Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

The day of the benefit arrived, and Tia found herself locked into a room with Marcella and her sister-in-law Joey. Marcella had always struck Tia as, well, not pushy, but definitely assertive. Joey was a whole other level. Like General Patton kind of level.

She wasn’t a large woman, but she commanded the room, that was for sure. From the moment Tia met her, she had been overwhelmed by the small dynamo. It was easy to see why she was seen as the matriarch of the Santini family. She was dressed in a dark red gown. It complemented her skin tone, as well as set off her eyes. Her personality just added to the package.

The two mothers did what they did best, mother. They helped her with her hair, which Marcella had insisted she wear down. Then, they started in on her makeup.

“Here, this color,” Joey insisted as she handed her some lip gloss.

“I do know how to put on my own makeup.”

Joey smiled. “Indulge me. I didn’t even get one daughter out of my bunch.”

She set the lip gloss down. “I need to get my dress on first.”

“Of course,” Joey said with a smile. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“You always think about colors, Joey.” Marcella looked at Tia. “She’s an artist so it’s her first thought.”

“True.”

“I’ll be right back.”

She hurried into the next room. Being with the two women had been a little overwhelming at first. They must have sensed it, because their easygoing banter, along with their stories about Santini children, had put her at ease. It had been so long since she had had a day like this with her mother. Granted, she had never really gotten ready for something like this, but her mother had been with her during the barrel racing years. They had spent a lot of time in small rooms, doing her hair and makeup for the ceremonies.

The wistful yearnings for her mother to be here rose up once again. She should have given her parents more time to make it to the benefit. She hadn’t expected to miss them tonight, but she was kind of wishing they were there. It was her fault that they weren’t here.

Pushing aside her melancholy thoughts, she unzipped the bag that held her dress. It still took her breath away. Even in the bathroom it sparkled and shone as if it were a designer dress for someone who was about to walk the red carpet. Tugging off her shirt and pants, she then slipped the dress over her head. As with the first time she tried it on, she enjoyed the way the material slid over her flesh.

She zipped up the back, then turned and faced the mirror. There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

The door swung open and revealed Joey and Marcella.

“Oh, Tia, you look gorgeous,” Marcella said.

“You do. I would have killed for that height,” Joey said.

Tia glanced at her. “You don’t need it with your personality.”

The moment she said it, she worried she’d stepped over the line. But Joey threw back her head and laughed.

“Oh, lord, you do fit in with the Santinis.”

Marcella stepped forward. “I have something for you. I have these, and they will be perfect with your dress.”

She handed Tia a pair of teardrop earrings. A sapphire sat in the center surrounded by diamonds.

“Oh, Marcella, I can’t wear these.”

She nodded. “Yes you can. Just borrowing for tonight. I saw them when I was packing my stuff up this morning, and it struck me how beautiful they would look. Put them on.”

Tia knew she shouldn’t, but it was hard to resist them. Add in the smile Marcella was giving her, and she just couldn’t say no. She slipped them on then looked in the mirror. They sparkled just like her dress, but with the sapphire, it added another level of glamour to the entire outfit.

“See, I told you,” Marcella said. “I can’t wait for Carlos to see you.”

“The man isn’t going to know what hit him,” Joey said.

* * * *

Carlos stood on the far side of the room from the entrance and scowled when another group of people turned out not to be Tia.

“What is taking them so long?” Carlos asked.

“They’re women,” his father said. “Isn’t that right, Papa?”

Carlos looked at the two brothers. His father and his three brothers were all pretty close in height, and bore a strong resemblance to their father. Dark hair, although both of them were a little gray around the edges, dark brown eyes, and tough exterior that spoke of their time in the Marines. They had both worn tuxes, as he did, instead of their mess dress.

“Don’t try to incriminate me,” Papa said.

“You know it’s true.”

“Yes, but I’m not stupid enough to say it. And let’s be honest, you are only saying it now because Joey and Marcella aren’t in earshot. Thank God Nando and Gee aren’t here,” he continued, naming the two youngest of their families. “They both tell on us all the time.”

Carlos was laughing when he looked toward the entrance and saw her. Everything in the world seemed to stop, except her. She was standing there in a gown that seemed to be made of stars. Each time she moved, it sparkled under the lights. A cascade of auburn curls dripped over her bare shoulders. She hardly ever wore her hair down, and definitely didn’t fix it that way. So many curls…so many ideas.

She was gorgeous.

“Lord,” was all he could say. He tried to swallow but found his throat too dry to accomplish it.

“Yep, he’s a goner,” Papa said.

