Читать онлайн книгу «My Stallion Heart» автора Deborah Mello
My Stallion Heart
Deborah Fletcher Mello
One legendary clan International supermodel Natalie Stallion has come a long way from her humble Utah roots. Called back from London to settle her mother's estate, she has conflicting feelings about reuniting with her estranged siblings. And when a nor'easter strands her with a sexy stranger, she decides to take advantage of the delay. But sharing a fleeting moment in time with world-famous designer Tinjin Braddy leaves her with regrets for what might have been.Haunted by the memory of that sizzling goodbye kiss at the airport, the continent-hopping playboy doesn't expect to see the siren in stilettos again. But their lives and careers are about to collide at a Stallion family reunion. And now high-level espionage threatens Tinjin's entire business empire. With suspicion–and irresistible desire–igniting, can Tinjin trust Natalie with his future and his heart?
One legendary clan
International supermodel Natalie Stallion has come a long way from her humble Utah roots. Called back from London to settle her mother’s estate, she has conflicting feelings about reuniting with her estranged siblings. And when a nor’easter strands her with a sexy stranger, she decides to take advantage of the delay. But sharing a fleeting moment in time with world-famous designer Tinjin Braddy leaves her with regrets for what might have been.
Haunted by the memory of that sizzling goodbye kiss at the airport, the continent-hopping playboy doesn’t expect to see the siren in stilettos again. But their lives and careers are about to collide at a Stallion family reunion. And now high-level espionage threatens Tinjin’s entire business empire. With suspicion—and irresistible desire—igniting, can Tinjin trust Natalie with his future and his heart?
“So you don’t have to leave?”
“No. I don’t. And since you desperately want to spend time with me, I think I’m going to stay.”
Natalie smiled. “There is nothing desperate about me, TJ. Don’t get it twisted.”
She tossed a glance over her shoulder. Her family had moved to the foyer, the goodbyes lingering as everyone tried to get in one last word and comment. She turned back to Tinjin and moved against him, tipping up on her toes as she pressed her palms to his chest. “Thank you,” she said, her soft voice brushing warmly against his ear.
Tinjin wrapped his arms around her. “You’re welcome,” he whispered back as he relished the feel of her.
He placed a gentle kiss against her cheek, allowing his lips to linger there for a minute longer than necessary. Her breathing eased as she relaxed against him. He dropped his cheek to hers, the warmth of her skin sending a swift chill down his spine.
Natalie slid her arms around his torso and hugged her chest to his. He wrapped his arms around her back, his hands resting against the silk of her dress.
Dear Reader (#ulink_cc5e2dd0-f564-5c0b-8a64-4da5216aa04f),
The Stallion family is officially back! After all your emails and messages and Facebook postings, I heard you loud and clear. But you know I couldn’t give you a Stallion story without throwing in a twist or two. And what better twist than a new branch on the Stallion family tree?
My Stallion Heart welcomes back Tinjin Braddy, the brother of Tierra Braddy, wife of Stallion cousin Travis from my book Promise to a Stallion. Once again, it’s all about family, friends and faith because there would be
no Stallion story without the foundation they were all raised on.
I greatly appreciate you all. I am humbled by your support. Thank you for all that you do to show me, my characters and our stories your love.
Until next time, please take care of yourselves, and may God’s blessings continue to be with you.
With much love,
Deborah Fletcher Mello
DeborahMello.blogspot.com (http://www.DeborahMello.blogspot.com)
My Stallion Heart
Deborah Fletcher Mello
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
DEBORAH FLETCHER MELLO has been writing since forever and can’t imagine herself doing anything else. Her first romance novel, Take Me to Heart, earned her a 2004 Romance Slam Jam Emma Award nomination for Best New Author, and in 2009, she won an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for her ninth novel, Tame a Wild Stallion. She continues to create unique story lines and memorable characters with each new book. Born and raised in Connecticut, Deborah now considers home to be wherever the moment moves her.
To Morgan Parsons
May you find the love you crave
And be blessed with much joy and happiness.
Now and always.
Contents
Cover (#ub5356580-92cf-5af2-800a-ca32ee0b67c0)
Back Cover Text (#uf23a2168-8356-581f-bf13-ee3b3195508e)
Introduction (#u3fe4b1dd-1123-53b8-a292-c763a55a9917)
Dear Reader (#ud15ea611-41d8-5988-8a98-18a5048df126)
Title Page (#uf8cc369d-79e3-5f67-b440-7e9f1a7f6ecf)
About the Author (#u73268e46-e137-5eb9-b4d7-6e8b4a931eef)
Family Tree (#uf3a926f4-6ef3-5616-a775-00b067d74c62)
Dedication (#u3508e6bc-60da-517b-8635-c9733bb0cc71)
Chapter 1 (#uf0411ce6-b81d-505d-9a81-76ed69a55a45)
Chapter 2 (#u32036ce3-038a-5467-a123-9965a2e6bb11)
Chapter 3 (#uacd06dcc-cb0d-572f-8e24-c8a7200bf407)
Chapter 4 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1 (#ulink_22bbf318-d39c-564e-a53c-1e622f79bd87)
The prestigious Westminster flat was an interior designer’s dream come true. Eggshell-colored walls were lined with exquisite abstract artwork. Ornate sculpture sat on top of marble pedestals. The decor was upscale and expensive. Subtle jazz played softly throughout the space and the sound of fingernails tapping against a computer keyboard resonated in the background.
The house phone rang three times, then clicked to an answering machine on a glass-topped table. The taped greeting suddenly drowned out all the other sounds.
“It’s me. I’m not answering, but then you already know that. If I need to tell you what to do, don’t waste my time.” BEEP.
A woman’s voice resounded loudly from the other end of the line. “Natalie! We’re headed to the pub for a pint of ale. Take a break and come meet us. I know! I know! You have a deadline. Well, screw that. If you don’t show up I will personally ring your doorbell at 3:00 a.m. and kick your skinny ass for ignoring your best friends—”
The answering machine beeped a second time, cutting the woman off midsentence. Across the room Natalie Renee Stallion was seated at an antique cedar desk typing diligently on her laptop. Amusement shimmered in her dark eyes. She smiled, her grin wide and full, as the telephone rang a second time, the machine picking it up again. Her best friend shouted at the device, her deep alto voice echoing about the room.
“Why don’t you have a machine that will let me speak until I’m finished? Even better, pick up the damn phone and talk to me because I know you’re there. I know you’re ignoring me. Hello? Hello? Natalie?”
Francesca “Frenchie” Adams sighed into her receiver before she continued. “Like I said before, Natalie, be there or I will wake your behind up. Love you. Bye. Call me on my cell if you have to,” Frenchie said just before being disconnected a second time.
Natalie continued to type. The third time the phone rang it surprised her because she wasn’t expecting any other calls and definitely not on her house number. Curiosity came over her. The male voice on the other end caught her completely off guard. Her fingers stalled against the keyboard.
“Natalie, it’s me. Noah. Your brother. When you get this, please call me back. You need to come home.”
There was a pause and she could hear muffled voices encouraging him.
“You really need to come home now,” he said before disconnecting the long-distance call.
A feeling of dread suddenly washed over Natalie’s spirit. She took a deep breath and then a second. Her expression changed, the easy lift to her mouth turned into a deep frown. She drew a hand through the length of her hair, twisting the silky strands into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. She stared toward the telephone for a brief moment before she resumed her typing, wanting to ignore the call that had just interrupted her.
An hour later she was still distracted, curious to know what had moved her estranged brother to even think about her. It had been years since she’d last seen him or any of her siblings. Natalie imagined that too much time had passed for any of them to just pick up where they’d left off, starting over as if nothing had happened. Because much had happened since they’d all parted ways. But Noah had said it was urgent for her to come home. For Natalie, home was London. Nothing about Utah remotely felt like a place where she belonged. At least, that’s what she’d spent years trying to convince herself of.
She heaved a deep breath and pulled her cell phone into her palm. Rising from her seat she crossed the room to the answering machine and replayed the message. She jotted down the telephone number Noah had left. With another deep breath she dialed it, then waited for him to answer.
It was close to midnight when Natalie climbed into her car and pulled into the late-night traffic. Across town she drove past the entrance of the Trafalgar Tavern. A crowd of partygoers was still straining to get inside. Natalie paused for a quick moment, peering through the driver’s-side window for a familiar face. When she saw no one she recognized, no one there to change her mind, she sped off, guiding her Jaguar XF toward London’s Heathrow airport. For the first time in twelve years, Natalie Stallion was headed back home.
* * *
“So, exactly when did we get this aunt?” Luke Stallion questioned. He looked from one brother to the other.
“And how come she had to die before we found out about her?” their sister Phaedra Stallion-Boudreaux asked.
Brothers Matthew, Mark and John Stallion all shrugged their broad shoulders. The three men turned to their cousin Travis Stallion who’d come bearing the bad news.
Travis’s wife, Tierra Braddy Stallion, changed the subject before her husband could answer. “I smell bacon. Do you think you can feed me and my family while Travis fills you all in?”
John chuckled ever so softly. “Sorry about that,” he said as he slipped an arm around the woman’s shoulder and gave her a quick hug.
Tierra laughed. “You should be. You invite us to family breakfast and then don’t want to feed us. What kind of mess is that?”
John’s wife, Marah, suddenly appeared in the doorway. “Especially since the food is ready,” she said, a bright smile filling her face, “so come and eat. And you all know the rules. Leave any talk of business right here in this room. We won’t be having it at the breakfast table.”
“They weren’t talking business,” Tierra said as she cradled her infant daughter in her arms. Her toddler son leaned against her pants leg, his thumb in his mouth as his wide eyes darted back and forth.
Marah looked from one stunned expression to the other and shook her head. “Do I even want to ask?”
Luke pushed past the others. “Well, you might not want to, but I have a lot of questions,” he said as he led the way into the oversize kitchen and dining area.
There was a crowd already gathered for breakfast as Travis and his family followed Luke. Matthew, Mark, Phaedra and John brought up the rear.
The women greeted Tierra warmly, hugs and kisses filling the room. Family friend Vanessa Long eagerly pulled Tierra’s baby from her arms. “Look at this sweetie pie!” Vanessa exclaimed as she leaned to show the new baby to her own little boy. Toddler Vaughan Long eyed his mother and the infant without interest, his attention focused on two pieces of sausage clenched between his palms. Tierra and Vanessa both laughed as Tierra leaned to kiss the little boy’s forehead.
“When did you get here?” Marah’s twin sister, Marla Barron, questioned. She was seated at the large oak table, preparing a plate of food for her own child.
Tierra took a seat beside her old friend, pulling her son into her lap. “We drove in this morning. Lorenzo, did you say hello to Auntie Marla?” she chimed as little Lorenzo hid his face in her chest.
Travis joined the conversation as he took his own seat. “My boy’s still sleepy. He’s not speaking to anyone this morning. Usually, we can’t shut him up!” he said with a warm laugh. He glanced around the table. “Where’s Edward and Juanita?” he questioned, referring to Marah and Marla’s father and his wife.
“On a cruise to Alaska,” someone answered.
Travis nodded. “Must be nice.”
John took the seat at the head of the table. “I wanted all of us to go but we couldn’t coordinate everyone’s schedules.”
“Tierra, did you meet my husband, Mason?” Phaedra suddenly asked.
Mason Boudreaux extended his hand in the woman’s direction. “I don’t think so. The last time you were here I think I was out of the country.”
“Mason is also Katrina’s brother,” Matthew Stallion added as he leaned to kiss his wife’s cheek.
Katrina nodded.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Tierra said as Mason leaned to give her a hug.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, as well,” Mason responded.
Travis shook his head. “This is why we need to have a family reunion.”
“That and we’ve suddenly got family coming out of the woodwork,” Luke said as he reached for the platter of scrambled eggs.
His wife Joanne eyed him curiously. “Who’s come out of the woodwork this time?”
“We have an aunt,” Luke answered.
“And more cousins,” Mark Stallion interjected. His wife Michelle passed him their daughter, Irene, who eyed her father with large, dark eyes and a bright smile. “Cousins I can take,” the large man continued as he settled the little girl in a booster seat and slid her close to the table. “As long as no one tells me I have another sister I’m good.”
Phaedra chuckled softly as the table fell silent, everyone remembering the family breakfast where she’d announced her familial connection to the Stallion name.
Luke shrugged, pointing an index finger toward Travis. “So give us the dirt,” he said as he took a bite of French toast saturated with syrup.
The former staff sergeant shrugged his broad shoulders. He sighed. “We’ve always had an aunt,” he started as he proceeded to fill them all in, everyone eyeing him intently. “Her name was Norris-Jean. She’s actually the oldest out of the Stallion siblings.”
“I don’t remember my father or Uncle Joseph ever talking about her,” John said. He leaned back in his chair, his arms folded over his broad chest.
“Neither did I,” Travis continued. “From what I’ve learned she was much older and had left the family home when the boys were still very young. There was some kind of falling out and our grandparents disowned her. She moved to Utah and never kept in contact with anyone. No one knows why, though.”
Vanessa laughed as she pulled Tierra’s baby to her shoulder. “You people got a lot of skeletons in your closets!” she exclaimed. “Sisters, aunts, cousins. If you keep this up we might find out I’m related to you by blood!”
Mark cut an eye at his old friend and nodded in agreement. “Right!” he said with a hearty chuckle.
Luke laughed. “Oh, hell no!”
“How’d you find out about her?” Matthew questioned.
“She passed away last week and her children have been going through her papers. It seems she kept a diary. Her oldest son, Noah, contacted me, looking for my father,” Travis said.
John Stallion glanced around the table as the family continued talking, everyone shooting questions in Travis’s direction. Excitement fueled the air, energy like a firestorm through the space. It hadn’t been too long ago that their requisite family breakfasts included only him and his three brothers. He’d married first, his wife Marah and her family adding to the mix. In a short period of time he’d seen his brothers and his cousin Travis marry, their small clan growing with wives, babies and extended family.
