Levi squirmed and reminded himself he was not a kid. His body was a finely tuned instrument, synchronized with his mind for optimal performance. Elite athletes were always in charge, always in control.
“I don’t need to come,” he muttered under his breath. “I’m good. I’m strong.”
“Oh!” Piper gasped. “Oh, no.”
“What?” Startled, Levi looked around the room. “Did something happen?”
“Your beautiful body is covered in bruises,” she said, practically in tears as she lightly touched one darkening spot after another.
Of course, Piper would cry. Her soft heart couldn’t bear to see anyone in pain. She wore her feelings on her sleeve. When Levi felt the first drop of moisture fall onto his back, he took her hand and raised it to his lips.
“Nothing hurts,” he said. A white lie, but he didn’t feel guilty for the telling. “The bruises you see are normal. I got off easy. You should have seen some of the other players. They were beaten up.”
“Am I supposed to feel better?” Piper asked in a huff. “I know those guys. Some of them are my clients. More important, they’re my friends. If they hurt, so do I.”
“Each one is a grown man who chose to play professional football.” Levi turned on his side, urging Piper to lie next to him. He folded her into his arms. “We know the risks. We accept the inevitable aches and pains because we love the game.”
“The money helps.” Piper sighed.
“Yes.” Levi wouldn’t lie. “Most of them didn’t grow up with a lot. I didn’t. My parents struggled to put food on the table, to pay the rent. Football was my way out. I’m grateful Mom and Dad lived long enough to benefit from my good fortune.”
“I overreacted,” Piper said. “My dad wasn’t rich, but we never had to worry about where our next meal would come from. I’m a turd.”
Of all the things Piper could choose, she picked a turd. Levi laughed, amused, and confused by how her mind sometimes worked.
“Why should you feel guilty?” he wanted to know. “Your mother is enough of a cross to bear.”
“Don’t mention her.” Piper pushed Levi to his back. Leaning over him, she nipped at his chin, soothing the sting with a lingering kiss. “Change the subject. Fast.”
“What?” Levi asked as Piper’s lips moved across his chest and down to his stomach. “Keep kissing me like that and I won’t be able to remember my name let alone what we were talking about five seconds ago.”
Without warning, Piper tugged his underwear down his legs, tossing the boxers over her shoulder. She straddled his hips and slowly unbuttoned her shirt.
“How did you know that white lace is my weakness?” Levi smiled into Piper’s eyes. “Makes your skin look like smooth, silky cream.”
Piper let out a sigh of pleasure as Levi cupped her breasts. Her head angled forward spilling her hair over his hands. Sitting up, he flipped the catch on her bra, and sitting up, took her nipple into his mouth.
“I didn’t finish my inspection,” she said.
“Later,” Levi whispered. “We have all night.”
Piper gripped his head, holding him close as though, despite his words, she feared he might stop. She had nothing to worry about. Levi was exactly where he wanted to be. Nothing but an act from above would move him—surely God wouldn’t be so cruel.
“You smell so good.” Levi breathed deep, inhaling Piper’s scent.
“Not as good as you,” she said, her teeth tugging on his earlobe. “I should bottle the fragrance and call it Levi. I’d make a fortune.”
Levi's hands moved to Piper’s hips, pulling her close, rubbing himself against her warm, wet heat. Her movements were restless, her gasps of pleasure music to his ears.
“On a scale of one to ten, how much do you love your underwear?” Levi asked, impatient to remove the last barrier between them.
“What a silly question.” Piper gave him a vague, hazy frown. “Why would I love a pair of underwear?”
“Can’t think of a reason in the world.”
Wrapping his hands around the fragile lace, Levi tore the piece of fabric in two.
“I would have happily taken them off.” Piper’s laugh turned into a moan as Levi touched the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. He moved higher, finding her center, and she melted.
“What were you saying?” Levi asked.
“I have no idea.”
Cocooning Piper in his embrace, Levi rolled toward the edge of the bed.
