Levi squirmed and reminded himself he was not a kid. His body was a finely tuned instrument, synchronized with his mind for optimal performance. Elite athletes were always in charge, always in control.
“I don’t need to come,” he muttered under his breath. “I’m good. I’m strong.”
“Oh!” Piper gasped. “Oh, no.”
“What?” Startled, Levi looked around the room. “Did something happen?”
“Your beautiful body is covered in bruises,” she said, practically in tears as she lightly touched one darkening spot after another.
Of course, Piper would cry. Her soft heart couldn’t bear to see anyone in pain. She wore her feelings on her sleeve. When Levi felt the first drop of moisture fall onto his back, he took her hand and raised it to his lips.
“Nothing hurts,” he said. A white lie, but he didn’t feel guilty for the telling. “The bruises you see are normal. I got off easy. You should have seen some of the other players. They were beaten up.”
“Am I supposed to feel better?” Piper asked in a huff. “I know those guys. Some of them are my clients. More important, they’re my friends. If they hurt, so do I.”
“Each one is a grown man who chose to play professional football.” Levi turned on his side, urging Piper to lie next to him. He folded her into his arms. “We know the risks. We accept the inevitable aches and pains because we love the game.”
“The money helps.” Piper sighed.
“Yes.” Levi wouldn’t lie. “Most of them didn’t grow up with a lot. I didn’t. My parents struggled to put food on the table, to pay the rent. Football was my way out. I’m grateful Mom and Dad lived long enough to benefit from my good fortune.”
“I overreacted,” Piper said. “My dad wasn’t rich, but we never had to worry about where our next meal would come from. I’m a turd.”
Of all the things Piper could choose, she picked a turd. Levi laughed, amused, and confused by how her mind sometimes worked.
“Why should you feel guilty?” he wanted to know. “Your mother is enough of a cross to bear.”
“Don’t mention her.” Piper pushed Levi to his back. Leaning over him, she nipped at his chin, soothing the sting with a lingering kiss. “Change the subject. Fast.”
“What?” Levi asked as Piper’s lips moved across his chest and down to his stomach. “Keep kissing me like that and I won’t be able to remember my name let alone what we were talking about five seconds ago.”
Without warning, Piper tugged his underwear down his legs, tossing the boxers over her shoulder. She straddled his hips and slowly unbuttoned her shirt.
“How did you know that white lace is my weakness?” Levi smiled into Piper’s eyes. “Makes your skin look like smooth, silky cream.”
Piper let out a sigh of pleasure as Levi cupped her breasts. Her head angled forward spilling her hair over his hands. Sitting up, he flipped the catch on her bra, and sitting up, took her nipple into his mouth.
“I didn’t finish my inspection,” she said.
“Later,” Levi whispered. “We have all night.”
Piper gripped his head, holding him close as though, despite his words, she feared he might stop. She had nothing to worry about. Levi was exactly where he wanted to be. Nothing but an act from above would move him—surely God wouldn’t be so cruel.
“You smell so good.” Levi breathed deep, inhaling Piper’s scent.
“Not as good as you,” she said, her teeth tugging on his earlobe. “I should bottle the fragrance and call it Levi. I’d make a fortune.”
Levi's hands moved to Piper’s hips, pulling her close, rubbing himself against her warm, wet heat. Her movements were restless, her gasps of pleasure music to his ears.
“On a scale of one to ten, how much do you love your underwear?” Levi asked, impatient to remove the last barrier between them.
“What a silly question.” Piper gave him a vague, hazy frown. “Why would I love a pair of underwear?”
“Can’t think of a reason in the world.”
Wrapping his hands around the fragile lace, Levi tore the piece of fabric in two.
“I would have happily taken them off.” Piper’s laugh turned into a moan as Levi touched the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. He moved higher, finding her center, and she melted.
“What were you saying?” Levi asked.
“I have no idea.”
Cocooning Piper in his embrace, Levi rolled toward the edge of the bed.
“Careful,” she warned with a laugh. “Another inch and, splat. We’ll hit the floor. Brazilian Cherry hardwood is not forgiving to the body.”
Levi stretched toward the chair, his fingertips grasping the very edge of his jacket. Once firmly in his grasp, he rooted through the inside pocket.
“Gotcha,” he declared. He waved a single foil packet through the air.
“What in the world?” Piper's eyes widened. “Is that a…”
“Condom.” Levi’s face glowed in triumph.
“Why would you carry a condom in the suit you wore for the after-game press conference?” Piper’s gaze narrowed. “Did you expect to get lucky with one of the reporters?”
“I keep a few in the glove compartment of my car,” Levi said as he expertly rolled the necessary layer of protection down the length of his erection. “I grabbed the box before we entered your building.”
“Such a good guy.” Piper rewarded Levi with a passionate kiss. “I have some in the drawer by the bed.”
“A man should always be prepared.”
“Just an FYI. In case the need arises at a future date,” she said with a shrug. “The prepared thing goes for women, too, by the way.”
“Do you want to fight over who wins the merit badge?” Levi asked. “Or should we stop talking and make love?”
“What have we been doing up until now?”
“Foreplay fun and games.” Levi flipped Piper onto her back. “Now, we’re getting serious.”
Piper met Levi’s kiss halfway. Her fingers bit into his shoulders as she pressed her body to his. She gave as well as she took, a woman who could be strong and gentle at the same time.
“Don’t wait,” Piper gasped.
“Are you ready for me?” he demanded, getting his answer when she grabbed his hips, urging him forward.
Levi groaned, thrilled that she was ready, that she wanted him. That the intensity of Piper’s desire matched his own.
Kissing her again, Levi entered Piper’s body. His breath caught in his throat as the feeling of rightness flowed through him.
“Piper?” Levi captured her face between his hands. “Look at me.”
Green eyes met brown and she blinked as the sexual haze lifted.
“Levi,” she sighed.
“I love you,” he said, laying his heart, his soul, bare.