Not So Casual: Part 4: Bre & Collin #4 (Power Play Series Book 16)

by Kelly Harper

  “Wait!” Bre yelled, without thinking.

  She jumped out of her seat and cleared the distance between them before Collin could even turn around. She still clutched his incredibly sweet and thoughtful gift in her hand.

  Collin looked her up and down, not saying anything. The guarded look in his eyes made her feel even worse. She knew it was going to take more than just telling him how she felt to have a prayer of making this right. She took a deep breath. Why did this have to feel so difficult?

  “You’re right, I haven’t been completely open with you,” she said. It wasn’t the best beginning… but it was something.

  “You know you can share anything with me, right?” Collin said.

  “Yes.”

  He stared at her for a long moment. Bre knew he wanted more than she was giving him—it just felt impossible.

  “I don’t understand,” he said, shaking his head in frustration. “Did I do something that made you not trust me?”

  “No, it’s not that. If anything it’s the opposite.” Collin gave her a blank stare, clearly not sure how to respond to that. She sounded crazy; and that only made her feel worse. “It’s just that… there are parts of my life that I don’t let other people see. It doesn’t have anything to do with you. It’s just how I am.”

  “Are they bad things?” he asked.

  “I guess that depends on what you mean by bad.”

  His eyes widened, just a bit.

  “Do you keep children locked up in your closet or something?”

  “No,” she said, not sure if he was serious.

  “Well, do you have a collection of animal organs you keep preserved in glass jars? A torture chamber? Nazi collectibles from the war?”

  “Gross, no! Nothing like that,” she said, letting out a little laugh. Collin smiled along with her. It felt nice to see him let down some of his guard. “I’m not a psycho or anything. I just… I don’t have my shit together like you do. I think I missed the part of life where you’re supposed to start acting all responsible and stuff.”

  “I definitely don’t feel like I have my shit together… And I’m not expecting you to have your whole life figured out either.”

  “It’s embarrassing. Like really embarrassing. You don’t know how intimidating it is to date a smart and responsible man like you.”

  Collin put his hands on her shoulders, giving them a comforting squeeze.

  “Bre, I don’t care about any of that stuff,” he said. “What’s important to me is that you let me into your world. I don’t want some dolled-up fake version of you. I want something real.”

  She wanted to die on the inside.

  “That scares the hell out of me.”

  “Me too.” Bre was about to say something, but then bit her lip and held it back. “What is it?” Collin pressed.

  She hesitated again, even though she knew she couldn’t keep things from him anymore. God, this whole being real thing sucked.

  “I want you in my life,” she said, finally.

  A huge grin spread across Collin’s face.

  “Good. I want you in mine too.”

  Bre beamed at him. She felt lighter. Not like all the pressure had lifted off her shoulders, but at least some of it.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  Collin cocked an eyebrow and gave her a devious look.

  “Perhaps, on the way to your place, you can think up some way to distract me from all the things you don’t want me to see…”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” she agreed. “But we’d better make it quick; before I chicken out.”

  He hugged her tight and pressed a warm kiss into her forehead.

  “Come on, let’s go.”

  Chapter Nine

  Bre didn’t think she’d ever been so nervous in her entire life as the moment she turned the key to unlock the door to her tiny apartment. Was it too late to say a silent prayer that some cleaning fairies had shown up to organize her life while she’d been gone? Was she really ready to handle Collin turning around and running from her as fast as he possibly could when he realized how crazy she was?

  She held her breath and pushed the door open. The apartment was nearly pitch black and Bre cursed herself for not leaving even a lamp on. It wasn’t a big deal for her, but Collin would definitely break his neck trying to make his way through her place in the dark. Walking into a dark apartment shouldn’t be a big deal, but Bre was a special case.