“Careful,” she warned with a laugh. “Another inch and, splat. We’ll hit the floor. Brazilian Cherry hardwood is not forgiving to the body.”
Levi stretched toward the chair, his fingertips grasping the very edge of his jacket. Once firmly in his grasp, he rooted through the inside pocket.
“Gotcha,” he declared. He waved a single foil packet through the air.
“What in the world?” Piper's eyes widened. “Is that a…”
“Condom.” Levi’s face glowed in triumph.
“Why would you carry a condom in the suit you wore for the after-game press conference?” Piper’s gaze narrowed. “Did you expect to get lucky with one of the reporters?”
“I keep a few in the glove compartment of my car,” Levi said as he expertly rolled the necessary layer of protection down the length of his erection. “I grabbed the box before we entered your building.”
“Such a good guy.” Piper rewarded Levi with a passionate kiss. “I have some in the drawer by the bed.”
“A man should always be prepared.”
“Just an FYI. In case the need arises at a future date,” she said with a shrug. “The prepared thing goes for women, too, by the way.”
“Do you want to fight over who wins the merit badge?” Levi asked. “Or should we stop talking and make love?”
“What have we been doing up until now?”
“Foreplay fun and games.” Levi flipped Piper onto her back. “Now, we’re getting serious.”
Piper met Levi’s kiss halfway. Her fingers bit into his shoulders as she pressed her body to his. She gave as well as she took, a woman who could be strong and gentle at the same time.
“Don’t wait,” Piper gasped.
“Are you ready for me?” he demanded, getting his answer when she grabbed his hips, urging him forward.
Levi groaned, thrilled that she was ready, that she wanted him. That the intensity of Piper’s desire matched his own.
Kissing her again, Levi entered Piper’s body. His breath caught in his throat as the feeling of rightness flowed through him.
“Piper?” Levi captured her face between his hands. “Look at me.”
Green eyes met brown and she blinked as the sexual haze lifted.
“Levi,” she sighed.
“I love you,” he said, laying his heart, his soul, bare.
Piper smiled, so bright, and the emerald of her eyes glowed.
“I love you,” she whispered. “More than you’ll ever know.”
In one precious moment, Levi’s world expanded into infinity, then, in a heartbeat, narrowed to nothing but Piper. Now mattered. Here, with her. Any problems they might face, they’d conquer together, fighting side by side.
Love. Trust. Forever. Levi knew Piper. She would never settle for less. And that was fine with him. He felt the same.
“Higher?” Levi asked as he grasped Piper’s hands. “More?”
“Yes,” she said, her head falling back, a fine sheen of sweat covering her body. “More. More.”
They rode the wave, twisting, turning. The peak came for Piper and Levi followed. They didn’t crash, they floated, down, down. Together.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
PIPER TOOK A bite of fluffy pancake covered in just the right amount of melty butter and warm maple syrup. She sighed. The perfect morning breakfast to top off the perfect night of sex.
No, she corrected herself. A night of love
.
Corny, over the top, but true. Piper laughed. So, what if she and Levi were a cliché? All lovey-dovey, holding hands under the table as they sipped their coffee and gazed into each other’s eyes. The brilliant glow of new love would fade a bit in time. Not too much, she hoped. But a little dimming was inevitable.
Until then, Piper planned to bask—she’d earned the right.
“Mm.” She smacked her lips. “Bacon.”
“Ah, my little carnivore,” Levi said with an indulgent smile. “For you, heaven would be a well-stocked butcher’s shop.”
“But I need a rounded diet,” Piper told him with a straight face. “Next door to the butcher, please include a candy store and bakery.”
“Why don’t you weigh a ton?” he asked, shaking his head as he filled his mouth with a spoonful of multi-grain oatmeal.
“Pure thoughts keep the pounds off.” With a wink, Piper shrugged. “And Pilates. Thin is great, but even I need to exercise now and then. I refuse to go around with a saggy butt.”
“I’d still love you,” Levi assured her. “Sags and all.”
“Would you?” Piper beamed, her esteem for Levi rising to new levels. “Should I stop working out?”
