Page 53 of Always Be True: Tino
She finally glanced in his direction. “Under the circumstances, I don’t think that would be a good idea, Benton.”
The thin veneer of his charm slipped a bit as his gaze momentarily shifted from her to her mother and Tino out on the dance floor. “What circumstances are those?”
Did she really have to lay it all out there for him? She didn’t want to rub his face in it, but eventually he and his mother were going to have to accept the fact that she wasn’t going to come to heel no matter how hard they tried to convince themselves otherwise.
“I’m obviously seeing someone else now, Benton.”
He stopped short of rolling his eyes, but his expression was clearly dismissive. Clearly, he thought Tino was nothing but a momentary blip on their radar. “Come on, Nat, we’ve known each other our whole lives. I see no reason we can’t go back to being friends even if we aren’t lovers for the moment.”
And that was exactly why she had no intention of seeing him outside of these occasional, unavoidable social obligations. “I hope you’re not looking to rekindle something more than simple friendship with me. I’ve already made it clear that’s not going to happen.”
His grip on his wineglass tightened to the point she feared the crystal would shatter. “Of course it won’t, not if you won’t even give me a chance to make things right between us. You owe me that much.”
She didn’t owe him a darn thing, and she’d grown tired of having to remind him of that fact. But before she could come up with a response, Tino returned to the table with her mother. Benton immediately rose to his feet.
He held out his hand to her. “We can continue this discussion out on the dance floor.”
“No, we can’t. I promised this one to Tino.”
She brushed past him to walk around to the other side of the table to where Tino stood talking to her parents. His smile faded when he saw her headed for him. After glancing across the table to where Benton sat watching their every move, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her in close.
“What’s up?”
There wasn’t enough privacy to explain things, not with her parents sitting right there and Mrs. Humboldt and her son glaring at the two of them from across the table.
“I want to dance.”
“All right.” Tino paused to smile at her mother again. “Maybe we can squeeze in another round before Natalie and I have to leave.”
Her dad was the one who answered. “One more and that’s it. Too much of a good thing, and she’ll never be satisfied to shuffle around on the dance floor with me again.”
Her mother only laughed. “Oh, yes, I will. In fact, let’s dance now while the orchestra is playing a waltz.”
Tino plowed their way through the other couples, holding Natalie’s hand as she followed in his wake. He waited until they were lost in the center of the crowd before taking her in his arms. She’d been concerned that the difference in their heights would make dancing in close quarters awkward, but she’d worried for nothing. Within seconds, they were swirling across the floor as if they’d been dancing together for years rather than this being their first attempt.
Rather than bring up the problem with Benton, she lost herself in the beauty of the music and the warmth of the man who held her in his arms with such ease. For the moment, Tino seemed content to enjoy the dance, but she knew him well enough to know that eventually he would demand an explanation.
Sure enough, when the song ended and the orchestra immediately launched into a slower melody, he tightened his hold on her. “So what did our resident jackass say to upset you?”
“He wants to have lunch with me. Something about finding our way back to being friends again.” She rested her head against Tino’s chest, taking comfort in the soft beat of his heart. “He clearly wants more than that. I don’t.”
Tino muttered something unintelligible under his breath, and his hold on her tightened. “After this dance, I’ll have a talk with him.”
The last thing either of them needed was to make a huge scene. “No, please don’t. It’s my problem.”
She smiled up at him, hoping to quench the angry fire burning in his eyes. “Well, actually, it’s his. I doubt that many people have ever refused to give Benton something he wants, especially his parents. They think he’s perfect in every way and can’t imagine why I don’t see him the same way they do.”
“Well, just know I’d be glad to escort him outside to have a personal discussion with him on the issue.” He turned a predatory smile in the direction of their table. “You know, the kind of discussion I used to have on a regular basis with soldiers who needed a hands-on reminder on how to behave in public. Maybe nursing a sore jaw and a few bruises will convince him that things are over between the two of you.”
Was she a bad person for even considering his offer even if only for half a second? Probably. Besides, Benton was an attorney and wouldn’t hesitate to either press charges or file suit if Tino made a move against him.
“Eventually he’ll give up. I’m guessing his pride is hurting more than his heart. Looking back, it’s not like things were ever all that hot and heavy between us. Not like it is with you and me.”
What was Tino thinking now? If she had to guess, she’d say he was looking pretty pleased with himself. “What?”
“I think there was a compliment for me buried somewhere in what you just said.”
She replayed her words in her head. “There was? Are you sure?”