“Yeah, I would say so,” his father responded.

Carlos ignored both of them and strode through the crowd. He didn’t pay attention to the people who tried to stop him. More than once he knew he received odd looks from others, but it didn’t matter. All he could see was her. By the time he made it to the foot of the stairs, she had descended. She smiled at him.

“Something wrong, Santini?” she asked.

He shook his head, his throat still too dry for him to speak. God, he couldn’t even come up with words at the moment.

Concern darkened her eyes. “Carlos?”

“Sorry. I just can’t…” he shook his head. “It’s really hard to come up with words when you look like that.”

Her frown dissolved into a smile—dimples and all. Her eyes lit up with joy. She went from beautiful to stunning.

“I have a surprise for you.”

“You do?”

Nodding, he took her hand and pulled it up to his mouth. After he kissed it, he drew her next to him and walked her through the crowd. He had planned this surprise for weeks, with the help of his mother. There were a few times he had worried he wouldn’t be able to pull it off. But, he had persisted because he knew it was important for Tia.

She stopped walking the moment she saw her parents. He had kept it from her because he had known she was too proud to ask them to come after that initial invitation. For a moment, he wasn’t sure just how she took it. She stood there looking at them as if trying to figure out if they were really there. Then, confusion dissolved and Carlos had the pleasure of watching true joy move over her expression.

“Who? How?”

He nodded. “I told them it was important for them to come.”

She glanced at her parents, then turned to face him. Without any hesitation, she cupped his face and leaned in to give him a long, enthusiastic kiss. Just about the moment he wanted to take it to next level, she pulled away.

“Thank you,” she said. “Oh, I got lipstick on your mouth.”

He pulled out a handkerchief. “No worries.”

“Come on,” she said, after he put the cloth away. It was her turn to lead him through the crowd. “Let’s go see my parents.”

As he watched her hug her mother and father, he saw the joy it brought to her, Carlos smiled. He wanted more, so much more than just that kiss, but for right now, this was all he needed. Her happiness had become his, and he was starting to understand just what his siblings, cousins, and uncles had meant all these years.

The Santini Curse was definitely a blessing in disguise.

* * *

Halfway into the benefit, Tia was on her way back from the bathroom when Chet found her.

“Tia. I saw that your parents are here.”

Damn. She had been avoiding him for about an hour, but there was no way out of it now. He was standing there smiling at her like he was the prize she had always dreamed of. There was definitely something off with him.

“Yes. You should come over and say hello. I’m sure they would love to talk to you.”

He glanced over at her father, then back at her. “I will. I will. I heard that there are some people interested in your land.”

She blinked at the abrupt change in topic. What the hell was he talking about now? Better yet, how much longer did she have to play nice?

“My land?”

He frowned and nodded. “At the ranch.”

This was a really odd conversation. It had been two years since Adrian had died, and until this week, she hadn’t heard from Chet.

“I haven’t talked to anyone who wants the ranch; but the truth is, anyone who wanted to know about that would contact Carlos. I wouldn’t want to handle that myself.”

“You defer to Santini on this?”

She didn’t miss the slight condemnation in Chet’s voice. It wasn’t always the most progressive of actions, but she hated the paperwork. Carlos always went over it with her, explaining everything. But he handled the bulk of that crap, and she was happy for it. Ordering hay, supplies, all that stuff was more her forte, because it had to do with horses.

“As I did with my brother. I like handling everything horse related. Money and paperwork really is Carlos’ thing. You might want to ask him.”

“You know, your brother asked me to be an investor.”

“And?” This conversation was going from strange to bat crap crazy in less than five minutes. She was aware they were doing a benefit in her brother’s memory, but her land really had nothing to do with this. Truthfully, she found it a bit rude to bring business up at this time.

“I just thought that maybe he would have mentioned it to you.”

“Yes. He did.” She crossed her arms to ward off the sudden chill she felt. “You turned him down.”

“I thought maybe after the funeral, you would come to me.”

She blinked. Okay, this conversation made the Mad Hatter’s tea party seem like a Mensa meeting.

“To sell?”

He nodded.

“I might have if it hadn’t been for Carlos. Of course, he always says the only way it runs is with me handling all the therapy. And I have to agree with him. He would never be able to run it without me.” That was a bit of a fib. She knew without a doubt, Carlos could definitely run the ranch without her. She offered Chet a big smile. “Apparently, we were the perfect fit. So it all turned out good in the end, and I still control fifty percent.”

