Tinjin smiled. “My sister is Tierra Stallion. She’s married to your cousin Travis.”
Natalie nodded. “I guess if I’d have told you my full name we would have made the connection sooner.”
“We would have,” he agreed.
She took a deep breath and then a second. “So now that I’ve embarrassed myself miserably, crying like a baby, I should probably introduce you to my family.” She grabbed his hand and led the way.
Tinjin was only slightly disconcerted when they came to a quick halt in front of Noah and two other men who’d joined him.
Natalie’s introduction was abrupt at best. “Tinjin, these are my brothers. Noah, Nathaniel, Nicholas, this is Tinjin,” she said, “and this is my sister, Naomi.”
Tinjin extended his hands in greeting. The Stallion brothers were eyeing him suspiciously. “It’s very nice to meet you all,” Tinjin said, his own anxiety beginning to stir like the barest wisp of a breeze through his spirit.
Noah nodded as he gestured toward his family. “Tinjin is related to the Stallions by marriage. Travis’s wife, Tierra, is his sister.”
“How do you two know each other?” Naomi asked, one eyebrow raised curiously.
“We met on the flight in,” Tinjin said.
“So you just met?” Nicholas questioned. His stance tightened as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other, his hands clenched into tight fists at his side.
Tinjin nodded. “Yes. We were stranded at Kennedy airport together. Spent two days talking.”
“So where do you live?” the other brother asked.
Natalie shook her head vehemently. “This is not going to be an episode of twenty questions for the new boyfriend hour,” she said, cutting her gaze from one sibling to the next. “Not going to happen,” she concluded as she grabbed Tinjin’s hand and pulled him in the opposite direction.
Amusement danced in Tinjin’s eyes as he quickly glanced over his shoulder, both their families eyeing them curiously.
They moved through the rear of the house, into the kitchen and outside to the backyard. Natalie didn’t stop until they reached a concrete bench that rested at the edge of the floral garden that decorated the landscape. They both sat.
“You have a sister, so I’m sure you get it, but my brothers can be really annoying when they want to be. And my sister, Naomi, can be worse!”
Tinjin laughed. “I do get it. They’re concerned about your well-being. It’s what family does. But you have just given them more reason to be concerned. I had no issues with answering their questions.”
Natalie rolled her eyes. “Well, we don’t know each other well enough for you to be getting the third degree. I haven’t decided if I like you yet.”
“So then I’m not your new boyfriend?”
She gave him a look, her eyes wide, her face skewed awkwardly. “No one said anything about you being my boyfriend, TJ!”
Tinjin laughed. “Yes, you did, Gnat. You said there was going to be no new-boyfriend questioning going on.”
“I did not!” she exclaimed.
He continued to laugh, his face reddening with glee. “You did! You really did!”
“I didn’t!” Her voice rose to a high pitch.
“You did,” Noah said, having moved outside to join them.
Natalie opened and closed her mouth like a guppy out of water. She finally took a deep breath, tossing both men an annoyed glare. “Maybe I did, but it was an accident. I’m not myself right now.”
“Which is why I think you need to take things slow,” Noah said, his comment directed at Tinjin. “Very slow.” He turned to stare at his sister. “You’re in mourning right now. You don’t need to be making any life-changing decisions for at least the next six months. Any decisions, Natalie. People will take advantage of you when they know you’re in turmoil.”
Tinjin bristled. He paused, locking gazes with the other man. For a brief moment he wanted to be offended but realized he would have said the same thing if the situation had been reversed. He took a deep breath before speaking. “Your brother’s right, Natalie. Not everyone is going to have your best interests at heart. I care about you and I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“So do I need to worry about you hurting me?” she asked, eyeing him intently.
Tinjin shook his head. “Never, but I wasn’t talking about me.” He looked to Noah who was still staring at him with reservation. “I like to think I’m one of the good guys. My grandmother raised me well and I would never do anything to embarrass her. I also value everything she taught me, first and foremost to be respectful of all women, particularly one I’m interested in.” He shifted his gaze toward Natalie. “To that end, it’s important to me that I have your family’s blessing, Natalie. They need to like me. Just like my sister Tierra and my grandmother will need to like you, too. Otherwise, you and I can’t even be friends.”
Natalie scowled, her head waving from side to side. She crossed her arms over her chest as she turned to stare at the flowers. She didn’t bother to respond.
Noah chuckled. He extended his hand to Tinjin. “I look forward to getting to know you, Tinjin. And good luck. She can be quite a handful!” Her brother was still laughing as he made his way across the lawn and back inside the home.
Tierra was staring out the sliding glass doors as Noah made his way through the entrance. The two locked gazes.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, concern tensing her brow.
“Yeah, I think it is,” Noah said, his grin wide and full. “And I really like your brother. I’m glad my sister has someone like him to lean on.”
