Free The Santinis: Leonardo, Book 1 by Melissa Schroeder

She sat up and looked over her shoulder at him. She was a woman who was made for candlelight. It made her skin glow, her eyes sparkle.
    “Why are you mad?”
    Because I’m in love with you and you would rather I go away .
    He couldn’t say it. He knew he was rushing things in his mind. She was there. He knew she was scared of what was going on
    “Sorry. Just, I don’t understand why it’s such a secret.”
    “It’s kind of…well, dorky.”
    “You think serving your country is dorky?”
    “No, wanting to serve your country is dorky.”
    He could tell from her tone that she was joking and while he wanted to push her more, he knew better than to do that. Instead, he decided to show her. Without warning, he stood, pulling her up in his arms. He had to be careful not to drop her as he stepped out of the tub. He walked over to the small counter and turned her so she could sit on it. He took her face into his hands and kissed her.
    Then, he loved her. He might not be able to tell her everything right now, but he knew he could show her. He kissed down her body, teasing her nipples. He settled on his knees in front of her. Then, he set his mouth against her pussy. She was already wet from the bath and from her own arousal. The familiar taste of her exploded in him. Over and over he slipped his tongue between her silken folds. She moved against him, but he never let her go over that edge.  
    Soon, it wasn’t enough. It was never enough. He rose to his feet, grabbed the condom from the drawer. After he rolled it on, he entered her in one, hard thrust. She gasped at the intrusion and he was going to apologize, but she wrapped her legs around his waist to urge him on. He thrust into her, over and over again, pushing them both to the edge. She was close, and he could feel her muscles clenching against his cock.
    “Maryanne, look at me.” He ground the words out. “Maryanne.”
    She finally opened her eyes in time for him to watch them go blurry with pleasure as she went over the edge. He slipped his hands beneath her ass to pull her more tightly against him as he allowed ecstasy to take over his actions. He followed her moments later. He was still looking at her when he came.
    Moments later, the only sound in the room was their heavy breathing.
    He pulled her off the counter and then stumbled into the bedroom, falling on the bed with her. He rose to an elbow and looked at her. The only light in the room came from the candles in the bathroom. Her hair was wet and her mouth was swollen from his kisses.  
    “I love you, Maryanne.”
    She stiffened beneath him. “You don’t have to say that.”
    “What?”
    “That thing,” she said panic coloring her voice. She tried to sit up but he held her steady.
    “But I do love you.” He didn’t regret saying it. He might have rushed it a bit, but now that it was out, he was happy with it.
    “That’s ridiculous.”
    He stared at her. Her voice had gone kind of squeaky and all girly. “What?”
    “You’ve only known me for six weeks. You don’t know me.”
    She wiggled and this time he let her go. He figured she needed a little space and he wanted to calm her down. She grabbed her robe, shoving her arms into the sleeves then tying the sash.  
    He frowned at her. “But I do love you.”
    “Really? What do you know about me, really?”
    “You love your brothers.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Well, everyone knows that.”
    “You love your work, love that you are giving back to the military in some way. And you like flowers and romance.”
    Her face drained of what little color there was. “Take that back.”
    Leo shook his head trying to understand just what was going on. “What?”
    “I do not like romance. I don’t really even like flowers.”
    For a second he didn’t seem able to speak. “What do you mean you don’t like romance and flowers? They make you go all gooey inside.”
    “No.” She was shaking her head and backing up from him as if she were afraid he