In unison, they huffed, they puffed, and five seconds later, tiny swirls of smoke billowed toward the ceiling. Taking two dishes from the cupboard, Piper cut into the cake. As she plated each piece, she breathed in the heady scent of chocolate and her taste buds wept in anticipation.
“By the way,” she said, taking a seat across from Levi at her dining room table. “Why were you so late getting here? Darcy called after you left her office, but you didn’t arrive until another three hours had passed.”
“Were you worried?” Levi asked as he washed a bite of cake down with a swallow of milk.
“I was curious,” Piper said. And worried, but she kept that piece of information to herself.
“I should have called you.”
Damn straight, Piper thought. Rather than sound like a petulant nag, she remained silent and waited for him to continue as she let a mouthful of chocolatey goodness melt on her tongue.
“When I left Darcy’s office the team waited in the hall.” Levi laughed. “Every single one of them.”
Levi went on to describe the scene, painting such a vivid picture that Piper felt she’d been there.
“Dylan kissed you?” Piper asked.
Levi nodded, sending her a sardonic smile.
“You should have returned the favor.”
“Not you too,” Levi said, rolling his eyes.
“You have a bromance, not a romance. Yet, when you get the chance to kiss a man as sexy as Dylan Montgomery, you shouldn’t let the moment slide.” Piper grinned. “I wouldn’t.”
“You like Dylan?” Levi slowly set down his fork. His eyes narrowed to a thin slit. “Since when?”
“Everyone likes Dylan,” Piper said with a casual shrug.
“You aren’t everyone.” Levi crossed his arms and waited. “Go on. Answer my question. How long have you had a thing for Dylan? Does he know? Have you been on a date? Without telling me?”
“Down, boy.” Piper chuckled. “You needn’t worry. You’re not in danger of losing your playmate to me.”
“Who said I was worried about losing Dylan?” Levi muttered.
Pleased more than she wanted to admit, Piper smiled.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she assured him. “Like you, Dylan and I are just friends.”
“Just friends?” Levi asked with a raised brow.
“You know what I mean.”
Stacking Levi’s empty plate on top of hers, Piper stood and moved to the kitchen. She placed the dirty dishes in the sink before taking a roll of plastic wrap from a drawer. Carefully, she covered the cake before setting it aside.
“What did you wish for when you blew out the candles?” She asked as Levi cleared the table. “You get to start Sunday’s game, so not that.”
“Even if I hadn’t been named starting QB, I would never waste a wish on something that’s out of my control,” Levi told her as he loaded the dishwasher.
“Sometimes you’re too pragmatic for words,” Piper scoffed. “Not everything should be cut and dried. A wish can be impractical. Or whimsical. Or a heck of a lot of fun.”
An odd twinkle entered Levi’s gold-flecked eyes. Intense, yet the kind of look that made her feel bubbly—as though she’d just downed a glass of champagne in one gulp.
“I know how to have fun,” Levi assured her, his voice deep with smokey undertones. “Let me show you.”
Holding her gaze, almost daring Piper to look away, Levi lifted her hand to his lips. Slowly, torturously so, he licked a dollop of chocolate from her finger. Like the frosting, she melted. With her free hand, she gripped the edge of the counter as her traitorous legs wobbled.
Piper forced a laugh, desperate to keep things light.
“What are you doing,” she asked, tugging at her hand.
“Playing,” Levi told her. His tone was matter of fact while his gaze continued to sizzle. “Aren’t you having fun yet?”
With an athlete’s speed, Levi reversed their positions until Piper’s back was flat against the stainless-steel refrigerator door. Inching closer, he pressed his body to hers. Hot on one side, cold on the other. She let out a shivery sigh.
Somehow, Piper had lost control. Of Levi, and herself. Closing her eyes, she focused on regaining the upper hand. When she lifted her lids, all she saw were his lips, inches from hers and her mind went blank.
“I… Um…” Piper stuttered, and Levi grinned. The jerk. “Did something happen that I don’t know about? Did you hit your head?”
“No.”
“Then who are you?” Piper demanded. “What did you do with my Levi?”
“I’m the same man I was yesterday. And the day before,” he assured her.
As Levi spoke, his lips brushed Piper’s ear. She bit back a moan.
“Let me go,” Piper whispered.
“All you have to do is slide down a few inches and walk away,” Levi told her. “I won’t stop you.”
Slide and walk. Slide and walk. No problem. Except Piper’s body refused to cooperate with her brain’s command. Searching for a reasonable excuse, she latched upon the first thing that came to mind.
“I need answers,” Piper said more for her benefit than Levi’s. “You save the broody, sexy routine for other women. Not me. Never me. Why now?”
“Why do you think?” Levi asked, his mouth hovering over hers.
Piper jerked away but she had nowhere to go. The back of her head rapped against the refrigerator. She winced. Levi grinned.
“Don’t you dare kiss me,” she warned. “Don’t you dare.”
“Let me,” he whispered. “Please.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m sad,” he said.
“You were sad,” Piper argued. “Past tense. For the past hour, you’ve been back to your old self.”
Head cocked to one side, Levi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Red is my favorite color,” he sighed.
Well, crap. How was she supposed to mount a logical argument when Levi knocked her legs out from under her with such sweet sincerity? The man was killing her!
“Don’t change the subject,” Piper said, her fists curling into a ball.
“If I start to feel overwhelmed during practice tomorrow, or the next day, or the next, the memory of your lips on mine will be my lifeline.”
As a buffer, one last