Page 47 of Always Be True: Tino
Chapter 13
It was Saturday morning, and the community center buzzed with activity. Natalie had come in early to work on her lesson plans for the evening computer classes. The only problem was that she couldn’t maintain her focus for more than a few minutes at a time. Images of a certain man kept slipping in and around the edges of her mind to distract her, and suddenly she’d find herself staring off into space instead of working. No other man, and especially no other lover, had ever dominated her thoughts like this. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.
She hadn’t seen Tino since he’d left in the wee hours of Thursday morning. On his way out, he’d kissed her one last time. He’d meant it as a gentle goodbye, but the embrace had come close to fanning the embers of their passion back into a raging inferno again. Only the fact that they both had to be at work in a few hours had lent strength to her determination to shoo him out the door. But as he drove away, she’d immediately regretted her decision to let him leave. Both she and her home had felt strangely empty without Tino’s electric presence there to fill them both up.
Maybe he’d felt the same sense of loss because he’d called her before he’d driven more than a few blocks to tell her how much he missed her. They’d also talked at least once a day since. Considering some of the comments he’d made in those conversations, she really hoped that he was alone when he’d called. Not only had he pointed out a few of his favorite highlights of their evening together—including a few favorite positions—he’d also offered her a detailed list of possibilities they should try next time.
She couldn’t help but admire his creativity.
With any luck, they could try out a few his suggestions later tonight. She hoped to spend the shortest time possible at the fundraiser, so the two of them could move on to the more enjoyable part of the evening they had planned. The moment when they would once again be alone behind locked doors couldn’t come soon enough. And who knows? Maybe this time they might even make it as far as her bed, not that she was complaining about a little rug burn on her backside or her knees. Their evening together had been so…so…absolutely amazing.
“Natalie Kennigan, I’m guessing—or at least I’m hoping—that handsome Tino Gianelli put that smile on your face.”
Drat, she’d been caught daydreaming again. There was no use in trying to lie to Rosalie. “Yeah, he did.”
Feeling a little wicked, she added, “Several times, in fact.”
Natalie laughed when her friend’s mouth dropped open in shock. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever known you to be at a total loss for words.”
Rosalie blinked twice before she managed to speak again, but it didn’t take long for her to get back up to speed. “It’s about damn time, my friend. I want details.”
Then she fanned herself. “Well, one or two. At my age, it’s important not to overload my imagination. It could set off a tidal wave of hot flashes. Just tell me he was good in bed.”
This was going to be fun. “I hate to disappoint you, but I wouldn’t know.”
“But you said—”
It was time to show mercy on her friend. “But I can tell you this much: he was damn good on the rug in front of the fireplace.”
Rosalie gave a low whistle as she perched on the edge of Natalie’s desk. “Girlfriend, you’ve just flooded my head with a whole slew of hot images.”
Natalie’s skin heated up, partly from embarrassment, partly from remembering just how Tino had looked sprawled on the rug after their second go-round—or maybe it was their third. Not that it mattered. The important point was that he might not appreciate being the target of the female equivalent of locker-room talk. It was time to rein in the conversation or at least take it in a different direction.
“Seriously, Rosalie, he’s such a nice guy. Tonight he’s taking me to one of those endless black-tie dinners I get roped into even after I told him my folks and Benton’s family would be there.”
Her friend recognized the change of topics for what it was. “I’m glad Tino is treating you right, Natalie. It’s a nice change from that pompous ass you were engaged to.”
Funny how she didn’t feel the urge to defend her ex-fiancé. It wouldn’t do any good anyway. The one time Rosalie had met Benton, it hadn’t gone well at all. After countless requests, Natalie had finally managed to convince him to visit the center and regretted it within minutes of his arrival. She’d been embarrassed by the way he’d paraded through the place without even bothering to fake any interest in what she and all the volunteers were trying to accomplish there.
She’d finally given up trying to help him see past the faded paint and scarred floors to the possibilities and suggested he leave so she could get back to work. He also hadn’t liked that she’d refused to leave with him. If she remembered correctly, his parting shot was something about her wasting her grandfather’s money and her time on people she had nothing in common with no matter how she liked to pretend otherwise. When she didn’t return his calls for several days, he’d finally showed up at her door with two dozen roses and an insincere apology. Maybe refusing the flowers and handing him back her engagement ring had been impulsive, but she’d yet to regret her decision to end things between them.
It shouldn’t have taken her so long to figure out they weren’t the perfect match their families thought they would be. Down deep, where it really mattered, their core values were far too different for them to make a go of it. At least she’d realized it in time.
“You’re right about that. Tino is nothing like Benton.”
“And that’s a good thing.” Rosalie frowned. “Which reminds me, why isn’t Tino here to help out today?”
“He called me last night to say he needed to help his brother this morning. Jack runs their family business, but Tino also works on jobs when Jack is shorthanded. Otherwise, he mostly handles the finances for the company.”
“What kind of business is it?”
“They do construction.”
That much was true, although he’d never mentioned the kind of construction they did. She’d noticed Tino was remarkably closemouthed about his past, but she hadn’t felt inclined to ask too many questions. For one thing, he’d spent the past ten years in the army and didn’t seem eager to offer up many details about that time in his life. By all reports, it was clear that transitioning from active duty back to civilian life wasn’t always easy. If he needed time, she’d give it to him.
Rosalie was laughing again. “Well, I can see I’ve lost your attention again.”
Natalie grimaced. “Sorry for drifting off like that. I could claim that I was struck by sudden inspiration for my lesson plans, but I try not to lie to my friends. I can’t seem to stay on track today.”
