most plays.” I tapped the book. “And this is who I’m after—the other team’s quarterback. See these five guys on his offensive line? They exist to protect him from me.”
She didn’t buy it. “Cocky, aren’t you?”
“You don’t believe me?”
She arched an eyebrow. “A quarterback needs five men to protect him from you?”
“Sometimes more.”
“How dangerous. Here I am…sitting in the belly of The Beast.”
“Would you rather sit in my lap?”
“I won’t learn any football then.”
“What better way to teach you downs than by going down?”
“You’re a terrible tutor.”
“I’m a better lover,” I promised.
“I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“I can give you a demonstration.”
“Oh, that’d be fun, but I just agreed to be tutored by some big, mean linebacker who wants to teach me how to play the foosball.” She flipped through the pages of the playbook with a smirk. “Let’s start with the basics, big boy. And try not to be too offensive, there’s a baby in the room.”
Easier said than done. Damn tease.
Piper knew the type of pleasure I could offer, but she refused me every time I got close. If I chased, she’d play the mother card. Rose buzzed at her side, just happy to be a part of the group and armed with enough Cheerios to make a mess in my kitchen. Maybe a baby would have scared off another man, but if he couldn’t see Rose for the gift that she was, he didn’t deserve a woman like Piper.
I ignored the heat surging through my veins. Piper was right. Lessons came first…followed by the lady.
I gave her a brief summary of the game. Positions and downs, rules and formations, scoring and penalties. Piper was more intelligent than anyone I knew, and she picked up on a decent amount of terminology at the agency. She learned the rest quick enough, using my instruction and the videos I pulled from YouTube.
After an hour of study, Piper closed the playbook. Rose toddled around the kitchen, amusing herself with a pot, a wooden spoon, and the ability to dish out migraines. I sipped from my soda and shrugged.
“Any questions?”
“Yeah.” She stole drink and took a sip, almost daring me to lose my shit. “Why does everyone call you The Beast?”
Any question but that. I didn’t answer.
Her gaze lingered on my bare chest. “Why do you get so many penalties and cause so many problems for your representation?”
“Sorry to be a burden, Highness.”
“You know what I mean.”
I wasn’t giving her the truth, so I offered the obvious instead. “The league is all about player safety. When your twinkle-toes quarterback has a hundred-million-dollar contract, you gotta protect him. They added new rules, and now we play differently. More conservatively with a kinder, gentler tackle.
“But, aren’t you just…smacking into someone? I didn’t know there was a tackling technique.”
“Want me to show you?”
“Uh, I rather not get hit, thank you very much.”
I didn’t want to hit her either, not unless it was a good spank before a deep thrust. I curled my finger, beckoning her closer. “I won’t hit you. Just trust me.”
“Oh, sure. No problem.”
“You afraid of a little hands-on experience?”
Piper’s lip twisted, an amused smile. “All in the name of education?”
“Of course. Come get me. Show me how you’d tackle me.”
She glanced over the kitchen. “Here?”
I loved her confidence. “Do you really think you can bring me down?”
“I could bring you to your knees in an instant, Cole Hawthorne.”
Wicked woman.
“The key to a clean hit is extending yourself across the ball-carrier’s body.” I took her arms and laid them over me, where she would have gripped me in a tackle. Piper played along, rolling her eyes. “Wrap me up. Aim with your shoulder, not your head. Drive forward.”
Piper barely touched me, but the warmth of her arms stirred through me. She shrugged, her citrus scented curls tickling my chest.
“I’m half your size. It’s ridiculous.”
Rose darted around our feet. Somehow she found one of my shoes. The damn thing was as big as she was, but she presented it to her momma like it was some sort of treasure.
I had an idea. It was a bad idea. A terrifying idea, but I knew how to win her over.
“Think of tackling like it’s a big, intense hug,” I said.
I reached down, grasping the kid under her arms. Rose giggled as I accidentally tickled her, but at least she didn’t scream.
I lifted her from the ground, amazed by how little she weighed and how easily she surrendered to being hauled into the air. I