Last year they’d discovered they had a biological sister named Phaedra, the news completely throwing all the brothers for a loop, and now the Stallion family tree had suddenly sprouted a whole new branch. John’s head moved slowly from side to side as he pondered the implications. Minutes passed before he refocused on the conversation.
“I told Noah that we would love to meet him and his family and he suggested we all fly to Salt Lake City for his mother’s memorial service,” Travis was saying.
“What do you think?” Luke asked, directing the question toward his oldest brother.
Everyone at the table was suddenly staring at John, awaiting his opinion.
He met the looks they were giving him and nodded. “I agree. I think we should. They’re our family.”
“Can everyone get away?” Marah asked, looking around the table.
“Well, transportation won’t be a problem,” Mason stated. “We can use my plane.”
John nodded just as his newly adopted daughter Gabrielle suddenly rushed into the room. The miniature hurricane tore around the table, her deep laughter moving them all to smile. Matthew and Katrina’s teenage son Collin raced behind her.
“Where have you been, Gabi?” Marah questioned, eyeing her daughter with a raised eyebrow. She tossed her nephew a questioning stare.
“Sorry,” the teenager gushed. “She didn’t want to leave the playroom. I had to chase her and then she kicked me!” He leaned to rub his bruised knee.
Katrina laughed. “Tell your uncle John he’ll owe you combat pay on top of your babysitting salary.”
Gabrielle jumped into her father’s lap, a bright smile filling her face. She rolled her eyes at Collin and licked her tongue out at him. John grinned as he pressed a damp kiss to her rosy cheek. “Did you kick your cousin Collin?” he asked, his gaze narrowing.
The little girl’s eyes widened. She shook her head. “No.”
Everyone around the table laughed.
“That’s not funny,” Marah admonished. “Y’all are bringing her into some bad habits, laughing when she does something wrong. She thinks she’s being cute.”
Matthew laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Marah. When Luke was her age he used to tell lies, too.”
“I did not!” Luke chimed in as he reached for another slice of bacon.
“Yes, you did,” Mark said teasingly. “And John used to wear your behind out! Gabi better straighten up!”
John shook his head, his attention still focused on the bundle of energy in his lap. “We don’t kick people, Gabi, and we don’t ever tell Daddy lies. You always tell Mommy and Daddy the truth, do you understand?”
Gabrielle blew a deep sigh as she dropped her head against John’s broad chest.
“Now tell Collin you’re sorry,” her father scolded, “and if you kick your cousin again Daddy’s going to give you spanks.”
The little girl pouted as she tossed her cousin a look. “Gabi sorry, Collin,” she muttered softly. She turned her attention back to her father. “Gabi wanna go pane ride. Go pane ride, Dada?” she questioned, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.
John’s gaze reached out to each of his family members. There was a moment of pause before he finally answered. “Yes, baby girl. We’re all going to do just that.” He gave her a tight squeeze before she jumped out of his arms.
She scurried to Marah’s side, her arms outstretched. Marah lifted the little girl onto her lap. “Go pane, Mommy! Dada said we go pane!”
Marah laughed. “We’re going to eat breakfast first, munchkin! Then we’re going on a plane ride so you can meet your new cousins.”
Vanessa laughed. “More Stallions! Lord, have mercy!” she exclaimed as everyone around the table laughed with her.
Chapter 2 (#ulink_150ff689-fde3-5f4a-902c-9e656adeb35e)
Tinjin Braddy navigated his way through John F. Kennedy Airport with his carry-on bag over his shoulder and his cell phone in his hand. As he stood in front of the flight display monitors, frustration painted his expression. The arrival and departure board looked like a grade school chalkboard gone awry. The word Canceled appeared over and over again, much like a punished student’s white chalk repetitions. He shook his head as he put his cell phone to his ear and called his personal assistant.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Braddy?” the young woman answered, anticipation ringing in her tone.
Tinjin sighed into the receiver. “I’m stuck in New York, Raina. There’s nothing coming or going for at least another eight hours.”
“Oh, my,” Raina muttered. “Would you like me to arrange for a hotel, Mr. Braddy? Something close to the airport?”
“No. I’ve already tried. Everything is booked solid. A major snowstorm has literally shut down the eastern seaboard.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, sir. Is there anything I can do?”
Tinjin blew another sigh. “I’ve been trying to call my sister but she’s not answering and my cell phone battery is about to die. Would you please keep calling until you reach her, explain my situation and tell her I’ll get to Salt Lake City as soon as I’m able? When I can find someplace to charge my phone I’ll call her but it’s a madhouse here right now.”
“No problem, Mr. Braddy. And I’ll stay close to the phone in case you need me.”
Tinjin smiled. “Thanks, Raina,” he said, then he disconnected the line. Taking a deep breath he looked to his left and then to his right. People were crowded together, everyone at their wit’s end as they tried to figure out what to do and where to go. Babies were crying, mothers were pacing, fathers were cussing and not one soul seemed happy to be where they were.
His British Airways flight from London had landed an hour ago, the plane’s tires hitting the icy tarmac just minutes before all flights were diverted to other locations. The wintry nor’easter was predicted to leave some twenty-plus inches of snow in the New York area, and with half of that already on the ground no plane was scheduled to depart until further notice.
Not how he’d anticipated starting his weeklong holiday. Tinjin was suddenly wishing he’d gone to Bermuda as he’d initially planned instead of agreeing to join his sister and her family in Salt Lake City, Utah. But his baby sister, Tierra, always had a way of wrangling him to do what she wanted and her appeals for him to spend time with his toddler nephew and the new baby had been hard to resist. He loved his family and since relocating to London had missed them terribly. Despite the inconvenience he looked forward to spending some quality time with the people he loved most.
Pausing in reflection, Tinjin considered his options. With a plan in motion he headed in the direction of the terminal train and pushed his way on board. He needed to get himself from terminal seven to terminal eight. Once that was accomplished he figured he could find a fairly quiet corner to wait out the storm.
* * *
Natalie made her way to the mezzanine level at JFK’s terminal eight. In the reception area of American Airlines’ Admiral’s Club she presented her membership card to gain admittance. Inside, the few gathered were nowhere near as frenzied as the masses in the holding pattern by the gates, and the level of noise dropped substantially. The catchphrase Membership Has Its Privileges rang through her mind. She heaved a deep sigh of relief as she maneuvered her way to a quiet corner by one of the only windows in the room and dropped down to the cushioned seat. Kicking off her six-inch heels she sighed in relief, twisting her ankles in small circles.
She was past the point of being annoyed. Totally exhausted, she found herself wishing that she had just stayed in London. But her brother Noah had been adamant about her returning to the family fold long enough to honor her recently deceased mother. Tears suddenly welled in her eyes and she swiped them away with the back of her hand. She took a quick glance around the room and when she was certain that no one was paying her an ounce of attention she fell back into her thoughts.
Natalie had been seventeen years old when she’d left home, leaving everything she knew and trusted behind. She was desperate for a new beginning, hopeful that destiny would lead her where fate intended her to land. Life in Utah had not been easy and Natalie had wanted much more than the abject poverty that had been her childhood existence.
The family had been dirt poor, her single mother raising five children on a housekeeper’s minimum-wage salary. The Stallion siblings had known little of their father, and bitterness rang in their mother’s tone whenever one or the other ventured to question her about the man. Only Noah, barely sixteen years old at the time, had been bold enough to seek him out, begging for a shred of help for their family. When he was met with bitter rejection and their mother’s wrath, it had kept the rest of them from ever considering the idea again.
What Natalie did know about her family was that her mother, Norris-Jean, had come from her own humble beginnings. She had been a teenager herself, pregnant with her eldest son, when she’d followed their father, a traveling minister, to Utah, trusting the promises he’d made to her. Those promises had been broken when Norris-Jean discovered the man of her dreams had a wife and another family who were more important to him.
After Noah was born, a second string of promises, which had never materialized, led to the birth of the twins, Nicholas and Nathaniel. Their mother should have known better but it wasn’t until Naomi and then Natalie had come into the world that Norris-Jean finally accepted that the man she loved with all her heart had never loved her enough to want to do right by her.
Natalie had asked her mother once why she’d never gone back to her own family and it was in that brief moment that she had seen the embarrassment and the regret that had eventually hardened Norris-Jean’s spirit, the wealth of it spinning in the woman’s eyes. Their mother had preferred to suffer in silence than admit her mistakes and seek help from people who might have been willing to lend them a hand. Pride had been Norris-Jean’s one shortcoming and her children had suffered for it. But for everything the woman hadn’t been able to provide she’d given them love tenfold, its abundance overflowing.
Days earlier Norris-Jean had slipped quietly away in her sleep, leaving her five children to mourn the loss. Natalie had last spoken to her mother right before Paris fashion week, her requisite call to check that the matriarch had received the check Natalie had been sending every month since the day she’d left home. In the beginning, some months had been much harder than others. Most recently Natalie had been grateful for the steady income that allowed her to share her wealth so readily.
A man’s deep baritone voice suddenly broke through the meditation Natalie had fallen into. “Those are not good airport shoes. Especially not in this weather!”
Natalie lifted her eyes to stare at the man who was speaking to her. He was tall, lean and well dressed in a charcoal-gray silk suit, white dress shirt and burgundy red necktie. His shoes were expensive Italian leather, highly polished to a spit shine. He bent down and picked up her high heels, eyeing them too closely. She met the look he was giving her, one eyebrow raised curiously.
“You must have worn these right off the runway,” the handsome stranger crooned.
Her gaze trailed from the top of his head down to the floor beneath his large feet. His complexion was the color of Riesen’s chocolate-caramel candy, his eyes a deep, dark brown and he had full, luscious lips that pouted ever so slightly. His hair was cropped closely, a precision fade that complemented the thick texture of his tight curls. He suddenly smiled, his mouth widening into a deep grin that showcased the prettiest set of bright white teeth and accentuated the hint of a goatee across his chin.
“Excuse me?” she asked, eyeing him suspiciously as he waved her shoes in his hands.
“These are from Jimmy Choo’s new fall collection. They haven’t even hit the stores yet!” He sat them upright by her side.
Her gaze narrowed. “You know shoes?”
He laughed. “It’s what I do,” he said as he extended a hand in her direction. “I’m Tinjin Braddy. Do you mind if I join you?”
Natalie stared. He had the hands of a piano player, large appendages with elongated fingers. She raised her eyes back to his, not bothering to lift her own hands from her lap.
Tinjin chuckled warmly. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said, not at all offended by her chilly reception. He settled himself down into the seat beside her.
“Tinjin. What kind of name is that?” she asked, shifting her body ever so slightly.
He smiled again. “It’s very country, is what it is. I’m told it’s an old family moniker. I was named after my father, who was named after his father, who was named after his father.”
“So does that make you Tinjin the third or the fourth?”
“The sixth, actually. I come from a long line of men named Tinjin and I fully intend to pass it down to a son of my own someday. There’s a lot of history in this name.”
“Huh,” Natalie grunted. “I’m sure that will make your father proud.”
Tinjin shrugged. “I really wouldn’t know. My father left shortly after my baby sister was born. We never knew him. My mother disappeared soon after that. I was raised by my grandmother.” Tinjin was suddenly surprised that he’d shared so much information so quickly. He met the look she was giving him.
Natalie felt herself staring as she reflected on his comment. She suddenly realized he was staring back and a wave of heat flushed her face with color. She took a deep breath. “My name’s Natalie,” she said, changing the subject.
Tinjin flashed her his brilliant smile one more time. “It’s nice to meet you, Natalie. So, where are you headed?”
She glanced over her shoulder, eyeing the snow that fell outside. “I was headed to Salt Lake City. Looks like I’m stuck here until this blows over.”
“Isn’t that a coincidence,” Tinjin exclaimed. “So am I. I’m going to meet my sister and her husband, to spend some time with my niece and nephew.”
“Do you come from a big family?” Natalie asked.
He shook his head. “Not really. It was just me and my sister, Tierra, growing up. But she married into a big family and it seems to be getting bigger and bigger every day,” Tinjin said with a soft chuckle.
Natalie smiled ever so slightly. “I come from a big family. Three brothers and a sister. There were five of us.”
“Where do you fall in the lineup?”
“I’m the youngest,” Natalie answered.
Tinjin stared as Natalie drifted off into reflection. He’d spied the woman from the entrance and had purposely maneuvered his way to her side. He figured if he had to be stuck at the airport then why not be stuck in the company of a beautiful woman?
And she was beautiful. Her eyes were pale, a shimmery hazel with flecks of green and brown. She had extraordinary cheekbones and her jawline was strong, angular and defined. Her skin was the color of light molasses, a rich, warm brown with red cinnamon undertones. She was exceptionally thin, and even seated he could see that she was tall. There was an essence of grace about her and with her light brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail, diamond studs decorating her earlobes and the barest hint of makeup adorning her chiseled features, she was stunning. At first glance Tinjin had sensed that he’d seen her somewhere before but couldn’t for the life of himself remember where. Then it came to him.
“You’re Natalia!” he said, leaning forward in his seat. “Vogue cover model, House of Dior ingenue and one of the most sought-after, high-profile models in the world,” he added as he waved his index finger excitedly.
Natalie blushed, color warming her complexion as her cheeks became heated. She rolled her eyes. “So what are you? Some kind of stalker? Do I need to be afraid? First my shoes and now my résumé? How do you know so much?”
Tinjin laughed. “I’m a shoe designer and I spend a lot of time following women’s fashion trends.”
“A shoe designer? Really?” Natalie didn’t look convinced, eyeing him warily.
Tinjin chuckled again. “I actually designed those shoes,” he said, pointing to the pair on the floor. He reached into his leather portfolio and pulled out a collection of pencil drawings. He passed them into Natalie’s hands, watching intently as she studied them.
