Читать книгу Taming the VIP Playboy / Promoted To Wife? - Katherine Garbera - Страница 15

The morning sunlight was muted through the roman shades on the windows. Nate normally didn’t like for a woman to stay too late in the morning but he was in no hurry for Jen to leave. She lay cuddled next to his side with her head resting on his shoulder and her arm wrapped around his waist.

The soft exhalation of her breathing stirred his chest hairs and he felt something close to contentment with her in his arms. She looked peaceful and ethereal in her sleep.

The sheets pooled low on her waist revealing the curves of her breasts and the slope of her hip. He reached out to trace the line of her body. She was a dancer, long and lithe yet still had a feminine curve to her.

What was he going to do with her?

He should be hustling her out of his bed and instead he wanted to draw her closer and lay here until she woke.

Then he wanted to make love to her and spend the day with her.

He stared down at her trying to figure out what it was about Jen that was different. Part of it was the obvious fact that she wasn’t in his crowd and seemed to have no desire to use his connections to get anywhere.

She was the first woman he met that needed nothing from him. To be fair, she worked for him at the club, but that had nothing to do with him personally.

“Why are you staring at me?” she asked, shifting on to her back.

“You are incredibly pretty,” he said.

She seemed to get more beautiful as he spent more time with her. He loved the fuller curve at the bottom of her lip and how she pursed her lips when she thought he was joking with her.

“I’m a real Mona Lisa,” she said.

“You are a very interesting woman, Jen,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. “I could look at you all day.”

“I’m not sure—”

“Don’t think about it,” he said, putting his finger over her lips. “Let’s spend the day together and enjoy the time we have.”

“What will we do?” she asked. “I have to be at work at five.”

“Me, too,” he said. He rolled over on his back and reached for his iPhone, which was on the nightstand. He pulled her into the curve of his body. She cuddled close to him the way she had when they’d been sleeping and he liked that.

He opened the weather application on his iPhone and saw that it was going to be a perfect day for sailing. “Want to go out on my yacht?”

She laughed. “Do you say that to all the women you date?”

“Yes. I don’t have etchings to show them so instead I invite them to go boating.”

“I’d love to go out on your yacht. But I don’t have a change of clothes to wear,” she said.

“There’s a boutique in the lobby of this building,” he said. “What size do you wear?”

“Um … six,” she said.

“I’ll order some clothing for you.”

“No, that’s okay. I think I’ll go home and shower and change. I can meet you at the marina later,” she said.

He shook his head. “That won’t do. I want to spend the entire day with you.”

“And you’re used to getting what you want?” she asked.

“I am,” he said. He didn’t always get what he wanted but she didn’t need to know that right now.

“Why should I stay?” she asked.

“I asked you to. I want to get to know you better,” he said.

“I guess I can’t argue with that,” she said. “I’m very glad to hear that. My housekeeper should be here now. What would you like for breakfast?” “I’m a light breakfast eater,” she said. “How about a croissant and fruit?” he suggested.

“That’s fine.”

“Good. You go shower and I’ll take care of every detail for our day. You can use my robe until your clothes arrive.”

“Thank you,” she said. He kissed her before she got up and watched her walk across his bedroom.

As soon as she was gone, he focused on organizing the day for the two of them. He kept himself busy so he wouldn’t think about making love to her again. He felt a bond growing between them. And that was dangerous for him. He should have hustled her out the door when he had the chance but he wasn’t really good with should-haves.

He dressed in a pair of casual pants and a T-shirt and walked out into the main living area of his apartment. The sun shone over Biscayne Bay and glistened on the lap pool on the terrace.

“Good morning, sir,” Mrs. Cushing said as he entered the room.

“Morning, Mrs. Cushing. I have a guest for breakfast and we’d like something light—fruit, croissants, coffee and juice. I think we’ll be ready to dine in about thirty minutes on the patio.”

“Certainly, sir.”

“I’m expecting some packages from the boutique downstairs. Will you check and make sure they are here before breakfast?”

“I will. Anything else, sir?”

“I won’t need you for the rest of the day once you serve breakfast. I hope you will enjoy a free Saturday.”

“I enjoy all the free days you give me,” she said.

“I’m glad. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” she said.

Nate went back into the bedroom and heard the shower running. He was tempted to join her in there but wanted her to have some time to herself. And if he joined her, it would be more than sleeping together. More than a one-night stand. Besides he wasn’t building a relationship with Jen no matter how much it might seem like he wanted to do just that.

While Nate showered, Jen sat on the rooftop patio of his home next to the lap pool looking out at the glittering Biscayne Bay. The view afforded by this condo was breathtaking but to be honest, it wasn’t the stunning vistas that were on her mind. It was Nate Stern.

She knew that yesterday had been tough—the International Ballroom Dancing Federation had denied her appeal. She’d never dance again. But to come home and spend the night with him … why had she done that?

