Page 37 of Always Be True: Tino
Chapter 10
Tino walked over to a bench at the edge of Green Lake but decided against making himself comfortable. As tempting as it was to sit and watch the sun rise, that wasn’t why he was there at O-dark-thirty.
That had more to do with his need to see a certain petite blonde again than it did with soaking up some early-morning rays. Last night in the parking lot outside of the community center, he’d teased her about why he was counting down the days until they would have dinner at her place, saying that it was all about the chance to check out her “pom-poms.” That had been a lie. Okay, not really. He was a guy, after all. Damn straight he wanted to get his hands—and his mouth—on them.
However, that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to get her behind locked doors, or even the most important one. The bottom line was that he wanted to have Natalie all to himself. Yes, they’d had dinner together the other night, but the only time they’d actually been alone was in the car and the few minutes when the fog had insulated them from the rest of the world.
He would also see her tomorrow at the center after practice with Jay’s team and again on Sunday when they were going on a picnic. Again, they’d be surrounded by people, and he didn’t want to share. With her busy schedule, it was hard enough to find a time when he could see her at all.
So after he’d gotten back to the annex, he’d given in to the need to simply hear her voice again. They’d talked on the phone for nearly an hour about nothing and everything. Finally, knowing that she really needed to go to bed, he’d been about to say goodnight when on impulse he’d asked if she’d like to go for a morning run with him. He’d even treat them both to coffee afterward. Granted, they wouldn’t be completely alone, but they could pretend they had the park to themselves. That she didn’t hesitate to accept the invitation still had the power to make him smile. It was nice to know that she was also anxious to spend more time with him.
Right now, the woman in question was headed straight for him. One look at the outfit she had on had him double-checking to make sure his tongue wasn’t hanging out. Her running pants were black with a blue stripe down the side. They outlined every curve in her shapely legs and that adorable ass. The matching shirt did the same for the aforementioned pom-poms. However, as much as he loved the look, he didn’t much like the way two other guys gave her the once-over as they ran past. Assholes.
Maybe he should make it a rule that she had to wear one of his oversize T-shirts over her outfit whenever they went out for a run. He could just imagine her reaction to that suggestion. It might be worth asking her just to see if he was right.
“You know, that’s a disgustingly cheerful smile for this ungodly early hour of the morning.”
Tino laughed. “Yeah, well, I’ve always found you can irritate a lot more people by being cheery in the morning than by being grouchy.”
Natalie gave him a mock frown. “Well, it’s working. I can’t believe I got up an hour earlier than usual just to get all sweaty and tired.”
He had some sympathy for how she felt. “It could be worse.”
She looked doubtful. “How?”
“It could be raining.”
She grinned, her smile framed by a matching set of dimples. “Point taken.”
“Maybe this will improve your mood.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close for a quick kiss, which she returned with gratifying enthusiasm. It also had an obvious effect on a certain part of his anatomy. No surprise there—it happened every time he saw her or even thought of her. Hoping she wouldn’t notice, he loosened his hold on her and took a half step back.
She bit her lower lip and then said, “Um, you know, I’ve been rethinking this whole running thing since you suggested it last night.”
“Really?”
Because if she’d changed her mind, it was a little late to say so, considering they’d already dragged themselves out of bed to get there.
“Well, you might have noticed that you’re about a foot taller than I am.”
Where was she going with this? “Yeah, I noticed.”
“So the difference in our heights is going to make it hard for us to run at the same pace.”
Did she really think he’d run off and leave her lagging behind? “Don’t worry, Nat. We’ll figure it out. Besides, I’m in no hurry to get anywhere.”
Her dimples made another quick appearance. “That’s what I’m talking about. I’m worried you’ll never keep up with me.”
Then she took off like a bat out of hell, leaving him staring after her.
—
It didn’t surprise Natalie at all when Tino caught up with her within a few seconds, not with those long legs of his eating up the distance. Still, it had been fun to be in the lead even for a few seconds. Then the big show-off not only passed her by, he rubbed it in by literally running circles around her as she pounded down the path.
Now he was jogging backward right in front of her. “If you wanted a head start, all you had to do was ask.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why bother? Even if you’d waited until I was halfway around the lake, you would have still caught up with me.”
