“What else is there to say? I was a fool to wait for even a second.” Piper turned serious. “When you asked, I should have agreed. I should have spent every night in your arms.”
“Agreed.” Levi held her close. “No more time apart.”
“Okay,” she said.
“Move in with me.”
Piper didn’t know why she hesitated. She loved Levi. He loved her. They’d known each other for over two years. They were single. Both were blessed with financial stability. She loved his house. The view of Lake Washington was spectacular. Many of their friends lived nearby, including Darcy.
Was Piper afraid that if she lived with Levi, she would lose her hard-earned independence? He wasn’t the kind of man who demanded total devotion to the exclusion of everything else.
Yet, Piper had watched her mother and father—two people who supposedly came together out of love—tear each other apart, little by little, day after day. Though she and Levi were nothing like her parents, she carried the memory of how much damage a volatile relationship could do. The wound had healed, but the scar ran deep.
“I want to be with you, Levi.” Piper hated the tentative tone in her voice, but she couldn’t help herself. “But…”
“You gave me the moon and now I want the stars.”
“Who are you, Bette Davis?” Piper asked, snickering when Levi expertly paraphrased the classic weeper, Now Voyager. “I thought you slept through most of the movie.
“I woke up for the end,” he said. “Almost made me want to take up smoking when the hero dude lit both cigarettes in his mouth before handing one to Bette. Damn, he was smooth.”
“Now who’s rambling?” Piper asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Caught the bug from you.” Levi nipped her chin with his teeth. Soothing the spot with his thumb, his gaze turned warm and gentle. “I won’t push. I want to, but I won’t. Just promise you’ll be in my arms every night possible.”
“What about when the team goes on the road?”
“You could come along.” Levi looked thoughtful. “I’ll need a bigger suitcase.”
“You expect me to ride inside your luggage?” Piper asked.
“Management doesn’t allow us to bring guests.” Levi grinned. “So…?”
Though Levi teased, Piper knew he’d love it if she could be at every game, home and away. He wasn’t as sure of himself as he wanted her to believe. He’d get there, she was certain. But for now, he needed her support more than ever.
“That’s a big, hell no,” Piper said. She placed his hand on the spot above her heart. “Call me. Anytime. Don’t worry. I’ll watch. Every play, every down, every successful long bomb.”
“Long bomb. Listen to you, showing off your knowledge of football slang.”
Levi grinned like a proud parent.
“Don’t be fooled,” Piper warned. I still don’t understand the game’s appeal. But since my guy is the starting quarterback, football has become required viewing.”
With a whoop, Levi set Piper on the chair, rushed across the room and flung open the window.
“Hey, Seattle!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. “I’m Piper Winslow’s guy!”
“Oh, brother,” Piper snorted. “Pull your head in before someone calls the police.”
Levi ignored her.
“Me. Levi Reynolds. I! Am! Piper’s! Man!”
Piper winced when Levi used his name. Didn’t he know that after yesterday’s game, he was on everyone’s radar? At least the radar of every football fan in the greater Seattle area. Right now, some industrious person might be recording his tomfoolery, for posterity and social media outlets everywhere.
Before Piper could warn him, Levi shut the window. With three long strides, he lifted her into his arms and headed toward the bedroom.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Celebrating.” Levi tossed her onto the bed, following close behind. He kissed her breathless. “Any objections?”
Piper pretended to contemplate her answer while she divested Levi of his t-shirt. If she were blessed with the sight of his spectacular body every day for the next hundred years, she would beg for another hundred. At least.
“Am I a fool?” she asked, running her hands down and across his mouthwateringly defined six-pack of abs.
“No, you are not,” Levi assured her as he opened her robe.
“There’s your answer,” Piper said, welcoming him into her arms. “No objections. Not even one.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
PIPER THUMBED THROUGH the latest copy of Vogue as she waited for Erin Ashmore to arrive. She felt a little guilty using their friendship to wheedle herself an unscheduled appointment, but sometimes you had to do what you had to do.
Setting aside the publication, Piper reached for People magazine, ready to move on from what was hot in fashion to the latest Hollywood gossip. Just then, there was a light knock on the exam room door. A second later, Erin entered wearing her white doctor’s coat and a welcoming smile,
“Hello, Piper.” Erin squirted two pumps of hand sanitizer onto the palm of one hand. “What a surprise. I hope nothing’s wrong.”
“Physically, mentally, professionally, personally, everything is good.”
“That’s a lot of good.” Erin laughed. She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Then what can I do for you.”
“I know you’re crazy busy.” Piper felt another twinge of guilt. “Thank you for fitting me in at the last minute.”
Erin crossed her legs. On her feet, she wore a pair of bright pink running shoes. The white swish on the side was decorated with pink ribbons.
“Since when are any of the people in our circle too busy for a friend?” Erin said, waving off Piper’s apology.
Piper nodded. She was lucky. No, she was blessed to be close to a group of people who were so generous with their time and company. Best of all, they were fun. When they got together, they laughed. All the time.
“I want to update the prescription for my birth control pills.” Piper smiled when she thought of the reason. “More important, I’d like you to check and make certain I’m clean of any STDs.”
