Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Anthony planned on having a lot of fun at her expense. He just wished he’d been filming her the moment he caught Lalani going on and on about his age. It was too delicious to ignore. A little telltale blush had bloomed in her cheeks, and he had a feeling she was the kind of woman who did not blush easily.

Alana had made excuses and dragged her back into the house, while Anthony had enjoyed a beer as Marco cooked.

“Did you really tell her she was good looking but you weren’t interested?”

Anthony shrugged. He didn’t regret it. Well, not really. Okay, there was a tiny little part of him that was regretting it now, but it was for the best.

“Not sure she’s my type.”

“What? You don’t like gorgeous women?”

“She is gorgeous.”

There was no denying that. She wore a pair of board shorts that clung to her hips and a short t-shirt the color of the Pacific Ocean. When she moved, he got a little peek at her belly button. Why he found that so appealing, he didn’t know. Inwardly, he chastised himself. Of course, he knew why. She was in amazing shape, her stomach muscles as defined as her legs. He could just imagine slipping his hand against her smooth flesh…

“So, maybe you don’t like dancers.”

Anthony blinked, trying to follow the conversation. “She’s a dancer?”

“Yeah, but not the type you told my mom you were dating. Of course, it probably doesn’t matter, since she thinks you’re so old.”

Damn, he was still irritated by that comment. He wasn’t going to let her get away with calling him old, not in that tone she had used. It had been as if she were calling him a murderer. So, every time he got the chance, he gave her a jab. It was hard not to. She had gotten caught, and there was one thing Lalani didn’t like…getting caught and having to explain herself. He might have only known her a short time, but her actions the rest of the night had made that evident.

The woman in question came strolling out onto the lanai.

“Marco, we need to have a chat.” She handed his cousin a beer, and then offered one to Anthony. He accepted, but she barely paid attention.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing at the moment, but next month there is going to be that fundraiser, and she is trying to stay in charge. She needs to delegate. It isn’t good for her.”

“I hear you, sistah,” Alana said.

“Hard to miss my loud voice, and it isn’t anything I didn’t say to your face.”

She had Jon on her hip as she walked up to them. He expected Jon to ask for him, but instead, he giggled and reached out for Lalani. She laughed. Not a tinkle of a laugh, but a great big belly laugh that sent something shivering over his nerve endings.

“It isn’t that big of a deal. It’s just hosting the benefit.”

Lalani rolled her eyes. “You are going to be even further along and getting tired all the time.”

“I can handle it.”

“At least let me take over some of the duties. I’m sure if SEAL man here isn’t deployed again, he will help.”

Marco nodded as he turned over the chicken then covered the grill. “And I am sure we can get Anthony to help.”

Lalani glanced at him. “Sure. He can help too. Plus, you know Dad will help, and I can get my Ohana to help.”

“So, you’re Hawaiian.”

She nodded, but paid little attention to him. She had her focus on Alana.

“You can boss us around, but be sure you allow us to do the hard stuff.”

“Yeah,” he chimed in. “There’s no reason to tax yourself. You’ve got Santinis and…Lalani’s family. Heck, if you wanted help, my mom and Joey would come to help as well.”

Alana sighed and rubbed her belly. “Okay. But I want to be involved.”

“You are the Supreme Being and all-powerful,” Lalani said. “Hey, Marco, when are you going to feed me?”

“Soon.”

She opened her mouth, and Anthony couldn’t help himself. “Why don’t you two grab a drink and come sit in the shade with me?”

Lalani sniffed in his direction, but he caught the glance she gave Alana. The mother to be was looking a little tired, and he knew Lalani saw it.

“Sure. Come on, Jon.”

“Nope. Gonna help Daddy.”

She laughed. “Give me a kiss first.”

Jon obliged and then ran over to his father and leaned against his leg. Anthony understood it. With a father who was gone for long periods of time, Anthony remembered those first few days after his father came home. All of them followed him around as if he was the pied piper of the Santinis.

They settled in their chairs at one of the patio tables that had an umbrella.

“Nothing like enjoying a pretty day with two lovely ladies,” he said.

Alana smiled at him. “Thank goodness for the steady trades, or it would have been horrible today.”

Lalani said nothing, but looked out over the ocean.

“So, you do some surfing?”

She shrugged, and he had to hide a smile. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t have been as snobby to him if he hadn’t caught her talking about his age. And, of course, being raised a Santini made him talk to her constantly.

“Please, don’t overwhelm me with all the words.”

Her lips twitched, and she sipped at her water. “I understood you didn’t want to be bothered by me.”

“That is not what I said and you know it.”

She shrugged. “The exact words don’t mean anything. It was the attitude.”

