Always Be True: Tino by Alexis Morgan

Author:Alexis Morgan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Loveswept
Published: 2016-10-04T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

As they approached the table, Natalie was torn between the urge to force Benton to move over next to his parents or to simply walk away from the whole situation. That would be cowardly, but what were her parents thinking to allow this seating arrangement? In what universe did it make sense to force her to sit between her ex-fiancé and her current boyfriend? Or worse yet, sitting between Tino and Benton’s mother, who clearly resented her for hurting her precious boy’s feelings? It wasn’t Natalie’s fault that no one had ever denied Benton anything he wanted.

When she met her mom’s gaze, her mother offered her an apologetic shrug. Good to know the awkward arrangement hadn’t been her doing, which meant either Benton or his mother had altered the seating arrangements at some point. Just great.

In the end, she let Tino decide which seat he wanted. Benton was already rising to pull out the chair beside his when Tino stepped between them to offer her the seat next to Mrs. Humboldt.

She thanked him for his courtesy even as she noted the flash of anger across Benton’s face as he dropped back into his own chair. By the time Tino was seated, the conversation around the table had resumed. A few more introductions were in order, but she’d leave that up to her mother as the hostess of this particular table.

A waiter appeared at their side with two bottles of wine. “May I pour you a glass of the red or the white?”

Natalie studied the bottles. “Tino, isn’t that the same white wine we had at dinner the other night? You know, the one that we both liked so much?”

“Yes, it is.” He barely glanced at the label before meeting her gaze head-on. The twinkle in the depths of his dark eyes served as a reminder that the wine they’d shared hadn’t been the only thing they’d both enjoyed that night—or even the best. They’d finished the bottle on the rug in front of the fire, with Tino licking up the last few drops that he’d drizzled on her skin right before he…Okay, now wasn’t the time for a stroll down that particular memory lane. Even so, she suspected she was blushing by the time he turned his attention back to the waiter.

“I haven’t tried that particular red, so I’ll have that. I’m always up for testing a new…vintage.”

She hoped she was the only one who’d noticed his slight hesitation. Was he trying to make her blush even more? Just to let him know she didn’t appreciate it, she gave his ankle a sharp kick. Tino winced while she smiled at the waiter. “We’ll both have the red.”

As soon as their glasses were filled, another waiter arrived with shrimp cocktails for everyone. With luck, the continuing rounds of food would prevent much in the way of conversation.

“So how long have you known our Natalie?”

So much for peace and quiet. Benton’s question had been spoken far louder than necessary, especially considering Tino was sitting right next to him.

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