Taming the VIP Playboy by Katherine Garbera

short,” she said with a laugh.
    â€œI never do,” he said, kissing her.
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    Nate’s advice made sense and she liked the way he gave it out effortlessly and didn’t try to pretend that he had all the answers. He was more than she’d expected him to be, but then he’d been surprising her all night. She should be used to it.
    â€œI’m not really hungry,” she said at last. She hadn’t come back to his place to eat and they both knew it.
    â€œI’m not, either.”
    He came around the counter and drew her to her feet. “Want to see the rest of this place?”
    â€œYes, I do.”
    He led the way down the hall to his bedroom. On the walls were exquisite pictures in bright colors that reminded her of Mexico City. His home was very modern and now. But it wasn’t a cold, modern decor, it was very warm and inviting and Jen was amazed that she felt so at home here.
    She drew him to a stop under a portrait of him wearing a Yankees cap. “When did you take this?”
    â€œSeason opener. My dad wanted it…he was so proud of me for going pro. He came to every game if it didn’t interfere with his playing schedule. This hung in his bedroom at our home on Fisher Island.”
    â€œWhen did he die?” she asked.
    â€œTwo weeks after I got injured. He didn’t know I’d never play again,” Nate said. “I’m glad.”
    â€œI think he’d still be proud of you,” she said. She knew that her parents would have been proud of her no matter what she did. Marcia always said that parents just wanted their kids to be happy. Usually she was referring to her own seven-year-old son Riley.
    â€œI’m not sure. Why am I telling you all this stuff?” he asked.
    â€œPeople tell me things,” she said. “I think I look like the girl next door and people just feel comfortable with me. You probably do, too.”
    â€œGirl next door? What do you mean by that?”
    â€œJust someone comfortable. You know, the kind of girl you can tell your secrets to.”
    â€œYou called yourself a girl.”
    She mock-punched his shoulder. “I do it all the time, but that doesn’t mean I like hearing a man call me a girl.”
    He smiled. “Just when I think I have you figured out you do something else to surprise me.”
    â€œI hope I’m not so easy to figure out,” she said. No matter that she told him about her dancing suspension. She usually played her cards closer to her chest. But to be honest, she had no idea how to deal with this life now that she had no direction. And opening up to Nate felt right somehow.
    â€œYou’re not. You are very complex,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “And very beautiful.”
    He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, telling her how sexy he found her body and how much he wanted to touch her all night. His breath was warm and she liked hearing what he said.
    He made her feel like she wasn’t incomplete. And that was it, she thought. Since she’d had her appeal denied, she realized that she’d felt broken, but here in Nate’s arms none of that mattered.
    She twined her arms around his neck and lifted herself up to kiss him. His mouth moved hungrily over hers and she lost herself. His hands skimmed down her back and settled on her hips. He pulled her closer to him.
    The feel of his strong, muscled arms around hermade her feel very delicate and feminine. She had never been with a man who felt like Nate did. He was strong, muscled, his body still in shape from years of being an athlete. There was no way for her to pretend he was anyone other than Nate Stern.
    Her blood flowed heavier in her veins as he moved his hands over her. She knew that Nate was in control of this embrace. She was letting him set the tempo and as much as she wanted him, she wasn’t ready to take the lead in anything between them. He lifted her off her