Gianni - The Santinis (8 page)

“
And you think
it’s your job to see to this?”

“
It’s my
job to make sure she’s happy. You are not helping.”

She snorted and
walked around the room. “You think that she’s so nice?”

“
No, but I
know that while she might not be happy with people’s life
choices, she accepts you and the men you date. You should show her
the same respect.”

Before she could
respond, Kianna joined them back in the living room. He was pretty
sure she was going to try and push him out the door, but that wasn’t
going to happen. He knew that Kianna was used to rearranging people
and for once she was going to have to understand where he fit in her
life.

“
Did you want
to watch something?” Kianna asked.

Zoe looked from him
then back to Kianna. “Sure.”

* * * *

“
What did you
do with my sister?” she asked as he shut the door behind him.

He smiled. “I
have no idea what you are talking about.”

She gave him a
suspicious look, but he didn’t give her a chance to argue
anymore. He knew she had wanted to send him home. Not because she
didn’t want him there, but he knew that her sister wasn’t
happy he was there. He would give them their time, but he was busy
making up for the two months he had fallen for her through emails. He
wasn’t about to give up even one night, especially when nights
with the woman you loved weren’t easy to come by.

For a second, he
stopped.
Love
. Shit, he was in love with her. He looked at her
and she was studying him as if he was sick.

“
Are you
alright?”

He shook his head
and smiled. “Nope, but that’s okay.”

He took her hand and
pulled her to him.

He kissed her then,
fast, quick and wet. Damn, the woman had a mouth on her.

“
Gianni, my
sister’s just down the hall.”

“
I’ll be
quiet...but not sure you can be.”

“
Really?”

“
Yeah.”

She cocked her head
to the side and studied him. Humor danced in her eyes. Of course he
loved her. How could he not? She was made for him.

“
I accept that
challenge.”

He picked her up and
threw her on the bed. She gasped then giggled as she bounced.

“
I aim to win
that,” he said.

Moments later, he
called truce as he captured her moans with his mouth as they road the
crest together. He figured it was totally worth it.

* * * *

The next morning,
Kianna watched her sister breathe in the aroma of her coffee.

“
Did you sleep
okay last night?” she asked and almost winced at the banality
of it. She didn’t know how to act the morning after she’d
had hot sex just a couple rooms away from her baby sister. It had
been different when she had been married. Not really, but for some
reason it just seemed different.

“
Sure, you
know I can sleep anywhere.” She didn’t open her eyes when
she answered. Zoe was definitely not a morning person, had never
been. From the moment she had come home from the hospital, Zoe had
always been a night owl.

“
I remember
when we lived in that house in Athens, remember that? You slept
through the tornado siren.”

“
Well, a lot
of people do that. That’s why they have those weather radio
thingies now.”

“
The siren was
right by our house. It was less than a block away.”

She smiled and
opened her eyes. “So, you want to tell me what’s going on
with you and fly boy up there?”

She shrugged. “Not
sure. Want to tell me why you’re here?”

Her sister smirked.
“Not sure.”

She sighed and
stared. “Zoe.”

Her smile faded.
“Just had to get out of town. I’m kind of over my head
right now.”

“
Did you and
Adam break up?”

She shrugged.

“
What does
that mean?” Kianna asked, even though she was afraid of the
answer.

“
That means I
don’t know where the hell he is.”

Kianna heard the
tears in her sister’s voice. “Oh, baby, I’m sorry.”

She stood up and
pulled Zoe into her arms as she started to sob. “I don’t
know what happened, Kiki.”

The use of Zoe’s
nickname for her was a worry. She rarely used it these days so she
knew there was a problem. “Did he take anything, steal
anything?”

She shook her head
and pulled back. “That’s just it. All his stuff is still
there. He just vanished off the face of the earth. No one has seen
him. It isn’t like him at all.”

Kianna wanted to
roll her eyes but didn’t. Zoe seemed like a pain in the ass to
most people, but the truth was she had a soft heart for bad boys.
Kianna just wished some day Zoe would meet a good guy. And like him.

“
Have you
talked to the police?”

She nodded.
“Nothing. I filed a missing person’s report, but that
isn’t going to go anywhere.” She sighed. “I feel
better now. Thanks for letting me vent. I haven’t told anyone
really.”

Kianna kissed her
forehead. “Remember that I’m always here to talk to.”

“
I think
that’s why I wanted to come see you. I knew you would do
something about it. So, what is going on with you and the younger
man?”

“
He’s
not that much younger.”

“
Okay, but not
your usual type. Uniform types…you’ve avoided them since
you were married.”

She nodded. “Yeah.
But, well, we started emailing while he was deployed.”

“
Just be
careful and remember to be happy.” The sound of the front door
had Zoe making a face. “He went to work out this early?”

Kianna laughed. “He
is military.”