Anger flashed in his eyes before he suppressed it. It was a particular look she had seen on Chet’s face before. He was a spoiled boy who grew into a man who felt he should be treated better than everyone else. She had never really understood her brother’s friendship with Chet, but for some reason, they seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

“But if there were some land developers, you could sell and be rich.”

Money. It was all the man ever worried about. And it didn’t make any sense. He always had more than anyone she knew, but it never seemed to be enough. “I don’t care about that, really. Oh, look, my dad is waving at me. Talk to you later.”

She hurried off before Chet could say anything else. When she sat down next to her father, he glanced at her.

“What was that about?”

“Chet. He was going on about how Adrian had asked for help with capital when he first bought the ranch. Where’s mom?”

He motioned to the dance floor. Her mother loved to dance, her father did not. Carlos apparently picked up on that and got her mother out on the floor. He moved her around expertly, as both of the other Santini men did with their wives. They all seemed to know how to make their way around a dance floor.

“So, this Carlos Santini?”

She glanced at her father. He looked older, much older, than he had a year ago, but he looked a bit happier. Part of her was sad about that. She hated that they lived so far away now, but another part of her was relieved. Her father had taken Adrian’s death so hard.

“Yeah?”

“What’s going on there?”

Her father was progressive when it came to women. However, when it came to his daughter, he still lived in the eighteenth century. If she wasn’t careful, Carlos would find himself at the end of a shotgun. Not that she didn’t think Carlos couldn’t handle himself. He could. But she did not want her father embarrassing her by asking his intentions. They had just started their relationship, whatever it would be, and she didn’t need her father butting in.

“Nothing much.”

“Really? I would have thought by kissing him, you were declaring that he was yours.”

Was that what she was saying? “No. I was thanking him for my surprise. I miss you and Mom.”

“Tia...”

She glanced at him and softened at the expression on his face. “Dad, I understand. I really do.”

“But you stay.”

She nodded. “A piece of Adrian is in that ranch. Being there makes me feel closer to him.”

He took her hand and squeezed it. Many people would find it unfulfilling, but her father had never been able to express his feelings. That little show was more than she had ever gotten from him before.

“Did we miss something?” her mother asked.

She turned and found her mother and Carlos standing near the table.

“No. Dad and I were just chatting.”

Her mother took her seat again next to her father.

“Thank you very much, Carlos, for the wonderful dance.”

“You are very welcome, Mrs. Mendoza.”

The beginning strains of At Last started.

He smiled at Tia. “I think I have this dance.”

He took her out to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms.

“Thank you for dancing with my mom.”

“You’re welcome, but it was easy to do. She was very chatty during those three minutes.”

She watched him. “Is that a fact?”

He chuckled. “Yes. She had lots of wonderful things to say about you and me. She thinks we will have beautiful babies.”

Horrified, she looked back at her mother, who was talking to Marcella and Joey now. When she looked back at Carlos, he was smiling.

“She did not.”

He shrugged. “Not in so many words.”

“Carlos.”

“No pressure,” he said as he urged her closer. “But I let her know that I completely agree.”

She pulled back and looked at him. He was serious.

“I didn’t say that was what I wanted.”

“No, but I’ll wait. Don’t worry.”

She opened her mouth, but apparently he didn’t want to argue. He swooped down and gave her a fast, hard kiss.

“Just enjoy tonight, Tia. We’ve got a lot of time to worry about the rest of it.”

Carlos drew her into his room later that night. The Adrian Mendoza Benefit had raised enough money for them to offer many scholarships, along with training some new people. It had been deemed a success by everyone's standards.

The best part about it was that Tia was there by his side.

“Everyone seemed to have a good time,” Tia said.

He smiled and took off his jacket, unfastened his cufflinks and undid his bowtie. “They did. And, there is talk that we will do this as a yearly thing.”

“I know. Your mother is already talking about working with other ranches, starting a network to raise money.”

He pulled her into his arms. “Give that woman a little power, and she can go crazy. She's always been good at raising money.”

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“Getting my parents to come. It meant a lot to have them here.”

He knew that it meant a lot to them too. He was glad he had gone with his instincts and pushed them to come. It was something the three of them would never forget, and they would have this happy memory of Adrian to share.

“And thank you, Ms. Mendoza.”

“Now what are you thanking me for?”

“For wearing that dress. It is sensational.”

She smiled and ducked her head, but not before he saw the fine blush in her cheeks. He loved the hard-headed, tough-as-nails woman, completely admired her. But he was definitely falling head-over-heels for this softer side.

“Your mother has good taste.”

“I would have to say that I have good taste.”