“Not a problem.” Her demeanor calm, yet understanding, Erin nodded. Her bedside manner was excellent—the best. She glanced at Piper’s chart. “We did a blood test during your yearly exam. You were clean. Do you have any reason to think things have changed?”
“No. I’m always careful to use a condom on top of the pill,” Piper said. “Besides, my sex life has been on hold for the past few months.”
“Everyone goes through a dry spell,” Erin commiserated. “Whether by choice or circumstance.”
“Mine was definitely by choice.” Piper grimaced when she thought of the men she turned down. Yikes! “Recently, I started a relationship. Exclusive. Before we stop using condoms, I want to make certain I won’t pass anything along.”
“You and Levi finally made the move?” When Piper blinked in surprise, Erin grinned. “Your chemistry sizzles. I get a contact sex buzz whenever the two of you are in a room together.”
At a loss for words, Piper felt her cheeks heat.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” Erin said. “You’re lucky. All the time you spent getting to know each other is a bonus. Makes sense that the friends to lovers tropes are so popular in fiction.”
“What about you?” Piper asked. “Your best friend is a hotty. And a football player. I can attest to the fact that the two things combined make a heady combination.”
“Finn? And me?” Erin laughed so hard that tears came to her eyes. “Can you imagine having a romance with someone you once babysat?”
“When he’s as charming and sexy as Finn Gallagher? Yes, I can.” Piper heaved an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose the fact that he lives in Chicago would put a crimp in the plan.”
“Finn is like a sometimes annoying but always lovable kid brother,�
�� Erin said with an easy smile. “Now, let’s get you taken care of. I’ll send my nurse in to take some blood.”
“Thanks, Erin.”
They exchanged hugs.
“I’m sure the tests will be negative, but you’re smart to check.” Erin paused before leaving. “Levi is getting tested, too. Right?”
“He’s with his personal doctor as we speak,” Piper assured her.
“Good man.” Erin nodded. “I’ll call you as soon as the results come in. Should be no more than a couple of days. Maybe we can meet for lunch.”
“We definitely should,” Piper agreed.
As she waited for the nurse, Piper thought about Erin’s words. She called Levi a good man. He was. The best she’d ever know. And, she thought with a happy shiver, he was all hers.
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
“DID YOU GET your blood test results?” Levi asked.
“Yes.” Piper blinked, calm on the outside, but jiggly with excitement inside. “How about you?”
“Heard from my doctor just before I left practice and headed home.”
They were on the back deck of Levi’s house. Cold, but clear, the stars shone brightly in the night sky, glistening off the surface of Lake Washington. In the days since they’d been tested, they hadn’t exactly kept their hands off each other.
Piper would say they were going at each other with the frequency of over-sexed rabbits—if rabbits had the kind of stamina Levi exhibited on a nightly—and daily basis. To her delight, he was not a proponent of athletes remaining celibate.
Levi claimed he might consider abstaining on the night before the Super Bowl—if he were ever lucky enough to play in the big game. But during the regular season, Piper rejuvenated him. In and out of bed.
Still, as often as they made love, until now, they’d always used a condom. The thought of going barrier-free for the first time in her life left Piper giddy with anticipation.
“Well?” he asked. “What’s the word.”
“Clean as a whistle,” Piper said, swirling her hands up and down her body. “You?”
“Pristine,” Levi told her. “My genitals are so sparkly you could eat a meal off of them.”
“You just painted a picture I could do without,” Piper said with a snort. “Wait. We’re both healthy, non-disease carrying, willing and able, consensual adults?”
“According to two members in good standing of the American Medical Association, the answer is a big, fat, yes, siree.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Piper demanded.
“I planned to give you a head start,” Levi said, waggling his eyebrows as he approached with slow, deliberate steps.
“I had the same idea—for you.” Piper nodded toward the French doors. “Run little bunny. The big, bad wolf is nipping at your heels.”
“We could stand here all night and exchange cute quips. The hell with that.” Levi lifted Piper into his arms. “I leave on a road trip tomorrow morning. We don’t have time for adorable.”
“No?” Piper asked with a laugh.
“No.” Levi took the stairs two at a time. “Any complaints?”
“Ask me later.” Piper refused to eliminate her options. “But right now? I can’t think of any.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
“THE PLANE LEAVES in thirty minutes,” Levi said. “I should get on board.”
Piper smiled. The excitement in Levi’s voice was palpable and though she was at work, she could easily picture his face. A little boy on Christmas morning came to mind.
Normally, Levi treated road trips as just another day at the office. That was before he became a starter. The Knights were on their way to Atlanta to play their first away game since he took over for Monte Oliver. His second game overall.
“I wish I could be there,” Piper said.
“Do you? Really?”
Piper laughed.
“Yes,” she assured him. “Though being with you would mean more than watching the game.”
“I’ll make a football lover of you yet,” he promised.
They both knew the odds were slim to none, but Piper appreciated Levi’s optimism.
“Have a safe trip,” she told him, already saying a prayer to the travel gods. “And bring home a victory.”
