Falling for a Santini

by Melissa Schroeder

  He shook his head as if trying to clear it. He looked up at her. Even in the dark light, she saw his face pale.

  “I almost hit you.”

  She heard the tone, the self-loathing. His father was on his mind again. Something about this mission had brought it up for him.

  “You were having a nightmare, and I should have known better. Dante would have them sometimes and lash out if anyone tried to wake him up.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She scooted closer and cupped his face. “You were having a bad dream. When I woke you up, you struck out. A lot of people do it. Do you remember what you were dreaming about?”

  He nodded, but she knew he didn’t want to talk about it.

  “I take it you would rather not talk.”

  “It was the last time I saw my father.”

  When his father had beaten him for standing up to him. He’d ended up in the hospital.

  “Oh, Jethro.”

  “Don’t pity me.”

  She shook her head. “Never. I would never pity a man who came from that situation and made a life for himself. I admire you and I hurt for you, but I don’t pity you.”

  She didn’t know what else to say. So she did the one thing she knew he needed. Leaning forward, she kissed him lightly, then deepened it. He hesitated at first, then groaned. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her on top of him. He rolled them over so that their positions were reversed.

  Without hesitation, she gave herself to him. Their lovemaking was fevered and fast…and perfect. He needed this from her, and she needed to give it to him. Moments later, as they both crested over the edge into pleasure, she felt as if she had been stripped bare.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Monday morning, JT made his way into the office. When he stopped by last week, his boss had been in a meeting. JT had another week of leave left, but he really wanted to set things straight with his boss, Vic Glover. He didn’t want to talk about forever with Elena if he didn’t have everything set in motion.

  JT stepped off the elevator and into the cubicle-laden room he’d spent too much time in. The buzz of work filled the air as he walked down the hallway to his division. He nodded to a few people but didn’t stop to chat. He had made a decision and he had to talk to Vic. He found him at his desk. Since his divorce a couple of years earlier¸ Vic spent most of his time at the office.

  Vic saw him when he was halfway across the room. As he walked into the office, he realized that the last few years had been hard on Vic. He was only a few years older than JT, but Vic looked as if he had ten years on JT. An inch or two taller than JT’s six-three frame, he kept his hair military short. The graying at the temples spoke of the stress he had been through. Running an investigative team with NCIS wasn’t easy on anyone.

  He stood as JT approached the desk. The frown wasn’t anything new. The man was never happy, but this seemed to be directed at JT.

  “What are you doing in today? Gregory isn’t going to let you come back to work so quickly.”

  JT shook his head. He knew the head honcho wasn’t going to be happy if he thought JT was in there trying to work. Undercover assignments took a lot out of a person. Taking time to bring yourself back into your own life was important. It was also mandatory.

  “No, I wanted to talk to you about my future.”

  “Aw, shit.” Vic sighed. “I had a feeling.”

  “You did?”

  “Before you left, there was something off about you. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew this might be the last one. I hate for you to let that investigation get to you. You’re too good of an investigator.”

  JT shook his head. Things had been bad on the UA this time. But, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t gone through some crap before.

  “It wasn’t the assignment. I have other things I want to do.”

  His face fell further. It was comical. “Damn. You found a woman.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I guess I can’t warn you the job takes a toll.”

  He shook his head. Vic’s marriage hadn’t been great, but his workaholic ways didn’t help the matter. The divorce two years ago had made him even worse.

  “She’s a woman who understands duty.”

  “Is that a fact? They all say that.” Skepticism dripped from every word.

  JT chuckled. “No, believe me, the family is born and bred military.”

  “Damn. Okay. Is there any way I can convince you to stay? ”

  He felt his eyes widen. “Good God, I’m not resigning. I just don’t want a UA.”

  Vic’s frown eased into something close to a smile. Well, as close as Vic got to a smile. “Oh. I can handle that. I was going to suggest you take a break anyway, but I wasn’t sure how you would handle it.”

  He shrugged. “I probably would have fought it before her, but then, I didn’t have anything to come home to.”

  His boss settled his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Damn, I am going to have to meet the woman who makes you speak like that. Who would have thought it?”

  “I’m sure you’ll meet her soon.”

  Truth was, Vic knew her. He’d met Elena once or twice when Anthony had been assigned to the office. That was the one thing he knew he would have to face soon. His best friend was never going to accept this situation, but he had to be the one to tell him up front.

  “I did want to talk to you,” Vic said, looking around and motioning with his head to come back to his cubicle.

  “What about?” JT asked, wondering at the strange behavior.

  “We think there is something more on the case.”

  That stopped his brain from functioning for a second or two.

  “No. Smith was the guy. He controlled everything.”

  The last few months had been about drug running and illegal gun sales. Several assholes had decided to sell military weapons to get money to buy drugs. Once they had them, they’d started to sell them around the base and the areas around the base. It had been one of the worst cases he’d worked on in his career. The lack of empathy those bastards had for other people, including their fellow military members, had almost sent him over the edge. More than once a military member who had nothing to do with the operation had been affected. And, since many of the drugs had been sold on and around military bases, it indirectly affected them also.

