Joey burrowed closer, her head right over his heart. Right then, he knew without a doubt he would love her until the day he died.
“So, Sam told me the bar is closed on the twenty-sixth and seventh. How about driving up to DC to meet my folks?”
She stilled, then looked up at him. “Why would I do that?”
“I just thought we would…you know.”
Now, something close to panic shifted over her face. “Meet the folks?”
“Yeah. They’ll want to meet you.”
She sat up, unfortunately pulling the sheet up to shield her breasts from his view.
“Why on Earth would they want to do that?”
“Well, I would think if they knew we were serious, they would want to meet you.”
“Serious?” she screeched as she scrambled out of bed.
“Yes.” He was getting mad now. She was acting like he was asking for her first born.
“We just met.”
“We haven’t just met. We’ve known each other for a month.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know you.”
“What?”
“I…I barely know you.”
“But you slept with me?” He didn’t mean to shout at her. She seemed to be pressing some buttons he didn’t realize he had.
“I’ve slept with a lot of men.”
“You have not.”
“I have too.”
He knew she was lying but arguing wasn’t going to get him anywhere. “Never mind. We’ll talk about it later.”
She opened her mouth, but he gave her a warning look. He pulled on his pants, found his shirt and tugged it on. He barely had his shoes on as he stomped out the door and down the stairs. It was Christmas Eve, dammit, and he didn’t know where he was going. Without a thought, he made his way back to his apartment. It might be noon, but it was close enough to a holiday to start drinking.
Chapter Eleven
Joey wasn’t asleep when the loud banging started on her door. She wasn’t in the mood for another drunk to have lost their way. It happened on holidays a lot. Too drunk to make it back to the car, they wandered the streets. She really needed to move.
“Joey Antonio, why don’t I know your name?”
Joey knew the voice, but not the drunken tone. It was three on Christmas morning. Of course, she didn’t know if she wanted to deal with a drunk Marine either.
“Joey,” Sam said through the door. His voice was pleading. “Open up.”
She grabbed her robe, tugging it on as she made her way to the door. Opening it, she found Sam staggering under the weight of Stewart.
“What happened?” she asked.
“He showed up at our house a while ago demanding to know your name. Thelma said he was your mess.”
Stewart smiled at her. “Hey, Joey.”
She would not be charmed, even if he did look cute in a drunken kind of way. His eyes were barely opened and the lopsided smile he was throwing her way only added to the charm.
“You sure do look pretty. That robe makes your hair bright like the sun. You have the prettiest hair. Doesn’t she have the prettiest hair, Sam?”
He ruined the compliment, by burping. She rolled her eyes. “Come on.”
They made it to the bed, almost dropping him a couple of times. The man was built like a freaking Mac truck.
He fell on the bed. He laughed, then frowned. “I need to know your name.”
He burped again and passed out.
She sighed pressing her fingers against her temples. “I’m sorry about this Sam.”
“You should be. No Santini gets this drunk. With those men, it’s all about control.”
His admonition hurt. He was like a second father to her and knowing she let him down really made her feel bad. “I don’t think he’s drinking because of me.”
Sam settled his hands on his hips. “Don’t you give me that, young lady. He shows up at our house begging Thelma to tell him your real name. Then, he goes on and on about spending the night here, you getting attacked…why didn’t you say anything when you came in today?”
She tried to follow Sam’s train of thought but it wasn’t easy.
“I—I…” She couldn’t come up with an excuse.
“Thelma was hurt you didn’t talk to her about it.”
“Stewart was here.”
And it was as simple as that. She realized in that instant, having him there had not been humiliating. It had been the best thing that could have happened. And the morning of lovemaking and their talks had been just what she needed.
Dammit. He was what she needed. Everything she needed. She didn’t want to have a casual affair with the man. She wanted forever. With babies and stuff.
“Oh, no.” She was in love with him.
She looked at the drunken mess on her bed.
Sam nodded. “He’s going to feel like shit in the morning.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Thelma said dinner’s at two.”
He started to shuffle away.
“Sam.”
He turned to face her. She didn’t know what she would have done if she hadn’t found Sam and Thelma. They had lifted her up and given her the family she needed to help her heal. It was as if they understood her in a way that her family never would. She loved her parents. They were dedicated to their causes and were disappointed when she didn’t want to join them. They never comprehended her needs or her desire for art.
“You know I love you and Thelma, right?”
He smiled. “And we love you. Why do you think Thelma picked you out for the drunken idiot? He loves you too. He might not say it, but no man gets that drunk over a woman he just sort of likes. Not a Santini.”
She smiled, her heart filling with joy. “Merry Christmas, Sam.”
“Merry Christmas, Josephina.”
The door shut behind him and she turned to face the man in her bed. He took up most of it.
It was hard to believe that just a month ago, she had never heard the name Santini or cared about this man. He was a pain in her rear end. Busting into her life, telling her he wanted a serious relationship. Hell, he wanted her to meet his parents. That would lead to meeting her parents, who were none too happy with her living the way she was.
