Page 57 of Always Be True: Tino
—
Natalie hadn’t dated all that many men over the years, and none who were anything like Tino Gianelli. He’d shed all pretense of civilized sophistication between one heartbeat and the next, leaving her panting with need. After abandoning the minimal cover offered by the trees, they’d lasted as far as his car before indulging in another kiss that pretty much fried her brain and threatened to destroy any inhibitions she might have had. If that parking lot had been a little more deserted, she just might have learned if being taken on the hood of a car was as romantic as it would’ve been to let Tino finish what he’d started up against that tree.
She’d laughed and braced herself when Tino gunned the engine and peeled out of the country club parking lot. The tires had squealed and briefly fought for purchase on the road.
Tino shot her an apologetic look. “Whoops.”
After that, he reined it in and drove the rest of the way at or at least near the speed limit. Fifteen minutes later, they were on the final approach to her place. She wasn’t sure she would have survived the trip if she’d lived any farther away from the club.
She’d never been daring enough to try out the backseat of a car, but she was tempted to give it a shot tonight. She glanced over her shoulder and grinned. It would be tricky but definitely doable.
“Okay, woman, what has you smiling all wicked like that?”
Her grin kicked it up a notch. “I was checking out the backseat.”
Tino gave her a considering look. “Why?”
“I’m betting you can figure it out.” She trailed her fingers along the length of his thigh in case he needed more of a hint.
It didn’t take him long to connect the dots. “Another fantasy of yours?”
“I’ve never tried it and won’t ask if you’ve ever done it in a car.”
His initial silence was answer enough, but then he grinned. “I’d have to take the Fifth.”
But after another sideways glance in her direction, he added, “Although in the interest of total honesty, it was actually the bed of my dad’s old pickup truck.”
It was hard not to be a bit jealous of whatever lucky girl he’d been with, but she’d never expected him to have been a monk all these years. Tino must have noticed her smile had faded, because he reached over to take her hand in his.
“For the record, there haven’t been all that many women in my life. Between deployments and transfers, it was hard to connect with anyone on that level.”
Then he waggled his eyebrows with a playful leer. “But just in case you’re interested, we still have that old truck. You know, if you ever want to try it out.”
Was she a bad person for being tempted to give it a go? Before she could decide, she realized the car had stopped moving, and Tino announced, “We’re here.”
This time, Natalie didn’t wait for him to open the car door for her. She was out and waiting for him almost before he had a chance to turn off the engine. When they reached the front door, he drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I know this evening was rougher than either of us expected. Do you still want me to come inside?”
“Yes, I do,” she assured him, although she appreciated that he asked. “None of what happened was our fault, and I really am sorry how things played out. I will also say that I’ve never seen Benton be that much of a jerk. He takes his public image pretty seriously.”
Tino swooped in for a quick kiss. “Well, hearing that you’ve moved on and actually seeing it for himself are two different things. It probably hadn’t really hit him how much he’d lost until he saw us together. I’m done talking about him except to say the man was a damn fool for letting you get away.”
How odd to realize she’d somehow stirred such strong passion in even one man, much less two. Right now, the same hungry gleam that had been in Tino’s eyes when he’d almost taken her up against that tree was back in full force. It was clear that what was coming next wouldn’t be the same gentle seduction they’d enjoyed the last time.
She couldn’t wait.
Her hand was remarkably steady when she put the key in the lock and turned it. They’d barely cleared the doorway when Tino took her purse from her hand and tossed it on a nearby table. Then he swept her up in his arms for the second time in one evening and headed straight for the staircase.
When they reached the top step, he hesitated only long enough to ask, “Which room?”
“The last one on the left.”
Funny, that she was the one who sounded breathless when he was the one doing all the heavy lifting. Upon entering her bedroom, Tino settled her on the edge of the bed. Instead of joining her there, he took a step back. She hated even that much distance between them. But if he needed a moment, she’d give it to him as long as he didn’t retreat any farther.
Finally, he nodded as if he’d come to a decision. “Nat, I want you so damn badly, but after everything that happened tonight—not just with Benton, but afterward in the parking lot—my control is shot. I want to move slowly. To make things good for you…for us, but I’m not sure I can. Go slowly, that is.”
His voice had taken on that same rough and hungry edge it had had earlier in the deep shadows under the trees. She’d liked it then. She liked it now as the weight of his words sank deep within her, fueling the flames of her own hunger, her need for this man.
Smiling up at her handsome lover, she held out her hand to entice him back within reach. “I like slow and easy just fine, but we can save that for later. Right now, fast sounds good to me.”