* * *
The home had finally gone quiet, the last of the well-wishers pulling out of the driveway. All of the Stallions were grateful for the moment, each falling into thought as they sat together in Noah’s living room. It had been an exceptionally long day and Natalie and her siblings were grateful for it to finally be over.
John was the first to break through the silence. “I want to invite you all to come to Dallas whenever you want. Our home is always open to you, so whenever you need or want to get away, just call. The Stallion jet will always be at your disposal. We’re your family and I hope you know that you can always trust us to be here for you.”
Noah nodded. For the first time since his mother’s passing tears misted his eyes. He dropped his gaze to the floor, his hands clasped tightly together as his elbows rested against his thighs. He nodded but the words were caught in his throat. As he struggled not to cry, John moved to his side, resting a large hand against his broad shoulder. Noah cleared his throat and took a deep breath, pushing warm air past his full lips.
Natalie chimed in from her seat in the corner. “We really appreciate that, John, and we appreciate everything you all have done for us.”
Naomi nodded her concurrence. Her face lifted with a bright smile. “It feels good to have family here to support us,” she said. “This is a new experience for us.”
Nicholas chuckled. “It feels odd!”
Tierra smiled. “With this clan, you’ll get use to it.”
Noah moved onto his feet, having salvaged his composure. He extended his arms and hugged his cousin, the two men tapping each other on the back. Gratitude seeped from every pore. “Thank you,” he said, his voice a loud whisper.
Everyone in the room struggled with their emotions, the women fighting not to cry, the men holding tight to their own tears. Naomi changed the subject, shifting the conversation.
“Did you see Nolan Perry when he came into the church?” Naomi asked, looking from one brother to the other.
Nicholas and Nathaniel shook their heads.
“He was at the funeral?” Natalie questioned. She shifted forward in her seat. “I don’t think I’d even know what he looked like if I ran into him on the street.”
Noah nodded his head. “Yes, he sat in the back. But he didn’t stay long. He was gone before the end of the service.”
“Who’s Nolan Perry?” Tinjin questioned, asking what everyone else was thinking.
Natalie heaved a deep sigh. “Our sperm donor,” she quipped.
“Don’t be ugly,” Noah admonished. His gaze swept around the room. “Nolan Perry is our father, but he’s never had anything to do with us and we really don’t know him.”
“He’s never been a father,” Naomi snapped.
“But he came to your mother’s funeral so that means something, right?” Marah asked as she looked from one to the other.
Nicholas grunted. “He probably just wanted to make sure she was dead.”
Nathaniel laughed. “He’s going to get a surprise when he lays his head down to sleep tonight,” he said.
The siblings all laughed.
“Why is that funny?” Mark questioned.
Noah’s head moved from side to side. “Norris-Jean use to threaten to come back from the grave to haunt him if he even thought about showing up at her funeral.”
John chuckled. “Well, let’s hope she goes easy on the man.”
“Let’s hope she haunts the hell out of him,” Naomi retorted.
They all chuckled, the laughter ranging from anxious to liberating. The tense air seemed to dissipate as the family joked back and forth. An hour later the Texas Stallions rose to take their leave. Hugs and kisses filled the air, promises ringing between them all to stay in touch, everyone committed to building on the familial foundation that had been established.
Tierra wrapped her arms around Natalie’s shoulders and kissed her cheek. “You have all my contact information, right?”
“I do,” Natalie nodded. “And I promise to call.”
“If you don’t, I will call you,” Tierra admonished.
“And she will,” Tinjin interjected. He palmed his sister’s shoulders and squeezed her gently.
Tierra swatted a hand at her brother before hugging Natalie one last time. Wishing them both well, she moved to the other side of the room to hug and kiss the rest of the family goodbye.
Tinjin pulled Natalie close and kissed her forehead. The gesture was sweet and gentle, the warmth of it feeling wholeheartedly natural as they stood arm in arm.
“So, when do you leave?” Natalie asked, looking in his direction.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“You’re not going back to Dallas with your sister?”
“Do you want me to?”
“I really don’t care what you do,” Natalie quipped.
Tinjin laughed. “Then why’d you ask?”
Natalie sucked her teeth as she shifted her gaze skyward. She took a deep breath. “I was just being polite.”
“It’s your lie, Gnat, tell it any way you want,” Tinjin said.
Natalie rolled her eyes a second time. “Well,” she started, “if you’re not leaving right away maybe we can spend some time together tomorrow.”
“Do you want to spend time with me?”
“I know you’ve never been to Salt Lake City before and a lot has changed since the last time I was here. I thought maybe we could explore the city together. But if you need to leave, I understand.”
Tinjin paused, pondering her comment. A slight smile pulled at his lips. “I’d like that. I’d like it a lot. I think I can hang around for another day or two.”
