“He hogs the covers.” Levi chuckled. “And you smell better.”
Piper burst out laughing. Nobody could lift her spirits or lighten her mood like Levi.
“If you don’t have anything else to say, I’ll hang up.”
“Wait. Did you find your birthday present?” Levi asked.
Present? Piper grinned. She thought he forgot.
“My birthday was on Monday,” she said in a stern voice.
“Don’t be angry,” he cajoled. “I bought the gift while the team was in London. But with everything that happened, the moment never seemed right to give it to you.”
“Where did you hide it?”
“Bottom drawer of your desk,” he said. Before Piper could complain that he’d made a mistake, Levi added, “Not on the left side where you keep your phone. On the right.
Piper opened the drawer and gasped. Levi knew her weakness for brightly wrapped packages. She wasn’t proud of the fact, but more than once he’d coaxed her out of a bad mood with nothing more than a box covered in sparkly paper and swirls of ribbon.
Yup, Piper was that shallow.
“Pretty,” she sighed. “Where did you find a metallic purple paper with silver and gold adding machines sprinkled across the surface?”
“Some secrets are better left untold,” Levi said in a mysterious whisper.
Examining the package, Levi proved once again that he knew how Piper’s mind worked. If he’d given her a traditionally wrapped present, she would have spent forever peeling back the paper, careful not to cause a single rip or tear. Instead, she lifted off the lid and was left with a box she could keep and use again.
Slowly, because Piper loved the anticipation as much as the eventual reveal, she looked inside. What she found was a pair of heart-shaped emerald earrings. Breathless, she reached for a tissue.
“Levi.” Piper wiped the tears from her cheeks. “They’re beautiful.”
“The color of your eyes,” he said, his voice low and intimate. “I knew the moment I saw them that they were meant for you.”
Pulse racing, Piper took a deep breath. Her blood pumped fast, and she felt as though her chest might explode at any moment. Unlike the earrings Levi so thoughtfully selected, her heart wasn’t comprised of a cool, stable, multifaceted stone. It was flesh. Strong, yet surprisingly vulnerable.
Piper had always suspected she was a one-man woman. However, because she’d skated through her life without coming close to falling for anyone, she assumed the man who could own her heart didn’t exist.
And then, she met Levi.
The way Piper felt about him wasn’t like anything she experienced before. And Lord knows she’d spent a lot of time telling herself they were friends and nothing more.
Lying to herself had been easy while Levi played along. When she didn’t know how he felt, how much he wanted her, in his bed, in his arms, in his heart, she could pretend her feelings hadn’t changed. But now he wanted more.
What was she going to do?
“Have you eaten?” she asked, stifling a groan. Inquiring about his food intake was the only conversation filler she could manage? Yikes!
“I have you flummoxed, don’t I?” Levi asked with a knowing laugh. “My Piper at a loss for words? I’m flattered.”
“You’ve upped your level of activity. Increasing your calorie intake is important,” Piper said.
Piper knew that her lame justification was just as telling as the food comment, but she’d dug herself a hole and she couldn’t think of a way out except to go deeper.
“I appreciate your concern. Truly, Piper.” The timbre of Levi’s voice was low and intimate. “Having someone who cares about me matters. Knowing the person is you, is everything.”
Levi’s words should have come across as pure corn. Sappy. Sentimental. Yet he managed to sound sincere, and heartfelt, and sexy as hell all at the same time.
Oh, boy, Piper thought. She was in trouble. Resistance, she feared, was futile.
“Thank you for the earrings,” she said. “Levi?”
“Yes?”
The hope in Levi’s voice made Piper smile. The need broke her heart—just a little.
“What if I don’t come to the game on Sunday?” she asked in her best cajoling voice. “I’ll root for you from home. I promise.”
“I need you at the stadium,” he said without hesitation. “Give me one good reason why you can’t be there to support me?”
Levi wanted one reason? Piper could give him three.
“My stomach will be in knots. I might vomit. And, my nerves will be off the charts intense, I’ll spend the entire game with my hands over my eyes.”
“Sounds bad,” he agreed.
“I knew you’d understand,” Piper said, breathing easier.
“I understand. But I don’t care.” Levi let out a derisive snort. “I’m mere days away from starting my first game in forever. You’re nervous? How do you think I feel? Sheesh, woman. Get over yourself.”
Get over yourself, Piper thought with a petulant pout. She flipped the phone the finger.
“I’ll be there in spirit,” she reasoned.
“Big fucking deal,” Levi said. “And where do you get off giving me the finger?”
“How did you…?” Piper’s head whipped around, searching the empty room. “Did you install a spy-cam in my office?”
“I don’t need a hidden camera,” Levi told her. “I know how you operate. Flipping up your middle finger when you’re frustrated is classic Piper.”
Piper could have argued that Levi didn’t know her that well. But since she knew she was wrong, she decided not to waste her breath.
“What’s the worst that could happen if I’m not there?” Piper asked in all sincerity.
“We’ll lose,” he said without preamble.
“Foul! Unfair!” Piper cried. “How dare you use guilt tactics to manipulate me?”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Levi reasoned. “I’ve won, right? You’ll be at the game?”
“I will.” Piper sighed. She always planned to go, but jerking Levi around gave her more pleasure than she liked to admit. Okay, sometimes she could be a bit of a bitch. “Now hang up. I have work to do.”
“One more thing,” Levi said.
“I’m listening.” Now, what? Piper wondered.
“Come to me again tonight.”
Despite herself, Piper