She chuckled and raised her head just as he lowered his. They met in a kiss that he had been dying to give her all night. He'd kissed her several times, and along with his thank you kiss, they had served as the appetizer for tonight's entree.

He swung her around and walked her back to the bed. When they reached the edge, he pulled back from the kiss and turned her around. He had been dreaming of peeling her out of the dress all night.

He slid the zipper down, skimming his fingers just inside the delicate fabric. She shivered, then moaned, as he leaned forward to press his mouth against the back of her neck. He kissed her down her spine, then back up. The scent of her filled his senses and had his head spinning.

“I always look at you and think you are so strong. And you are. But there is this delicate side to you. This vulnerability that seems to tug at me all the time.”

“Carlos,” she said, her voice a choked whisper.

“It's true. I love the amazing woman that you are. You stand by my side every day, but you know what? I love being there and letting you know I will catch you if you fall.”

He slipped the dressed off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor at her feet. Good God, he was going to die. She was wearing a strapless corset thing, thigh highs, and a very small, barely there, thong. All white. Innocent, but also fucking sexy.

He turned her around. Damn. The sight of her about took his breath away. If he had been stunned before, he was mesmerized by her now. Cupping her face, he kissed her, softly, just a brush of the lips.

“I love you, Tia.”

She blinked at him. He almost smiled. She looked...stunned. He didn't push it. He wanted the words back, needed them, but he knew she needed time.

“Let me show you how much.”

The corset had several hook ‘n eye fastenings down the front of it. It took him a few moments to get it opened, and he used the time to his advantage. With every inch of flesh he uncovered, his fingers had more access. She was shivering by the time he peeled away the corset. He eased her back on the bed, then made quick work of his shirt, cummerbund, shoes, and socks.

He set his hands on either side of her head and leaned down, barely touching their bodies together. Carlos had meant the kiss to be sweet, and just a prelude, but Tia had other ideas. She slipped her hands over his shoulders, around the back of his neck, and urged him closer. Opening her mouth, she slipped her tongue along his, gliding over his lips into his mouth. Just the taste of her had all of his control shaking, pushing him to forget his plans. But, in that last instant before he surrendered, he pulled back. He needed to show her, to make her understand just what she meant to him.

He lifted himself up, barely, then stood. He rolled her over so that she was lying face down on the mattress. At least in this position, he would have a little bit of control. As his gaze traveled down her back to her ass, he groaned. Okay, maybe not that much more control. Tia rode horses almost every day, and her rear end definitely showed it. Muscled, rounded, and highlighted to perfection in the thong she wore, the woman was a man killer. Worse, she had no idea.

“Whatcha doing back there, Santini?” she asked, her voice thick with arousal and humor. He looked up at her. Damn, she made a picture. Her curling red hair dripped over her back and shoulders, and the sultry look in her eyes struck him right in the gut.

“Taking my time to admire, Ms. Mendoza. Seems I haven't given you enough appreciation for all the hard work you do in this area.”

She laughed in that throaty way she had about her, and it sunk into his bones. Would he ever get used to her? He hoped not. He loved what she did to him.

He bent down and kissed first one ass cheek, then the next; grazing his teeth over the fullest part of her rear end. She moaned and dropped her head. As he continued to kiss and lick her flesh, he slipped his hand between her legs and cupped her mound. Damn, she was so fucking wet. He pressed against her and she moaned again, clawing at the mattress. After teasing her for a few minutes, he grabbed hold of the thong with his teeth and pulled them down her legs. He threw the small bit of silk on the floor behind him, finished disrobing, and grabbed a condom he had put in the nightstand.

After rolling it on, he climbed up on the bed behind her, and while he had his hand on the small of her back, he took his cock in the other. With one hard thrust, he entered her. They both groaned, and for a long moment, he held still. Then he started to move.

He sunk into her over and over, and he tightened his hold on her hips, digging his fingers into her flesh. She was wet and so close, but it was too soon, too fast.

Carlos pulled out of her, which she protested to, pulling a chuckle from him. He joined her on the bed and positioned her on top of him. Once more he entered her, and she rode him hard. Throwing her head back, she picked up her rhythm as he felt his orgasm approaching. He wanted her there with him. Rising up so he was in a sitting position, he slid his hand between their bodies and teased her clit. She exploded, her orgasm sweeping over her as she screamed his name. He followed her a moment later, then collapsed on the bed. He held onto her tightly.

“I love you, Tia. Get used to it.”

She muttered something, kissed his shoulder, then snuggled closer. It wasn’t the response he wanted. But she was in his arms, in his bed, and she was his.

That was enough for now.