Turning with the glasses in her hands, she found Erik watching her with a nervous look on his face. She paused as their eyes met. It blew her mind that she still had the same insane feelings for him. Her heart was beating at an erratic pace while her palms felt sweaty. Her mouth felt dry, but the spot between her thighs was slick and wet. The worst part about it all was that she swore he could see everything she was feeling. His eyes were dark with lust as he held her gaze. He was looking at her like it was a hundred degrees out and she was the sweet sun tea and he was dying of thirst. She felt like throwing their glasses of tea over her shoulders and attacking him. Not good.

Suddenly his eyes brightened with knowing, and his lips curved in a mischievous little grin before he said, “I think we should get married.”

What the …?

* * *

Piper was only blinking at him, and it was making him nervous.

Erik had a whole speech planned. It was going to be amazing and he knew he was going to be able to convince her to marry him with no problem. But that all changed when she opened the door to her house. There she stood in superhot shorts that looked like underwear and a sexy shirt that was falling off her shoulders, giving him a good enough view to know there was no bra underneath. Her hair was wet and was dripping down the back of her shirt. She looked playful and gorgeous, and he liked that combination. He also liked that she was being so spunky.

Their night together all those months ago was hot, hot, soooo f**king hot his dick was stiff just thinking about it. Or maybe it was seeing her gray couch. They had done the naughtiest things on that couch and seeing it again reminded him of that night. He got so lost on that couch with Piper that he had even thought he could be a different man when he was in her arms.

But then he went back on the road and slept with three different women just to bleach his brain of any thoughts of Piper. He knew that he couldn’t be the man that she needed, and he struggled to get her out of his mind. No sense thinking about something you could never have. He knew he had hurt her, and he did regret the pain he’d caused her, but it was for the best. She and that couch needed to be out of his life. Things weren’t safe when he was wrapped in her arms. Words came out of his mouth that he’d never uttered to anyone. Thoughts of being the man that Cooper was came to mind, and God knows that would never happen with Piper or anyone. How could it, with the godawful childhood he had had?

Erik had accepted he would never know what a woman’s love would feel like. He had the love of his brother, his mom and dad, and he was fine with just that. He had to be because he would never allow himself to have anything more. When he had first met Piper he knew she was a “love you forever” kind of girl. When she pinned him with those baby blues, he was taken in. He had never felt such a jolt and he knew then she could be trouble, because she could be someone he could love, forever—if only he would have been wired to be able to do that. It wasn’t as though she had a perfect smile, with the gap between her teeth and all. He usually liked his women very made-up, in virtual physical perfection, but something about Piper was different. She could walk into a room wearing a brown paper bag and he would still think she was the hottest thing next to the sun.

Now here he was, asking her to marry him.

And all she was doing was blinking at him like her brain had totally short-circuited.

“Excuse me?”

Erik cleared his throat and looked down as he dug into his pocket, pulling out the small ring he had picked up before coming to her house. It was nothing spectacular, just a small diamond. He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, like he cared or something … even though he sort of did.

Swallowing loudly, he held the ring out to her and said, “I think we should get married.”

Never in his life did he think he would ever utter those words.

Erik expected her to start yelling, but the next thing he knew, the glasses she held busted at their feet. He looked down in surprise at the shattered glass scattered everywhere before glancing back up at her. She just stood there, her eyes wide as quarters as her chest rose and fell in rhythm with his heart. She reached out to hold on to the counter as she took in a big gulp of air.

“Surely, I am hearing you wrong,” she finally blurted. “Because I swear you just asked me to marry you.”

Erik nodded. Feeling the need to do something, he bent over to pick up the shards of glass. “I did.”

“Why?” she squeaked. “You don’t love me.”

“I know that,” he said as he stood, throwing the glass in a nearby trash can. “But I’m in trouble and you put me there. So I need your help.”

Erik glanced over his shoulder to catch the hurt look on Piper’s face.

“You told Elli about us, and in doing so, you f**ked me. Elli is threatening to kick me off the team because she considers me a man-whore and I am tainting the image of the team.”

Piper could not believe what he was saying. Elli wouldn’t do that. Could he be serious?

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope, and since I’ve had quite a few women blame their recent pregnancies on me, it has really pissed Elli off.”

“So why marry me? Marry one of them.”

Erik gave her a deadpan look.

“Well, first of all, none of those other pregnancies were mine; DNA proved that. The rest is obvious, don’t you think? Elli knows your baby is mine, and I know she is watching my every move. I have to show her that I am not the guy she thinks I am.”