The sketches were good; detailed drawings of footwear for the fashion-forward female. If he had designed them, she mused, then he had a great eye for heel height and lines. As Natalie flipped through the drawings in her hand she instantly recognized the pair of heels resting on the floor.
“So you work for Jimmy Choo?” she asked, duly impressed with his skills. She handed his artwork back to him.
“I did. I was one of their head shoe designers until last week.”
“What happened last week?”
“I resigned. I’m moving on to bigger things.”
“What things?”
“I’m opening my own design house.”
“Here in the United States?”
Tinjin shook his head. “No. In Paris.”
“Is that where you live?” Natalie asked, her curiosity peaking.
“Right now I live in London but I also have a flat in Paris and I’ll be moving back there next month.”
“Interesting...” Natalie said, her voice fading ever so slightly.
Tinjin smiled. “Give me a chance and you’ll soon discover that I’m a very interesting man,” he said, his tone slightly smug. “I’m also quite the gentleman. It’s my European aesthetic with my Southern upbringing. My granny raised me well. I love my granny!” he exclaimed, his smile widening.
She leaned forward, her gaze narrowing slightly. “So does that mean you’re a little bit of a mama’s boy?” she asked. There was a hint of teasing in her tone.
Tinjin laughed. “Yes, ma’am! And I’m proud of it. There’s no shame in my game!”
For the first time, Natalie smiled back. She found him amusing. He was clearly confident and had just enough attitude without being arrogant. He was direct, but not pushy and definitely quite the charmer. She liked him and his devil-may-care attitude, and she found herself curious to know more about the man.
* * *
Travis Stallion eased his body against his wife’s, snaking his arm around her waist as he pulled her to him. The two stood quietly together, staring down at their children as both slumbered peacefully. He pressed a kiss to the back of Tierra’s neck.
“They’re growing too fast,” Tierra whispered. “Tianna’s lifting her head up by herself already.”
“They are,” Travis whispered back. “You should have seen Lorenzo on the horses today. Once he warmed up to everyone, there was no stopping him.”
“He’s got a little crush on Gabrielle. I saw how he was following her around.”
Travis chuckled. “That’s my boy! I’m going to hate to have to tell him that she’s his family.”
Tierra giggled as she grabbed her man’s hand and led him from the room. They closed the door and moved to their own bedroom. Inside, both slipped beneath the covers and cuddled close against each other.
“I still haven’t been able to reach Tinjin,” Tierra commented. “That girl who works for him said he’s stuck at the airport in New York.”
“Your brother might not make it. I was listening to the news and they said the weather has made a mess of things. Flights have been canceled up the entire east coast. They’re getting hit hard.”
She blew a low sigh. “I hope he’s still able to meet us. I really wanted to see him. Since he moved abroad we barely spend any time together anymore. I love my brother and I want our kids to know him.”
“You know you can always fly to London to see Tinjin, Tierra. I told you that. In fact, I think you should still go and take Mama Dee with you. You both deserve some time away. I can watch the kids or you can take them with you. You know I’d support whatever you wanted.”
Tierra nodded. “Maybe after I’m not breast-feeding anymore. I think my grandmother would like to go visit Tinjin.”
Travis eased a warm palm across her abdomen and up until his fingers lightly grazed the curve of her breast. He gently stroked the lush tissue, his heated touch teasing.
Tierra laughed. “You’re trying to start something!”
He nodded his head. “I am.”
“You starting something is how we got Tianna. We were going to wait until Lorenzo was four before we had another baby, remember?”
He nuzzled his face into her hair. “I can’t help it if you’re abundantly fertile.”
She laughed again as he continued to stroke her gently, his hands gliding up and down her body. They lay together for only a brief moment, relaxing into the soft inhalations of each breath and then minutes later both were sound asleep.
* * *
Natalie and Tinjin had been talking on and off for a couple of hours. Despite the conversation being lighthearted and easy, there was a hint of sadness behind her eyes and Tinjin felt it tugging at his heartstrings. The emotion surprised him just enough to give him reason to pause. He stared at her as her gaze moved to the window and the weather outside. It was still snowing, white flakes of ice and cold blanketing everything in view.
“So why are you going to Salt Lake City?” he asked, breaking through the quiet that had moved between them.
He watched as she bristled, biting down against her bottom lip. Her eyes misted but she fought back the urge to cry. She tossed him a quick look, then returned her stare to the window and the landscape outside.
“You ask a lot of questions, TJ,” she finally answered, shifting in her seat to meet his eyes. “You’re like a woman, you’re so nosey.”
Tinjin laughed. “You’re one to talk. And don’t call me TJ. My parents named me Tinjin and I like my name. It’s the only thing the two left me with.”
She chuckled softly. “I like your name, too, so don’t be so sensitive.”
“I’m not being sensitive. Just don’t call me TJ. We don’t know each other that well.”
“I think we know each other very well. Well enough that you deserve a nickname. If it makes you feel better you can give me one. Something just between the two of us.”
Tinjin paused briefly. “Okay, Gnat. I’ll call you Gnat. Like the bug.”
“You’re calling me a bug? An annoying bug?”
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “It fits. I’m giving you a nickname just like you gave me one. We’ll be TJ and Gnat. Gnat and TJ. Airport buddies forever!”
“You’re not funny. And you’re a pain in the ass, do you know that?”
Tinjin laughed. “Takes one to know one.”
Natalie rolled her eyes.
“Now that you’ve walked all around my question, are you going to answer it?” He crossed his arms over his chest.
She eyed him intently, the look he was giving her moving her heart to skip a quick beat. She took a deep breath and held it for a second. “No, I’m not,” she said finally. “It’s still none of your business.”
“I told you why I was headed in that direction.”
“But I didn’t ask. You just volunteered it. Just like you’ve been volunteering all of your business.”
Tinjin smiled, his full lips bending warmly. “I’m an open book. I have nothing to hide.”
“Bully for you. I don’t know you that well, so my business is none of your business.”
“I thought we were becoming friends.”
“It’s good they don’t pay you to think.”
“And you’re a mean girl, too!” Tinjin exclaimed. “Beautiful and mean!”
“You should be careful,” Natalie said, her expression smug. “That’s a lethal combination.”
They were interrupted as a hostess suddenly moved between them. “Can I get either of you anything to drink?” the woman asked as she looked from one to the other before letting her gaze rest on Tinjin’s face. She gave him a suggestive smile.
He smiled back. “I’d love a scotch. Straight,” he said. He looked toward Natalie.
“A glass of white wine, please,” Natalie said.
“And white wine for my friend,” Tinjin said as he passed the woman his credit card.
“I’ll bring those right over.” She gave Tinjin a quick wink of her eye.
Tinjin winked back.
When the woman was out of earshot Natalie shook her head. “Really?” she snapped, her eyes narrowed into thin slits as she stared at him.
“What?”
“You’re really going to flirt with another woman right in front of me? Really?”
“That wasn’t flirting. Besides, you set the rules. You said that it’s not like we’re friends, remember?”
“It’s still low of you. But then you’re a man, I guess I shouldn’t have expected better.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I don’t have a lot of expectations when it comes to you and your kind, TJ. That’s what it means.”
Tinjin crossed his arms over his chest. “Beautiful, mean and bitter. You’re just a walking contradiction, aren’t you?”
“Am I?”
A wry smile pulled at his full lips. “You’re like an angel’s trumpet.”
“A what?” Confusion washed over her expression.
“Angel’s trumpet. It’s this incredibly beautiful flower. It has amazing color and seductive lines. In low doses it can be a highly effective hallucinogen. Too much and it’s lethal. It’s also called devil’s weed.”
Natalie paused as she pondered his comment. Before she could respond the hostess returned with their drinks.
“If you need anything else please let me know,” she said, the comment directed straight at Tinjin.
“Thank you. We’ll do that,” Natalie said.
Tinjin laughed. “I think you like me.”
“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t,” Natalie said nonchalantly.
He nodded. “Yeah! You like me a lot!”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m getting used to you, TJ. Don’t misread me.”
“Oh, I’m reading you just fine, Gnat!” Tinjin said with a soft chuckle.
Natalie met the look he was giving her. Despite her best efforts she couldn’t fight the smile that pulled at her mouth. An easy laugh slipped past her lips. She rolled her eyes a second time.
Chapter 3 (#ulink_475f2798-a5a5-58c9-bc7a-4d308e4cf71b)
Natalie had never known a man who slept with his eyes half open but Tinjin did, the dark lids at half-mast as he slumbered. If it were not for the soft lull of his breathing, with the wispy whistle at the end of each breath, she would have sworn he was staring at her. But he snored softly, lost in a deep sleep.
The length of his body was stretched across the cushioned seats. His arms were crossed over his chest, his hands tucked beneath his armpits. His head rested on a pillow beside her leg. He was so close to her that she could feel the heat from his body warming her own. She resisted the desire to draw her finger across his forehead, to tease the slight arch to his brow with her manicured nail. She didn’t know him like that, yet she had the strongest urge to trail her hand across his profile.
There was something about him that she liked and it had as much to do with his deft sense of humor as it did with his good looks. He made her laugh and feel as though she didn’t have a care in the world, even if it was a false sense of comfort in the moment. Because truth be told, Natalie had a lot on her mind and she couldn’t imagine anything about the next few days being carefree or easy. But something about being with Tinjin had her feeling as if things might settle upright when it was all done and finished. She blew a deep sigh, a shiver running up her spine.
Tinjin suddenly shifted, his body jumping slightly as he was startled from a sound sleep. He sat upright, wiping at his face with the palm of his large hand. He swiped the sleep from his eyes, then moved his gaze in her direction.
“I guess I fell asleep,” he said, murmuring softly.
“You think?” Natalie responded. “You snored and you drooled. It wasn’t pretty, player.”
He met her gaze. “I see waking up to your warm personality is quite the thrill.”
“Enjoy it while you can,” Natalie said smugly.
Tinjin’s full lips lifted in a slight smile. He shook his head then stretched his arms up and out as he shook the last remnants of sleep from his system. He moved onto his feet and reached for his carry-on bag.
Natalie shifted forward in her seat. “Where are you going?”
Looking down at her he couldn’t help but smile. Her nervous expression belied her efforts to appear tough and distant. Her eyes were wide and curiosity shimmered in the pale orbs. Her lips were parted ever so slightly and he suddenly wondered what they might taste like against his own. He took a deep breath.
“Restroom,” he finally answered. “I need to wash my face and rinse my mouth out.”
Natalie blew out the breath she’d been holding. She nodded. “When you get back we can go find something to eat. I’m hungry.”
Tinjin laughed. “Is that an invitation?”
Natalie shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t make anything out of it. I just didn’t see any reason why you should eat alone.”
Tinjin laughed a second time. “I don’t remember saying I was hungry.”
“You look hungry. I was helping you out.”
“Just say you enjoy my company, woman! You’re not fooling anyone! I can see right through you.”
Natalie laughed with him. “You are just so full of yourself!”
Tinjin nodded. “I don’t eat fast food so figure out where we’re headed,” he directed. “I shouldn’t be long.”
As he moved in the direction of the restrooms, Natalie mumbled under her breath. “God, I like a man who takes command!”
* * *
Neither spoke as they made their way to terminal four and the Palm Bar and Grille. They maneuvered through a maze of stranded travelers, warm bodies resting wherever anyone could find to lay their head. When they reached their destination there were only a handful of people inside and an enthusiastic waitress waved them into the space.
The chatty young woman was eager to have someone new to talk to. “Welcome to the Palm!” she greeted them excitedly. “Are you both from the city? Were you headed on vacation?”
Natalie eased into a seat as Tinjin answered. “No. We flew in from London and our connecting flight was canceled.”
“It’s something! This storm is crazy!” the girl exclaimed. “My name’s Hannah and I’ll be serving you. We’re a little shorthanded and I need to apologize now because we’re out of lobster. The trucks couldn’t get here this afternoon.”
“I’m allergic to seafood so I won’t be interested in the lobster,” Natalie said.
“That’s good to know,” Tinjin said, lifting his gaze from the menu to her face. “I was just about to order the calamari appetizer for us to share.”
Natalie shook her head. “I’d look like a bruised tomato if I ate that and I’d be scratching hives for days. It’s not pretty.”
“I guess it’ll be the beef tenderloin carpaccio then,” Tinjin said.
“Good choice,” Hannah said as she jotted a quick note down on the lined pad in her hand.
“Would you ask the chef to put extra shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano on that, please? I like good cheese,” Natalie said.
“No problem, miss.”
Tinjin’s eyes shifted back and forth across the menu. “Do you want to share the New York strip?
Natalie hesitated before answering. “Yeah, we can do that,” she said, nodding.
“We’ll have the thirty-six ounce prime double-cut New York strip,” Tinjin ordered.
“And two of your house salads. Plus the green beans, the wild mushrooms and the asparagus fritti for our sides.”
“I have to have potatoes,” Tinjin said, meeting her gaze. “I need something to offset all those vegetables.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do. I’m a meat and potatoes man.”
“The three-cheese potatoes au gratin are really good,” Hannah interjected, her eyes moving from one to the other. “They’re my favorite.”
“We’ll have a side order of those, too!” Tinjin said with an air of finality.
Natalie shook her head. “Unnecessary carbohydrates. Calories neither of us needs.”
“This coming from the woman who asked for extra cheese on the appetizer.”
Natalie laughed. “Yes, I did. That little bit of cheese won’t hurt me. Those potatoes, however, will put twenty pounds on my hips and I make a living with this body.”
“Are you an actress or something?” Hannah queried, her eyes wide as she stared at Natalie.
“Or something,” Tinjin said with a wry smirk. “She’s an adult film star. She does porn. Hardcore, dirty porn.” He winked an eye at Natalie.
“Oh,” Hannah said, suddenly blinking, her cheeks warming with color.
Natalie laughed. “Good one,” she said as Tinjin gave her a bright smile.
He winked again. “And Hannah, we’ll take a bottle of your best red wine. If you’ll ask your resident wine steward to make the selection for us, please.”
