Smiling, Levi banded his arms around Piper’s waist, pressing her back to his chest.
“I, my darling, am a fully grown adult with a fairly good head on my shoulders.” He kissed the side of her neck. “Would I be upset if the impossible happens and we part ways? Hell, yes. I’ll rage and rail and get drunk while my buddies tell me I can do a lot better as I cry a few manly tears into my beer.”
“You won’t find anyone better for you than me,” she told him.
“No, but the bro code states that in such cases, friends are required to lie through their teeth.”
“Women live by the same rules,” Piper said.
“Heartache isn’t gender-specific.” Levi rested his chin on Piper's shoulder, nuzzling her neck. “I might turn into an emotional wreck if you walked away,” he said. “But not on the field. Never during a game.”
“Why?”
“Too many people counting on me.” Levi shrugged. “Simple as that.”
Piper believed him. She didn’t exactly feel better. Talking about a breakup when they’d barely begun wasn’t the kind of breakfast conversation conducive to good digestion. However, the knowledge that her actions wouldn’t be the reason the Knights lost, helped ease her mind.
“Anything else?” Levi asked. “Worries? Concerns? Conundrums?”
Piper hesitated—just for a second. She saw no good reason to pull Levi into her ongoing family drama. Once she decided to be with him, her mother’s threats no longer mattered—they were nothing more than the usual blend of crazy lady theatrics.
“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
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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
