“Thank goodness,” she said. “You had me worried for a second.”
Then, Piper kissed him. Everything else ceased to matter.
Sweet and sultry, like the woman herself, from the moment Piper’s mouth touched his, she left no doubt what she wanted. Him. Now. Forget about tomorrow. The hell with always. If you don’t live in the moment, what’s the point?
“Lips. Open,” Piper demanded.
Levi’s heart fluttered, stuttered, stopped—for just an instant—then started beating again, pounding hard in his chest. His lips parted and Piper sighed as her tongue lightly brushed against his.
Deeper, the intensity rising, Piper pressed her body to his. Changing angles, she bit his bottom lip and Levi groaned, wondering how she instinctively knew what he wanted—what he craved.
“My place is closer than yours.”
Yes, better than anyone, Piper knew what Levi wanted.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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“TELL ME AGAIN,” Levi commanded.
“My place is closer than yours.”
Piper purred the words as she pressed her mouth to the vulnerable skin just below his ear. Her breath was hot against his neck, yet Levi shivered. Taking back a bit of control, he cupped her head with his hands, marveling as her soft, silky hair clung to his fingers as if inviting him, welcoming him.
Rubbing his tongue against hers, Levi savored the taste of Piper. Peppermint. He grinned. She’d brushed her teeth. Nice. Very nice, indeed.
“Shit,” Levi muttered when he reached for her waist only to hit his hand against the center console.
“We need a bench seat,” Piper said with a breathless laugh.
“We need a bed,” he responded. “Making out in a car seemed a lot easier when I was seventeen.”
Piper kissed the back of Levi’s neck as he reached around her, took the seatbelt, and buckled it in place.
“Agreed.” She kept his hand, linking her fingers with his. “My boyfriend at the time borrowed his father’s truck. After we parked by Lake Moore, we pushed the seat back as far as possible and—”
“No.” Shaking his head, Levi placed two fingers on her lips, sealing them shut. “While I appreciate youthful ingenuity, I don’t want to hear the details about how another man took you around the world.”
“Interesting turn of phrase. In terms of the world, we got as far as Chicago—euphemistically speaking—before he came in his pants. Since he didn’t return the favor, I ended our short but memorable romance and walked home.”
“Wow. You’re tough.” Levi started the car. Keeping hold of Piper’s hand, he exited the parking lot. “The guy was excited. Men—teenagers especially—don’t always have control. He was probably embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed? Ha!” Piper scoffed. “When he was finished twitching and gasping and making a spectacle of himself, he collapsed with a shit-assed smile on his face and said, thanks, babe. That was great.”
“And all you did was break up with him?” Knowing Piper, Levi was amazed.
“I may have taken the keys and thrown them in the lake.” She chuckled at the memory. “My friend lived nearby. My date, on the other hand, was forced to walk home. Fifteen miles in a pair of sticky underwear. I hope he suffered major dick rash.”
Now that, Levi thought as took the side street, sounded like Piper. Pulling to a stop outside her apartment building, he grinned. If he hadn’t been in love with her already, her story of revenge girl-power would have sealed the deal.
“Boys can be selfish assholes,” he said with a shrug.
“And men can’t?” Piper placed a quick kiss on his lips before opening the car door. “Don’t worry. I readily admit that women are selfish, too. Nothing wrong with looking out for yourself.”
“Drop the cynical act,” Levi said, locking the car. He took her hand as they walked into the building. “You’re the most generous person I know.”
“Me?” Piper shook her head. “Hardly. Our relationship is a perfect example.”
“How do you mean?” Levi asked.
“I’ve always taken more from you than I’ve given back.”
Levi watched while Piper mulled her words as they took a short elevator ride to the fifth floor. Walking to the end of the clean, well-lit hallway, she used the keypad and opened the door of her apartment.
Taking Piper’s coat, he hung his next to hers in the closet without thinking about how comfortable and easy they were together. Whether at his place or hers, didn’t matter.
“You’re wrong,” Levi said, following her into the living room. He tossed his suit jacket onto the arm of the sofa and loosened his tie. “Our relationship is fairly balanced. True, depending on the day or the situation, the scales will tip one way or the other. In the end, things even out.”
Piper flipped off her shoes and walked into Levi’s arms. With a sigh, she rested her head on his chest, her arms tightening around his waist. Happily, he hugged her back. She tugged his shirt from his pants, finding the skin of his lower back. Slowly, almost absently, she used the tip of her finger to draw a series of circles.
“I’d like to think you’re right.” Piper tipped her head until her eyes met his. “Football is a perfect example of what I mean. You love the game, yet I haven’t been as supportive as I should have been.”
“Until today, what was there to support?” Levi asked. He started to unbutton her shirt. “When I needed you to be there, you showed up.”
“Which was the very least I could do.” Piper’s hands moved up his back until they were splayed across the surface, massaging his muscles, drawing a moan of pleasure from his lips. “Big deal. I didn’t even pay for a ticket.”
“What about me?” Levi asked as he opened her shirt to reveal a lacy white bra. He smiled when he saw the front closure. “You’re the best accountant in town but do I take advantage of your brilliant mind? Do I support your business? Nope. I use someone else.”
“Because we agreed not to mix our personal and professional lives,” Piper reminded him. She gasped when his lips moved from the warm, sensitive curve of one breast to