  She made her way inside, cautiously. Her goal was a tiny lamp on an end table in her living room that wasn’t too far from the front door. The problem was she was trying so hard to look graceful and in control because of Collin that she completely forgot the stack of books she’d set near that very same table earlier that afternoon. Bre’s foot struck the pile just as her fingers caught the string to turn on the lamp. The tiny room was illuminated as a jolt of pain ran from her toe through her entire foot.

  “Ow!” she cried out, only barely managing to catch herself so she didn’t completely topple onto her face.

  “Are you okay?” Collin asked, leaping next to her in the blink of an eye.

  “I’m fine,” she said, shrugging him off.

  Why did he think he needed to be so concerned about her? They were in her place, after all. She rubbed at her toe for a moment and the pain subsided. Her ego was far more injured than any other part of her.

  Collin didn’t take his eyes off her until it was obvious she was fine. His eyes widened when he finally looked around the room.

  “This is quite a place you’ve got here…”

  Time stood still as Bre watched him take everything in. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a guy in her place. There had been plenty of guys that wanted to see it for themselves, but she wasn’t lying when she said she kept this part of her life to herself. Her apartment was her sanctuary. She liked it that way. And Collin standing in her living room was making her deeply uncomfortable.

  She studied his face for what felt like a full ten minutes, noting every subtle twitch and glance as he looked around. She didn’t dare ask him what he was thinking. She already knew, and it wasn’t good.

  “I’m a complete mess,” she said out loud.

  “No… It’s fine.”

  Bre rolled her eyes.

  “You don’t have to say that to make me feel better.”

  “That’s not what I’m doing. Honest… it’s not that bad.”

  Not that bad. She suppressed a loud groan.

  The truth was: her place was a complete wreck. Her apartment had sparse furnishings and every spare corner of free space was occupied by piles of books, poster board, laundry—dirty and clean—or an assortment of other odds and ends. She didn’t even spend much time reading all the books, or doing anything with the various arts and crafts projects she always thought would be fun. She just didn’t have that level of commitment.

  And that was a whole other issue she was dealing with…

  Bre had enough drive to go out and buy a new book she wanted to read, or buy supplies for a project she wanted to start, but not enough to actually follow through on any of these ambitious activities. Maybe one day she’d learn how to grow up and be an adult. Until then, her apartment was destined to look like it belonged to a fourteen-year-old that had just discovered boys for the first time and had no idea how to get her life together.

  “I’m sure you’re wondering how long you have to stay before you can make up some reason to get out of here without being rude.” She gave Collin a flat look. “Don’t worry, I’m giving you a pass. You can leave if you want. No hard feelings.”

  She was completely serious. She wouldn’t hold it against him if he took off—she would do the exact same thing in his shoes. But she would also make sure no other guy ever set foot in her apartment. Ever.

  Collin somehow made the terrified look on his face disappear as he stepped close and wrapped his arms around her. He fixed her with a reassuring smile.

&nbs
p; “The only place I’m going tonight is to bed with you.”

  Bre’s eyes darted between his. Was this some kind of trick? He looked completely serious. Maybe he was just putting on a strong front to save her any more embarrassment. Surely that’s what it was. It was only after reassuring herself that she fully realized what he’d said…

  Crap! Her bed!

  “I need to clean it off first,” she said, urgently. “And I should probably wash the sheets.”

  He gave her a sideways look.

  “Should I be wondering about who you had in your bed before me?”

  Her cheeks blossomed red as she quickly shook her head.

  “It’s not like that. There hasn’t been anyone. I just… I’d feel better if we had fresh sheets tonight.”

  A grin spread across his face.

  “I was just teasing you.”

  That only managed to fluster her even more.

  “Of course. I knew that,” she said, flicking her hand dismissively.

  Jeez. Could she make herself look like an even bigger idiot?

  “Relax,” he said, reassuringly. “We all have our things. I’m not dating you because I’m secretly hoping to discover you’re a closet neat-freak.”

  She didn’t have to force the smile that spread across her face.

  “I know I give you a lot of shit, but you’re really very sweet.”

