A Santini Christmas (13 page)

He was in good shape thanks to his job. Markinson had told her Santini was a medic he had served with in Iraq, and that definitely showed in those massive arms. She shivered. They were the kinds of arms that made a woman feel safe.

No. No. No!

She had too many military men in her life. Her father was a marine, her brothers were all marines, and she worked daily with military men. She knew the only thing that would come out of any kind of attraction was heartbreak. It wasn’t like he was going to ask her out. From his reaction to her, he probably would have some kind of background check done on her. Not that he would find anything.

She put the bag of oranges in her cart, turning she ran smack dab into a man.

“
Whoa, there, Ms. Johnson.”

Dammit, she knew that voice. She would probably think about it when she was…never mind thinking about that.

She tipped her head back and found Santini smiling down at her.

“
Do you always run around like you’re hell bent for leather?” His lips curved into a lopsided smile that had her brain shutting down. “Cat got your tongue?”

She shook her head and tried to step back. It was then that she realized he had those massive hands wrapped around her forearms. His thumbs were caressing her skin ever so slightly. This close she could smell the fresh clean scent of him. All soap and hard, sexy man.

Mother help me.

He looked down at his hands then back up at her. “Oh, sorry. Wanted to make sure you didn’t fall down.”

He hesitated then released her.

She studied him realizing that he hadn’t changed out of his BDUs.

“
What are you doing here?” she asked.

“
Shopping?” he said with amusement as he tipped his head toward his buggy. She eyed all the fruits and vegetables.

“
That’s a lot of food for one guy.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and she tried to ignore the way his pecs flexed—but she failed. She swallowed—hard—and forced her attention from them to his face.

“
I like to eat.”

She rolled her eyes and turned to leave. She needed to get away—far away—from the temptation of Santini. If she were lucky he would leave her alone. His footsteps behind her told her she wasn’t so lucky.

She stopped and he almost ran his cart into her. With a sigh she turned to face him.

“
What?”

His eyes widened and she realized that she had raised her voice. A glance around the department told her she had gained the attention of the few people shopping that late at night.

Maryanne slipped around his buggy. “I thought guys like you only shopped on post.”

Something that looked like guilt moved over his face before he hid it. Great, now he was coming up with a lie and they weren’t even involved. What the hell was wrong with her? This is what she found attractive. The perfectly nice accountant she had dated a few months earlier never lied to her but she just lost interest, mainly because he was perfectly boring.

“
I had some work, which I’m sure you did too?” he said, his smile returning.

She did not want him smiling at her. She needed him pissed at her, being mean to her, and staying away from her. When he was smiling like that it just made her want to scream. And kiss him. She really, really wanted to kiss him.

“
And you decided to drive all the way over here to Universal City to shop at the HEB? Isn’t there one closer to post?”

He nodded. “This one is closer to my apartment.”

Oh, so not good.

“
Don’t tell me you live at the Live Oak Apartments.”

“
I sure do. Just moved in two weeks ago.”

She narrowed her eyes as she studied him. Growing up as the only sister of three older brothers made her very good at detecting bullshit.

He seemed to be telling the truth, but there was that moment before that made her nervous. Worse, she wanted to believe him. Wanted to have him living near her so she could flirt with him, maybe kiss him…

Dammit.

She had no other choice than to chase him away.

“
Listen, this might work with a lot of other women, but I don’t like stalkers.” She practically yelled it. He wore no expression on his face so she decided to get out before he could retort. Grabbing her cart, she hurried away.

Damn, she really did need to get a life.

Leonardo is sold as an individual title everywhere in digital and in the Santinis Collection in both print and digital.

The wildly successful Santinis resulted in the spinoff series: Semper Fi Marines. The first book, Tease Me, is now available in print and digital from retailers everywhere!

TEASE ME

A man who thinks he has what he wants.

Bran Johnson always knew he wanted to be a Marine. What makes it even better is longtime gal pal TK is now stationed at the same base. Unfortunately, Bran is having a hard time dealing with his feelings when he realizes that TK is considered a hot commodity on base. Worse, he finds himself taking a backseat to her admirers.

A woman who always wished for more.

Tess Keller has loved Bran since they were in high school. The former football captain always treated her like a friend so she tried to move on. Unfortunately, he’s in her business constantly now. One passionate argument leads to more than either of them expected. Tess knows it isn’t going to last because Bran is never going to settle down. So, to save face, she suggests they stay friends, only with the side benefit of being sometime lovers.

A Marine determined to win at all costs.

Bran agrees to the friends with benefits idea just to keep himself close to Tess. She might think he’s not around for the long haul, but this is one Johnson brother who knows exactly what he wants…and just how to get it. And what he wants is Tess in his bed and in his life forever. Nothing will stop him, not even Tess herself.