* * * *

Gianni stepped into
the house and heard laughter. He couldn’t help smiling in
response. He noticed the bag sitting on the floor by the sofa. Gianni
hated to admit it but he was kind of happy to see her go. Granted,
once she started to behave, she was pretty cool, but he wanted time
alone with Kianna. His revelation from the night before was too new.
He wanted to work it out.

Zoe stepped into the
living room. “You are disgusting.”

“
Well, good
morning to you too.”

She chuckled. “I
never understand the reasons for getting up so early.”

“
You can’t
get much done sleeping the day away.”

“
Yeah, but
you’re asleep by the time it gets fun.”

He laughed. “Okay,
you got me there.”

Her smiled faded.
“So, fly boy, I figure you’re probably going to be here
when I come back next time.”

“
Probably,
unless I’m deployed.”

She rolled her eyes.
“You military types are way too happy about order to suit me.”

He laughed. “I
take it you avoid us at all costs.”

“
Yeah. You
know what it’s like to be the youngest. Kianna might seem sweet
to you, but as an older sister, she wasn’t when I was a kid.”

“
She loves
you,” he said, enjoying Zoe but feeling the need to defend
Kianna.

“
And I love
her. I also know her better than anyone but Etta. If I listen to the
vibes around here, I’m going to have to get used to you. I just
want you to know that if you hurt her, I will come back here and make
you disappear. They won’t be able to find enough pieces to
identify you. Understood?”

“
Yeah, but I
won’t hurt her, not on purpose.”

“
God, you two
were made for each other. Just be sure to make her understand you’re
in for the long haul. Kianna doesn’t have a good track record
with men, although she’s the only one of us who has been
married.”

He said nothing to
that. His brain was trying to wrap around the idea that Kianna had
been married at one time. She had never said a thing. It had been
three months…if he counted their time together in emails and
she never mentioned it. Before he could sort out his feelings, Zoe
was calling her sister in.

“
Okay, Kianna,
I need to head out now. I heard there was a storm moving in.

Kianna came out of
the kitchen with a bag. “Here, eat something on your way back.”

Zoe smiled and he
could see the love right there. She might have been acting like a
brat the night before, but there was no doubt she loved her sister.

“
Thank you,”
Zoe said, giving Kianna a hug. “I’ll call or text when I
get home.”

“
No texting on
the road,” Kianna warned.

“
Of course
not. You two behave yourselves now.”

She danced down the
porch steps to her little car. As she backed up, Kianna sighed and
settled her head against his shoulder. Something settled in his
chest…something that should scare the hell out of him. Being a
Santini, he knew better than to fight it.

It was going to be
hard enough fighting for the woman he loved. Fighting himself just
seemed stupid and a waste of energy.

As a born and
bred Santini, I believe in fate and listening to signs. –Gee

A couple weeks
later, Gee came to an abrupt stop in front of an antique store. There
in the front display was a ring. Not just any ring. This one was
gold, and from the looks of it, about a hundred years old. A simple
solitaire sparkled in the late afternoon sunlight.

“
Damn,
Santini,” Andrews said as he ran into him.

“
Sorry. Hey, I
need to go in here and look for something.”

Andrews gave him a
look that told him he knew what was going on. The entire flight had
been giving him shit over Kianna since he got back. He’d missed
every poker night and there had been a lot of moaning when he skipped
a trip to Pensacola for a weekend. He didn’t really want to
waste time with the guys when time was so precious in the military.

“
Antiques?”

“
That ring,”
he said taking a step closer.

He looked at the
ring and rolled his eyes. “Aw, damn, you’re gonna get
married.”

“
When you find
the woman…that’s it.”

Andrews sighed. “I
have to get to City Hall.”

“
Just a peek,”
he said and hurried into the small store before Andrews could say
anything else. When he heard the little tinkle of the bell, he knew
his friend had followed him in.

A little man
shuffled out from the back. “Can I help you young gentlemen?”

“
Yes, sir. I
would like to look at the ring in the window. The diamond solitaire.”

He nodded as he
shuffled over to pull it out of the display. “A beautiful ring.
Circa 1920 with a flawless diamond.”

The old man’s
hand shook as he handed it to Gee. The moment he touched the ring he
felt a little jolt.

“
How much?”

The man named a
price that had Andrews whistling. “Better make sure you love
her, Santini.”

He slipped the ring
back between the red velvet but didn’t respond. He had figured
out he loved Kianna several weeks ago, but he hadn’t had the
nerve to say it. It made him a bit of a coward, but part of it had to
do with Kianna. She was still wary of him, and when he talked of more
permanent things, she would change the subject. If he had told her he
loved her, she probably wouldn’t believe him.

“
I can afford
it.” Just barely. He would have to dip into his savings, but he
had it. He had finally gotten his hazardous duty pay all worked out
and finance had gotten it to him just a few days ago. So…it
was possible.

“
I also offer
a ten percent discount to military. So take that off the top.”