Natalie latched the crate, and the puppy whimpered as shewalked away. Ford stuffed his nose against the gridded window.
“I’ll share her with you, little guy,” T.J. called to thepup, “but let’s get one thing straight. You’ve had her all afternoon, and it’s myturn now.”
“What should we name him?” she asked as she drew near.
Reaching for her wrist, he tugged her to him and encircledher with his arms. “That’s up to you. I shouldn’t be allowed to name a dog everagain.” Her fresh, floral scent invaded his senses. She felt good, her curvesall warm, soft woman, and his dick hoisted a flag ofappreciation.
“You’re right. I’ll name him.” She slid her hands over hischest and smiled. “Bucket of puppies? You don’t mess around.”
“Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures. I figuredI only had one shot to get it right—if even that—so I pulled out all the stops.No excuses!” He flashed her a grin, the same one that had been frozen on hisface since she’d said yes.
“This is my future, huh?”
“Every day for the rest of your life, sweetheart. Get usedto it.” He scanned her face, then let out a slow,steady breath. “And, if you’re game, I think I’m ready to look for my mom andsister.” He’d given it a lot of thought. With Natalie in his corner, he had thestrength to take whatever discovery brought.
She threw her arms around his shoulders. “Absolutely,” shewhispered against his neck. “I got you.”
God, he loved this woman.
One hand in her hair, he pulled her head back and scannedher eyes. “I promise you will always be well loved by me. And speaking of beingwell loved, weren’t you planning on showing me how much you love me?”He waggled his eyebrows.
She laughed. “Honestly, what am I going to do with you?”
“Oh, I can think of all kinds of things. For starters …” Hehauled her to the couch and sat, pulling her into his lap. He tightened hishold and breathed her in. God, he could die like this.
A beat later, he said, “Why are you always so damn … so damn…” So many words bombarded his brain he couldn’t pick one. Sexy. Beautiful.Bossy. Lovable. Adorable.
“Why am I always what? So damn cute?Drop-dead gorgeous? Irresistible? Shall I hold this side of the conversation foryou? I hope so because I’m going to sound way more awesome than I mightotherwise.”
He chuckled. “Such a smartass was what I meant tosay.” Then he grew serious and ran his fingertip over her full lips—lips he’dget to kiss for the rest of his life. “I couldn’t come up with a single con,but your pros list is jam-packed.”
Eyes as warm as whiskey shone with smoky intensity. “Youmade a list?”
“Oh yeah.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb pad. “When Ibumped into you that day in the parking lot, I convinced myself you needed meto save you. And that’s what I set out to do. But you turned the tables and savedme. I still don’t know how that happened, but Christ, am I glad it did.I love you more than life, Natalie Amber Eyes.”
“And I love you, Tyler Johnson Shanstrom.”She brushed a tear from his cheek as she swiped at her own. With a laugh, shesaid, “Are we done with all this romantic girlie crap? Can we get down to thegood stuff? Like Naked Day?”
Smiling, he cupped her face and pulled her mouth to his.Right before he kissed her, he whispered, “Absolutely. Now stop talking andkiss me, smartass.”
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am indebted to everyone whosupported me throughout the birth of this book. I am so blessed and so verygrateful to have you all behind me.
As always, a huge shout-out to my wonderful beta readers andcritiquers: the Marbles, Janet R., and MJ. Thank youfor being generous with your honesty and your knowledge. And to Julia W., a bucketof hugs for a marathon sprint. Your critical eye and words of encouragementhelped more than you know.
Jenny Q., my unparalleled developmentaland copy editor. How on earth did I get so lucky? Thank you for notholding back and for telling me where things went off the rails. Your candorhelps me craft better characters for a better story. I trust you implicitly.
Persnickety, I treasure your meticulous attention to detailand your suggestions for a smoother read. In addition, your kind words were abalm for my ever-lingering doubts about this story.
My husband Tim, I couldn’t do this without your love andsupport. Your unwavering belief in me and your unflaggingencouragement to chase my dreams help me push through. I love you beyondmeasure.
Last but never least, you, the reader. Without you, therewould be no reason to create these characters and their stories. I thank youfrom the bottom of my heart.
MOREIN THE PLAYMAKER SERIES
Please considerleaving a review on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082BJYPPT. You willmake me leap for joy if you do.
Did you enjoy T.J.and Natalie’s story? Want more of The Playmakers Series? Then check out Beckettand Paige’s story in Book One, Taming Beckett.
Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VQTTR9Q
What people aresaying about Taming Beckett:
“I have NEVER lefta 5 star before in reviewing any book. Taming Beckett absolutely deserves it.From the beginning it caught my attention.”
“Taming Beckett isa super sweet, hot and sexy hockey romance! There's drama and adventure, and youare sure to fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with eachother.”
“Omg. Best book ever. Characters were well written and theplot was exciting. Was on the edge of my seat while reading wondering whatwould happen next. Definitely recommend this book.”
Coming Spring of2020: Book Three in The Playmakers Series, Gauging the Player, is GageNelson’s story. If you’re interested in reading an ARC, or want to receiveupdates about its release, sign up for my mailing list here: https://www.griffin-brady.com/contact/or email me at [email protected]
Are there charactersyou’d like to see get their own story? Email me at [email protected]’d love to hear your ideas!
ABOUTTHE AUTHOR
Since childhood, all sorts ofstories and characters have lived in G.K. Brady’s imagination, elbowing oneanother for attention, so she’s thrilled (as are they) to be giving them theirvoice on the written page.
A writer of contemporary romance, she loves telling tales ofthe less-than-perfect hero
