Page 54 of Always Be True: Tino
“Yeah, unless I’m mistaken, the bottom line is that you said I’m good in bed and he wasn’t.” He spun her around on the dance floor. “I’m not wrong about that, am I?”
She laughed. “I hate to feed your already well-developed ego, but you’re right. However, to be fair, I’ve only had that one evening with you as a basis for comparison.”
Tino was obviously a man who enjoyed a challenge. “Well, I wouldn’t want you to form such an important opinion on insufficient information.”
His eyes darkened to the color of bittersweet chocolate. “Why don’t we make our excuses and head back to your place? Once we’re there, I promise to make every effort to provide you with a lot of hard data to support your hypothesis.”
His teasing went a long way toward restoring her good mood even if he had her blushing. “I look forward to examining your, um, hard data quite thoroughly, but I’d rather not leave quite yet.”
“So Benton doesn’t assume that you’re leaving because of him.” Tino’s dark gaze shifted back toward the table. “You don’t want him to think anything he says or does has the power to influence what you do.”
“Got it in one guess. Is that all right?”
“Fine with me. I wasn’t kidding about loving to dance, and I don’t get many chances like this.”
Then he whispered near her ear, “Especially when it’s really foreplay for what comes later when I get you home.”
She shivered from the surge of hunger that danced along her skin. “I can’t wait.”
They spent the next three songs out on the dance floor. When the orchestra launched into a salsa, Tino’s face lit up. “Are you up for this?”
“Show me what you’ve got, soldier.”
He recognized that for the challenge that it was and led her through a series of fast steps that had her laughing and at the same time trying to catch her breath. She refused to let him outshine her, though, and took pride in keeping up with him. Almost, anyway.
By the time the final strains of the song faded away, she was more than ready for a breather and maybe a cold drink. Natalie followed as Tino led the way through the crowd back to their table. When he abruptly quit moving, she had to lean to the side to see what was going on that brought him to a stop. One glance had her wanting to curse.
Not only had Benton remained in Tino’s seat, but if she and Tino wanted to sit down, they’d be stuck sitting on either side of him. Darn the man, anyway. Why did he have to act like this?
And if she was aggravated, it was unlikely Tino was any happier. Rather than continue directly to the table, he slowed their steps as he looked around the ballroom. “Want to check out the bar? I’d like a shot of something stronger than wine. Besides, right now I’m not sure I could resist the urge to kick the bastard’s ass for him.”
There was no doubt he meant every word. She tugged his face down for a quick kiss. “I’d love a soft drink. Then maybe we should think about leaving.”
At least the line at the bar was long enough to give them both time to rein in their tempers. “I’m sorry, Tino. He’s never acted like this before.”
“It’s not your fault he can’t figure out how to let go.” He paused to sip his bourbon. “So, assuming you still don’t want me to school your ex in acceptable behavior, how do you want to handle this?”
Before she could answer, she spotted her father heading for them. “What now?”
They moved a short distance away where it was a little less crowded to hear what her father had to say.
“Natalie, your mother has developed a headache, so we’re going to leave. She thought you might like to walk out with us.”
“Is it one of her migraines?”
Her father shook his head. “No, it’s more of a big pain in the Humboldt region. Tino, we both want to apologize for the way Benton has chosen to behave tonight. I’ve never seen him act this way before.”
“No need to apologize, sir. It’s not your fault.”
“I know, but we’re the hosts at the table, and we certainly didn’t intend for you two to get stuck sitting between him and his parents. By the time we realized Benton had switched the place cards around, there wasn’t a way to change them back without causing a scene. We should have done it anyway.”
He turned his attention back to her. “So, what do you say we all call it a night? Your mother is waiting over by the door for us.”
Natalie set her soft drink down on a handy table and looped her arms through both Tino’s and her father’s. “I think that’s for the best. I just need to grab my purse.”
“Why don’t you go join your mother while I get it for you?”
She studied Tino’s all-too-innocent face for a second before nodding. It was hard to see if he was up to something, but she had no desire to cross paths with Benton again.
“I’ll be waiting.”
Tino nodded and headed off through the crowd toward the table. From the set of his shoulders and the way his hands had just curled into fists, maybe she shouldn’t have left it up to him to fetch her purse. When she started to follow him, her father tugged her back.
“Let him go, Natalie. He won’t do anything to embarrass you in public.”
She reluctantly let her father lead her over to where her mother stood next to the exit. “You just met him, Dad. How can you be sure?”
Her father shrugged. “I may have just met him, but it’s clear you matter to him. Assuming Benton won’t decide to be an even bigger ass than he’s already been this evening, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
That was a pretty big assumption, but there wasn’t much Natalie could do about it now. She could only stand with her parents and hope for the best.