“Oh, so you don’t like people being honest.”

She gave him a smile that sunk into his blood. He liked confident women, and this one had it in spades. She wasn’t brash about it, but she definitely knew who she was and what she was about. It was hard not to be. “That’s what people who are rude say,” she returned.

“Oh, now, Lalani, you have dealt with rude people before,” Alana said.

“That’s work,” she said. “I try to keep my personal life as simple as possible. And, difficult people are now no longer whom I work with.”

The two women shared one of those looks that told him there was more going on there. He hated to admit it, but he wanted to know more. He wasn’t about to start dating a friend of Alana’s. It would never end the way she wanted it, and he didn’t want to make things awkward. Although, he wasn’t sure how much more awkward it could get.

“There’s no reason we can’t have a good time.”

“You’re still talking. There’s a reason.”

Marco chuckled as he attended the chicken. Anthony shot his cousin a look that warned of retribution, but the SEAL didn’t see it. He was too busy with the food.

“What do you do for a living?”

Alana opened her mouth, but Lalani interrupted her. “I teach dance in Honolulu.”

“Ah.”

He couldn’t see her eyes because she still had those damned sunglasses on. “You live in the city?”

She nodded. “I enjoy it.”

He rolled his shoulders. “Too many people.”

“There is that. But one of the best things about this island is that you can escape to somewhere quiet in less than thirty minutes. As long as it isn’t rush hour. Alana said you are NCIS?”

He nodded.

She tipped her head in acknowledgment, knowing he was going to be as stingy with information as she was. Her lips curved. Damn, he liked clever women. They were always more fun.

“Are you at Pearl or Kaneohe?”

“Pearl.”

She nodded. “That must be a drive in the mornings.”

“Oh, Anthony gets up so early it doesn’t matter.”

“Old habits,” Lalani murmured as if she understood.

“He’s training for the triathlon.”

“Oh, have fun with that.”

He looked her over. “You look like you’re in shape.”

She laughed. “Well, thanks. You know how to break out the compliments.”

“You have good muscle definition, so I find it hard to believe that you don’t train for something.”

“I’m a dancer, but I don’t like the idea of contests like that. For me. I tend to be kind of competitive. It is not attractive.”

“So, you are saying competitiveness is unattractive.”

“No, not at all. As a dancer, it served me well. But when I do those kinds of things, outside of my normal training, I obsess.”

“But you never obsessed with dance?”

He thought she was mad when she didn’t answer right away, but she pulled off her glasses. She was thinking about how to answer his question.

“I guess you could say I was. I’ve been dancing for so many years. My mother said I danced before I actually walked, but that was my mother.” A wistful smile curved her full mouth. “She wasn’t like one of those scary stage moms. It just came natural to me, and she played along with it. And knowing how much you had to put into it, she actually tried to slow me down.”

“She didn’t want you to succeed?”

“She thought there was more to succeeding than being the best at your career. Mom always believed in living. She said people obsessed about careers and money too much.”

“Sounds like a wise woman.”

“She was.”

Then she slipped her glasses back on her face. He wanted to know more. She spoke of her mother with such love and admiration; there was no doubt that Lalani had adored her. The easy affection toward her family and all that sass made her a little too intriguing. But, before he could ask anything else, Marco announced dinner was ready. As they got their dinner ready, he realized he was more captivated than he wanted to admit.

But now he knew the color of her eyes. Hazel, with shots of green throughout the irises. They tilted up at the corners and gave her an exotic look.

Damn, he had always been partial to hazel eyes.

The awkward moment stretched so Alana, as usual, stepped in to smooth it over.

“There is a real reason we invited you both to dinner,” Alana said.

“Other than trying to set us up?” Anthony said.

Alana gave him a frown, and he immediately felt bad. “Sorry.”

She nodded. “Marco and I have talked about it, and we would both like you to be godparents for our next baby.”

“Oh, wow,” Lalani said.

He looked at Marco, who nodded. “You don’t want to have one of your brothers?”

Marco smiled. “We wanted someone close by this time. You and Lalani are here and once I’m out of the Navy, this is where we will stay. And you know Jon so well, it helps.”

Lalani squealed and jumped up. She hugged Alana. “I will be the best godmother ever.”

Then she ran over to Marco and hugged him. Anthony leaned over and kissed Alana on the cheek. “Thank you.”

She turned her head and looked at him. “And now you know why I needed you two to get along. Be nice because you will be in each other’s lives a long time.”

Anthony looked over at Lalani, who was watching him. He knew then that she understood what that meant. Years. And both of them would take it seriously. He had seen her with Jon.

Now there was no avoiding her.

Damn.