  And the bastards just didn’t care.

  “He’s talking to the justice department. We aren’t sure about what, but rumor is that he is trying to get a deal.”

  “Fuck.” That meant he had something. The Justice Department wouldn’t go near him if he didn’t have evidence of someone else involved.

  “Exactly.”

  If Smith was getting a deal, it meant he would do little to no time. It also meant they missed someone. The captain had been charged with a multitude of crimes. He’d controlled the entire operation out of his office on base. JT had never met a person who had such low morals, and that was saying a lot considering his father. Worse, Smith had always been the epitome of the perfect Marine officer. He appeared to be the perfect family man. But, beneath the impeccable façade lay the dirtiest of scum. JT had thought the man would sell his children to get ahead.

  “I just wanted to give you a heads up just in case.”

  JT nodded.

  “Give me a call on my cell if anything pops.”

  As JT headed back out to his truck, his mind wasn’t on the woman who had consumed most of his thoughts lately. He was mentally rerunning the case, trying to think of anything he might have missed. One thing was for sure; he wasn’t going back under. All the investigating would have to be done on this side of the work. He had something more important to attend to.

  With that thought, he hurried to his truck and decided to stop by his house to pick up his mail. Then, he would head off to Elena’s.

  * * * *

  After filling up at the gas station on base, Elena started on her way home. For Monday, it had been an easy day. She kne
w JT had run into work for a bit, and it was good to have some time apart. She had never been a woman who looked for her identity in a man. It wasn’t that she didn’t want one in her life, but she would rather he stand beside her and make her stronger. With her career field of flying Raptors, she was consumed with work a lot of the time. Everyone in the military who had dealt with a pilot knew that a pilot’s focus was on his or her job. It was just the way it had to be. One little mistake could cost you your life.

  Concentrating had been a problem today. Of course, she’d been thinking about JT all day long. It had been irritating to be called out by people for not paying attention. Now if she had a chance to fly today, it would have been okay. It was the one thing in the world that had kept her sane while JT had been gone.

  From the time she was five, she had wanted to be a pilot. Her mother had told her that she had talked about it nonstop after seeing the Air Force Thunderbirds, but she really didn’t want to go Air Force. It wasn’t until she was a freshman in high school that she decided she wanted to do it for the Marines. She was thrilled to be living in a time when women had a chance, no matter how slight, to try for flight.

  Things in her life seemed to be falling into place. Now, if she could just let things be with JT. She knew she was pushy. It was hard not to be in her family. Growing up with three older brothers and a twin hadn’t been easy on her. Hell, when Nando appeared on the scene, he had even tried to tell her what to do. His first word was no and it was directed at her. All of them had made sure that she grew up with a chip on her shoulder and an attitude to be able to carry it. It was one of the reasons she hadn’t wanted to let the family know about their relationship. They needed time to figure out where they stood. And hopefully, she could keep herself from being too pushy. As she turned down the two-lane highway that led to her apartment, Elena knew she needed to start thinking about a house. Granted, she rarely had anything bigger than what she had now. Her work took a lot of her time, and she didn’t need a lot of space. Now that JT was in the picture, she felt as if she needed to give him his own area. Men liked that; she knew that from experience.

  Glancing up in her rearview mirror, she noticed a car approaching at a rapid pace. She frowned. It wasn’t that deserted on the road, but she didn’t like the way the guy was coming up on her. There was no shoulder for her to pull over on.

  The car raced forward then pulled back. Over and over he did it. She gripped the wheel and just continued to drive. It might just be an asshole who wanted her to go faster, but she was already five miles an hour over the speed limit.

  Quickly, he raced forward and pulled up alongside of her. It was a no passing zone, and she didn’t want to have an accident, so she eased off the gas, thinking she would let him pass. He kept pace, slowing down with her. Panic started to beat in her blood, as the car inched closer beside her. There was no one nearby. She glanced over and realized the windows were tinted so dark, she would never be able to see who it was. She didn’t even know if it was a man or not.

  Elena looked up in her mirror. There was no one behind her. She slammed on her breaks, just as the car beside her suddenly veered to the right. He barely clipped the front fender of her car. She watched as the car sped off down the road. Her hands were shaking as she drew in a few breaths.

  Her head was spinning and no small wonder. She might be an adrenaline junkie when it came to flying, but she didn’t mess around on the road. When she got herself pulled together, she decided to head home. She had more important things to worry about than some jackass with a death wish.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Elena splashed some water on her face. Her hands were still shaking as she tried to get over the near encounter. Her heart wasn’t beating out of control and she wasn’t really scared anymore. She was pissed. Just because some ass wanted to get around her, he had almost killed her.

  There was one thing she couldn’t accept, and that was treating life so frivolously. Santinis understood how precious it was, especially after almost losing Carlos when he was shot on his last deployment. Playing around on a highway was unacceptable. She had been so shaken up that she had forgotten to get the car tag. And without it, there really wasn’t much she could do. She would call and file a report, but past that, she knew nothing would come of it.