“There are seven games left in the season,” Levi told her—not for the first time. “We won’t win every one.”
“Why not?” Piper asked. Because Levi couldn’t see her, she grinned.
“You know.” Levi chuckled. “Football rarely works that way. Too many variables. Top of the list, the Knights have an inexperienced quarterback.”
“Phooey,” Piper said with a huff. “You're just as good as the guys on the other teams.”
“Your support is appreciated. But the other guys would disagree.” She could hear the shrug in Levi’s voice. “And, for now, they’re probably right.”
Piper wasn’t interested in what other people thought. All she cared about was Levi. She was firmly and forever on his side.
“I’ll call you when we get to the hotel,” Levi said. “And Piper?”
“Yes?”
“Miss me.”
I already do, Piper thought as she ended the call. She had officially become a sap for romance. Not that she minded.
A knock sounded on Piper’s door.
“Come in.”
“Sorry to bother you.”
Looking up, Piper smiled at Molly Rowe. Because her full-time assistant was on vacation, Molly was filling in. She was competent, but too shy and retiring to hold down the fort for any length of time.
“I just finished a call,” Piper said. She frowned when she noticed the lines of worry marring Molly’s brow. “Is something wrong.”
“There’s a man outside who wants to see you.” Molly sighed. “Normally, I’d send him away because he doesn’t have an appointment. But he’s very insistent about hiring you to handle his finances. Since he’s a football player, I thought you might want to see him.”
“A football player?” Piper asked. “The team is out of town this weekend. Are you sure you heard right?”
“Believe me, everyone in the building heard him boasting.” Molly rolled her eyes. “He has a cast on his right arm and left leg, so he can’t be an active player.”
A light went on in Piper’s head.
“Is his name Monte Oliver?”
“Then you do know him?”
“No.” And Piper had no desire to. “Tell Mr. Oliver to make an appointment. Better yet, tell him I won’t take on any new clients in the foreseeable future.”
“I can make you change your mind.”
Monte Oliver wheeled his way past Molly and into Piper’s office. Rather, the man pushing Monte’s chair maneuvered the Knights’ previous starting quarterback across the room, stopping at the desk.
“Should I call someone?” Molly asked, glaring at Monte’s back.
“What do you think I’m going to do, honey.” Monte chuckled, waving around the cast on his arm. “Right now, I’m as harmless as a mouse.”
Piper gave the young woman a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, Molly. Mr. Oliver won’t be staying.”
Monte didn’t bother to introduce his wheelchair chauffeur and Piper didn’t ask. The man simply stood and stared without saying a word. He gave off a creepy vibe, like a mad scientist’s henchman from a horror movie.
Piper could have made a scene. Instead, she took a seat and stated her position, loud and clear.
“As I said, Mr. Oliver—”
“Call me Monte,” he said with the kind of cocky, shit-eating grin that always rubbed Piper the wrong way.
Young, well-built, attractive in an unformed sort of way, Piper supposed he might appeal to a lot of women. She wasn’t one of them.
“Considering your current situation, seeking out someone to help handle your money is a good idea,�
� Piper said, her tone as serious as her expression. “You deserve someone who can give you and your finances the proper attention. I’m too busy. However, if you’d like, I can have one of our other accountants help you out.”
“My situation?” Monte's gaze narrowed. “Exactly what are you referring to?”
Oh, boy. Piper sighed. If he wanted her to spell it out, she’d be happy to oblige.
“Because of your accident, I understand the Knights have placed you on injured reserve. Though you will be paid the rest of this season’s salary, you won’t be able to play again until next year.” Piper smiled. “Since Levi Reynolds is now the starting quarterback—”
“Temporarily,” Monte shot back. His smile turned sour. “I’ll be back, better than ever and Reynolds will be finished.”
Supercilious little prick. Piper didn’t like to burn any professional bridges, but where Monte Oliver was concerned, she would make an exception. She was about to throw him out on his ear—or roll him out—when he surprised her. And not in a good way.
“Your brother thought we might make a good fit.”
“Which brother?” Piper didn’t know why she asked. Warren and Teddy were as interchangeable as white and white. “What kind of fit?”
“Romantically,” Monte smirked. “You’re a little old for my taste, but I understand you’re first in line for old Grandma Engels’ fortune—if you marry the right man. A couple hundred million dollars makes anyone look better.”
Piper had to give Monte credit. He wasn’t afraid to say what was on his mind. Was he a brilliant strategist? Or a raving idiot? She would have bet just about anything on the latter.
“I’m not interested,” Piper skirted far around Monte and opened the door.
“Because of Levi?” he asked with a sneer.
“Because of you,” Piper told him. “Nothing about you interests me, Mr. Oliver. Let my brother know. Or don’t. Either way, I don’t care.”
“Bitch,” Monte said as he was rolled away.
Not the least bit offended, Piper smiled and shut the office door, not with a slam, but a decisive click. Bitch? Damn straight. She wore the badge with pride to honor all the take no crap women of past, current, and future generations.
The Backup Plan: A Friends to Lovers Sports Romance (One Pass Away: A New Season Book 2) Page 15