She sighed and sat down on the kitchen chair. There was no doubt about it; the man was going to drive her insane.
Papa woke up to explosions. At least it sounded that way to him. He jolted up, opening his eyes, then slamming them shut again.
When did the sun get so fucking bright? He dropped back in bed, his stomach doing somersaults. It felt as if someone was taking a jackhammer to his damned head.
“Gonna spend all day in bed, Santini?”
The sickly sweet tone told him he was at Joey’s, but he had no idea how he got there. He opened his eyes again, just barely, and realized he was lying in her bed and she was standing next to it, holding a glass of something disgusting.
“Drink.” She held it out to him. His stomach launched a revolt. He fought it back. He took the glass and sipped at it. It wasn’t bad, wasn’t good, but it didn’t make him want to throw up.
“What happened?’
“You drank a lot of liquor and made an ass out of yourself.”
She wandered away, back to her easel. She had his painting out. The smell of paint had been what had woken him and made him sick.
He blinked. She was only wearing a long paint-stained white shirt. He had to have the mother of all hangovers, if he just noticed that.
“Wait, you said I made an ass out of myself?”
“Yeah. I don’t know who you were with, or what you did, but you showed up at Sam and Thelma’s demanding to know my name.”
Suddenly it came back him. He had a few drinks, but not enough to get drunk. Unfortunately, his friends showed up and he had a few more. After that it got fuzzy, but he did know he didn’t drive.
He had been hurting. And he had felt stupid. He knew with Joey he needed to take his time, let her know just how perfect they wer
e for each other. Instead, he had been so happy, he had rushed things. So, he had decided the best option was to get lost in a bottle of cheap whiskey.
Shit, he hoped he didn’t do anything too bad.
“I was demanding to know your name? I know your name.”
“I am assuming demanding to know my full name. Sam felt that it was my fault and brought you over here.”
He sipped a little bit more of the concoction she gave him. He realized now his stomach was settled enough to try standing. With extreme care, he rose out of bed. The room spun, but not so bad he couldn’t concentrate on the woman now painting a background behind him in the picture.
“He felt you were at fault?”
“Yes. He said no Santini ever drinks like that. Then, he said you loved me and he left.”
He blinked. “He said what?”
“No wait. First, I told him I loved him. He returned the affection. Oh, and dinner’s at two, which is in about an hour, so you better shower.” She sniffed in his direction. “You smell.”
He blinked again. “Go back. Sam told you I love you?”
“Yes. Well, he said that Thelma and he loved me.”
Irritation marched down his spine. He didn’t have the patience for her games today. “Dammit, Joey quit doing that.”
She turned to face him, an expression of mock innocence on her face. “What?”
“You said he said that I loved you. You know what I mean.”
“Yes.”
He sighed. “Why did he say that?”
“I didn’t ask. He said no man gets that drunk over a woman he kind of likes. Which is kind of stupid because really, Stewart, we had a little tiff, then you got drunk. Not well played.”
He was still trying to register that Sam had told her that when she asked, “Don’t you want to know my reaction?”
Papa was actually afraid to know. He was ashamed to admit it but after the day before, then getting so damned drunk, he wasn’t sure he was up for another rejection.
“Well, I will tell you anyway. I think I love you too.”
He blinked. “You said you didn’t want to be serious.”
It was her turn to sigh, but she didn’t look away. “I was scared.”
She said it in such a small voice he realized she was ashamed. Which was stupid, but he would get to that later. If what she was saying was true, he could spend the next fifty years proving to her that she was the toughest lady he knew.
“You love me?” he asked.
“I said I think I love you.”
“You think?” he asked irritated again.
She gave him a Gallic shrug. “I’m not sure about love. If there’s a person in your life who drives you crazy but you can’t think of life without them, is that love?”
He smiled. “It must be, because it’s how I feel about you.”
Without being able to hold back anymore, he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.
“I love you, Stewart.”
He smiled and gave her a smacking kiss on the mouth.
She wrinkled her nose. “Oh, really, Stewart, I might love you, but you do need a shower. You smell like the inside of a whiskey bottle.”
He pulled her toward the bathroom. “Wanna scrub my back?”
She smiled and nodded, allowing him to lead her to the shower. “We are going to have to figure out how I will go to art school.”
He turned and faced her. “I don’t have a ring, or a lot of money, but I will make damned sure you go to art school.”
She smiled. “You really are the sweetest man.”
He leaned forward for a kiss but she pressed her hand on his chest. “Really, Stewart. Shower, now. And toothpaste, that would be good.”
He laughed and started the shower. “And, just for the record, I love you too, Josephina.”
Present day, Warrenton, VA
Joey woke as the first rays of sunlight tried to fight its way through the blinds. Something tightened around her fingers, causing her to blink then open her eyes. Stewart was looking at her.
“What happened?”
Hearing his voice was one of the most wonderful sounds she had ever heard. It was the only Christmas present she needed.