“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 glanced 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 her cheek, 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. She fit nicely in his arms, her body melding beautifully with his own as they embraced. Letting her go was the last thing on his mind until he looked up and noticed their siblings eyeing them both intently.
Chapter 7
“I thought you were engaged to some business tycoon?” Naomi asked. She shifted her body against the queen-size mattress in their brother’s guest room. The two women had spent the night with their brother, still recovering from their mother’s funeral.
“Where’d you get that idea?” Natalie questioned.
“You were in a picture with him in Forbes magazine. It said you were his fiancée. Norris-Jean saved a copy of it. His name was Paul or John or something like that.”
Natalie rolled her eyes. “Jean-Paul Vivier is only a friend. We are not engaged and never have been.”
“Are you sure about that? Because he looked engaged. And, if I recall, that was a serious diamond you were sporting on your left hand. Eighteen carats, I think.”
Natalie laughed. “Let’s just say he was generous with his gifts.”
“Uh-huh...generous...I hear ya!” Naomi exclaimed as she laughed with her sister. “So tell me more about Tinjin. You two seem pretty cozy for having just met.”
“Being stuck together in an airport will make you cozy. But I like him.”
“So is this just a fling? A little one-night-stand kind of thing? Because that might be awkward at any future family events with our new cousins.”
Natalie shook her head. “I don’t know what it is, so we’re going to have to wait and see. I just think he’s a nice guy and I haven’t met a whole lot of nice guys.”
“I’m thinking if your boyfriends are so generous with gifts then you must be all kinds of nice, too.”
Natalie shrugged. “Jean-Paul likes to buy his relationships. I wasn’t interested in being bought. Money isn’t everything.”
Naomi’s eyes widened. “Well, that’s refreshing to hear! Before you left you would have sworn that money was everything.”
“That’s because we didn’t have any.”
Naomi shook her head. “I think we all felt that way at one point or another. But we’re doing well now.”
“Are you happy, Naomi?” Natalie asked. She dropped her body down on the bed beside her sister, crossing her long limbs beneath her.
The two women sat staring at each other as Naomi pondered the question. She finally nodded. “I am happy. Things are really going well. My business is growing. The boys are all doing well and my baby sister is home. So, yeah, I’m very happy.”
“Was Norris-Jean happy?”
“Our mother was as happy as she could ever be. I think content would be a better word to describe what Norris-Jean felt.”
“I feel so guilty. I should have...”
“Don’t,” Naomi snapped, cutting off her comment. “You did exactly what you were supposed to do. Noah stayed to take care of her, and Norris-Jean resented that more than anything else. He won’t admit it but it hurt his feelings. She loved us but she wanted us to go and do better. She was happy when we left. She loved being able to brag about everything her children had accomplished. She bragged about you a lot. So don’t you dare start throwing yourself a pity party! That’s not how our mother raised us. Honor her deat
h by moving on and moving forward.”
“Life is about living your dreams,” Natalie said softly, quoting the words they’d heard the matriarch say over and over again growing up.
“A few years ago Norris-Jean cut a quote out of some magazine she’d been reading. I couldn’t tell you the author but it read, ‘Life is not meant to be lived such that we cross over well-groomed and attractive, but rather that we slide in sideways, champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, clothes in tatters, our bodies completely worn and totally spent, shouting, WOOHOO! What a ride!’ After that she used to say, ‘live the ride.’ That’s what she wanted for all of us. We owe her that.”
Natalie smiled as she leaned to give her sister a warm hug. The two women held onto each other tightly. Both swiped tears from their eyes when they finally broke the embrace.
“Are you and Tinjin spending the whole day together? Because the city’s really not that big,” Naomi questioned, changing the subject.
Natalie laughed. “I just thought it would be nice to show him some of the tourist sites.”
“So where are you two going for breakfast?” Naomi asked. She glanced down to her wristwatch.
Natalie’s grin widened. “I don’t know yet. But I’m thinking champagne and strawberries would be a nice place to start.”
* * *
Tinjin was seated in the hotel lobby when Natalie stepped inside. He couldn’t help but notice the attention she garnered as she came to a stop and struck a pose as she looked about. She was stunning, looking every bit the high-profile fashion model that she was.
She was dressed in a long-sleeved white crop top featuring a crew neckline, spandex fabric at the front and a sheer textured fabric at the back. She’d paired it with a matching pencil skirt, its perfect fit an essential in every woman’s closet. The skirt was high waisted with a slit at the back and it complemented her lean frame. Five-inch black platform high heels with signature red bottoms were her shoe of choice and she carried a red Hermès Birkin bag.
He rose from his seat and eased his way over to her side, surprising her as she stared in the opposite direction. Natalie jumped, startled by his touch as he slid an arm around her waist and leaned to kiss her cheek.
My Stallion Heart (The Stallions Book 7) Page 7