“Yes, sir,” Hannah said. “I’ll be right back with your salads.”
When the young woman was out of sight, Natalie gave him a light kick under the table. “A porn star? Really?”
“Hannah believed it.”
“I’m sure she did. But for the record I’ve never done porn before.”
“Not even a homemade movie with you and your boyfriend? A little something for your personal stash?”
“I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“One of your exes then. You’ve never taken a nude picture for one of your exes?”
“Never. No pictures, no movies. I don’t do that.”
“Interesting,” Tinjin muttered. “Very interesting.”
“Why is that interesting?”
“Gives us something to aspire to,” he said matter-of-factly.
Natalie pondered his comment, her mouth lifting to a full grin. “Not on your best day ever,” she said. “But have fun dreaming.”
“I can be very persuasive,” Tinjin said, his voice dropping an octave.
Natalie laughed. “You might be good, but you’ll never be that good.”
Tinjin’s bright smile warmed his face. He leaned back in his seat, shifting his legs out in front of him. He crossed them at the ankles as he folded his arms over his broad chest.
“So, Gnat, tell me something else I don’t know about you,” he said.
Natalie leaned forward, resting her elbows atop the table. She dropped her chin against the backs of her hands. She eyed him intently as he stared at her. A moment of silence swelled full and thick between them before she finally answered.
“Have you heard of the blog site, Pretty, Pretty?”
“I actually follow it. I’ve been following it since it started. It’s grown nicely and it has a great reputation for setting some of the newest fashion trends.”
“Thank you.”
A slow smile pulled at Tinjin’s mouth. “That’s you? You’re the creative genius behind Pretty, Pretty?”
“Creative genius! I like that!” Natalie exclaimed.
“I don’t believe you.”
Natalie shrugged, her narrow shoulders jutting toward the ceiling. “Believe it. I am the creative genius behind Pretty, Pretty.”
“I’m actually impressed.”
“You should be.”
Tinjin chuckled warmly. “So what was the inspiration?”
There was a moment’s pause as Hannah returned to the table with their wine and salads.
Natalie swallowed her first bite of iceberg lettuce, bacon and blue cheese before she spoke. “When I was a little girl I always had to wear hand-me-downs from my older sister. She rarely got new clothes, so by the time they got to me you can just imagine how well-worn they were. But I loved clothes and I loved fashion. We’d go to the supermarket and I’d stand in the magazine aisle and pore through Vogue while I waited for my mother. My sister use to tease me, pointing at a picture and saying, ‘Oh, how pretty, pretty! Too bad you can’t have it.’ So one day I set off to prove her wrong. I was tall and skinny as a teenager and someone said I should model. The first chance I had I went to New York and signed with a modeling agency. They sent me to Europe and the rest is history. But a few years ago it dawned on me that I couldn’t model forever. I needed to do something else but I knew I wanted to stay in the industry. And Pretty, Pretty came into being.”
“So what’s next?” Tinjin questioned. He swiped at his lips with his cloth napkin.
“I’m all about the editorial. I’d like to give Anna Wintour a run for her money and take Pretty, Pretty into mainstream media.”
“So you want it to be a full-fledged magazine like Vogue?”
“With technology today, I’d like Pretty, Pretty to be the premiere digital fashion magazine and even better than Vogue.”
Tinjin sat staring at her for a moment.
“What?” she questioned, a wave of nervous anxiety washing over her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because I’m really impressed. And surprised. Beauty and brains.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I meant it as one.”
A pregnant pause swelled full and thick as they sat studying each other until Hannah and a second waiter slipped in to bring them their food.
Natalie’s smile was bright. “So what about you? Tell me more about your shoe company.”
“Tinjin Designs is my dream come true. I’ve been designing since my first art class at Savannah College of Art and Design.”
“You went to SCAD?”
He nodded. “I did. I took a fashion design course to get close to a girl I liked. She dropped out of the class and I stayed.”
“And shoes became your specialty?”
“I had a very successful menswear line while I was in college and then I moved on to shoes for the experience.”
“What was your men’s line?”
“The Tin-men Collection carried exclusively by Nordstrom’s.”
“That was your line?”
“You know it?”
Natalie shrugged. “No,” she said, a grin filling her face as she shook her head.
Tinjin laughed. “Cute.”
“Actually, I do know it. Your designs walked the runway with the Diane Von Furstenberg collection one year, if I recall.”
Tinjin’s eyes narrowed a bit. “How’d you know that?”
“That was one of the first runway shows I ever walked. I remember everything about it. So what happened?”
“I needed to grow. I put the Tin-men Collection on the back burner and moved to Europe. After being there a month I happened into an internship at Jimmy Choo. I worked my way up learning everything I could about women’s shoe designs. Now I’m ready to branch off, build both lines and expand.”
“So Tinjin Designs is born.”
He nodded. “It is.”
“Why not men’s shoes?” Natalie questioned. “Since your menswear line was so successful, why not transition into men’s shoes instead?”
“Because I love women and their feet more.”
“So you have a foot fetish?”
Tinjin laughed. “I like the line of a woman’s leg when she’s wearing a beautiful heel. I’m not limiting myself, though. I’ll eventually have a collection for your body and your home. Maybe even a fragrance. There’s no telling what I might do next!”
Natalie nodded. “I think that’s great but your business name sucks.”
“Excuse me?”
“The name, Tinjin Designs. It stinks. You know a brand name can make or break you.”
Tinjin chuckled. “So, do you have a better idea?”
“Spin off your original business name. The Tin-men Collection for Women...Tin-men for Her...Tin-men Footwear...Tin-men for the Home. You’ve already had success with the Tin-men brand so you should capitalize on that.”
Tinjin dropped his fork to his plate as he pondered her comments.
“You can thank me later,” Natalie said as she savored the last bite of her steak. “Meanwhile, I’m ready to order dessert. They have a mean chocolate bread pudding with bourbon sauce.”
* * *
The crowds were still thick as people moved from terminal to terminal, looking for someplace warm and comfortable to rest themselves. Heading back to terminal eight and the American Airlines lounge, Tinjin and Natalie boarded the train, pushing their way to the middle of the aisle. Natalie looped her arm around the metal pole that ran from floor to ceiling and planted her high heels firmly, her feet spread slightly apart. Tinjin moved in behind her, wrapping his own hand on the same pole right above hers.
The ride was unsteady and with the train’s first lurch and shudder, Natalie’s body fell into his. Instinctively, Tinjin wrapped his free arm around her thin waist to steady her. His fingers pressed against the waistband of her slacks, his palm heating the flesh beneath her clothes. He pulled her against his body, allowing her to brace her weight against his own. She fit against him nicely, he thought, the curve of her buttocks settling easily into the well of his crotch. A quiver of electricity tightened the muscle between his legs. Tinjin closed his eyes, biting down against his bottom lip to stall the sensation.
Natalie inhaled swiftly, the unexpected touch causing a wave of heat to shoot through her midsection. If she had not been standing on those six-inch stilettos she might have shifted her body from his but the unsteadiness of the ride combined with her precarious footing was a recipe for disaster. It felt good to be able to lean on him for support. She felt herself relax.
She turned her head to stare back at him. Tinjin smiled, an easy bend to his full lips. When she didn’t speak, moving her gaze back to the view in front of them, he let his fingers gently tease her flesh, tapping lightly atop her clothes. Three stops later Natalie stepped out of his arms, rushing out of the train to put some distance between them. She took a deep breath and blew it out heavily. By the time Tinjin reached her side, she’d heaved another deep sigh.
“Do you need help with your bag?” Tinjin asked. His eyes danced over her face, resting on the look she was giving him.
She shook her head. The carryall felt good in her hands, almost like a security blanket for her to hide behind. She continued shaking her head as she turned an about-face and headed for the lounge area.
Once inside both were surprised to find their original seats still vacant. Tinjin and Natalie would have both bet those front-row seats would have been grabbed while they’d been gone. Settling themselves back down, both sat staring to the outside.
Hours later they were still talking, discovering the six degrees of separation between them. In London they often frequented the same spots, had attended the same parties, were acquainted with mutual friends and despite running in the same circles had never before crossed paths. The more they talked the more they were both amazed at how their small worlds had never once collided and how much they had in common. Both were fans of English football, favoring the Manchester United team. Well-traveled, they both had mutual interests in Japan and Spain, disliked fast food, reveled in decadent desserts and preferred sandy beaches over winter weather. Tinjin stole a quick glance back out the window as Natalie shook her head.
Snow was still falling. It looked like large flecks of soft cotton as it dropped down against everything outside. A line of trees bowed heavily from the weight of the ice and snow that had accumulated against its branches and there was no distinguishing grass from pavement, everything blanketed in layers of white. You could feel the aura of calm and quiet that echoed gently in the distance.
Tinjin suddenly had a host of questions for the beautiful woman beside him but he held his tongue. Something about the moment made him feel that they would have all the time in the world to learn more about each other. As if it were the most natural thing to do, he eased his arm around her back and shoulders and hugged her to him.
Despite thinking that she should know better, Natalie liked the feel of his arms around her. Where she should have been hesitant, having known him for only a brief period, she wasn’t. And although that surprised her, it also felt very right to her. She leaned into his side, falling into the warmth of his body heat. She dropped her head down against the curve of his shoulder and lifted her legs to the cushioned seat, folding them back against her buttocks. Minutes passed before either spoke, both enjoying the quiet moment.
“Don’t get comfortable,” Natalie suddenly said. “This doesn’t mean anything. We don’t know each other that well.”
Tinjin chuckled softly. “Oh, it means something,” he said, as he tightened the grip he had on her shoulder and pulled her closer.
She cut an eye at the man. “Don’t push your luck with me, TJ.”
He shook his head. “I would never do that, Gnat.”
Natalie marveled at the level of comfort between them. She slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him back, looking out the window at the snow.
“Do you think it’ll ever stop?” she asked.
Tinjin nodded. “I’m sure it’ll start to blow over soon.”
“It’s so pretty!” Natalie gushed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful.”
Tinjin shifted his gaze to her face, watching her as she stared outside. He resisted the urge to lean and press a damp kiss to her mouth. “Me, neither,” he whispered. “Me, neither.”
* * *
Flight number 490 was boarding in thirty minutes, nonstop to Salt Lake City. Both Tinjin and Natalie sighed in relief. It had been a long sixteen hours, despite the ease and comfort they’d found in each other’s company.
“Finally!” Natalie exclaimed as the two maneuvered their way to the other terminal and the boarding gate.
Tinjin nodded. “I will be glad to get to the hotel for a shower and a bed. I’ll probably sleep for the next two days. What about you?”
A look of distress washed over her expression. “I don’t know that I’ll be getting much sleep,” she said as she turned away from him. “I’m already wishing I could just go back to London.”
Tinjin wasn’t sure he believed her. Something about her demeanor told him that she was anxious to get to whatever was waiting for her in Utah. And he was still in the dark about her reasons for going there. Despite hours of conversation that had solidified their friendship, she was still a mystery to him. He suddenly found himself wondering if it would always be that way.
They had promised to stay in touch, a tentative coffee date planned for when they both found themselves back in London. But Tinjin couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever see her again once they landed and headed in their separate directions. He was about to ask when Natalie beat him to the question.
“You’re not going to forget about me once you get back to your life, are you? It’s not every day that I like a guy who feels me up in an airport, so you better call me. You are going to call me, right?”
Tinjin laughed. “I don’t remember feeling you up.”
“You did,” she said matter-of-factly. “I would have slapped you if I’d known it was going to slip your mind that quick.”
He shook his head. “And you’re violent, too. You’re just a banquet of surprises.”
Natalie laughed with him. “I’ll take that to mean that you are definitely going to call.”
He wrapped her in a warm hug. “I wouldn’t miss the opportunity.”
* * *
The flight from New York to Salt Lake City took in excess of seven hours. Two of those hours were spent at the Jetway while a maintenance crew fought to deice the plane and make it flight ready. By the time they made it to the runway for takeoff, everyone on board was irritated and tense.
Natalie had been able to retain her first-class seat, but Tinjin had agreed to be downgraded to coach rather than wait another half day for another flight. As he pretended to sleep, wishing away the senior citizen who’d been whining her complaints since boarding, he couldn’t get the exquisite Natalie off his mind. He’d enjoyed every moment of their time together. There was something special about Natalie and her presence excited him. Her desire to hear from him again was promising, going above and beyond any expectations he might have had.
Natalie shifted against the leather seat, twisting her body to stare out the window. She wrapped her arms around her torso as she watched the ground crew flit back and forth below. She found herself wishing that Tinjin was still by her side, still making her smile and laugh. There was something about the man and she found herself actually missing him.
* * *
Natalie was waiting for him when he finally made his way off the airplane. The elderly lady who’d been seated next to him clutched his arm tightly, bemoaning her travel woes as he escorted her down the jet bridge. Natalie stood by the guardrail, shifting from side to side anxiously. Her smile widened when she saw him and there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes when she spied his companion.
“Just don’t make no sense,” the older woman was muttering. “Took me three days to get here. Three days! Don’t make no sense at all.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Tinjin said softly.
An airline attendant stood behind a wheelchair, welcoming them both to Salt Lake City International Airport. When the woman was safely ensconced in her seat, Tinjin wished her well on the rest of her journey.
“I’m home now. My son should be here to get me and then I’m going home. Don’t have to worry about me traveling no more,” she said. “Don’t make no sense to be stranded like that for three days. Don’t make no sense at all!”
Natalie giggled as the stewardess pushed the old woman down the length of hallway, her annoyance vibrating through the air. Natalie moved to his side.
“Don’t laugh,” Tinjin said, his eyes rolling skyward. “That was painful.”
“And here I thought you were having a good time with your new girlfriend.”
“I guess it’s a good thing we both don’t get paid to think, then,” Tinjin countered with a smug smile.
Natalie met his bright look with one of her own. “So where are you off to now?” Natalie questioned.