“You’re in the hospital.”
He moved his head to look around, then winced.
“Oh, don’t move.”
For some reason, her vision wavered. She didn’t realize until then she was crying.
“Oh, Joey, don’t cry, baby.”
It had been such a long night, and now that she knew he was safe, she couldn’t hold it together anymore.
Stewart’s fingers tugged on hers, pulling her out of the seat and he did his best to move over to give her space on the bed. She shook her head.
“You need your rest. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“There is one thing you should know and that is Papa always gets his way.”
She tried to snort, but a sob came out. Just as he always did, he pulled her closer, easing her onto the bed. He kissed the back of neck.
“Now, this is the only kind of medicine a Marine needs.”
She smiled and closed her eyes and swallowed. “I thought I lost you.”
As soon as she whispered the words, she felt a new rush of pain sharpen in her chest. She pressed her hand between her breasts trying to ease the pain.
“Ah, baby, you know there’s no getting rid of me.”
In the soft glow of morning light, with the whisper of his breath against her neck, and the sounds of the hospital around them, she drifted off to sleep, content she would kick his ass later.
The next day, the knock on the door interrupted an argument about just how pissed she was at Stewart. She saw Leo’s face in the small glass window.
“Be nice. The kids are here.”
“Woman, you don’t need to tell me how to behave.”
There was no heat in the comment. For the most part, he had let her rant all day about his accident. Joey figured Stewart saw it as penance.
The door opened and Santinis came streaming into the room. Balloons and flowers filled the small area along with two active babies.
“How did you get past the nurses?” she asked as her boys and their wives crowded the hospital room.
Leo gave her a kiss on the cheek. “We used Gianni. You know he can charm anyone.”
MJ came up behind him, baby Anna in her arms. “And we used the newest Santinis, who are just dying to spend some more time with Grandma.”
Joey held her arms out. “Gimme.”
MJ handed Anna over and Joey settled into her chair. Joey watched as MJ took Serena from Leo and took the chair next to hers. The boys gathered around their father, talking over the injuries and his release the next day. She glanced at their wives. MJ looked as she usually did. No one would have known she’d had a baby not long ago. The other three were at various stages of pregnancy. Each of them glowed with the expectancy of new life. Another group of Santinis to raise. She glanced at Stewart, who was watching her, and they shared a smile. They had built a good life together and they were ready for the next chapter.
With the sounds of the family around her, Joey sat back with a smile knowing she would be enjoying another Christmas with the man that made her believe in love again.
About Melissa Schroeder
Born to an Air Force family at an Army hospital Melissa has always been a little bit screwy. She was further warped by her years of watching Monty Python and her strange family. Her love of romance novels developed after accidentally picking up a Linda Howard book. After becoming hooked, she read close to 300 novels in one year, deciding that romance was her true calling instead of the literary short stories and suspenses she had been writing. Since her first release in 2004, Melissa has had over 30 short stories, novellas and novels released with multiple publishers in a variety of genres and time periods. Those releases include the Harmless series, a bestselling erotic romance series set in Hawaii. A Little Harmless Sex, book 1, was
one of the top 100 bestselling Nook Books of 2010.
Since she was a military brat, she vowed never to marry military. Alas, fate always has her way with mortals. Her husband is an Air Force major, and together they have their own military brats, two girls, and two adopted dog daughters, and they live wherever the military sticks them. Which she is sure, will always involve heat and bugs only seen on the Animal Discovery Channel. In her spare time, she reads, complains about bugs, travels, cooks, reads some more, watches her DVD collections of Arrested Development and Seinfeld, and tries to convince her family that she truly is a delicate genius. She has yet to achieve her last goal.
You can connect with Mel all over the web:
WEBSITE
TWITTER
FACEBOOK FAN PAGE
HARMLESS ADDICTS
THE SANTINIS
SEMPER FI MARINES
THE HARMLESS SERIES
THE CURSED CLAN
Or email her at: [email protected]
And now, enjoy the first chapter from Leonardo, the book that started it all!
The Santinis: Leonardo
The bright sunlight almost blinded Leo Santini the moment he walked into Jeff’s hospital room.
“Dammit to hell,” he muttered.
“Still a vampire, I see,” Jeff said with a chuckle.
Leo squinted at him. “And you’re still a sun loving freak from Florida.”
As Leo approached the bed, he felt some of his anxiety dissipate. His old boot camp buddy looked better than he expected. After the report he read on Jeff’s injuries, Leo hadn’t been sure what to expect. Just the fact he wasn’t completely medicated meant he was making strides.
“Freak? Please. You’re the one who moved to Texas.”
He settled in the chair beside the bed. “Please. Not like teaching at Ft Sam was my first choice. Of course, it allows me to see your sorry ass.”
Leo glanced around the room. There were four beds but at the moment, only two of them were occupied.
“Smith, this is Leo Santini, an old buddy of mine who is teaching here as a medic. Leo this is Roy Smith.”
“Nice to meet you, sir,” he said.
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