She didn’t regret it. She tried not to have regret in her life because as Marcia said, regret was useless unless a lesson was learned from it.

Her BlackBerry pinged and she glanced down at the screen to see it was a text message from Marcia.

Are you okay?

She took a deep breath and thought about what she was going to say to her sister before she texted her back.

Fine. I’m at Nate’s. Sorry I didn’t call sooner.

There was no reply for what seemed like forever and then her phone rang.

“Hello, Marcia.”

“Jen, what are you thinking?”

Jen had asked herself the same thing more than once and she still had no idea. “I don’t know. I do know that my old life is completely gone and it’s time to try something new.”

Marcia sighed. “Sweetie, just be careful. Deciding to have a different attitude isn’t as painless as you might think.”

“Was it like that for you?” “When Riley was born?” “Yes,” Jen said.

“Sort of. I knew before he was born that I was going to be raising him alone and that wasn’t what you and I were taught was a good family for a child.”

“I know. But Riley has turned out great,” Jen reminded her sister.

“He has, but it was hard. And I had no choice with him. From the moment I learned I was pregnant I wanted him. This change for you is your doing.”

Jen didn’t point out that so was her sister’s pregnancy. Marcia was eighteen months older than her and thought she was always right.

“I am taking control of my life,” Jen said. “Yesterday when I got that letter continuing my suspension and realized that the old life I had was completely closed to me, I thought it’s time to figure out who I am.”

“And being with Nate is going to help?” Marcia asked.

“I have no idea, but I was impulsive for the first time in my life. You know I’ve never done anything that wasn’t to forward my dance career from the time I started dancing. Literally, Marcia, I can’t remember a time when dance wasn’t the focus of my life.”

“I know. I remember how dancing took up every second of our lives.”

“I’m sorry,” Jen said. “I know that wasn’t fair to you.”

“You’re talented, kiddo. I forgave you a long time ago for being so good at it.” Jen laughed. “Thank you.” “For forgiving you?”

“No, for being my big sister and loving me.” “Not a problem. Where is Nate?” Marcia asked. “Showering. I’m on his patio overlooking Biscayne Bay. The view is incredible.”

Jen stood up and walked around the pool and sat on one of the padded benches next to the water. “It’s like I’m not even in the city.”

“Enjoy being in that different world,” Marcia said. “But remember that being impulsive always has consequences. And eventually you are going to have to come back to earth.”

“I will. I’m working at five today but will be home by ten tonight.”

“I’ll see you then. Are you off tomorrow?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Riley wants to go to the park with his favorite auntie.”

“Tell him it’s a date,” Jen said and hung up.

“Who do you have a date with?” Nate asked, stepping out on to the patio.

She hung up the phone and then turned to look over her shoulder at Nate. “Riley … my nephew. We usually spend Sunday together at the park. I take him for the morning and let my sister sleep in. It’s the one day a week she can.”

“I want to hear more about your family,” he said.

The housekeeper brought out their breakfast and then left. Nate gestured for Jen to come sit down at the glass-topped table.

When she was seated next to him, he poured them both some coffee. “What does your sister do?” “She’s a lawyer,” Jen said.

“So she’s smart like you,” Nate said. “What kind of law does she practice? “

“Family law. She does divorces and custody hearings,” Jen said. “I don’t know how she does it, but she really likes it. Her job is really demanding and with Riley she has no free time.”

“Where is Riley’s dad?” Nate asked.

“He’s not in the picture. Having kids and a family wasn’t what he wanted. But Marcia did, so they went their separate ways.”

Nate put his fork down. “I don’t understand men like that. I know guys who make that same decision. But a child is a part of you … I couldn’t abandon a part of me,” he said.

Jen was surprised to hear him say that. Surprised that family meant as much to him as it obviously did. “Family is important to you.”

“Hell, yes. You know how you talked about not being a dancer anymore and not being sure who you were without that?” he asked.

She nodded.

“I was the same way with baseball and I saw a lot of ‘friends’ drop me when it was clear I wasn’t going to be able to play anymore. But my brothers—they just said come home and we will do something together. Something that will be an even bigger adventure than baseball was.”

“Did you regret it?” she asked.

“Not once. I wouldn’t be here with you now if not for that long-ago injury.”

She wanted to pretend that his words didn’t make her heart melt but they did. She knew then what Marcia had warned her about. The consequences of spending the night with Nate—and now this day with him—were that she’d forget he was an impulse. She’d forget they were just supposed to be having fun and maybe start caring for him more than she should.

The sea breeze blew across the deck of the boat, stirring Jen’s hair around her face. She wore a pair of dark cherry-red round-frame sunglasses, which went perfectly with the sundress he’d bought for her. It was a deep navy blue with a V-neck and a tie at the back. He’d gotten her a light sweater to wear over it since it was cool on the water.