“Should I?” Levi asked with a pointed look. “Would you want me as much if I developed a beer belly and jowls?”
“Probably.” Piper chuckled. “But, just to be safe, let’s keep fit for now. We’ll wait and go to pot in our sunset days.”
“Hell, no,” Levi exclaimed. “When I’m ninety, I plan to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. With you by my side.”
“I’m exhausted already.”
Piper groused because she didn’t want Levi to think he’d gone to bed with one woman and awoke beside someone else. Nor did she want him to get any ideas about upping her level of activity. She was fine with her life as a semi-couch potato who occasionally ate healthily.
Yet, for all Piper’s grumbling and groaning, she liked Levi’s vision of the future. Not the hiking up famous mountains part. But the part where they were together long, long into the future.
“You’re older than I am,” Levi said.
“Way to ruin the moment,” Piper muttered. Sneering, she savagely ripped off a piece of bacon with bared teeth. “What’s your point, junior?”
“Just that you’ll reach the age of ninety a good three years ahead of me.” A mischievous twinkle entered Levi’s dark eyes. “I’ll be your eighty-seven-year-old boy toy.”
“Whatever floats your boat,” Piper said with a snort. “Now, shut up and finish your gruel.”
Laughing, Levi kissed the back of Piper’s hand. She felt her heart sigh.
Sipping her orange juice—freshly squeezed by Levi—Piper couldn’t remember a time when she’d been as happy. Her blood crackled with a combination of excitement and contentment.
In all Piper’s years of dating and enjoying nights of adult entertainment, had she sat with a man the next morning over a post-sex breakfast—when she made the mistake of sticking around—and not wanted to scamper out the door as quickly as possible.
Today, with Levi, was a first. Piper didn’t constantly look at her watch or calculate the fastest route to the exit. Instead, of an antsy, when will it ever end, feeling, she wanted to linger at the table. The longer, the better.
If Piper had to look at Levi’s handsome face, every morning, noon, and night for the rest of her hopefully long life, then sign her up.
“What changed your mind?” Levi asked after a long, comfortable silence.
“Pardon?” Piper pushed her empty plate away. “Changed my mind? About what?”
“A few days ago, you were adamant about not altering our friends-only relationship. Yet, here we are.” Levi grinned. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“I should hope not,” she said.
“Did you want to wait and see how I performed on Sunday?” Levi crossed his arms, his gaze, unblinking. “If the Knights had lost the game, if I stunk up the stadium, would we still be at the same old status quo?”
“I’ll answer the ridiculous question because I know you’re joking.” Piper frowned. “At least I hope you are.”
Levi merely shrugged.
“Did you check the time of my text?” Piper asked with an air of superiority. “I sent the message before the game began. Not during. Not after. Before. There’s your proof that I didn’t give a rat’s ass about your performance. In the bedroom, yes. On the field, nope.”
Without a word of response, Levi picked up his phone. When he began scrolling through his texts, Piper's mouth fell open.
“You don’t believe me?” she asked, offended and shocked.
“I already knew what you said was true. I looked at the time before I read the text.” Levi set aside his phone. He chuckled. “Getting you riled up is so much fun, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”
With a sniff, Piper started clearing the table. Levi had other ideas. As she reached for his plate, he pulled her onto his lap. Still holding a half-empty bottle of maple syrup, she wrapped her arms around his neck and sank into his kiss.
“Tell me,” Levi said, licking a bit of sticky sweetness from the corner of Piper’s lips. “Why the about-face?”
Piper smiled, happy to let Levi persuade her to his heart’s content. Her head dipped to the side as his mouth found a particularly sensate spot at the base of her neck.
“What was the question? Hey!” Piper jumped when Levi pinched her backside. “That hurt.”
“Don’t be a drama queen. I barely touched you.” Levi took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and gave her a light shake. “Answer me.”
Giving in wasn’t difficult. Piper wanted Levi to understand. She brushed the back of her hand over his cheek and smiled.