“The Grand American Hotel. My sister reserved a room for me there.”
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Deborah Fletcher Mello
One legendary clan International supermodel Natalie Stallion has come a long way from her humble Utah roots. Called back from London to settle her mother's estate, she has conflicting feelings about reuniting with her estranged siblings. And when a nor'easter strands her with a sexy stranger, she decides to take advantage of the delay. But sharing a fleeting moment in time with world-famous designer Tinjin Braddy leaves her with regrets for what might have been.Haunted by the memory of that sizzling goodbye kiss at the airport, the continent-hopping playboy doesn't expect to see the siren in stilettos again. But their lives and careers are about to collide at a Stallion family reunion. And now high-level espionage threatens Tinjin's entire business empire. With suspicion–and irresistible desire–igniting, can Tinjin trust Natalie with his future and his heart?
One legendary clan
International supermodel Natalie Stallion has come a long way from her humble Utah roots. Called back from London to settle her mother’s estate, she has conflicting feelings about reuniting with her estranged siblings. And when a nor’easter strands her with a sexy stranger, she decides to take advantage of the delay. But sharing a fleeting moment in time with world-famous designer Tinjin Braddy leaves her with regrets for what might have been.
Haunted by the memory of that sizzling goodbye kiss at the airport, the continent-hopping playboy doesn’t expect to see the siren in stilettos again. But their lives and careers are about to collide at a Stallion family reunion. And now high-level espionage threatens Tinjin’s entire business empire. With suspicion—and irresistible desire—igniting, can Tinjin trust Natalie with his future and his heart?
“So you don’t have to leave?”
“No. I don’t. And since you desperately want to spend time with me, I think I’m going to stay.”
Natalie smiled. “There is nothing desperate about me, TJ. Don’t get it twisted.”
She tossed a glance over her shoulder. Her family had moved to the foyer, the goodbyes lingering as everyone tried to get in one last word and comment. She turned back to Tinjin and moved against him, tipping up on her toes as she pressed her palms to his chest. “Thank you,” she said, her soft voice brushing warmly against his ear.
Tinjin wrapped his arms around her. “You’re welcome,” he whispered back as he relished the feel of her.
He placed a gentle kiss against her cheek, allowing his lips to linger there for a minute longer than necessary. Her breathing eased as she relaxed against him. He dropped his cheek to hers, the warmth of her skin sending a swift chill down his spine.
Natalie slid her arms around his torso and hugged her chest to his. He wrapped his arms around her back, his hands resting against the silk of her dress.
Dear Reader (#ulink_cc5e2dd0-f564-5c0b-8a64-4da5216aa04f),
The Stallion family is officially back! After all your emails and messages and Facebook postings, I heard you loud and clear. But you know I couldn’t give you a Stallion story without throwing in a twist or two. And what better twist than a new branch on the Stallion family tree?
My Stallion Heart welcomes back Tinjin Braddy, the brother of Tierra Braddy, wife of Stallion cousin Travis from my book Promise to a Stallion. Once again, it’s all about family, friends and faith because there would be
no Stallion story without the foundation they were all raised on.
I greatly appreciate you all. I am humbled by your support. Thank you for all that you do to show me, my characters and our stories your love.
Until next time, please take care of yourselves, and may God’s blessings continue to be with you.
With much love,
Deborah Fletcher Mello
DeborahMello.blogspot.com (http://www.DeborahMello.blogspot.com)
My Stallion Heart
Deborah Fletcher Mello
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
DEBORAH FLETCHER MELLO has been writing since forever and can’t imagine herself doing anything else. Her first romance novel, Take Me to Heart, earned her a 2004 Romance Slam Jam Emma Award nomination for Best New Author, and in 2009, she won an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for her ninth novel, Tame a Wild Stallion. She continues to create unique story lines and memorable characters with each new book. Born and raised in Connecticut, Deborah now considers home to be wherever the moment moves her.
To Morgan Parsons
May you find the love you crave
And be blessed with much joy and happiness.
Now and always.
Contents
Cover (#ub5356580-92cf-5af2-800a-ca32ee0b67c0)
Back Cover Text (#uf23a2168-8356-581f-bf13-ee3b3195508e)
Introduction (#u3fe4b1dd-1123-53b8-a292-c763a55a9917)
Dear Reader (#ud15ea611-41d8-5988-8a98-18a5048df126)
Title Page (#uf8cc369d-79e3-5f67-b440-7e9f1a7f6ecf)
About the Author (#u73268e46-e137-5eb9-b4d7-6e8b4a931eef)
Family Tree (#uf3a926f4-6ef3-5616-a775-00b067d74c62)
Dedication (#u3508e6bc-60da-517b-8635-c9733bb0cc71)
Chapter 1 (#uf0411ce6-b81d-505d-9a81-76ed69a55a45)
Chapter 2 (#u32036ce3-038a-5467-a123-9965a2e6bb11)
Chapter 3 (#uacd06dcc-cb0d-572f-8e24-c8a7200bf407)
Chapter 4 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1 (#ulink_22bbf318-d39c-564e-a53c-1e622f79bd87)
The prestigious Westminster flat was an interior designer’s dream come true. Eggshell-colored walls were lined with exquisite abstract artwork. Ornate sculpture sat on top of marble pedestals. The decor was upscale and expensive. Subtle jazz played softly throughout the space and the sound of fingernails tapping against a computer keyboard resonated in the background.
The house phone rang three times, then clicked to an answering machine on a glass-topped table. The taped greeting suddenly drowned out all the other sounds.
“It’s me. I’m not answering, but then you already know that. If I need to tell you what to do, don’t waste my time.” BEEP.
A woman’s voice resounded loudly from the other end of the line. “Natalie! We’re headed to the pub for a pint of ale. Take a break and come meet us. I know! I know! You have a deadline. Well, screw that. If you don’t show up I will personally ring your doorbell at 3:00 a.m. and kick your skinny ass for ignoring your best friends—”
The answering machine beeped a second time, cutting the woman off midsentence. Across the room Natalie Renee Stallion was seated at an antique cedar desk typing diligently on her laptop. Amusement shimmered in her dark eyes. She smiled, her grin wide and full, as the telephone rang a second time, the machine picking it up again. Her best friend shouted at the device, her deep alto voice echoing about the room.
“Why don’t you have a machine that will let me speak until I’m finished? Even better, pick up the damn phone and talk to me because I know you’re there. I know you’re ignoring me. Hello? Hello? Natalie?”
Francesca “Frenchie” Adams sighed into her receiver before she continued. “Like I said before, Natalie, be there or I will wake your behind up. Love you. Bye. Call me on my cell if you have to,” Frenchie said just before being disconnected a second time.
Natalie continued to type. The third time the phone rang it surprised her because she wasn’t expecting any other calls and definitely not on her house number. Curiosity came over her. The male voice on the other end caught her completely off guard. Her fingers stalled against the keyboard.
“Natalie, it’s me. Noah. Your brother. When you get this, please call me back. You need to come home.”
There was a pause and she could hear muffled voices encouraging him.
“You really need to come home now,” he said before disconnecting the long-distance call.
A feeling of dread suddenly washed over Natalie’s spirit. She took a deep breath and then a second. Her expression changed, the easy lift to her mouth turned into a deep frown. She drew a hand through the length of her hair, twisting the silky strands into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. She stared toward the telephone for a brief moment before she resumed her typing, wanting to ignore the call that had just interrupted her.
An hour later she was still distracted, curious to know what had moved her estranged brother to even think about her. It had been years since she’d last seen him or any of her siblings. Natalie imagined that too much time had passed for any of them to just pick up where they’d left off, starting over as if nothing had happened. Because much had happened since they’d all parted ways. But Noah had said it was urgent for her to come home. For Natalie, home was London. Nothing about Utah remotely felt like a place where she belonged. At least, that’s what she’d spent years trying to convince herself of.
She heaved a deep breath and pulled her cell phone into her palm. Rising from her seat she crossed the room to the answering machine and replayed the message. She jotted down the telephone number Noah had left. With another deep breath she dialed it, then waited for him to answer.
It was close to midnight when Natalie climbed into her car and pulled into the late-night traffic. Across town she drove past the entrance of the Trafalgar Tavern. A crowd of partygoers was still straining to get inside. Natalie paused for a quick moment, peering through the driver’s-side window for a familiar face. When she saw no one she recognized, no one there to change her mind, she sped off, guiding her Jaguar XF toward London’s Heathrow airport. For the first time in twelve years, Natalie Stallion was headed back home.
* * *
“So, exactly when did we get this aunt?” Luke Stallion questioned. He looked from one brother to the other.
“And how come she had to die before we found out about her?” their sister Phaedra Stallion-Boudreaux asked.
Brothers Matthew, Mark and John Stallion all shrugged their broad shoulders. The three men turned to their cousin Travis Stallion who’d come bearing the bad news.
Travis’s wife, Tierra Braddy Stallion, changed the subject before her husband could answer. “I smell bacon. Do you think you can feed me and my family while Travis fills you all in?”
John chuckled ever so softly. “Sorry about that,” he said as he slipped an arm around the woman’s shoulder and gave her a quick hug.
Tierra laughed. “You should be. You invite us to family breakfast and then don’t want to feed us. What kind of mess is that?”
John’s wife, Marah, suddenly appeared in the doorway. “Especially since the food is ready,” she said, a bright smile filling her face, “so come and eat. And you all know the rules. Leave any talk of business right here in this room. We won’t be having it at the breakfast table.”
“They weren’t talking business,” Tierra said as she cradled her infant daughter in her arms. Her toddler son leaned against her pants leg, his thumb in his mouth as his wide eyes darted back and forth.
Marah looked from one stunned expression to the other and shook her head. “Do I even want to ask?”
Luke pushed past the others. “Well, you might not want to, but I have a lot of questions,” he said as he led the way into the oversize kitchen and dining area.
There was a crowd already gathered for breakfast as Travis and his family followed Luke. Matthew, Mark, Phaedra and John brought up the rear.
The women greeted Tierra warmly, hugs and kisses filling the room. Family friend Vanessa Long eagerly pulled Tierra’s baby from her arms. “Look at this sweetie pie!” Vanessa exclaimed as she leaned to show the new baby to her own little boy. Toddler Vaughan Long eyed his mother and the infant without interest, his attention focused on two pieces of sausage clenched between his palms. Tierra and Vanessa both laughed as Tierra leaned to kiss the little boy’s forehead.
“When did you get here?” Marah’s twin sister, Marla Barron, questioned. She was seated at the large oak table, preparing a plate of food for her own child.
Tierra took a seat beside her old friend, pulling her son into her lap. “We drove in this morning. Lorenzo, did you say hello to Auntie Marla?” she chimed as little Lorenzo hid his face in her chest.
Travis joined the conversation as he took his own seat. “My boy’s still sleepy. He’s not speaking to anyone this morning. Usually, we can’t shut him up!” he said with a warm laugh. He glanced around the table. “Where’s Edward and Juanita?” he questioned, referring to Marah and Marla’s father and his wife.
“On a cruise to Alaska,” someone answered.
Travis nodded. “Must be nice.”
John took the seat at the head of the table. “I wanted all of us to go but we couldn’t coordinate everyone’s schedules.”
“Tierra, did you meet my husband, Mason?” Phaedra suddenly asked.
Mason Boudreaux extended his hand in the woman’s direction. “I don’t think so. The last time you were here I think I was out of the country.”
“Mason is also Katrina’s brother,” Matthew Stallion added as he leaned to kiss his wife’s cheek.
Katrina nodded.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Tierra said as Mason leaned to give her a hug.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, as well,” Mason responded.
Travis shook his head. “This is why we need to have a family reunion.”
“That and we’ve suddenly got family coming out of the woodwork,” Luke said as he reached for the platter of scrambled eggs.
His wife Joanne eyed him curiously. “Who’s come out of the woodwork this time?”
“We have an aunt,” Luke answered.
“And more cousins,” Mark Stallion interjected. His wife Michelle passed him their daughter, Irene, who eyed her father with large, dark eyes and a bright smile. “Cousins I can take,” the large man continued as he settled the little girl in a booster seat and slid her close to the table. “As long as no one tells me I have another sister I’m good.”
Phaedra chuckled softly as the table fell silent, everyone remembering the family breakfast where she’d announced her familial connection to the Stallion name.
Luke shrugged, pointing an index finger toward Travis. “So give us the dirt,” he said as he took a bite of French toast saturated with syrup.
The former staff sergeant shrugged his broad shoulders. He sighed. “We’ve always had an aunt,” he started as he proceeded to fill them all in, everyone eyeing him intently. “Her name was Norris-Jean. She’s actually the oldest out of the Stallion siblings.”
“I don’t remember my father or Uncle Joseph ever talking about her,” John said. He leaned back in his chair, his arms folded over his broad chest.
“Neither did I,” Travis continued. “From what I’ve learned she was much older and had left the family home when the boys were still very young. There was some kind of falling out and our grandparents disowned her. She moved to Utah and never kept in contact with anyone. No one knows why, though.”
Vanessa laughed as she pulled Tierra’s baby to her shoulder. “You people got a lot of skeletons in your closets!” she exclaimed. “Sisters, aunts, cousins. If you keep this up we might find out I’m related to you by blood!”
Mark cut an eye at his old friend and nodded in agreement. “Right!” he said with a hearty chuckle.
Luke laughed. “Oh, hell no!”
“How’d you find out about her?” Matthew questioned.
“She passed away last week and her children have been going through her papers. It seems she kept a diary. Her oldest son, Noah, contacted me, looking for my father,” Travis said.
John Stallion glanced around the table as the family continued talking, everyone shooting questions in Travis’s direction. Excitement fueled the air, energy like a firestorm through the space. It hadn’t been too long ago that their requisite family breakfasts included only him and his three brothers. He’d married first, his wife Marah and her family adding to the mix. In a short period of time he’d seen his brothers and his cousin Travis marry, their small clan growing with wives, babies and extended family.