And now, please enjoy the first chapter of Tease Me:

Bran Johnson spotted the golden halo of short curls first. It was always easy to find his best friend from high school by her hair. Not many people had that shade of blonde—not naturally. She was walking down the path in front of the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital heading to the parking lot and she wore scrubs.

He slowed his Camaro and wound down the window. “Hey, there, good looking.”

As she glanced at him, Bran had the pleasure of watching her expression change from irritation to complete happiness. Her dimples appeared and joy lit her green eyes.

She jogged over to him. Bran was delighted that she still had the sprinkle of freckles dancing over the bridge of her nose. “Hey, yourself. When did you get here? I thought you weren’t due in for another week.”

He shrugged. “I had enough of family life in DC for awhile.”

She nodded. If there was one person in the world who knew about how his family worked, it was Tess. Time with the Johnsons was fun, but exhausting—especially when spending time with The General.

She leaned back and looked at his convertible. The little humming noise she made caused him to itch from the inside out.

“
So, this is the new car?”

In high school, she’d been one of the few girls who appreciated cars. Of course, her father’s hobby had been rebuilding old cars, and she’d been his constant companion.

“
Come on, I’ll take you for a ride.”

She didn’t hesitate and jumped right in.

“
Nice to see you pilots still know how to waste money.”

He sighed as he shifted the car into gear. “You always give me shit about my cars and I know it’s because you secretly envy them.”

“
No. I wouldn’t be able to deal with something so low to the ground. Give me my Silverado any day.”

“
So where were you off to so fast?”

“
Lunch. I thought I’d run over to the exchange and grab a bite to eat. Needed to get out of the hospital for a bit.”

“
Sounds good,” he said.

“
Excuse me, but I don’t think I invited you.”

He laughed. “Okay, Tess. Can I please come to the exchange with you to partake in lunch?”

She chuckled and he felt a funny shift in his chest. It had been like that the last few weeks as he’d PCS’d from one base to the other. Any time he talked to Tess on the phone, he’d had odd feelings. He’d written it off as nerves about the new job, but it didn’t explain why his palms were sweating.

“
Okay, since you are new in town and well, I know you can’t get a woman. Plus, I’ll be happy to let you pay.”

“
Did anyone ever tell you, you’re rude?”

“
Yep. But I ignored him. He doesn’t count.”

“
Who called you rude?”

“
Your brother, Jack. He said, ‘You don’t act like a girl. You’re rude.’ Then I told him to suck it.”

“
When was this?” He asked.

She motioned with her hand. “Take the next right. This was in high school. None of you knew how to handle a girl who didn’t faint at the sight of your pretty faces. Well, Jesse could to a point, but you and Jack couldn’t.”

He pulled into a parking space and turned the car off. “We became best friends.”

“
Yes, but not before I gave you a bloody nose.”

“
That is another example of being rude.”

She looked at him, her eyes dancing with humor. “Well, Johnson, don’t ever tell a girl she can’t punch like a guy. There’s a good chance she’ll have to prove you wrong.”

With that, she slipped out of the car, her laughter filtering back to him. He smiled. Yep, it was good to be stationed there with Tess.

They were eating lunch when Tess asked, “So, did you find a place to live?”

He shook his head. She curled her fingers into the palm of her hands to resist brushing back the small lock of hair that fell forward. It was a sure sign he was in need of a haircut.

“
I’ve got a few leads from that realtor you put me in contact with.”

Then he smiled at her. Even ignoring the way her pulse skipped, she knew what was coming. He’d used that smile on every girl in school when he wanted something—and not just sex. The boy could charm a nun into participating in an armed robbery. She couldn’t handle him in her house. That was too much to ask of her. Plus, she couldn’t afford the amount of food he ate.

“
No.”

He tilted his head. “Come on, Tessy. You have a three bedroom house.”

“
And you have a pilot’s pay and TLA, Dislocation Allowance and per diem.” Every time someone PCS’d, they were given extra money to help with the move and for a single guy, it was more than enough to pay for things. “I don’t need you in my way.”

He opened his mouth to say something when Jed Sawyer stopped by the table.

“
Hey, Tess. I didn’t know you were working today.”

Jed was a nice guy and she had gone out with him several times in the last couple of months. He was infantry and it showed in his build. He was just at six feet tall and Tess was sure he would top the scales at two-thirty—most of it muscle. He had chocolate brown eyes, wavy blond hair and a very talented mouth. Lord, the man could kiss and it had been one of the reasons she’d agreed to another date. In fact, they had a date that night.

She smiled at him. “Jed. Yeah, I wasn’t supposed to work, but I traded shifts with someone. Her little boy has the stomach flu and her husband’s deployed.”

He glanced in Bran’s direction then back at her. “Oh, Bran, this is Jed Sawyer. Jed, this is that old friend I told you about, Brandon Johnson.”