The Santini Collection 1-4 (41 page)

It was hard to think of Mike that way. Of course, Mike had had his faults just like anyone else. But these things…Vince would have never expected the cheating. Of course, he’d lied to him about sleeping with Jules when they were in high school, so now Vince wondered what else his friend lied about.

“
I just wanted you to know there was a lot in their relationship and I want to make sure you don’t hurt her. That’s one woman who doesn’t need any more pain.”

“
You aren’t interested in her otherwise?”

Jesse shook his head. “Naw. I kind of see her as a sister. Of course, if Mike hadn’t had that wreck, I probably would have killed him myself. Their marriage, in the end, was a living hell for Jules. There was more than one night I felt I failed protecting her.”

At the moment he had much of the same feelings.

“
And I’m assuming you’re going out with her soon.”

“
In a way. We went out last night.”

Which wasn’t exactly a lie. He just didn’t feel right outing their relationship in front of Jesse. Truth was that Vince wanted to keep it between them for the next little while. It was something he wanted to share with only her.

Jesse chuckled. “And here I thought you were committed to your title of Last Santini Standing.”

He shrugged. “I guess we’ll see.”

He gave him a look that told Vince he didn’t believe him.

“
So, I take it you went out to see MJ again.”

He smiled. Vince might not like the man sniffing around his business, but it was nice to see another military family as close as the Santinis, mainly because it prepared MJ for the intrusive life of a Santini.

“
Lord, yeah. I think she’s bigger today than she was last night.”

“
You didn’t tell her that, did you?” Vince asked.

Jesse rolled his eyes. It was so like the same expression MJ had when she was irritated that Vince laughed.

“
I’m not stupid.” He sighed and stood. “I just wanted you to know there’s nothing going on between Jules and me. And, know if you do anything to her, I will hunt you down and make you pay.”

Vince studied him for a moment then nodded.

Once he was alone, Vince sat back and looked outside. He had been ready to live alone the rest of his life. He’d always thought that he’d never meet a woman like Jules. He didn’t feel comfortable settling for someone who just didn’t have his whole heart. It wasn’t the Santini way. And, he couldn’t do that to another woman.

She’d been back for a while and Vince knew that his mother had been spending time with her. He’d avoided the shop even though he drove by it at least once a week. Which did not make him a stalker. Really.

Okay, a little bit, but his mother had been so worried about her, Vince felt the need to make sure she was alright. Of course, he never stopped, but that didn’t mean anything.

He scrubbed his face with both his hands. He had to ask Jules about her relationship, but he was worried about pushing her. Last night had been more than he ever expected. Waking up with her in his bed had been a memory he would never forget.

He needed to know what went on at some point, but he didn’t want to lose her. Vince knew without a doubt, this was his last chance with her and he wasn’t about to screw that up.

Now, if he could just remember that, he’d be fine.

* * * *

Jules was just stepping out of the shower when she heard the roar of a Harley. She dressed as fast as she could knowing that Vince would probably stop over. They hadn’t made any plans, but she had a feeling he would want to stop by.

As she pulled her top on, she admitted that she had hoped he would stop by. Last night had proven that she wasn’t a complete failure in the bedroom. And sadly, she had been daydreaming all day about another night with Vince. Being preoccupied with sex was something that she didn’t have to deal with since her high school days.

Her doorbell rang and she rushed out, her hair still damp. She peeked out and saw Vince on her doorstep, a pizza box in his hands.

She opened the door smiling. “Hey, I was going to call you after I got out of the shower.”

One eyebrow rose in typical Santini fashion. “Really? After? Why would you wait for that?”

For a second she didn’t get his meaning, but it hit her and she felt her face heat. “Oh get in here.”

He stepped through the door and Rufus came shuffling out. He gave a happy bark and moved over to Vince.

“
I thought you said he didn’t like men.”

“
He only likes you because you brought pizza. You know men just want to be fed.”

He laughed and set the pizza on the table. He bent down and gave Rufus a scratch behind the ears. Vince straightened, grabbed her by the hand and in the next instant, he was kissing her breathless.

“
I’ve been waiting to do that all day,” he said giving her a little kiss on the nose.

“
Yeah?” She couldn’t stop the grin. Having someone preoccupied with her was a new feeling. “I had the same problem.”

“
Do you have any paper plates?” She nodded and retrieved them from the kitchen. When she returned, she found Vince pulling off a piece of his pizza slice and about to throw it to Rufus.

“
Don’t you even dare. That dog cannot handle pizza. Especially with pepperoni on it.”

And then she realized it had pepperoni and mushrooms. Her favorite pizza. Well, half of it was. The other just had the pepperoni. She looked up at Vince.

“
You remember my favorite pizza?”

He looked a little sheepish and nodded. How could she resist a man who remembered things like that? It was useless in her opinion.

