Always Be True (14 page)

“I saved you a spot.” She patted the pillow next to hers. “Why are you staying all the way over there?”

“I'm admiring the view and thinking about what all I'm going to do with you…to you when I finally get there.”

Her eyes lit with interest as her dimples made another appearance. He noticed she had another set right above the top of her jeans. And if he wasn't mistaken, the very top edge of a tattoo was peeking out right between them.

He tossed the condoms on the floor within easy reach. As soon as he did, she rolled over onto her back, once again letting him look his fill. Maybe it would've been smarter to leave his jeans on for the moment, but right now they chafed against his skin as his hunger for her grew exponentially in intensity. It was time to join her on that rug and get the party started.

He toed off his shoes and stripped off his jeans, boxers, and socks in one fell swoop, basking in Natalie's approval-laced smile. When she reached for the snap on her jeans, Tino knelt at her feet and brushed her fingers out of the way.

“Let me,” he murmured as he smiled and ran his hands up the inside of her calves to her thighs. Before reaching for the tab on her zipper, he moved up her body to kiss her breasts, licking and suckling each of them in turn until she kicked her head back on the pillow and arched her back off the rug. “Like that, do you?”

Without waiting for her to answer, he moved to the side and continued to lavish his attention on them while he finally unfastened the snap on her jeans and slowly worked the zipper down to make room for his hand to slide inside. Her curls were already damp and hot as he sought out the center of her hunger with his fingertips. It didn't take long to bring her right to the edge, but he immediately backed off.

“Tino!” she complained.

“We'll get there, but I don't want to rush this. There's only one first time for us, and I want it to be memorable.”

She tried to tug her jeans down as an enticement, but he captured her hands with one of his and held them prisoner. When she surrendered, he rewarded her with another long kiss before stripping off her jeans and the lacy panties underneath.

After releasing her hands, Tino positioned himself to do some exploring. In the soft light from the fire, he considered the sharp contrast between the gentle curves of her body and the hard planes of his own. So different and yet so perfect for each other. But where should he start? Finally, he kissed the pulse point at the base of her throat before nuzzling his way from the peak of one breast to the other and back again.

From there, he moved on down her body until he reached the center of her heat, which tasted both spicy and sweet at the same time. Natalie writhed under his ministrations, making him think maybe it was time to send her flying. Using his fingers and tongue, he took great pleasure in working his lady into a frenzy that had her screaming his name.

More than a little pleased with himself, he stretched out alongside her and propped his head up with his hand to look down at her flushed face. “Let me know when you've caught your breath and want to start round two.”

Natalie gave him a sultry look. “I'm ready now.”

In a quick move, she captured his erection in a tight grip and worked her hand down to the bottom of his shaft and then back up to the blunt tip. He closed his eyes and moaned as the waves of pleasure washed over him. Natalie laughed softly and intensified her efforts, making it clear which of them was now in the driver's seat. He willingly surrendered, easing onto his back to offer her free rein.

The expression in her eyes took on a hungry look. “It's my turn to have some fun.”

Then she put that sassy mouth to good use, damn near killing him in the process. He needed to stop her before it was too late. He threaded his fingers through Natalie's hair to hold her head still. “Honey, you've got to let me catch my breath before this gets completely out of hand.”

She glanced up at him with a siren's smile. “If you're sure that's really what you want.”

Hell, no, that's not what he wanted, but it was necessary. He fumbled around to snag one of the condoms, knowing he had seconds at best before he'd lose control and take her any way he could. With that done, he studied his companion. “Nat, I want you so damn bad. When you thought of this moment, how did you see it playing out? Tell me what you want, and I'll do my best to make it happen.”

Her eyes were luminescent as she studied him. “There are a lot of intriguing possibilities, but I'll let you lead this particular dance.”

Her accompanying smile warmed Tino from the inside out, once again bringing his body back to full attention without a single touch. When she leaned in close to kiss him softly, her tongue teased his into a final game of foreplay before rolling over onto her back in blatant invitation.

Tino covered her body with his, loving the slide of her smooth skin against his. As tempting as it was to immediately join his body to hers, he took pleasure in tormenting them both a little longer by rocking against her core a few times. Natalie responded by digging her fingertips into the muscles of his back. “Quit teasing, Tino.”

The moment finally upon them, he stared down at her, wanting to remember every second of what came next. “I'm not sure I can be gentle about this.”

Natalie's hands trembled a bit as she reached up to cup his face, her smile full of wicked promise. “I can take it. Don't stop and don't hold back.”

A soldier knew when he'd been given a new mission, one he was determined to carry out to the best of his abilities. Tino spread Natalie's legs wide and buried himself deep within her welcoming heat with a series of hard and fast thrusts.

Natalie watched his every move as she kept up a litany of encouragement, her words driving him on. “Please, Tino! I want more! Just like that.”

Their bodies slammed together over and over again, each flex of his hips adding power to the lightning storm building between them. Her skin flushed rosy, and he couldn't resist the temptation to savor the sweet taste of her breasts again. After shifting their positions again, he tongued and teased one nipple while he massaged her other breast over and over again.

She clasped her hands around his head and lifted her ankles high around his legs, pressing her body even closer to his.

Panting and working his hips hard, Tino murmured words that were dark and bright and nearly incoherent as he fought to wring every possible ounce of pleasure from their first coupling. Finally, the storm broke. Natalie arched beneath him, keening out his name as her nails dug into his back. At the same time, he shuddered in release, pouring out his own pleasure deep within the hot grip of her core.

Reality was slow in returning, and for the longest moment, he was both blind and deaf to the world beyond this beautiful woman's arms. But even within the confines of that small space, there was one truth he knew down deep in his soul: if there was ever going to be one single perfect moment in his life, this was it.

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.”