Last year they’d discovered they had a biological sister named Phaedra, the news completely throwing all the brothers for a loop, and now the Stallion family tree had suddenly sprouted a whole new branch. John’s head moved slowly from side to side as he pondered the implications. Minutes passed before he refocused on the conversation.
“I told Noah that we would love to meet him and his family and he suggested we all fly to Salt Lake City for his mother’s memorial service,” Travis was saying.
“What do you think?” Luke asked, directing the question toward his oldest brother.
Everyone at the table was suddenly staring at John, awaiting his opinion.
He met the looks they were giving him and nodded. “I agree. I think we should. They’re our family.”
“Can everyone get away?” Marah asked, looking around the table.
“Well, transportation won’t be a problem,” Mason stated. “We can use my plane.”
John nodded just as his newly adopted daughter Gabrielle suddenly rushed into the room. The miniature hurricane tore around the table, her deep laughter moving them all to smile. Matthew and Katrina’s teenage son Collin raced behind her.
“Where have you been, Gabi?” Marah questioned, eyeing her daughter with a raised eyebrow. She tossed her nephew a questioning stare.
“Sorry,” the teenager gushed. “She didn’t want to leave the playroom. I had to chase her and then she kicked me!” He leaned to rub his bruised knee.
Katrina laughed. “Tell your uncle John he’ll owe you combat pay on top of your babysitting salary.”
Gabrielle jumped into her father’s lap, a bright smile filling her face. She rolled her eyes at Collin and licked her tongue out at him. John grinned as he pressed a damp kiss to her rosy cheek. “Did you kick your cousin Collin?” he asked, his gaze narrowing.
The little girl’s eyes widened. She shook her head. “No.”
Everyone around the table laughed.
“That’s not funny,” Marah admonished. “Y’all are bringing her into some bad habits, laughing when she does something wrong. She thinks she’s being cute.”
Matthew laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Marah. When Luke was her age he used to tell lies, too.”
“I did not!” Luke chimed in as he reached for another slice of bacon.
“Yes, you did,” Mark said teasingly. “And John used to wear your behind out! Gabi better straighten up!”
John shook his head, his attention still focused on the bundle of energy in his lap. “We don’t kick people, Gabi, and we don’t ever tell Daddy lies. You always tell Mommy and Daddy the truth, do you understand?”
Gabrielle blew a deep sigh as she dropped her head against John’s broad chest.
“Now tell Collin you’re sorry,” her father scolded, “and if you kick your cousin again Daddy’s going to give you spanks.”
The little girl pouted as she tossed her cousin a look. “Gabi sorry, Collin,” she muttered softly. She turned her attention back to her father. “Gabi wanna go pane ride. Go pane ride, Dada?” she questioned, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.
John’s gaze reached out to each of his family members. There was a moment of pause before he finally answered. “Yes, baby girl. We’re all going to do just that.” He gave her a tight squeeze before she jumped out of his arms.
She scurried to Marah’s side, her arms outstretched. Marah lifted the little girl onto her lap. “Go pane, Mommy! Dada said we go pane!”
Marah laughed. “We’re going to eat breakfast first, munchkin! Then we’re going on a plane ride so you can meet your new cousins.”
Vanessa laughed. “More Stallions! Lord, have mercy!” she exclaimed as everyone around the table laughed with her.
Chapter 2 (#ulink_150ff689-fde3-5f4a-902c-9e656adeb35e)
Tinjin Braddy navigated his way through John F. Kennedy Airport with his carry-on bag over his shoulder and his cell phone in his hand. As he stood in front of the flight display monitors, frustration painted his expression. The arrival and departure board looked like a grade school chalkboard gone awry. The word Canceled appeared over and over again, much like a punished student’s white chalk repetitions. He shook his head as he put his cell phone to his ear and called his personal assistant.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Braddy?” the young woman answered, anticipation ringing in her tone.
Tinjin sighed into the receiver. “I’m stuck in New York, Raina. There’s nothing coming or going for at least another eight hours.”
“Oh, my,” Raina muttered. “Would you like me to arrange for a hotel, Mr. Braddy? Something close to the airport?”
“No. I’ve already tried. Everything is booked solid. A major snowstorm has literally shut down the eastern seaboard.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, sir. Is there anything I can do?”
Tinjin blew another sigh. “I’ve been trying to call my sister but she’s not answering and my cell phone battery is about to die. Would you please keep calling until you reach her, explain my situation and tell her I’ll get to Salt Lake City as soon as I’m able? When I can find someplace to charge my phone I’ll call her but it’s a madhouse here right now.”
“No problem, Mr. Braddy. And I’ll stay close to the phone in case you need me.”
Tinjin smiled. “Thanks, Raina,” he said, then he disconnected the line. Taking a deep breath he looked to his left and then to his right. People were crowded together, everyone at their wit’s end as they tried to figure out what to do and where to go. Babies were crying, mothers were pacing, fathers were cussing and not one soul seemed happy to be where they were.
His British Airways flight from London had landed an hour ago, the plane’s tires hitting the icy tarmac just minutes before all flights were diverted to other locations. The wintry nor’easter was predicted to leave some twenty-plus inches of snow in the New York area, and with half of that already on the ground no plane was scheduled to depart until further notice.
Not how he’d anticipated starting his weeklong holiday. Tinjin was suddenly wishing he’d gone to Bermuda as he’d initially planned instead of agreeing to join his sister and her family in Salt Lake City, Utah. But his baby sister, Tierra, always had a way of wrangling him to do what she wanted and her appeals for him to spend time with his toddler nephew and the new baby had been hard to resist. He loved his family and since relocating to London had missed them terribly. Despite the inconvenience he looked forward to spending some quality time with the people he loved most.
Pausing in reflection, Tinjin considered his options. With a plan in motion he headed in the direction of the terminal train and pushed his way on board. He needed to get himself from terminal seven to terminal eight. Once that was accomplished he figured he could find a fairly quiet corner to wait out the storm.
* * *
Natalie made her way to the mezzanine level at JFK’s terminal eight. In the reception area of American Airlines’ Admiral’s Club she presented her membership card to gain admittance. Inside, the few gathered were nowhere near as frenzied as the masses in the holding pattern by the gates, and the level of noise dropped substantially. The catchphrase Membership Has Its Privileges rang through her mind. She heaved a deep sigh of relief as she maneuvered her way to a quiet corner by one of the only windows in the room and dropped down to the cushioned seat. Kicking off her six-inch heels she sighed in relief, twisting her ankles in small circles.
She was past the point of being annoyed. Totally exhausted, she found herself wishing that she had just stayed in London. But her brother Noah had been adamant about her returning to the family fold long enough to honor her recently deceased mother. Tears suddenly welled in her eyes and she swiped them away with the back of her hand. She took a quick glance around the room and when she was certain that no one was paying her an ounce of attention she fell back into her thoughts.
Natalie had been seventeen years old when she’d left home, leaving everything she knew and trusted behind. She was desperate for a new beginning, hopeful that destiny would lead her where fate intended her to land. Life in Utah had not been easy and Natalie had wanted much more than the abject poverty that had been her childhood existence.
The family had been dirt poor, her single mother raising five children on a housekeeper’s minimum-wage salary. The Stallion siblings had known little of their father, and bitterness rang in their mother’s tone whenever one or the other ventured to question her about the man. Only Noah, barely sixteen years old at the time, had been bold enough to seek him out, begging for a shred of help for their family. When he was met with bitter rejection and their mother’s wrath, it had kept the rest of them from ever considering the idea again.
What Natalie did know about her family was that her mother, Norris-Jean, had come from her own humble beginnings. She had been a teenager herself, pregnant with her eldest son, when she’d followed their father, a traveling minister, to Utah, trusting the promises he’d made to her. Those promises had been broken when Norris-Jean discovered the man of her dreams had a wife and another family who were more important to him.
After Noah was born, a second string of promises, which had never materialized, led to the birth of the twins, Nicholas and Nathaniel. Their mother should have known better but it wasn’t until Naomi and then Natalie had come into the world that Norris-Jean finally accepted that the man she loved with all her heart had never loved her enough to want to do right by her.
Natalie had asked her mother once why she’d never gone back to her own family and it was in that brief moment that she had seen the embarrassment and the regret that had eventually hardened Norris-Jean’s spirit, the wealth of it spinning in the woman’s eyes. Their mother had preferred to suffer in silence than admit her mistakes and seek help from people who might have been willing to lend them a hand. Pride had been Norris-Jean’s one shortcoming and her children had suffered for it. But for everything the woman hadn’t been able to provide she’d given them love tenfold, its abundance overflowing.
Days earlier Norris-Jean had slipped quietly away in her sleep, leaving her five children to mourn the loss. Natalie had last spoken to her mother right before Paris fashion week, her requisite call to check that the matriarch had received the check Natalie had been sending every month since the day she’d left home. In the beginning, some months had been much harder than others. Most recently Natalie had been grateful for the steady income that allowed her to share her wealth so readily.
A man’s deep baritone voice suddenly broke through the meditation Natalie had fallen into. “Those are not good airport shoes. Especially not in this weather!”
Natalie lifted her eyes to stare at the man who was speaking to her. He was tall, lean and well dressed in a charcoal-gray silk suit, white dress shirt and burgundy red necktie. His shoes were expensive Italian leather, highly polished to a spit shine. He bent down and picked up her high heels, eyeing them too closely. She met the look he was giving her, one eyebrow raised curiously.
“You must have worn these right off the runway,” the handsome stranger crooned.
Her gaze trailed from the top of his head down to the floor beneath his large feet. His complexion was the color of Riesen’s chocolate-caramel candy, his eyes a deep, dark brown and he had full, luscious lips that pouted ever so slightly. His hair was cropped closely, a precision fade that complemented the thick texture of his tight curls. He suddenly smiled, his mouth widening into a deep grin that showcased the prettiest set of bright white teeth and accentuated the hint of a goatee across his chin.
“Excuse me?” she asked, eyeing him suspiciously as he waved her shoes in his hands.
“These are from Jimmy Choo’s new fall collection. They haven’t even hit the stores yet!” He sat them upright by her side.
Her gaze narrowed. “You know shoes?”
He laughed. “It’s what I do,” he said as he extended a hand in her direction. “I’m Tinjin Braddy. Do you mind if I join you?”
Natalie stared. He had the hands of a piano player, large appendages with elongated fingers. She raised her eyes back to his, not bothering to lift her own hands from her lap.
Tinjin chuckled warmly. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said, not at all offended by her chilly reception. He settled himself down into the seat beside her.
“Tinjin. What kind of name is that?” she asked, shifting her body ever so slightly.
He smiled again. “It’s very country, is what it is. I’m told it’s an old family moniker. I was named after my father, who was named after his father, who was named after his father.”
“So does that make you Tinjin the third or the fourth?”
“The sixth, actually. I come from a long line of men named Tinjin and I fully intend to pass it down to a son of my own someday. There’s a lot of history in this name.”
“Huh,” Natalie grunted. “I’m sure that will make your father proud.”
Tinjin shrugged. “I really wouldn’t know. My father left shortly after my baby sister was born. We never knew him. My mother disappeared soon after that. I was raised by my grandmother.” Tinjin was suddenly surprised that he’d shared so much information so quickly. He met the look she was giving him.
Natalie felt herself staring as she reflected on his comment. She suddenly realized he was staring back and a wave of heat flushed her face with color. She took a deep breath. “My name’s Natalie,” she said, changing the subject.
Tinjin flashed her his brilliant smile one more time. “It’s nice to meet you, Natalie. So, where are you headed?”
She glanced over her shoulder, eyeing the snow that fell outside. “I was headed to Salt Lake City. Looks like I’m stuck here until this blows over.”
“Isn’t that a coincidence,” Tinjin exclaimed. “So am I. I’m going to meet my sister and her husband, to spend some time with my niece and nephew.”
“Do you come from a big family?” Natalie asked.
He shook his head. “Not really. It was just me and my sister, Tierra, growing up. But she married into a big family and it seems to be getting bigger and bigger every day,” Tinjin said with a soft chuckle.
Natalie smiled ever so slightly. “I come from a big family. Three brothers and a sister. There were five of us.”
“Where do you fall in the lineup?”
“I’m the youngest,” Natalie answered.
Tinjin stared as Natalie drifted off into reflection. He’d spied the woman from the entrance and had purposely maneuvered his way to her side. He figured if he had to be stuck at the airport then why not be stuck in the company of a beautiful woman?
And she was beautiful. Her eyes were pale, a shimmery hazel with flecks of green and brown. She had extraordinary cheekbones and her jawline was strong, angular and defined. Her skin was the color of light molasses, a rich, warm brown with red cinnamon undertones. She was exceptionally thin, and even seated he could see that she was tall. There was an essence of grace about her and with her light brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail, diamond studs decorating her earlobes and the barest hint of makeup adorning her chiseled features, she was stunning. At first glance Tinjin had sensed that he’d seen her somewhere before but couldn’t for the life of himself remember where. Then it came to him.
“You’re Natalia!” he said, leaning forward in his seat. “Vogue cover model, House of Dior ingenue and one of the most sought-after, high-profile models in the world,” he added as he waved his index finger excitedly.
Natalie blushed, color warming her complexion as her cheeks became heated. She rolled her eyes. “So what are you? Some kind of stalker? Do I need to be afraid? First my shoes and now my résumé? How do you know so much?”
Tinjin laughed. “I’m a shoe designer and I spend a lot of time following women’s fashion trends.”
“A shoe designer? Really?” Natalie didn’t look convinced, eyeing him warily.
Tinjin chuckled again. “I actually designed those shoes,” he said, pointing to the pair on the floor. He reached into his leather portfolio and pulled out a collection of pencil drawings. He passed them into Natalie’s hands, watching intently as she studied them.
The sketches were good; detailed drawings of footwear for the fashion-forward female. If he had designed them, she mused, then he had a great eye for heel height and lines. As Natalie flipped through the drawings in her hand she instantly recognized the pair of heels resting on the floor.
