Free A Santini Christmas by Melissa Schroeder Page A

thrust up into her one more time and also came. She collapsed on him moments later, the only sounds in the small apartment was their heavy breathing and the rain still battering the window.

    Papa watched her sleep. It wasn’t easy to get a good angle. Her bed was tiny and she was a snuggler. It stunned him to realize he was probably one of the few who knew it.
    He wanted to wake her up, but he waited. Her sleep the night before hadn’t been all that restful. As if she felt his study, she stirred awake.
    Her eyes fluttered, then opened. She smiled up at him. It was the sweetest thing he had ever seen.
    “ Morning.”
    He smiled. “Good morning to you.”
    She glanced over at the clock. “Thank God I don’t have to work at the art supply store today.”
    Joey burrowed closer, her head right over his heart. Right then, he knew without a doubt he would love her until the day he died.
    “ So, Sam told me the bar is closed on the twenty-sixth and seventh. How about driving up to DC to meet my folks?”
    She stilled, then looked up at him. “Why would I do that?”
    “ I just thought we would…you know.”
    Now, something close to panic shifted over her face. “Meet the folks?”
    “ Yeah. They’ll want to meet you.”
    She sat up, unfortunately pulling the sheet up to shield her breasts from his view.
    “ Why on Earth would they want to do that?”
    “ Well, I would think if they knew we were serious, they would want to meet you.”
    “ Serious ?” she screeched as she scrambled out of bed.
    “ Yes.” He was getting mad now. She was acting like he was asking for her first born.
    “ We just met.”
    “ We haven’t just met. We’ve known each other for a month.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t know you.”
    “ What?”
    “ I…I barely know you.”
    “ But you slept with me?” He didn’t mean to shout at her. She seemed to be pressing some buttons he didn’t realize he had.
    “ I’ve slept with a lot of men.”
    “ You have not.”
    “ I have too.”
    He knew she was lying but arguing wasn’t going to get him anywhere. “Never mind. We’ll talk about it later.”
    She opened her mouth, but he gave her a warning look. He pulled on his pants, found his shirt and tugged it on. He barely had his shoes on as he stomped out the door and down the stairs. It was Christmas Eve, dammi t, and he didn’t know where he was going. Without a thought, he made his way back to his apartment. It might be noon, but it was close enough to a holiday to start drinking.
     

Chapter Eleven
     
    Joey wasn’t asleep when the loud banging started on her door. She wasn’t in the mood for another drunk to have lost their way. It happened on holidays a lot. Too drunk to make it back to the car, they wandered the streets. She really needed to move.
    “ Joey Antonio, why don’t I know your name?”
    Joey knew the voice, but not the drunken tone. It was three on Christmas morning. Of course, she didn’t know if she wanted to deal with a drunk Marine either.
    “ Joey,” Sam said through the door. His voice was pleading. “Open up.”
    She grabbed her robe, tugging it on as she made her way to the door. Opening it, she found Sam staggering under the weight of Stewart.
    “ What happened?” she asked.
    “ He showed up at our house a while ago demanding to know your name. Thelma said he was your mess.”
    Stewart smiled at her. “Hey, Joey.”
    She would not be charmed, even if he did look cute in a drunken kind of way. His eyes were barely opened and the lopsided smile he was throwing her way only added to the charm.
    “ You sure do look pretty. That robe makes your hair bright like the sun. You have the prettiest hair. Doesn’t she have the prettiest hair, Sam?”
    He ruined the compliment, by burping. She rolled her eyes. “Come on.”
    They made it to the bed, almost dropping him a couple of times. The man was built like a freaking Mac truck.
    He fell on the bed. He laughed, then frowned. “I need to know your