A Santini Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page B

the mama’s boy. That’s Adam. He’s the youngest and he’s been babied his whole life.”
    “ And I bet you and your other brothers made his life hell.”
    “ It was our duty as older brothers.”
    She grabbed a piece of pizza and bit into it. The moment the hot cheese hit her mouth she realized how hungry she was. It had been seven hours since she had last eaten. Joey hummed as the cheese and pizza sauce danced over her taste buds.
    She didn’t realize that Stewart had stopped eating to look at her and then she realized how loud her moan had been. Her face heated with embarrassment.
    “ Sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a piece of pizza.”
    He said nothing to that as she took another bite. There were times he would just watch her, as if trying to figure her out. It always made her nervous.
    “ So, you really don’t get out?” he asked.
    “ I work over sixty hours a week. What do you think?”
    “ Yeah, I get that, but I would think now and then you’d have a date.”
    That was tricky territory for her. She had her reasons for not dating. Most people didn’t believe her or thought she was insane.
    “ I don’t have the time or inclination. And while working at the bar gives me lots of choices, they aren’t that great.”
    “ And your daytime job?”
    “ What about it?”
    “ Well, are there any men there you might be in contact with?”
    He asked it so casually she realized he was trying his best to keep it light, but he was definitely feeling her out to see if she was seeing someone else.
    “ No. Definitely not.”
    “ Still not going to tell me what you do during the day?”
    “ You’ve never asked me.” She knew she was pushing his buttons. Marines liked to be in control of the situation and he really didn’t like that she had power over him.
    “ What do you do during the day?”
    “ I work at that strip joint a couple streets over.”
    Joey was proud of herself for keeping a straight face when she said it. His gaze shot up to hers then he laughed.
    “ You definitely have a smart mouth.”
    She shrugged. “Better than a stupid one.”
    He chuckled. “Okay, so, what do you really do?”
    “ I work at an art supply shop. Really, a hobby kind of shop where they have toy models and stuff to put together. I’m in charge of the paint area, plus I teach art classes to kids.”
    “ You know about model airplanes?”
    “ I do now, but I took the job to get the discount on paint supplies.”
    “ You paint?”
    “ Yes. That’s what I’m saving my money for. Art school.”
    She waited for him to change the subject. Most men did. Hell, most people did when she started talking art. They would rather pretend she wasn’t some kind of hippy painter. She knew her parents would have been happy to pretend she wasn’t going to pursue a career in painting.
    “ That’s pretty cool. So, what kinds of things do you like to paint?”
    Joey didn’t answer that question. Irritation with him, with herself for “Why are you doing this?”
    “ Doing what?”
    “ You really want to know about my painting?”
    “ Yeah. I do.”
    He said it so naturally, she believed him. There had been no hesitation and his gaze was sincere.
    “ Why?”
    “ Because it has to do with you.”
    Again, so simple to him and she relaxed.
    “ I like to do mainly oils and landscapes, but not a lot of portraits except of people I care about. I have a lot to learn though. I have always wanted to try sculpting, but never have. Not seriously.”
    And then she sat back and studied Stewart. He would be a perfect model in any medium. Of course, sculpting would be best. She hadn’t seen him with his shirt off, but she could imagine the sculpted muscle beneath the olive toned flesh.
    “ Earth to Joey,” he said, his tone filled with amusement.
    Joey blinked then refocused on this face. From his expression she could tell he knew what she had been thinking. Her face heated and she tried to pretend she didn’t know why he