Which left me with Tonio, although I belatedly realized we weren’t heading back to the house. “Where are we going?”
He smiled, his eyes on the road. “I was wondering when you’d notice. We’re almost there.”
That didn’t answer the question of where there was, but it was good enough for me. We were in a part of town I didn’t recognize, and streetlights were few and far between. In the dark, I thought about what had happened at the photo shoot.
For days, I’d been looking for a chance to share some kind of intimacy with Tonio, and the more time that passed, the more awkward I felt about it. What if he thought I wasn’t into him? Or if he thought I just wanted it because it was his turn? But then dancing with him—even with the other guys watching—had felt like the most intimate thing ever. My body still tingled everywhere he’d touched.
When Denver taught me dance moves for his video series, it was a friendship thing. It was fun, sure, but it was more about education than romance. Which was okay because it was supposed to be. But when I danced with Tonio, it was so much more than that. It was passionate. Exhilarating. And sexy. Really, really sexy. I wanted to dance the salsa with him again, this time without the spotlights and an audience.
“We’re here.” Tonio pulled into an empty parking lot. Trees grew in little patches of dirt surrounded by pavement. A small scattering of lights illuminated sections of the lot. He eased the car into a spot in front of a nondescript two-story building.
The engine shut off, and the silence grew until I felt I had to break it. “If you brought me here to make out, it’s more customary to go up to some kind of lookout point.”
Tonio chuckled and reached over to squeeze my hand. “That’s not why I brought you here, but I like the way you think.” He let go and gestured ahead. “I wanted to show you my building.”
“What?” I leaned forward, examining the structure in front of me. It wasn’t very big, maybe the length of a drugstore. Both floors had ample windows, and I wondered what the inside was like. Were there offices? Or large, open spaces? “How can it be yours?”
“Well, it’s not. But… I told you how I want to open my own business. And if I could afford it, this would be the place I’d choose. Everyone calls it the Keller Center, but that corporation moved out years ago. Since then, it’s been rented out to various businesses. A company that moved in but then had to downsize. Then there was a café on the first floor for a while, but it eventually went out of business. I’ve been inside twice—the place has good bones. I know I could make a go of it.”
Tonio’s words were so sincere that they made my heart ache for him. This was his dream, just like my dream was to publish a book. My dream was coming true—I wished his could, too. “What kind of business would you have, a restaurant?” He was such a good cook, it seemed like a logical choice.
“Probably not. A lot of new restaurants don’t make it. That café didn’t. And I have a buddy who’s a restaurant manager, and he works 70-hour weeks and rarely sees his kids. I know that whatever business I open will require long hours, but eventually, I’ll want some balance. I want to be able to work and to spend time with the people I care about.”
He looked right at me while saying that last part. I laced my fingers through his. “A gym, perhaps? Those windows would be nice for that.”
“Maybe,” he said. “But one that specializes in something. Not just the same ol’, same ol’. I’m pretty sure I can persuade Austin and Denver to be personal trainers, but I’m not sure what Knox would do.”
Surprise filled me. “Couldn’t he keep working at the strip club?”
“Sure, but wouldn’t it be better if we could all work here together? We’re a team.”
Warmth filled me. I was so glad that Tonio was including Knox. And who knew, maybe he could include me as well. Maybe it would be possible to work here part-time and write the rest of the time—if my book did well enough to justify that. Nerves rose up at that thought. My manuscript was with a proofreader Ronnie had found, and she said that as soon as that was done and the cover was finalized, we could post the book online.
But tonight wasn’t the time to think about that. Tonight was all about the handsome man sitting beside me.
I looked up at the building again, trying to see the possibilities Tonio saw in it. “I think you’re right—this place is destined for more than just a run-of-the-mill gym.”