“I remembered what you said about not wanting to waste any more time,” she told him. “Once you declared yourself, I was bound to cave eventually. What was I waiting for? A sign from above—which would have scared the crap out of me, by the way.”
Levi let out a snort of laughter.
“What am I, Joan of Arc?” Piper continued, rolling her eyes. “She was burned at the stake for the sin of hearing the voice of God. Hell, no. I’ll pass, thank you very much.”
“You’re rambling,” Levi told her. “Don’t get me wrong. You’re adorable. I could listen to your nonsensical rants every day and twice on Sunday.”
“When you aren’t playing football,” Piper added.
“Well, sure,” Levi agreed. “But you’ve swerved away from the point.”
“Remind me.” Levi poked Piper’s ribs, making her squirm with laughter. She held up her hands in defeat. “I give in. No more verbal detours.”
As a reward, Levi kissed Piper again. So good, she thought, wondering why they needed to talk when communicating with their bodies was such fun.
“Continue,” he said.
“I did have one more thought that gave me pause.” Piper bit her lip. “Never mind.”
“Now I have to know.” Levi waited. “Do I have to use my secret weapon of torture?”
“Don’t you dare.” Piper tried to wiggle away but Levi held her fast.
“Then spill the rest or I won’t hesitate.”
Piper’s feet were notoriously ticklish. A fact that once Levi discovered, he used sparingly, but with devilish precision. Her toes curled inward at the thought.
“You’re evil.” She sighed, and, as he knew she would, gave in. “What if we break up?”
“Not going to happen,” he said.
Piper didn’t want to think about the possibility, but the pragmatist in her understood the odds were never in any couple’s favor. The fact that most of their married friends seemed happily joined for life didn’t make her forget reality—or her own experience of coming from an irreparably broken home.
“Bear with me for a minute,” Piper told him. “If something happened to us, wouldn’t you be sad?”
“Seems like a given.” Levi sighed. “I hope you’d be a little upset, too.”
“Sure. Of course. But I’m not a professional athlete. Your concentration has to be absolute.”
“And you think I’d be so devastated by the demise of our relationship that my game would suffer?” With a scoff, Levi’s chin hit his chest. “What bad teenage romance movie did you fall out of?”
“None,” she muttered.
“Let me ease your mind,” Levi said. “I’m not the star quarterback on our high school team and I won’t fall to pieces because, you, the head cheerleader, breaks my heart before the big game.”
“You don’t have to be so dramatic.” Annoyed, Piper turned her back to him. “I wanted to cover all the bases, that’s all.”
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…?”