“
Why don’t we eat this in the living room?”

He nodded and grabbed some napkins and followed her in. Rufus followed him as if he was his long lost father.

“
You disgust me. I saved you, rescued you, and took care of you. And you abandon me for a man with pizza.”

“
Us guys have to stick together, right, Rufus? Even if she stole your manhood.”

She chuckled. “That was gone before me.”

“
Jesse Johnson came by to my office today.”

And just like that everything in her tensed. “Yeah?”

He nodded and played with the remote control trying to find something to watch. “He said that Mike was booted out.”

She sighed. “He was. I told you that before.”

Vince looked at her then, his gaze direct and his expression serious. “He said he was drinking and cheating on you.”

She was going to have a talk with Jesse. A very loud talk with him. She knew he was just trying to look out for her, but this was stepping over the line.

Vince shook his head. “No, don’t look like that. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Jules set her pizza down. “I don’t like talking about it.”

“
We don’t have to. I just wanted you to know I knew about it. Of course, Mike was an asshole.”

He took another bit and turned the channel to an old NCIS episode.

“
You think your best friend was an asshole?”

He shook his head and swallowed. He faced her. “We weren’t friends by then, Jules. You know that we drifted apart after your marriage. It started before that when he didn’t make it into Annapolis and I did. You knew he blamed me for getting in.”

She nodded remembering how bitter Mike had become. Even the mention of Vince’s name would send him on a tirade about how the process was screwed up./

“
Then, when you got married, it was just too hard. I couldn’t see Mike with the woman I loved for the rest of my life. It had been bad enough in high school.”

She blinked. “What did you say?”

“
I love you, Jules. I don’t see a reason to pretend I don’t.”

He took another bite of pizza and watched the show. He said it as if it was no big deal.

“
Listen, Vince…”

He looked at her again. “I am not asking you to do anything about those feelings. I just thought I should tell you right off.” He gave her a quick kiss. “So, are you an NCIS fan?”

She glanced at the TV then back at him. Suddenly, her heart felt lighter, her outlook cleared.

“
Yeah. I have a bit of a crush on Gibbs.”

He gave her a wink. “Of course you do. He’s a Marine.”

She laughed. “You are full of yourself.”

“
How can I not be? I have NCIS to watch, a pretty girl, pizza and an ugly dog. Pretty good night if you ask me.”

She grabbed up her pizza and snuggled up against him. Vince was right. A pretty damned fine night.

Chapter Eight

A month later, Jules was still in a haze of happiness. There were moments she thought it was all a dream. She had never been this happy with anyone in her life.

“
Why do I have to plant it?” Vince asked as she watched him pummel an impatient. They were in his backyard. Although there was still work to be done, the yard and flowerbeds were starting to look almost manageable. She had insisted that he help her with it because it had been fun to do. Until now. If he massacred any more flowers, she might have to hit him.

“
Stop abusing the flower. And you have to do it because you’ll value it more if you do it with your own hands.”

He snorted and she had to fight a smile. He’d been bitching since she’d dragged him out into the backyard earlier. His idea had been to stay in bed and make love. Again. It had been tempting, but they needed to spend time out of bed. Although, now that she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with a reason why.

“
What’s next?”

She glanced at the flower. It was barely alive, but at least he’d done the work. And he looked so damned hot doing it. He was wearing a pair of faded, holey jeans and no shirt. It was enough to make a girl lose her head.

“
Jules?”

“
Oh, sorry. They need water. Let me get the hose.”

Not that they would survive his abuse, she thought, feeling safe to smile. She turned on the water and headed back to the flowerbed.

She had her head down and was messing with the nozzle. “What’s wrong with this thing? You need a new one.”

“
I don’t need a new one. This one works just fine.”

He stepped in front of her and reached for the hose. She finally got it to work. The hard spray of water hit him smack in the chest. She didn’t say anything for a moment or two. Then she started chuckling.

“
I’m sorry.”

He cocked his head to the side and frowned at her. “That’s funny. You don’t sound sorry.”

The gleam in his eyes warned her he was after payback. She dropped the hose and ran, squealing. He chased her up the steps and into the house. She barely got in the door when he grabbed her. He slammed the door shut and crowded her up against it.

“
Think you’re funny, do you?”

She was giggling when she shook her head. “It was an accident.”

“
Yeah?”

She nodded, and another bubble of laughter escaped. He was frowning at her one instant, then the look changed. His eyes heated.

“
Jules,” he whispered. She barely heard it, but she felt it. He smoothed his hand over her face, brushing her hair out of her face. “I love you.”

For him, it was that simple. He loved her and it was all he needed. In that instant she knew she didn’t have to hide her feelings.

“
I love you, Vince.”

He crushed his mouth against hers. Saying the words freed her, and in that one moment, it was just the two of them. Vince pressed his body against hers and she felt his arousal. Her need soared.