“I remembered what you said about not wanting to waste any more time,” she told him. “Once you declared yourself, I was bound to cave eventually. What was I waiting for? A sign from above—which would have scared the crap out of me, by the way.”
Levi let out a snort of laughter.
“What am I, Joan of Arc?” Piper continued, rolling her eyes. “She was burned at the stake for the sin of hearing the voice of God. Hell, no. I’ll pass, thank you very much.”
“You’re rambling,” Levi told her. “Don’t get me wrong. You’re adorable. I could listen to your nonsensical rants every day and twice on Sunday.”
“When you aren’t playing football,” Piper added.
“Well, sure,” Levi agreed. “But you’ve swerved away from the point.”
“Remind me.” Levi poked Piper’s ribs, making her squirm with laughter. She held up her hands in defeat. “I give in. No more verbal detours.”
As a reward, Levi kissed Piper again. So good, she thought, wondering why they needed to talk when communicating with their bodies was such fun.
“Continue,” he said.
“I did have one more thought that gave me pause.” Piper bit her lip. “Never mind.”
“Now I have to know.” Levi waited. “Do I have to use my secret weapon of torture?”
“Don’t you dare.” Piper tried to wiggle away but Levi held her fast.
“Then spill the rest or I won’t hesitate.”
Piper’s feet were notoriously ticklish. A fact that once Levi discovered, he used sparingly, but with devilish precision. Her toes curled inward at the thought.
“You’re evil.” She sighed, and, as he knew she would, gave in. “What if we break up?”
“Not going to happen,” he said.
Piper didn’t want to think about the possibility, but the pragmatist in her understood the odds were never in any couple’s favor. The fact that most of their married friends seemed happily joined for life didn’t make her forget reality—or her own experience of coming from an irreparably broken home.
“Bear with me for a minute,” Piper told him. “If something happened to us, wouldn’t you be sad?”
“Seems like a given.” Levi sighed. “I hope you’d be a little upset, too.”
“Sure. Of course. But I’m not a professional athlete. Your concentration has to be absolute.”
“And you think I’d be so devastated by the demise of our relationship that my game would suffer?” With a scoff, Levi’s chin hit his chest. “What bad teenage romance movie did you fall out of?”
“None,” she muttered.
“Let me ease your mind,” Levi said. “I’m not the star quarterback on our high school team and I won’t fall to pieces because, you, the head cheerleader, breaks my heart before the big game.”
“You don’t have to be so dramatic.” Annoyed, Piper turned her back to him. “I wanted to cover all the bases, that’s all.”
Smiling, Levi banded his arms around Piper’s waist, pressing her back to his chest.
“I, my darling, am a fully grown adult with a fairly good head on my shoulders.” He kissed the side of her neck. “Would I be upset if the impossible happens and we part ways? Hell, yes. I’ll rage and rail and get drunk while my buddies tell me I can do a lot better as I cry a few manly tears into my beer.”
“You won’t find anyone better for you than me,” she told him.
“No, but the bro code states that in such cases, friends are required to lie through their teeth.”
“Women live by the same rules,” Piper said.
“Heartache isn’t gender-specific.” Levi rested his chin on Piper's shoulder, nuzzling her neck. “I might turn into an emotional wreck if you walked away,” he said. “But not on the field. Never during a game.”
“Why?”
“Too many people counting on me.” Levi shrugged. “Simple as that.”
Piper believed him. She didn’t exactly feel better. Talking about a breakup when they’d barely begun wasn’t the kind of breakfast conversation conducive to good digestion. However, the knowledge that her actions wouldn’t be the reason the Knights lost, helped ease her mind.
“Anything else?” Levi asked. “Worries? Concerns? Conundrums?”
Piper hesitated—just for a second. She saw no good reason to pull Levi into her ongoing family drama. Once she decided to be with him, her mother’s threats no longer mattered—they were nothing more than the usual blend of crazy lady theatrics.
The Backup Plan: A Friends to Lovers Sports Romance (One Pass Away: A New Season Book 2) Page 14