She sat at the stern of the boat and he watched her from the flybridge. Ordinarily, he’d have a crew onboard but today he wanted to be alone with Jen. To have her completely to himself. He knew that this would be the only day they’d spend together like this for a while. He had a busy social calendar and it was important to the club that he always have his picture in the society pages.

And unfortunately, Jen didn’t have the kind of headline-grabbing presence he needed. But he couldn’t regret spending the day with her. She was what he needed and he was enjoying every minute of it.

When they were out to sea and out of the shipping lanes, he dropped anchor and joined her at the back of the boat.

“This is so nice. I haven’t been out on a yacht before.”

“Do you like the ocean?” he asked. “I do. But there never seems like enough time to just take a day and go out on the water like this. Thank you, Nate.”

He sat down next to her. “You are very welcome.”

“Why did you bring me out here?” she asked.

“I wanted you all to myself. Away from the distractions of the club and of our real lives.”

She nodded. And he wondered what she was thinking. He couldn’t see her eyes behind the lenses of her dark glasses. And when she got quiet, he felt as if she retreated to someplace he couldn’t follow.

“I saw a picture of you on this yacht … sitting right here. I think it was in Yachting Magazine.”

He nodded. “With the Countess De Moreny. She was thinking of buying one of these Sunseeker boats and I let her try mine out.”

“You looked quite friendly with her, intimate,” Jen said.

“I was. I like Daphne,” Nate said. “Is that a problem?”

Jen shrugged. “You seemed almost too perfect last night and today and I have to remember that you are a player. That I’m not some woman you are just going to fall for. Please don’t let me forget that.”

He knew that he was dealing with someone who wasn’t used to the world he traveled in. And he’d already decided that was part of the reason she was so appealing to him. But he didn’t want to have to remind her not to care about him.

He wanted her to care.

He wanted her to think about him all the time and when they were apart he wanted her to try to get back to him. And he knew that wasn’t fair.

“I’m not playing with you, Jen,” he said at last.

“I never thought you were. For me this was a crazy dare. Something that I probably wouldn’t have done at any other time, but for you, this is your life. A different woman every night and a lot of fun. I have to remember that we’re essentially two very different people,” she said, pushing her sunglasses up on her head.

He saw fear and caution in her gaze and he knew that she was being as honest with him as she could be. She wanted to be sure she didn’t get hurt, and he didn’t want her to be hurt.

“I would never do anything to hurt you,” he said.

“Not intentionally,” she said. She slid out of the padded bench until she stood on the deck. “Give me the tour of this floating luxury craft. I want to be able to tell my nephew all about it.”

He let her change the subject because there was nothing more he could say to change her mind. He knew he’d simply have to do whatever it took to make sure she knew how important she was to him. He wasn’t about to let her waltz out of his life easily.

“Does Riley like the water?”

“He loves it. He’s an avid deep-sea fisher … well, as avid as a seven-year-old can be. But he always talks about being out on the ocean. Marcia and I take him out on a fishing trip at least once a month,” she said.

“What has he caught?”

“He got an eighty-pound, yellow-fin tuna the last time we went out. It took both Riley and the captain to bring that thing in. Want to see a picture?”

“Yes, I’d like that.”

She pulled out her cell phone and hit a few buttons. A minute later she turned the screen of the phone toward Nate and showed him a little boy standing next to a fish that was almost taller than him. The boy had thick dark hair and, he noticed, Jen’s eyes.

“He looks so proud,” Nate said.

“He was. Marcia had the fish preserved and mounted and it’s hanging over his bed now,” she said. “I don’t think I have a picture of that in here.”

Nate put his arm around her and took the phone from her. “How about a picture of you and me on the yacht so you can show him when you get home.”

“That would be nice,” she said.

Nate wrapped his arm around her waist, and Jen put her head on his shoulder as he extended his arm out far enough to get both of them in the picture.

“Smile now,” he said, taking the picture. He looked at the screen and saw that the photo had turned out very nice.

He glanced down at her to make sure she was still smiling and she was looking up at him. “Things like this make me wish you were a different man.”

He had no reply to that. He knew what she wanted to hear from him—words of commitment or at least a promise to move in that direction. But they were words he couldn’t say. He’d made a promise to himself a long time ago that he’d never marry. That he’d never settle down because his father had said that Stern men weren’t the kind that took too well to marriage.

And Nate had believed that after his broken engagement. So he’d steered clear of women like Jen. Women who could make him feel more than just fleeting pleasure and a sense of fun.

But somehow she’d snuck in, he thought. Last night she’d been a pretty girl that he wanted. Today she was starting to grow on him. Starting to make him want to make promises he knew he’d never be able to keep.

“Um … why don’t you take some photos of the living quarters for Riley. I’m going to check the radar and get us ready to head back to shore.”

She didn’t say anything but turned and walked away. And he knew that was for the best. That the only way they were going to both be okay was if both of them walked away from each other now. He knew that a part of him would regret it but better to end things now before they had really even started than later when they’d both be hurt worse.