“So you work for Jimmy Choo?” she asked, duly impressed with his skills. She handed his artwork back to him.
“I did. I was one of their head shoe designers until last week.”
“What happened last week?”
“I resigned. I’m moving on to bigger things.”
“What things?”
“I’m opening my own design house.”
“Here in the United States?”
Tinjin shook his head. “No. In Paris.”
“Is that where you live?” Natalie asked, her curiosity peaking.
“Right now I live in London but I also have a flat in Paris and I’ll be moving back there next month.”
“Interesting...” Natalie said, her voice fading ever so slightly.
Tinjin smiled. “Give me a chance and you’ll soon discover that I’m a very interesting man,” he said, his tone slightly smug. “I’m also quite the gentleman. It’s my European aesthetic with my Southern upbringing. My granny raised me well. I love my granny!” he exclaimed, his smile widening.
She leaned forward, her gaze narrowing slightly. “So does that mean you’re a little bit of a mama’s boy?” she asked. There was a hint of teasing in her tone.
Tinjin laughed. “Yes, ma’am! And I’m proud of it. There’s no shame in my game!”
For the first time, Natalie smiled back. She found him amusing. He was clearly confident and had just enough attitude without being arrogant. He was direct, but not pushy and definitely quite the charmer. She liked him and his devil-may-care attitude, and she found herself curious to know more about the man.
* * *
Travis Stallion eased his body against his wife’s, snaking his arm around her waist as he pulled her to him. The two stood quietly together, staring down at their children as both slumbered peacefully. He pressed a kiss to the back of Tierra’s neck.
“They’re growing too fast,” Tierra whispered. “Tianna’s lifting her head up by herself already.”
“They are,” Travis whispered back. “You should have seen Lorenzo on the horses today. Once he warmed up to everyone, there was no stopping him.”
“He’s got a little crush on Gabrielle. I saw how he was following her around.”
Travis chuckled. “That’s my boy! I’m going to hate to have to tell him that she’s his family.”
Tierra giggled as she grabbed her man’s hand and led him from the room. They closed the door and moved to their own bedroom. Inside, both slipped beneath the covers and cuddled close against each other.
“I still haven’t been able to reach Tinjin,” Tierra commented. “That girl who works for him said he’s stuck at the airport in New York.”
“Your brother might not make it. I was listening to the news and they said the weather has made a mess of things. Flights have been canceled up the entire east coast. They’re getting hit hard.”
She blew a low sigh. “I hope he’s still able to meet us. I really wanted to see him. Since he moved abroad we barely spend any time together anymore. I love my brother and I want our kids to know him.”
“You know you can always fly to London to see Tinjin, Tierra. I told you that. In fact, I think you should still go and take Mama Dee with you. You both deserve some time away. I can watch the kids or you can take them with you. You know I’d support whatever you wanted.”
Tierra nodded. “Maybe after I’m not breast-feeding anymore. I think my grandmother would like to go visit Tinjin.”
Travis eased a warm palm across her abdomen and up until his fingers lightly grazed the curve of her breast. He gently stroked the lush tissue, his heated touch teasing.
Tierra laughed. “You’re trying to start something!”
He nodded his head. “I am.”
“You starting something is how we got Tianna. We were going to wait until Lorenzo was four before we had another baby, remember?”
He nuzzled his face into her hair. “I can’t help it if you’re abundantly fertile.”
She laughed again as he continued to stroke her gently, his hands gliding up and down her body. They lay together for only a brief moment, relaxing into the soft inhalations of each breath and then minutes later both were sound asleep.
* * *
Natalie and Tinjin had been talking on and off for a couple of hours. Despite the conversation being lighthearted and easy, there was a hint of sadness behind her eyes and Tinjin felt it tugging at his heartstrings. The emotion surprised him just enough to give him reason to pause. He stared at her as her gaze moved to the window and the weather outside. It was still snowing, white flakes of ice and cold blanketing everything in view.
“So why are you going to Salt Lake City?” he asked, breaking through the quiet that had moved between them.
He watched as she bristled, biting down against her bottom lip. Her eyes misted but she fought back the urge to cry. She tossed him a quick look, then returned her stare to the window and the landscape outside.
“You ask a lot of questions, TJ,” she finally answered, shifting in her seat to meet his eyes. “You’re like a woman, you’re so nosey.”
Tinjin laughed. “You’re one to talk. And don’t call me TJ. My parents named me Tinjin and I like my name. It’s the only thing the two left me with.”
She chuckled softly. “I like your name, too, so don’t be so sensitive.”
“I’m not being sensitive. Just don’t call me TJ. We don’t know each other that well.”
“I think we know each other very well. Well enough that you deserve a nickname. If it makes you feel better you can give me one. Something just between the two of us.”
Tinjin paused briefly. “Okay, Gnat. I’ll call you Gnat. Like the bug.”
“You’re calling me a bug? An annoying bug?”
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “It fits. I’m giving you a nickname just like you gave me one. We’ll be TJ and Gnat. Gnat and TJ. Airport buddies forever!”
“You’re not funny. And you’re a pain in the ass, do you know that?”
Tinjin laughed. “Takes one to know one.”
Natalie rolled her eyes.
“Now that you’ve walked all around my question, are you going to answer it?” He crossed his arms over his chest.
She eyed him intently, the look he was giving her moving her heart to skip a quick beat. She took a deep breath and held it for a second. “No, I’m not,” she said finally. “It’s still none of your business.”
“I told you why I was headed in that direction.”
“But I didn’t ask. You just volunteered it. Just like you’ve been volunteering all of your business.”
Tinjin smiled, his full lips bending warmly. “I’m an open book. I have nothing to hide.”
“Bully for you. I don’t know you that well, so my business is none of your business.”
“I thought we were becoming friends.”
“It’s good they don’t pay you to think.”
“And you’re a mean girl, too!” Tinjin exclaimed. “Beautiful and mean!”
“You should be careful,” Natalie said, her expression smug. “That’s a lethal combination.”
They were interrupted as a hostess suddenly moved between them. “Can I get either of you anything to drink?” the woman asked as she looked from one to the other before letting her gaze rest on Tinjin’s face. She gave him a suggestive smile.
He smiled back. “I’d love a scotch. Straight,” he said. He looked toward Natalie.
“A glass of white wine, please,” Natalie said.
“And white wine for my friend,” Tinjin said as he passed the woman his credit card.
“I’ll bring those right over.” She gave Tinjin a quick wink of her eye.
Tinjin winked back.
When the woman was out of earshot Natalie shook her head. “Really?” she snapped, her eyes narrowed into thin slits as she stared at him.
“What?”
“You’re really going to flirt with another woman right in front of me? Really?”
“That wasn’t flirting. Besides, you set the rules. You said that it’s not like we’re friends, remember?”
“It’s still low of you. But then you’re a man, I guess I shouldn’t have expected better.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I don’t have a lot of expectations when it comes to you and your kind, TJ. That’s what it means.”
Tinjin crossed his arms over his chest. “Beautiful, mean and bitter. You’re just a walking contradiction, aren’t you?”
“Am I?”
A wry smile pulled at his full lips. “You’re like an angel’s trumpet.”
“A what?” Confusion washed over her expression.
“Angel’s trumpet. It’s this incredibly beautiful flower. It has amazing color and seductive lines. In low doses it can be a highly effective hallucinogen. Too much and it’s lethal. It’s also called devil’s weed.”
Natalie paused as she pondered his comment. Before she could respond the hostess returned with their drinks.
“If you need anything else please let me know,” she said, the comment directed straight at Tinjin.
“Thank you. We’ll do that,” Natalie said.
Tinjin laughed. “I think you like me.”
“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t,” Natalie said nonchalantly.
He nodded. “Yeah! You like me a lot!”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m getting used to you, TJ. Don’t misread me.”
“Oh, I’m reading you just fine, Gnat!” Tinjin said with a soft chuckle.
Natalie met the look he was giving her. Despite her best efforts she couldn’t fight the smile that pulled at her mouth. An easy laugh slipped past her lips. She rolled her eyes a second time.
Chapter 3 (#ulink_475f2798-a5a5-58c9-bc7a-4d308e4cf71b)
Natalie had never known a man who slept with his eyes half open but Tinjin did, the dark lids at half-mast as he slumbered. If it were not for the soft lull of his breathing, with the wispy whistle at the end of each breath, she would have sworn he was staring at her. But he snored softly, lost in a deep sleep.
The length of his body was stretched across the cushioned seats. His arms were crossed over his chest, his hands tucked beneath his armpits. His head rested on a pillow beside her leg. He was so close to her that she could feel the heat from his body warming her own. She resisted the desire to draw her finger across his forehead, to tease the slight arch to his brow with her manicured nail. She didn’t know him like that, yet she had the strongest urge to trail her hand across his profile.
There was something about him that she liked and it had as much to do with his deft sense of humor as it did with his good looks. He made her laugh and feel as though she didn’t have a care in the world, even if it was a false sense of comfort in the moment. Because truth be told, Natalie had a lot on her mind and she couldn’t imagine anything about the next few days being carefree or easy. But something about being with Tinjin had her feeling as if things might settle upright when it was all done and finished. She blew a deep sigh, a shiver running up her spine.
Tinjin suddenly shifted, his body jumping slightly as he was startled from a sound sleep. He sat upright, wiping at his face with the palm of his large hand. He swiped the sleep from his eyes, then moved his gaze in her direction.
“I guess I fell asleep,” he said, murmuring softly.
“You think?” Natalie responded. “You snored and you drooled. It wasn’t pretty, player.”
He met her gaze. “I see waking up to your warm personality is quite the thrill.”
“Enjoy it while you can,” Natalie said smugly.
Tinjin’s full lips lifted in a slight smile. He shook his head then stretched his arms up and out as he shook the last remnants of sleep from his system. He moved onto his feet and reached for his carry-on bag.
Natalie shifted forward in her seat. “Where are you going?”
Looking down at her he couldn’t help but smile. Her nervous expression belied her efforts to appear tough and distant. Her eyes were wide and curiosity shimmered in the pale orbs. Her lips were parted ever so slightly and he suddenly wondered what they might taste like against his own. He took a deep breath.
“Restroom,” he finally answered. “I need to wash my face and rinse my mouth out.”
Natalie blew out the breath she’d been holding. She nodded. “When you get back we can go find something to eat. I’m hungry.”
Tinjin laughed. “Is that an invitation?”
Natalie shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t make anything out of it. I just didn’t see any reason why you should eat alone.”
Tinjin laughed a second time. “I don’t remember saying I was hungry.”
“You look hungry. I was helping you out.”
“Just say you enjoy my company, woman! You’re not fooling anyone! I can see right through you.”
Natalie laughed with him. “You are just so full of yourself!”
Tinjin nodded. “I don’t eat fast food so figure out where we’re headed,” he directed. “I shouldn’t be long.”
As he moved in the direction of the restrooms, Natalie mumbled under her breath. “God, I like a man who takes command!”
* * *
Neither spoke as they made their way to terminal four and the Palm Bar and Grille. They maneuvered through a maze of stranded travelers, warm bodies resting wherever anyone could find to lay their head. When they reached their destination there were only a handful of people inside and an enthusiastic waitress waved them into the space.
The chatty young woman was eager to have someone new to talk to. “Welcome to the Palm!” she greeted them excitedly. “Are you both from the city? Were you headed on vacation?”
Natalie eased into a seat as Tinjin answered. “No. We flew in from London and our connecting flight was canceled.”
“It’s something! This storm is crazy!” the girl exclaimed. “My name’s Hannah and I’ll be serving you. We’re a little shorthanded and I need to apologize now because we’re out of lobster. The trucks couldn’t get here this afternoon.”
“I’m allergic to seafood so I won’t be interested in the lobster,” Natalie said.
“That’s good to know,” Tinjin said, lifting his gaze from the menu to her face. “I was just about to order the calamari appetizer for us to share.”
Natalie shook her head. “I’d look like a bruised tomato if I ate that and I’d be scratching hives for days. It’s not pretty.”
“I guess it’ll be the beef tenderloin carpaccio then,” Tinjin said.
“Good choice,” Hannah said as she jotted a quick note down on the lined pad in her hand.
“Would you ask the chef to put extra shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano on that, please? I like good cheese,” Natalie said.
“No problem, miss.”
Tinjin’s eyes shifted back and forth across the menu. “Do you want to share the New York strip?
Natalie hesitated before answering. “Yeah, we can do that,” she said, nodding.
“We’ll have the thirty-six ounce prime double-cut New York strip,” Tinjin ordered.
“And two of your house salads. Plus the green beans, the wild mushrooms and the asparagus fritti for our sides.”
“I have to have potatoes,” Tinjin said, meeting her gaze. “I need something to offset all those vegetables.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do. I’m a meat and potatoes man.”
“The three-cheese potatoes au gratin are really good,” Hannah interjected, her eyes moving from one to the other. “They’re my favorite.”
“We’ll have a side order of those, too!” Tinjin said with an air of finality.
Natalie shook her head. “Unnecessary carbohydrates. Calories neither of us needs.”
“This coming from the woman who asked for extra cheese on the appetizer.”
Natalie laughed. “Yes, I did. That little bit of cheese won’t hurt me. Those potatoes, however, will put twenty pounds on my hips and I make a living with this body.”
“Are you an actress or something?” Hannah queried, her eyes wide as she stared at Natalie.
“Or something,” Tinjin said with a wry smirk. “She’s an adult film star. She does porn. Hardcore, dirty porn.” He winked an eye at Natalie.
“Oh,” Hannah said, suddenly blinking, her cheeks warming with color.
Natalie laughed. “Good one,” she said as Tinjin gave her a bright smile.
He winked again. “And Hannah, we’ll take a bottle of your best red wine. If you’ll ask your resident wine steward to make the selection for us, please.”
“Yes, sir,” Hannah said. “I’ll be right back with your salads.”