“Not a problem. There's nothing like new love to mess with a girl's mind.” Then her friend patted her on the shoulder. “I'll let you get back to work.”

Good idea, or it would be, if she could get her mind back on the work at hand instead of her plans for the evening. She and Tino would do their best to get through dinner, listen to the plea for foundation money, and hopefully squeeze in a few dances before escaping back to her place.

She crossed her fingers that the time at the country club would fly by so they could get down to the real entertainment for the evening.

Tino hustled his ass around to Natalie's side of the car to open the door for her. Granted, she was perfectly capable of getting herself in and out of the vehicle on her own. However, this was one of those occasions when he needed to bust out the fancy manners that his foster parents had taught him. Joe had made it clear that all women deserved to be treated with courtesy, but he'd been especially adamant about that being true when the woman in question was special. Natalie definitely fell into that category.

He offered his hand to her and felt the usual surge of heat that happened every time his skin came into contact with hers. Her smile made it clear that she'd felt the same tug of hunger as she climbed out of the car.

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

She settled her hand on the crook of his arm as they made their way toward the entrance to the country club. “Did I mention how handsome you are in that tux?”

“You may have once or twice, but I'm glad you think so.”

Especially with what the damn thing had cost him. He hadn't gone cheap on the one he'd picked out, and then he'd coughed up a sizeable bonus to get it altered in time for tonight. If he and Natalie continued seeing each other, this wouldn't be the only one of these fancy dinners he'd have to attend. Damned if he'd embarrass her in front of her family and friends by showing up in a rented tux.

He was well aware that Natalie wasn't exactly calm about this first venture into her world as a couple. It showed in the tight grip she had on his arm and in the way she kept scanning the crowd as they started up the steps together. The only question was who she was more worried about them running into—her parents or the ex-fiancé.

Even the worry in her eyes didn't detract from how stunning she looked. She'd pulled her hair up in a twist and left a few strands down to frame her face. The black dress showed off her curves perfectly. The neckline dipped just low enough to be enticing without revealing too much, while the hemline hit just shy of her knees and showed off her legs to great advantage.

But as good as it all looked on her, he couldn't wait to strip it all off and get to the warm and willing woman underneath. Evidently he was broadcasting rather too loudly what he was thinking because Natalie tugged on his arm. “Down, boy. You're about to meet my parents.”

She nodded toward the couple who stood a short distance in front of them watching their approach. “Best not let them know what we have planned for later. They're not naïve, but there's no use in rubbing it in their faces.”

“Good thinking.”

He pasted what he hoped was a more innocent smile on his face while Natalie guided them over to where her parents waited. It was hard to judge what they were thinking, but at least they didn't look openly hostile.

Natalie released her hold on his arm to step forward to hug first her mother and then her father. Then she stepped back to perform the necessary introductions. “Mom, Dad, this is my friend, Tino Gianelli. Tino, these are my parents, Tracy and Randall Kennigan.”

Her father's handshake was firm and quick, but her mother was a little slower to release his hand, her study of him a little more analytical. Yeah, he was damn glad he splurged on the tux, because appearances might matter to this woman. He wouldn't have wanted to come up short in that department.

It was clear that Natalie had gotten her unruly curls from her father and her beauty from her mother. Despite the obvious similarities, they both seemed to lack the spark of innate warmth and charm that drew people of all walks of life to their daughter.

“It's nice to meet you both.”

Mrs. Kennigan's smile remained tight. “And you as well, Mr. Gianelli. It was nice of you to jump into the breach to escort Natalie tonight on such short notice.”

“It was my pleasure.”

That was true even if he'd also dreaded the whole affair. Natalie had needed his support this evening, and he'd do his best to blend in with this world of wealth that was second nature to her. He mentally crossed his fingers that he'd do them both proud.

With that in mind, he moved closer to her and put his hand on the small of her back, saying without words that he was more than a last-minute escort. “Especially because she promised there'd be dancing.”

That clearly surprised her mother. “You like to dance?”

“I do. My mother insisted that my brothers and I learn our way around a dance floor.” He glanced at Natalie. “I'm especially fond of the salsa, but I like more conventional styles nearly as much.”

Then he turned his attention back to her mother. “Perhaps you'll save a dance for me as well?”

Her husband spoke up for the first time. “Oh, man, you just made my wife's entire evening with that offer. I manage to not embarrass myself too much out on the dance floor, but I'll never impress anyone with my skills.”

His wife protested. “Now, Randall, you know you're not that bad.”

Randall laughed. “And that kind of lie is one reason I love this woman. She refuses to see my many faults, starting with the fact I have two left feet.”

Tracy looked past the other people filing into the building. “I suspect we're in the way here. Maybe we should go on into the ballroom.”

Natalie took Tino's hand as they followed her parents down the hall. She deliberately hung back just long enough to give him a teasing grin. “Way to butter up my mom. How did you know she liked to dance?”

He tilted his head down closer to hers as they walked. “You said you do. I figured you must have gotten the dance gene from one of your parents. It was a fifty-fifty shot it would've been her. Besides, offering to dance with your dad would've been a bit awkward.”

“So true.” Her accompanying laughter rang out, drawing attention from several people, including her parents. Natalie didn't seem to notice or perhaps just didn't care. She rested her head against his arm and whispered, “Although I would have paid good money to see that happen, especially if it was that salsa you mentioned. You'd both look so handsome out there tearing up the dance floor in your tuxedos.”

“Okay, now that's just mean.”

“Gee, I'm sorry, Tino.” She batted her eyes at him. “Remind me to find some way to make it up to you later.”

“It's a deal. I may even have some suggestions on exactly how you can do that.”

He let her see the heat in his eyes as he considered the possible apologies he'd be up for when they were alone. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be for hours yet, and right now her parents were waiting for them to catch up.