her dance around my foyer.
Ridiculous.
No. Cute.
“This game isn’t all about dollar signs,” I said.
“It’ll be about big, fat overdrawn checks if the Monarchs cut you.”
“Not worried about it.” I sloshed the water in the cup. “I’ve been the league’s defensive MVP for all three seasons of my career. I’m too valuable to lose.”
“Willing to risk everything for it?”
“Either I play this game the way I want, or the league doesn’t have a place for me.” I met her gaze. “If the Monarchs think I’m too aggressive and agree with that Ainsley Ruport prick, whatever. I’m not changing my style—not how I go after a quarterback and not the damn uniform I’m wearing.”
“You’d really walk away from your dream?” Piper stopped bouncing. “You have an opportunity to do something you love . Won’t you sacrifice anything for it?”
“If I love it, why would I sacrifice a damn thing?”
“To protect it.”
I snorted. “I don’t compromise.”
“No wonder you’re all alone in this big house.”
“Maybe I prefer it that way.”
“Or maybe no one would compromise themselves to stay here with you?”
That was the moment she officially overstayed her welcome.
I didn’t get pissed. Didn’t yell. Didn’t break eye-contact with her.
Despite my reputation, I wasn’t normally this cruel.
I held my glass high and slowly tipped it just enough to tease a trickle of water from my glass. The water slipped over the lip and drizzled to the floor six and a half feet below.
It struck the tile with a satisfying piddle.
And I had won.
Piper groaned. She crossed her legs and practically snarled.
“Fine, I’m leaving.” She grimaced and twisted at the waist. “But I’m not going because I’ve given up. I’m leaving because…because I have very poor bladder control these days.”
“ Uh —”
She fidgeted toward the door. “I’ll be back.”
I laughed. “I’ll be sure to lock up the breakables.”
Piper huffed. She shouldered her purse and stiffly bolted to her car. I slammed the door behind her.
Alone .
Finally.
But this was only the first battle. Piper entrenched herself for a goddamned war.
I wasn’t stupid. The Monarchs wanted to be rid of me. My career hung in the balance, and the only one who could protect it was the one woman who didn’t know the difference between offense and defense, quarterbacks and receivers, princes and beasts.
But I refused to get traded. I wouldn’t let her control me. And I wasn’t going to imagine her dancing in my foyer, no matter how goddamned beautiful she was.
But even I wasn’t strong enough to deny wishing that Piper had stayed.
Piper
“ J ust fucking marry me , Piper! Do you know how many women would kill for this chance?”
Even in the middle of a proposal, Jasper had an uncanny ability to kiss his own ass.
I considered hanging up on him, but my nerves were already grated into a shredded mess of forgotten dreams and homicidal urges—the Jasper classic.
I parked outside of Cole’s mansion and gritted my teeth. Now Jasper decided to return my call? Of course he hadn’t answered when I actually needed him. Saturday morning was a terrible time to ask Mrs. Potter to pull an overtime shift with Rose…especially when it was supposed to be Jasper’s one day with his daughter a month.
He hadn’t asked about her once during the five minutes he took to shame me into marrying him.
“Are you proposing because you want a relationship?” The thought made me gag. “Or is this because you’re tired of owing child support?”
Money which, as of today, I hadn’t received.
Jasper snickered. “Do you know any man who wants to pay child support?”
“How romantic. I’ll meet you in Vegas. We’ll get married today.”
“ Really ?”
I couldn’t tell him to screw off in enough languages. “Don’t be an idiot. I’m not marrying you.”
“It’s the right thing to do.”
Obviously not. The right thing for me to do
Ridiculous.
No. Cute.
“This game isn’t all about dollar signs,” I said.
“It’ll be about big, fat overdrawn checks if the Monarchs cut you.”
“Not worried about it.” I sloshed the water in the cup. “I’ve been the league’s defensive MVP for all three seasons of my career. I’m too valuable to lose.”
“Willing to risk everything for it?”
“Either I play this game the way I want, or the league doesn’t have a place for me.” I met her gaze. “If the Monarchs think I’m too aggressive and agree with that Ainsley Ruport prick, whatever. I’m not changing my style—not how I go after a quarterback and not the damn uniform I’m wearing.”
“You’d really walk away from your dream?” Piper stopped bouncing. “You have an opportunity to do something you love . Won’t you sacrifice anything for it?”
“If I love it, why would I sacrifice a damn thing?”
“To protect it.”
I snorted. “I don’t compromise.”
“No wonder you’re all alone in this big house.”
“Maybe I prefer it that way.”
“Or maybe no one would compromise themselves to stay here with you?”
That was the moment she officially overstayed her welcome.
I didn’t get pissed. Didn’t yell. Didn’t break eye-contact with her.
Despite my reputation, I wasn’t normally this cruel.
I held my glass high and slowly tipped it just enough to tease a trickle of water from my glass. The water slipped over the lip and drizzled to the floor six and a half feet below.
It struck the tile with a satisfying piddle.
And I had won.
Piper groaned. She crossed her legs and practically snarled.
“Fine, I’m leaving.” She grimaced and twisted at the waist. “But I’m not going because I’ve given up. I’m leaving because…because I have very poor bladder control these days.”
“ Uh —”
She fidgeted toward the door. “I’ll be back.”
I laughed. “I’ll be sure to lock up the breakables.”
Piper huffed. She shouldered her purse and stiffly bolted to her car. I slammed the door behind her.
Alone .
Finally.
But this was only the first battle. Piper entrenched herself for a goddamned war.
I wasn’t stupid. The Monarchs wanted to be rid of me. My career hung in the balance, and the only one who could protect it was the one woman who didn’t know the difference between offense and defense, quarterbacks and receivers, princes and beasts.
But I refused to get traded. I wouldn’t let her control me. And I wasn’t going to imagine her dancing in my foyer, no matter how goddamned beautiful she was.
But even I wasn’t strong enough to deny wishing that Piper had stayed.
Piper
“ J ust fucking marry me , Piper! Do you know how many women would kill for this chance?”
Even in the middle of a proposal, Jasper had an uncanny ability to kiss his own ass.
I considered hanging up on him, but my nerves were already grated into a shredded mess of forgotten dreams and homicidal urges—the Jasper classic.
I parked outside of Cole’s mansion and gritted my teeth. Now Jasper decided to return my call? Of course he hadn’t answered when I actually needed him. Saturday morning was a terrible time to ask Mrs. Potter to pull an overtime shift with Rose…especially when it was supposed to be Jasper’s one day with his daughter a month.
He hadn’t asked about her once during the five minutes he took to shame me into marrying him.
“Are you proposing because you want a relationship?” The thought made me gag. “Or is this because you’re tired of owing child support?”
Money which, as of today, I hadn’t received.
Jasper snickered. “Do you know any man who wants to pay child support?”
“How romantic. I’ll meet you in Vegas. We’ll get married today.”
“ Really ?”
I couldn’t tell him to screw off in enough languages. “Don’t be an idiot. I’m not marrying you.”
“It’s the right thing to do.”
Obviously not. The right thing for me to do
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