The Santinis: Leonardo, Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

the US, but not the CONUS. Marc’s in Hawaii.”
    She sighed as she indulged in another tortilla. It was one of the things she loved about San Antonio. They brought freshly made tortillas to the table like most restaurants did with bread. It was a huge weakness of hers and she would have to run tomorrow to make up for it.
    “All your brothers are Marines?”
    She nodded. “Yeah. I’m not sure they thought of anything else, but they are all in different career fields.”
    “But you never wanted to join?”
    “No thank you. I am not good at taking orders.”
    “Yeah?”
    She heard the way his voice dipped and felt her face heat up.
    “That is to say, I grew up with three older brothers and a father who had told them it was their duty to watch out for me. I don’t think I would have lasted a week in boot. Truth is, I think my father was relieved. He was worried he would have to deal with the aftermath of me making a drill sergeant cry. And, the worry I would end up stationed on the same base as one of my brothers…that did not sit well with me.”
    “Jack didn’t seem to be too bad.”
    She snorted. “Tell that to my prom date. He showed up and found Jack cleaning his gun. Swear to God I had never been so embarrassed. I didn’t even get a kiss good night.”
    He was staring at her as if she was insane.
    “I swear it happened.”
    “No, I believe you. I just wondered what was wrong with it.”
    “Please tell me you don’t have sisters.”
    “Nope just the three brothers like I said. My mother said she would never be so mean to a girl and do that.”
    “Yeah, well, it worked because like I said, I was a tomboy.”
    “You told me that the other night but I find it almost impossible to believe,” he said in mock disbelief.
    “No, really. I can even take down a two hundred pound Army dude.”
    He laughed and she tried to ignore the way his eyes sparkled at her. She was a sucker for a man with a sense of humor. “You didn’t take me down. You caught me off guard.”
    “That’s what they all say.”
    The waitress returned with their entrees. “Another margarita?”
    She shook her head. “Nope. I’ll stick to water.”
    Leo ordered water also. It was another thing she liked about him and about his brother. They had a couple of glasses of wine the other night, but they both watched their drinking.
    “So, you picked San Antonio, why?”
    She shrugged as she chewed her first bite. “I went to UTSA and Grannie was already here at the Air Force Village. I wanted to work at a military hospital. The only other place with so many opportunities was DC and that’s where Dad is, and Brett, my oldest brother. He’s at the Pentagon, too. So, while I don’t mind my Grannie checking up on me, I do mind them. They never understood why I needed space.”
    He nodded and she did sense he understood.  
    “I have kind of a personal question and I don’t want you to be offended,” she said.
    “Okay, but I think I can answer the question.”
    “You do?”
    “Yes. And the answer is no, I don’t have a problem with you using me as a sexual object.”
    He said it with such a deadpan expression, she couldn’t stop the tickle in her throat bubbling up into giggles.
    “No,” she said, still chuckling. “Although I do appreciate your sacrifice. What I wanted to know is that you said your father is an officer, and I know Vince is if he’s teaching at Quantico, so why didn’t you go the college route?”
    He cocked his head and studied her for a few seconds, then said, “I wanted to be a medic from the time I was a freshman in high school.”
    It was another thing that both of them understood. “And you chose the Army because…”
    “I wanted to be on the front lines. Other services can get there, but Army has a better chance. Plus, it kept me out of Dad’s realm. When I went in, he was still active, and I just didn’t want to deal with that.”
    She nodded. “I don’t know how my brothers handle that with my