Page 25 of Well Played

I looked at the time on my phone. “For an hour. And no going off the block.”

Just like earlier today, he bolted before I’d finished my sentence.

Levi and I cleared the table. I set our plates in the sink and turned on the water to rinse them. “These are the little things I love about living here,” I said. “Never in a million years would I tell my son he could go outside and ride his bicycle unsupervised in New York City.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

As I loaded the dishwasher, Levi leaned against the counter next to it. He folded his arms across his chest and lifted an inquisitive brow. “So…the coach wants to give youhis pipe?”

I waved him off. “That’s just my friend Kat being cheeky. Jeremy was being polite and offered to help with referrals for The Palm. He’s a general contractor, so he has a lot of contacts. Kat is making it more than it is.”

“You sure about that? Men don’t generally offer a woman help without wanting something in return.”

“So you’re saying there’s no such thing as nice people anymore? Everyone just wants to get in each other’s pants?”

“Not necessarily. It’s not always about getting into someone’s pants. But there’s usually something people want in return when they’re nice.”

“Yes, they wantkindnessin return, Levi. When did you become such a cynic?”

“I’m not a cynic. I’m a realist. Half the time, we don’t even recognize we’re doing it. It’s just human nature. If your rent is late, you’re a little nicer to your landlord because you’re going to need an extension. You have two weeks to return something and it’s been two and a half since you bought it? You walk into the store and smile at the lady behind the counter. You want in a woman’s pants, you offer to help her find the contractors she needs.”

I folded my arms across my chest. “Oh really? Well, you just helped me clean up after dinner. What exactly would you like from me?”

Levi’s eyes flickered to my lips a moment. It was so fast that I almost thought I’d imagined it. But the heat between my legs told me I hadn’t. He looked away. “We’ll agree to disagree. But don’t say I didn’t warn you ifthe good coachwants more than to be helpful.”

***

The following afternoon, I again sat with Kat on the bleachers, waiting for camp to end for the day. That woman had some sort of radar, because she didn’t seem to miss any hot-guy sightings.

“Holy crap.” She lifted her chin toward the bottom of the bleachers. “I’m gladthat guywasn’t standing in front of me at the gym this morning. I was doing thigh presses, and I might not have been able to open my legs to pee later.”

A man stood at the railing watching the field. His back was to us, but the view was pretty damn great anyway. He had broad shoulders, tan skin, and the tapered V-shape of a swimmer. Not to mention, he wore a backwards baseball cap, which I’d always found sexy, for some reason. I was just about to comment that I might join a gym if that guy was a member, when the man turned around and faced the bleachers.

Shit.I shut my eyes. Seriously? I did not need to see any more of Levi’s skin. As it was, I’d spent too much time daydreaming about piercing it with my fingernails. I was really glad I hadn’t commented to Kat now.

But what was Levi doing here, anyway? And more than that, why didn’t he have a damn shirt on?

Levi scanned the bleachers. Spotting me, he smiled and jogged up the stairs.

Kat nudged me. “Oh my God, is that Tanner’s brother, Levi?”

“It is.”

“Christ on a cracker. Wow. He’s even more gorgeous in person than he looks on TV. You have to introduce me.”

I inwardly rolled my eyes, but put on a southern smile as Levi approached.

“Hey,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“I was passing by on my way back from the store, so I thought I’d stop and watch Alex play for a bit.”

“Did you...lose your shirt at the store?”

“No, wiseass.” He thumbed toward the other end of the bleachers. “There’s a kid down there in a wheelchair. He recognized me when I walked in and said he was a big fan. I had on a Broncos T-shirt, and he said he liked it. So I gave it to him.”

“Oh…that must’ve been Cody Arquette’s older brother,” Kat said. “He’s got spina bifida, and he does love football. Comes to every game at the high school.” She held out her hand. “I’m Kat, by the way.”

“Levi Miller. Nice to meet you.”

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