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charming.”
    “I’m serious. I play defense—I don’t know the meaning of a quick score.”
    “Fortunately for me, I’m no longer flattered by men with slick tongues.”
    “If they’re just flattering you, your men have been doing it wrong.”
    Her eyebrow quirked. “May I come in?”
    Piper tried so hard to be professional, but I wasn’t conducting business without a little pleasure first.
    She wasn’t getting an inch unless she took all nine.
    I kicked the door and let it swing behind me, wide open. “As much as I love a good house-call…”
    “I aim to please.”
    “I know why you’re here…and it’s not for the dirty things I’m imagining.”
    Piper sighed. “It feels so nice to be respected.”
    “I can make you feel better than respected, beautiful.”
    “You could offer…” she said. “And I’d most definitely refuse you.”
    “You’d try.” I shrugged. “But you know my record, Miss Madison. I’m a born winner. When I want something, I get it.”
    “I think we have more in common than you believe, Mr. Hawthorne.”
    Piper dared to take a step inside without permission. Then another. And another. She brushed past me, invading my house.
    My home.
    My sanctuary.
    Foolish little girl.
    “You know why I’m here,” she said.
    Enough of this bullshit. “You know what I’m going to say.”
    Piper wasn’t listening. Her gaze drifted past me as she studied the decadent, unsightly décor of my family’s mansion. Her mouth dropped open. I guessed this prison was something impressive.
    The foyer’s ceiling rose two stories above. The entry was crowned with sculpted columns and the light from the towering plate window. The marble suited her—a pale coldness against the warm heat of her hazelnut skin.
    “Wow…” She whispered.
    She hadn’t even seen the best parts of the mansion. The kitchen. Wine cellar. Pool. Gardens.
    My bedroom.
    I didn’t invite many people into my home—and I definitely hadn’t welcomed Piper inside. But there she stood. Trespassing, staring, speaking . Breaking my silences.
    “Well…” She forced a smile. “I get it now. I wouldn’t want to leave this place either.”
    “It doesn’t matter to me.”
    “This is…an amazing house.”
    “Just some walls. A ceiling. Somewhere to sleep.”
    “That’s a lot of room for a bed.”
    “At one point I thought that’s all I needed to make it a home.”
    Piper peeked further into the hall. “It’s not?”
    Why the fuck was I talking? “Look, it’s great that you stopped by to get in my way—”
    “I’m trying to help your career.”
    “It doesn’t need help .”
    She could see past my shoulder and glanced at the wall-sized television in the den. It paused on the worst headline of the newscast.
    Cole Hawthorne – The League’s Dirtiest Player?
    “Oh, sure.” Piper nodded. “Your career has never been better.”
    “Tell me, beautiful.” I crossed my arms. “Do you know anything about this game?”
    “Enough.”
    “Really? Is the Monarch defense 3-4 or a 4-3? Do I play nickel on third downs? Am I a better pass rusher or blitzer?”
    Piper quieted to hold my stare. “Will any of it matter if the Monarchs’ cut you?”
    “I’m not signing a damn thing.”
    “And I’m not leaving until you do.”
    Stupider words had never been spoken.
    “Wanna run that by me again, little girl?”
    She stood her ground. Maybe she wasn’t brave, just foolish. “I’ve been very patient with you, Mr. Hawthorne.”
    “Don’t I pay you ?” I edged closer to her. “Maybe it’s time you realize that I’m in charge here. This is my choice.”
    “With all due respect—”
    “—You’re giving me none—”
    “This deal is important to both of us. I’d advise you to listen to reason.”
    Piper couldn’t intimidate me, but her beauty would stop my heart. Not much to pump when it all pooled below the belt.
    I shouldn’t have liked her game, but I was never one to back away from a challenge.
    “And if I