They were on the back deck of Levi’s house. Cold, but clear, the stars shone brightly in the night sky, glistening off the surface of Lake Washington. In the days since they’d been tested, they hadn’t exactly kept their hands off each other.
Piper would say they were going at each other with the frequency of over-sexed rabbits—if rabbits had the kind of stamina Levi exhibited on a nightly—and daily basis. To her delight, he was not a proponent of athletes remaining celibate.
Levi claimed he might consider abstaining on the night before the Super Bowl—if he were ever lucky enough to play in the big game. But during the regular season, Piper rejuvenated him. In and out of bed.
Still, as often as they made love, until now, they’d always used a condom. The thought of going barrier-free for the first time in her life left Piper giddy with anticipation.
“Well?” he asked. “What’s the word.”
“Clean as a whistle,” Piper said, swirling her hands up and down her body. “You?”
“Pristine,” Levi told her. “My genitals are so sparkly you could eat a meal off of them.”
“You just painted a picture I could do without,” Piper said with a snort. “Wait. We’re both healthy, non-disease carrying, willing and able, consensual adults?”
“According to two members in good standing of the American Medical Association, the answer is a big, fat, yes, siree.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Piper demanded.
“I planned to give you a head start,” Levi said, waggling his eyebrows as he approached with slow, deliberate steps.
“I had the same idea—for you.” Piper nodded toward the French doors. “Run little bunny. The big, bad wolf is nipping at your heels.”
“We could stand here all night and exchange cute quips. The hell with that.” Levi lifted Piper into his arms. “I leave on a road trip tomorrow morning. We don’t have time for adorable.”
“No?” Piper asked with a laugh.
“No.” Levi took the stairs two at a time. “Any complaints?”
“Ask me later.” Piper refused to eliminate her options. “But right now? I can’t think of any.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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“THE PLANE LEAVES in thirty minutes,” Levi said. “I should get on board.”
Piper smiled. The excitement in Levi’s voice was palpable and though she was at work, she could easily picture his face. A little boy on Christmas morning came to mind.
Normally, Levi treated road trips as just another day at the office. That was before he became a starter. The Knights were on their way to Atlanta to play their first away game since he took over for Monte Oliver. His second game overall.
“I wish I could be there,” Piper said.
“Do you? Really?”
Piper laughed.
“Yes,” she assured him. “Though being with you would mean more than watching the game.”
“I’ll make a football lover of you yet,” he promised.
They both knew the odds were slim to none, but Piper appreciated Levi’s optimism.
“Have a safe trip,” she told him, already saying a prayer to the travel gods. “And bring home a victory.”
“There are seven games left in the season,” Levi told her—not for the first time. “We won’t win every one.”
“Why not?” Piper asked. Because Levi couldn’t see her, she grinned.
“You know.” Levi chuckled. “Football rarely works that way. Too many variables. Top of the list, the Knights have an inexperienced quarterback.”
“Phooey,” Piper said with a huff. “You're just as good as the guys on the other teams.”
“Your support is appreciated. But the other guys would disagree.” She could hear the shrug in Levi’s voice. “And, for now, they’re probably right.”
Piper wasn’t interested in what other people thought. All she cared about was Levi. She was firmly and forever on his side.
“I’ll call you when we get to the hotel,” Levi said. “And Piper?”
“Yes?”
“Miss me.”
I already do, Piper thought as she ended the call. She had officially become a sap for romance. Not that she minded.
A knock sounded on Piper’s door.
“Come in.”
“Sorry to bother you.”
Looking up, Piper smiled at Molly Rowe. Because her full-time assistant was on vacation, Molly was filling in. She was competent, but too shy and retiring to hold down the fort for any length of time.
“I just finished a call,” Piper said. She frowned when she noticed the lines of worry marring Molly’s brow. “Is something wrong.”
“There’s a man outside who wants to see you.” Molly sighed. “Normally, I’d send him away because he doesn’t have an appointment. But he’s very insistent about hiring you to handle his finances. Since he’s a football player, I thought you might want to see him.”
“A football player?” Piper asked. “The team is out of town this weekend. Are you sure you heard right?”
“Believe me, everyone in the building heard him boasting.” Molly rolled her eyes. “He has a cast on his right arm and left leg, so he can’t be an active player.”
A light went on in Piper’s head.
“Is his name Monte Oliver?”
“Then you do know him?”
“No.” And Piper had no desire to. “Tell Mr. Oliver to make an appointment. Better yet, tell him I won’t take on any new clients in the foreseeable future.”
“I can make you change your mind.”
Monte Oliver wheeled his way past Molly and into Piper’s office. Rather, the man pushing Monte’s chair maneuvered the Knights’ previous starting quarterback across the room, stopping at the desk.
“Should I call someone?” Molly asked, glaring at Monte’s back.
“What do you think I’m going to do, honey.” Monte chuckled, waving around the cast on his arm. “Right now, I’m as harmless as a mouse.”
Piper gave the young woman a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, Molly. Mr. Oliver won’t be staying.”
Monte didn’t bother to introduce his wheelchair chauffeur and Piper didn’t ask. The man simply stood and stared without saying a word. He gave off a creepy vibe, like a mad scientist’s henchman from a horror movie.
Piper could have made a scene. Instead, she took a seat and stated her position, loud and clear.
“As I said, Mr. Oliver—”
“Call me Monte,” he said with the kind of cocky, shit-eating grin that always rubbed Piper the wrong way.
Young, well-built, attractive in an unformed sort of way, Piper supposed he might appeal to a lot of women. She wasn’t one of them.