  Wiping off her face, she pushed away the rest of her worries. She’d wait until JT got home and she would talk to him about it. He’d probably tell her she should call the police, if only to report reckless driving.

  She hung up the towel and was contemplating dinner when her cell phone rang. She wanted to ignore it, knowing that JT should be there soon, but a certain dark knight’s heavy breathing told her it was her mother.

  “Hey, Mama,” she said, thankful her voice didn’t shake.

  “Elena, do you still have that horrible ringtone?”

  “No,” she said, easily lying to her mother.

  “Hmm, I have a feeling you’re not telling me the truth.” But apparently she wasn’t going to push it. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine. Although, I had a long boring day.”

  Her mother laughed. “So, no flying?”

  Her mother knew her too well. It was one of the reasons she had been very careful the last couple of times they’d talked on the phone. She knew after the wedding, her mother had been really worried. Marcella Santini knew that if her daughter wasn’t eating, there was something wrong. And, just like all the other mothers in the Santini family, she felt it was her right to pry.

  “No. But I should get to fly tomorrow, so that’s all good. Now why don’t you tell me why you are calling?”

  “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

  She sighed and decided her mother would keep dancing around the subject. “Please, quit checking up on me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She sighed. “You aren’t even being subtle. Carlos has called three times this month. I don’t think I’ve ever talked to him so much—even when we lived in the same house. Brando was the worst houseguest. If I didn’t take him out, he expected me to cook for him. And we both know that idiot can cook better than I can. He whined and complained the entire time he was here. There is a good chance if he had stayed one more day, I might have killed him. Or, gotten him drunk and shaved off one eyebrow while he was sleeping.”

  Her mother didn’t say anything for a moment. That meant she was probably trying to decide whether to keep lying or come clean.

  “I’ve been worried about you.”

  Her heart squeezed tight. As the only females in the family, they had always been close. They saw themselves as the embattled females and, thanks to her mother, Elena knew just how to push back when it came to all men, her brothers included. She was still one of her closest confidants, but she couldn’t tell her exactly why she was doing well, but she wanted to reassure her.

  “I know you have, but things are going better.”

  “Good. I hear it in your voice.”

  “You do?” she asked, still always mystified by her mother’s ability to ferret out that her children were having problems.

  “Yes. At the wedding, you were unhappy.”

  She frowned, hoping that other people didn’t think she was upset about Madison and Dante marrying. Nothing made her happier than seeing them get married.

  “I was not. I was so happy for Madison and Dante.”

  “Oh, I know you were happy for them, and you hid it well.” She sighed again. “No one else could tell, but I am your mother. I know when you are hurt.”

  “I wasn’t hurt.”

  Another pause. “Lonely then. Missing someone.”

  She sighed. “Yes.”

  “But that seems to be solved now.”

  The door opened and JT came in. He was smiling until he saw her face. It slowly transformed into a concerned frown. He looked so cute like that. Granted, she was pretty sure, he looked cute doing anything, but when he was concerned about her, he was irresistible.


  “Elena?” her mother asked, concern in her voice.

  Slowly, her lips curved. “Oh, yeah for sure.”

  “Who is it?” JT whispered.

  “It’s Mom.”

  “You have company,” her mother said.

  Well, she couldn’t hide it and, truthfully, there wasn’t anything weird about JT being at her apartment. He’d been part of their family for so long that it was actually expected.

  “JT is here.”

  A pause. “Oh. Let me talk to him. He didn’t call me when he returned.”

  She smiled, knowing that JT was going to get yelled at.

  “Mom wants to talk to you,” she said handing him the phone.

  He took it with a frown on his lips. Elena just grinned at him.

  “Hey, Mrs. S, how is everything going with you?”

  Elena stepped closer and slid her arms around his waist. God, it always felt as if she had been starving for affection when she went longer than an hour or two without some kind of contact. She needed this, the warmth of his body and the vibration of his chest as he talked on the phone. She just needed him.

  “I’ve been kind of busy.”

  She smiled as she kissed his throat. Her mother was definitely giving him hell. Elena could hear the rapid-fire questions thrown at him by her mother and figured he deserved it. They all knew they needed to call when they returned. Hell, even when she took a trip, she had to call when she arrived. Marcella Santini didn’t like missing her children.

  “Yes, yes, I know you worry.”

  Elena dragged her teeth over his flesh, and he shuddered.

  “No. I don’t want you to worry about me anymore. I promise to call when I return from assignments from now on.”

  More talking on the other end. Her mother was still asking him all kinds of questions. Elena lifted her head to kiss him along his jawline.

  “No. No, we’re just going out to eat,” he said, his voice deepening.

  Elena pressed against him and had to fight a moan. He was already hard beneath his jeans. She had always had a healthy sex drive, but JT had her behaving as if she were a sex addict. She couldn’t keep her hands off him if he was in the room.