A Santini Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page A

out of character for him. If a woman gave him the back off vibe, he did. No questions asked. But with Joey, there was something there.
    “ Promise. Cross my heart.”
    She cocked her head as she studied him. “And hope to die?”
    “ Never, not when I can have dinner with a woman like you.”
    Her sigh was long and filled with irritation, but apparently she’d decided to take a chance. “As long as you understand this is only dinner.
    He smiled, knowing he had won at least this one battle. “Of course, if you feel the need to throw yourself at me, I will sacrifice myself. It’s the least I can do.”
    Joey shook her head, her ponytail swinging back and forth behind her. “Give me a second. I’ll be right back.”
    She jogged up the stairs and he leaned back against his car again. Today was shaping up to be a much better day than he expected.

    He let her pick the place, which made Joey happy. It made sense since she had lived there longer than he had, but men didn’t always use good sense.
    She suggested her favorite pizzeria and he hadn’t batted an eye. She had expected him to say something but he didn’t. He did sniff at the air as they were led to their table. Before they sat down, his lips curved.
    “ What?” she asked when the waitress had left them.
    “ Smells good. I can usually tell a good pizza place from the smells.”
    “ How about I know my pizza.”
    He shrugged as he looked over the one page menu. “I don’t know that much about you other than you work too hard and you’re gorgeous.”
    For a second she just stared at him. In all her years, she had never really been called gorgeous. She’d been a skinny girl with a penchant for art and books. She hadn’t fit into any group, really, being the daughter of missionaries who often left her for their work.
    She leaned across the table. “You know you don’t have to keep up the charade, Santini.”
    He glanced up at her and every thought in her head seemed to evaporate. He had an amazing set of eyes. She had described them as chocolate brown, but that didn’t do them justice. A small line of gold rimmed his iris and sometimes, when the sun hit them just right, she could see shades of green within them. They seemed to always change their shade and, for an artist, it held her mesmerized.
    “ What charade would that be, Joey?”
    God, the way he said her name. It made her all squishy on the inside. Worse, it made her want to reach across the table and pull him closer for a long, wet kiss.
    Fudge.
    “ That you’re interested in me. You don’t have to try and romance me because there will be no romance. I don’t have time for it or for you.”
    Pretending to be more interested in her menu, she picked it up off the table and blocked out the sight of him. It only took a couple of seconds before she felt a tug on the top of the menu. She looked up and found Santini looking over the edge of the laminated paper.
    “ Everyone needs a little romance.”
    “ I know that as a Marine, you’re only out for a good time. That’s great. But I only have time for work. Then, next semester, school.”
    He nodded and looked at his menu again. “Sure. I get that. Not like I’m busy or anything protecting the world.”
    She heard the sarcasm in his voice and couldn’t fight the chuckle that bubbled out. He looked at her and smiled the slow sexy smile that she already loved.
    “ You should laugh more often. It’s a really pretty sound.”
    She said nothing to that and thanked the good lord the waitress returned with their drinks. “Do you know what you want?”
    “ Want me to order?” he asked. “You know, being the Italian.”
    “ You’re not the only Italian at this table and I used to work in a pizzeria. Anything without peppers or anchovies is fine by me.”
    As soon as he ordered, and the waitress left them alone, he kept staring at her.
    “ What?”
    “ Nothing. Nice to know you’re Italian though.”
    “ So I passed some kind of test by