as she attracted him.

  Until now, he just never thought it would be Elena. But he knew without a doubt, he would be just like her father—like all the Santini men for that matter.

  “Well, it would be okay if they weren’t my parents. Jesus, they have six kids. You would think by now they would know how to behave.”

  “They did have six children. There’s a reason.”

  She made a face. “I don’t want to think about it.”

  JT smiled and settled back on his towel. With a sigh, he enjoyed the feel of the sun on his skin, and the fact that he was spending time with the woman beside him.

  Life couldn’t get better than this.

  * * * *

  By the time they got home that afternoon, Elena was more than happy to just pick up a pizza and then eat it in bed. JT had different ideas. He made her go shopping with him. Apparently, big, bad NCIS agent liked to have fresh fruit, and he decided to make her dinner.

  After both of them showered, she watched him make her dinner. It was a novel thing. Not that a man was cooking, but that a man was cooking for her. Other than family, she didn’t know any man who had offered to do that for her.

  “Now, where did you learn to cook?” she asked as she took a long sip of her wine.

  He smiled but didn’t look up. “Your brother taught me this particular recipe.”

  He spread the pizza sauce on top of the naan bread, then grabbed the bag of cheese. He sprinkled a generous amount on both of the pizzas and looked at her.

  “You wanted mushrooms, onions, and pepperoni?”

  She nodded. He had even sautéed the mushrooms just the way she liked them. Lifting her foot up on the chair, she settled back.

  “You know, a girl could get used to this. It would be much more interesting if you would have just worn the apron and nothing else like I suggested.”

  He opened the oven and put the pizzas in. After he shut the door, he smiled at her. “We would have never eaten. And while the apron does protect me a bit, I’m not too keen on having my important bits around a hot stove.”

  She laughed, enjoying him and stood up. She gave him a long, hot, wet kiss.

  “Let’s just go to bed,” she said.

&nb
sp; He groaned. “No. We need to sit here and eat.”

  She pouted.

  “Okay, we’ll take it to bed and eat it there.”

  “Aww, look there, a compromise.”

  She gave him another fast kiss, then grabbed a couple of plates down from the cupboard. Now, she just had to get them through dinner as fast as possible, so she could get her hands on the man again.

  * * * *

  Terror clogged his throat, as he stood there in the kitchen where he’d had more than one dinner.

  “You bastard.”

  It was his father’s favorite name for him. JT used to take it, but now, he was eighteen and he refused. He was leaving, and he wasn’t ever coming back.

  “You think I am going to let you walk out that door?”

  “I’m eighteen now. I can do whatever the hell I want.”

  “The fuck you can,” his father said, coming at him with the two by four he’d been holding when he walked into the kitchen. His father raised it up and swung it towards his head.

  Elena woke up the moment she heard JT yell out. She sat up, her heartbeat a tattoo against her chest as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on and where she was. Drawing in huge gulps of air, she felt someone thrashing against her.

  JT.

  She looked down at him. His face was twisted in pain, his head back as if someone was hurting him. He was murmuring something she couldn’t understand, but she knew it was something that was scaring the living hell out of him.

  “JT, wake up.”

  He shook his head, too lost to the pain that was going on his head. She shook him and he lashed out. He barely missed punching her jaw. She stumbled back just out of reach. He blinked and sat up.

  “What?” he asked, his gaze still unfocused. He looked like he had one foot in reality and one foot back in the dream.

  “You were having a bad dream.”