“You get my motor running,” Levi explained in a matter of fact way. “If you wore a potato sack, I’d want you. No makeup. Scraped back hair. Doesn’t matter. You are the sexiest woman I’ve ever met. Period. No argument. No debate.”
Piper sighed.
“What?” he asked.
“Why can’t you be a shallow, obnoxious jerk?” she demanded. “Not all the time, but for a little while. Just long enough to make it easier for me to remember why we shouldn’t be more than friends.”
Holding Piper’s hand to his chest, Levi turned onto his side. Confused, he looked into her eyes.
“Tell me,” he said. “Because for the life of me, I can’t think of a single good reason why we shouldn’t sleep together, in each other’s arms, every night for the rest of our lives.”
“How did we go from one night to the rest of our lives?” Piper touched his cheek. “You never do anything halfway, do you?”
“I told you before,” Levi said. “Waiting around for things to happen no longer works for me. We belong together, Piper. Every day. In every way possible. Don’t we deserve all the happiness we can get?”
“Yes. But—”
“Give me one reason.” Levi placed a kiss on the palm of Piper’s hand. “Just one.”
“You won’t listen,” Piper told him. Sadness tinged her voice. “You’ll tell me I’m wrong.”
“You are,” Levi insisted. “Whatever the reason.”
The Piper he knew would have argued to her last breath. When she ducked her head and refused to meet his gaze, Levi wanted to shake her.
“You’re due at practice early in the morning,” she said. “Let’s get some sleep.”
“Fine. For now,” he said, tucking her head beneath his chin. “The subject isn’t closed. Not by a long shot.”
Piper didn’t answer. With a sigh, Levi closed his eyes and willed himself to relax. She was in his bed, in his arms. He should have been elated. So why did he feel as though he’d won the battle, but the war was far from over?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
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PIPER CHECKED HER phone and smiled. Every hour on the hour since she’d left his bed, Levi had sent her a text. She was certain he must have set the messages up to be delivered on a schedule. He was too busy with meetings and practice to do the job himself.
Whatever the method, the little reminders that she was on his mind were effective. Slowly, surely, they chipped away at her resolve.
The first text arrived as Piper let herself into her office. She snuck out of Levi’s house before he was awake—a coward’s move, but she wasn’t sorry. He was too persuasive and after a night in his arms, she worried that all he’d need to do was ask and she would have eagerly agreed to some early morning sex with him in a heartbeat.
Come to me again tonight. The words were short, oh, so sweet, and to the point.
Piper’s response was just as direct.
No.
An hour later, Levi replied.
Please.
Deciding he needed more of an answer, Piper used logic to make her argument.
You have a game to prepare for. I’d be a distraction.
Another sixty minutes ticked by. Levi’s message was a repeat of his first.
Come to me again tonight.
Piper shouldn’t have been tempted. Yet, she was. Reminding herself that she was in the right, that her reasons had everything to do with him and his wellbeing, she remained firm.
No. I won’t change my mind.
Office hours were always busy. Clients were in and out, deadlines needed to be kept. Normally, when Piper was pressed for time—which was most days—she put her phone in the bottom drawer of her desk and only checked for missed calls and messages during lunch, and right before she left for home.
Because of Levi’s little game—one she found annoyingly amusing—she kept her phone nearby, reading each text as it arrived, on the hour.
You’ll be at the game on Sunday. Right?
The high noon message gave Piper reason to pause. Her thumbs hovered over the keys before she typed her response, hitting send before she could change her mind.
Too nervous. I’ll watch from home—like always.
The next hour, then the next, and the next, Levi didn’t waver. He was relentless.
You’ll be at the game on Sunday. Right?
Right?
RIGHT?!!!
Piper didn’t respond, but she laughed. Most of the time Levi was the most mature, grounded person she knew. Other times, he had all the subtlety and sophistication of a sledgehammer. No matter which method he employed, he tended to get his way. And this time was no exception.
I’ll be at the game on Sunday.
If Piper expected a gloating, celebratory acknowledgment, she was soon to discover that Levi’s determination knew no bounds.
Come to me again tonight.
Rolling her eyes, Piper decided to opt-out. She turned off her phone and returned to work. The next time she looked up from her computer screen was when the intercom on her desk buzzed three hours later.
“Yes?”
“You have a call on line three,” Piper’s assistant said.
Piper rubbed her eyes and sighed. Good timing. She needed a break.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“Levi Reynolds.” Her assistant paused. “I don’t follow football, but my husband can’t wait for Sunday’s game. He bought one of Mr. Reynolds’ jerseys right after he was named as the Knights’ starting quarterback.”
“I’ll be sure and tell him,” Piper said with a smile. She picked up the receiver. “Shouldn’t you be at practice?”
“We’re on a break.” Levi sounded chipper. “You aren’t responding to my texts.”
“What’s the point when my answer is the same?” Piper asked. “No. I will not spend the night with you.”
“I won’t stop trying,” he warned.
With a laugh, Piper’s head fell forward.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“I know what I want,” he countered. “A win on Sunday, you, and a cold beer.”
“At least I know where I fall on your list of priorities,” Piper said. “Right between an overrated sport and a bottle of Bud.”
“Michelob,” Levi corrected. “Dylan doesn’t keep Budweiser in his refrigerator. Don’t ask why. The answer is long, rambling, and makes absolutely no sense to anyone but him.”
“You