When the young woman was out of sight, Natalie gave him a light kick under the table. “A porn star? Really?”
“Hannah believed it.”
“I’m sure she did. But for the record I’ve never done porn before.”
“Not even a homemade movie with you and your boyfriend? A little something for your personal stash?”
“I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“One of your exes then. You’ve never taken a nude picture for one of your exes?”
“Never. No pictures, no movies. I don’t do that.”
“Interesting,” Tinjin muttered. “Very interesting.”
“Why is that interesting?”
“Gives us something to aspire to,” he said matter-of-factly.
Natalie pondered his comment, her mouth lifting to a full grin. “Not on your best day ever,” she said. “But have fun dreaming.”
“I can be very persuasive,” Tinjin said, his voice dropping an octave.
Natalie laughed. “You might be good, but you’ll never be that good.”
Tinjin’s bright smile warmed his face. He leaned back in his seat, shifting his legs out in front of him. He crossed them at the ankles as he folded his arms over his broad chest.
“So, Gnat, tell me something else I don’t know about you,” he said.
Natalie leaned forward, resting her elbows atop the table. She dropped her chin against the backs of her hands. She eyed him intently as he stared at her. A moment of silence swelled full and thick between them before she finally answered.
“Have you heard of the blog site, Pretty, Pretty?”
“I actually follow it. I’ve been following it since it started. It’s grown nicely and it has a great reputation for setting some of the newest fashion trends.”
“Thank you.”
A slow smile pulled at Tinjin’s mouth. “That’s you? You’re the creative genius behind Pretty, Pretty?”
“Creative genius! I like that!” Natalie exclaimed.
“I don’t believe you.”
Natalie shrugged, her narrow shoulders jutting toward the ceiling. “Believe it. I am the creative genius behind Pretty, Pretty.”
“I’m actually impressed.”
“You should be.”
Tinjin chuckled warmly. “So what was the inspiration?”
There was a moment’s pause as Hannah returned to the table with their wine and salads.
Natalie swallowed her first bite of iceberg lettuce, bacon and blue cheese before she spoke. “When I was a little girl I always had to wear hand-me-downs from my older sister. She rarely got new clothes, so by the time they got to me you can just imagine how well-worn they were. But I loved clothes and I loved fashion. We’d go to the supermarket and I’d stand in the magazine aisle and pore through Vogue while I waited for my mother. My sister use to tease me, pointing at a picture and saying, ‘Oh, how pretty, pretty! Too bad you can’t have it.’ So one day I set off to prove her wrong. I was tall and skinny as a teenager and someone said I should model. The first chance I had I went to New York and signed with a modeling agency. They sent me to Europe and the rest is history. But a few years ago it dawned on me that I couldn’t model forever. I needed to do something else but I knew I wanted to stay in the industry. And Pretty, Pretty came into being.”
“So what’s next?” Tinjin questioned. He swiped at his lips with his cloth napkin.
“I’m all about the editorial. I’d like to give Anna Wintour a run for her money and take Pretty, Pretty into mainstream media.”
“So you want it to be a full-fledged magazine like Vogue?”
“With technology today, I’d like Pretty, Pretty to be the premiere digital fashion magazine and even better than Vogue.”
Tinjin sat staring at her for a moment.
“What?” she questioned, a wave of nervous anxiety washing over her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because I’m really impressed. And surprised. Beauty and brains.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I meant it as one.”
A pregnant pause swelled full and thick as they sat studying each other until Hannah and a second waiter slipped in to bring them their food.
Natalie’s smile was bright. “So what about you? Tell me more about your shoe company.”
“Tinjin Designs is my dream come true. I’ve been designing since my first art class at Savannah College of Art and Design.”
“You went to SCAD?”
He nodded. “I did. I took a fashion design course to get close to a girl I liked. She dropped out of the class and I stayed.”
“And shoes became your specialty?”
“I had a very successful menswear line while I was in college and then I moved on to shoes for the experience.”
“What was your men’s line?”
“The Tin-men Collection carried exclusively by Nordstrom’s.”
“That was your line?”
“You know it?”
Natalie shrugged. “No,” she said, a grin filling her face as she shook her head.
Tinjin laughed. “Cute.”
“Actually, I do know it. Your designs walked the runway with the Diane Von Furstenberg collection one year, if I recall.”
Tinjin’s eyes narrowed a bit. “How’d you know that?”
“That was one of the first runway shows I ever walked. I remember everything about it. So what happened?”
“I needed to grow. I put the Tin-men Collection on the back burner and moved to Europe. After being there a month I happened into an internship at Jimmy Choo. I worked my way up learning everything I could about women’s shoe designs. Now I’m ready to branch off, build both lines and expand.”
“So Tinjin Designs is born.”
He nodded. “It is.”
“Why not men’s shoes?” Natalie questioned. “Since your menswear line was so successful, why not transition into men’s shoes instead?”
“Because I love women and their feet more.”
“So you have a foot fetish?”
Tinjin laughed. “I like the line of a woman’s leg when she’s wearing a beautiful heel. I’m not limiting myself, though. I’ll eventually have a collection for your body and your home. Maybe even a fragrance. There’s no telling what I might do next!”
Natalie nodded. “I think that’s great but your business name sucks.”
“Excuse me?”
“The name, Tinjin Designs. It stinks. You know a brand name can make or break you.”
Tinjin chuckled. “So, do you have a better idea?”
“Spin off your original business name. The Tin-men Collection for Women...Tin-men for Her...Tin-men Footwear...Tin-men for the Home. You’ve already had success with the Tin-men brand so you should capitalize on that.”
Tinjin dropped his fork to his plate as he pondered her comments.
“You can thank me later,” Natalie said as she savored the last bite of her steak. “Meanwhile, I’m ready to order dessert. They have a mean chocolate bread pudding with bourbon sauce.”
* * *
The crowds were still thick as people moved from terminal to terminal, looking for someplace warm and comfortable to rest themselves. Heading back to terminal eight and the American Airlines lounge, Tinjin and Natalie boarded the train, pushing their way to the middle of the aisle. Natalie looped her arm around the metal pole that ran from floor to ceiling and planted her high heels firmly, her feet spread slightly apart. Tinjin moved in behind her, wrapping his own hand on the same pole right above hers.
The ride was unsteady and with the train’s first lurch and shudder, Natalie’s body fell into his. Instinctively, Tinjin wrapped his free arm around her thin waist to steady her. His fingers pressed against the waistband of her slacks, his palm heating the flesh beneath her clothes. He pulled her against his body, allowing her to brace her weight against his own. She fit against him nicely, he thought, the curve of her buttocks settling easily into the well of his crotch. A quiver of electricity tightened the muscle between his legs. Tinjin closed his eyes, biting down against his bottom lip to stall the sensation.
Natalie inhaled swiftly, the unexpected touch causing a wave of heat to shoot through her midsection. If she had not been standing on those six-inch stilettos she might have shifted her body from his but the unsteadiness of the ride combined with her precarious footing was a recipe for disaster. It felt good to be able to lean on him for support. She felt herself relax.
She turned her head to stare back at him. Tinjin smiled, an easy bend to his full lips. When she didn’t speak, moving her gaze back to the view in front of them, he let his fingers gently tease her flesh, tapping lightly atop her clothes. Three stops later Natalie stepped out of his arms, rushing out of the train to put some distance between them. She took a deep breath and blew it out heavily. By the time Tinjin reached her side, she’d heaved another deep sigh.
“Do you need help with your bag?” Tinjin asked. His eyes danced over her face, resting on the look she was giving him.
She shook her head. The carryall felt good in her hands, almost like a security blanket for her to hide behind. She continued shaking her head as she turned an about-face and headed for the lounge area.
Once inside both were surprised to find their original seats still vacant. Tinjin and Natalie would have both bet those front-row seats would have been grabbed while they’d been gone. Settling themselves back down, both sat staring to the outside.
Hours later they were still talking, discovering the six degrees of separation between them. In London they often frequented the same spots, had attended the same parties, were acquainted with mutual friends and despite running in the same circles had never before crossed paths. The more they talked the more they were both amazed at how their small worlds had never once collided and how much they had in common. Both were fans of English football, favoring the Manchester United team. Well-traveled, they both had mutual interests in Japan and Spain, disliked fast food, reveled in decadent desserts and preferred sandy beaches over winter weather. Tinjin stole a quick glance back out the window as Natalie shook her head.
Snow was still falling. It looked like large flecks of soft cotton as it dropped down against everything outside. A line of trees bowed heavily from the weight of the ice and snow that had accumulated against its branches and there was no distinguishing grass from pavement, everything blanketed in layers of white. You could feel the aura of calm and quiet that echoed gently in the distance.
Tinjin suddenly had a host of questions for the beautiful woman beside him but he held his tongue. Something about the moment made him feel that they would have all the time in the world to learn more about each other. As if it were the most natural thing to do, he eased his arm around her back and shoulders and hugged her to him.
Despite thinking that she should know better, Natalie liked the feel of his arms around her. Where she should have been hesitant, having known him for only a brief period, she wasn’t. And although that surprised her, it also felt very right to her. She leaned into his side, falling into the warmth of his body heat. She dropped her head down against the curve of his shoulder and lifted her legs to the cushioned seat, folding them back against her buttocks. Minutes passed before either spoke, both enjoying the quiet moment.
“Don’t get comfortable,” Natalie suddenly said. “This doesn’t mean anything. We don’t know each other that well.”
Tinjin chuckled softly. “Oh, it means something,” he said, as he tightened the grip he had on her shoulder and pulled her closer.
She cut an eye at the man. “Don’t push your luck with me, TJ.”
He shook his head. “I would never do that, Gnat.”
Natalie marveled at the level of comfort between them. She slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him back, looking out the window at the snow.
“Do you think it’ll ever stop?” she asked.
Tinjin nodded. “I’m sure it’ll start to blow over soon.”
“It’s so pretty!” Natalie gushed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful.”
Tinjin shifted his gaze to her face, watching her as she stared outside. He resisted the urge to lean and press a damp kiss to her mouth. “Me, neither,” he whispered. “Me, neither.”
* * *
Flight number 490 was boarding in thirty minutes, nonstop to Salt Lake City. Both Tinjin and Natalie sighed in relief. It had been a long sixteen hours, despite the ease and comfort they’d found in each other’s company.
“Finally!” Natalie exclaimed as the two maneuvered their way to the other terminal and the boarding gate.
Tinjin nodded. “I will be glad to get to the hotel for a shower and a bed. I’ll probably sleep for the next two days. What about you?”
A look of distress washed over her expression. “I don’t know that I’ll be getting much sleep,” she said as she turned away from him. “I’m already wishing I could just go back to London.”
Tinjin wasn’t sure he believed her. Something about her demeanor told him that she was anxious to get to whatever was waiting for her in Utah. And he was still in the dark about her reasons for going there. Despite hours of conversation that had solidified their friendship, she was still a mystery to him. He suddenly found himself wondering if it would always be that way.
They had promised to stay in touch, a tentative coffee date planned for when they both found themselves back in London. But Tinjin couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever see her again once they landed and headed in their separate directions. He was about to ask when Natalie beat him to the question.
“You’re not going to forget about me once you get back to your life, are you? It’s not every day that I like a guy who feels me up in an airport, so you better call me. You are going to call me, right?”
Tinjin laughed. “I don’t remember feeling you up.”
“You did,” she said matter-of-factly. “I would have slapped you if I’d known it was going to slip your mind that quick.”
He shook his head. “And you’re violent, too. You’re just a banquet of surprises.”
Natalie laughed with him. “I’ll take that to mean that you are definitely going to call.”
He wrapped her in a warm hug. “I wouldn’t miss the opportunity.”
* * *
The flight from New York to Salt Lake City took in excess of seven hours. Two of those hours were spent at the Jetway while a maintenance crew fought to deice the plane and make it flight ready. By the time they made it to the runway for takeoff, everyone on board was irritated and tense.
Natalie had been able to retain her first-class seat, but Tinjin had agreed to be downgraded to coach rather than wait another half day for another flight. As he pretended to sleep, wishing away the senior citizen who’d been whining her complaints since boarding, he couldn’t get the exquisite Natalie off his mind. He’d enjoyed every moment of their time together. There was something special about Natalie and her presence excited him. Her desire to hear from him again was promising, going above and beyond any expectations he might have had.
Natalie shifted against the leather seat, twisting her body to stare out the window. She wrapped her arms around her torso as she watched the ground crew flit back and forth below. She found herself wishing that Tinjin was still by her side, still making her smile and laugh. There was something about the man and she found herself actually missing him.
* * *
Natalie was waiting for him when he finally made his way off the airplane. The elderly lady who’d been seated next to him clutched his arm tightly, bemoaning her travel woes as he escorted her down the jet bridge. Natalie stood by the guardrail, shifting from side to side anxiously. Her smile widened when she saw him and there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes when she spied his companion.
“Just don’t make no sense,” the older woman was muttering. “Took me three days to get here. Three days! Don’t make no sense at all.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Tinjin said softly.
An airline attendant stood behind a wheelchair, welcoming them both to Salt Lake City International Airport. When the woman was safely ensconced in her seat, Tinjin wished her well on the rest of her journey.
“I’m home now. My son should be here to get me and then I’m going home. Don’t have to worry about me traveling no more,” she said. “Don’t make no sense to be stranded like that for three days. Don’t make no sense at all!”
Natalie giggled as the stewardess pushed the old woman down the length of hallway, her annoyance vibrating through the air. Natalie moved to his side.
“Don’t laugh,” Tinjin said, his eyes rolling skyward. “That was painful.”
“And here I thought you were having a good time with your new girlfriend.”
“I guess it’s a good thing we both don’t get paid to think, then,” Tinjin countered with a smug smile.
Natalie met his bright look with one of her own. “So where are you off to now?” Natalie questioned.
“The Grand American Hotel. My sister reserved a room for me there.”
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