  “Bre… did you just pay me a genuine compliment?”

  She rolled her eyes, mostly to ward off even more heat in her cheeks.

  “Just this once. Don’t get used to it or anything.”

  “I wouldn’t dare.”

  “Good.” She eyed him up and down. Hunger grumbled inside of her, but it wasn’t the kind that could be fed in the traditional way. “I should throw those sheets in the wash. You’ve got a flight tomorrow and I don’t want to keep you up all night.”

  Collin pulled her tight against his hard frame. The bulge growing in his slacks caught her by surprise. Her place was a complete mess—her entire life was a complete mess—it shouldn’t be this easy to get him in the mood.

  “Who says I’m not going to keep you up all night?”

  The hunger inside her boiled.

  “Maybe the sheets can wait just a bit.”

  Collin flashed her a devious look.

  “That’s the first time you’ve made sense since we got here…”

  Chapter Ten

  Everything happened so fast that it was impossible to tell her limbs from his as their arms wrapped around each other. Their mouths connected and their lips immediately parted, giving way to their hungry tongues.

  The taste of him was a blur of sensations. It had been far too long since Bre had him in her mouth. She’d missed just how much the taste of him intoxicated her.

  His strong hands slid up her back, fingers pressing into her. She moaned loudly, losing herself in all the wonderful sensations. All her fears about where they were disappeared. Collin had broken down defenses that she’d held firm for longer than she cared to admit. He’d turned them to nothing.

  Bre was eager to give herself to him in a way that no one had ever had her. Submitting to him in her apartment—in her safe place—was a wholly new thing for her. She was about to finally give herself to him in the way she’d wanted since they’d first come back from the Hamptons.

  Collin’s hands slid down to her ass. Shivers washed over her when he cupped her asscheeks. Bre’s legs spread and wrapped around his slender waist as he lifted her up. The bulge of his hard-on rubbed between her legs, grinding against the sensitive spot that had been neglected for the last two weeks.

  He carried her out of the living room into the only connected hallway. She didn’t have to tell him where to go—there weren’t exactly a lot of options for exploring her tiny apartment. They entered the hallway, and it was only in the last instant that Bre remembered what was waiting for them…

  Too late.

  There was a loud thud as Collin’s foot connected with something hard. He grunted and stumbled forward. Bre had to let go of him to catch herself so they didn’t both fall over.

  Her cheeks scorched red as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. It didn’t take long to identify the culprit: the heavy dresser she’d moved out of her room a few weeks earlier. As usual, she’d gotten distracted in the middle of everything and had never finished what she started. She basically didn’t even notice it anymore when she squeezed by it in the narrow hallway.

  “What the hell is that doing here?” Collin said, scowling at it.

  Ugh… and everything had been going so well!

  “My dresser.”

  “I can see that, but why is it right there? Did you run out of space in your room?”

  “Not exactly. I just… I was rearranging a few weeks ago and never got around to putting it back where it goes.”

  Bre wished there was a better explanation, but the truth of the matter was fairly straightforward.

  There was just enough light from the living room to make out the incredulous look he gave her. He was surely reassessing everything he thought he knew. Maybe Collin was only just realizing that she wasn’t lying about the extent of her craziness. Yes, her apartment looked like it was ransacked by robbers. That was just how she lived.

  “Weeks?” he said.

  “Weeks… months… it’s all the same in the end.” She let out a sigh. “Look, I told you there were going to be things about me that you would have to get used to. This is just a part of who I am.”

  There was a long pause before he responded; her imagination filled the silence with the worst thoughts possible. His dick had probably gone completely soft and would never get hard for her again.

  “Is there anything else I should be expecting?”

  “Don’t think you can handle it?” she asked, suddenly indignant about the whole situation.

  “I can handle anything you bring my way,” Collin answered without even a moment’s hesitation.

  Her eyes widened as an excited rush pulsed between her legs.

  “Is that so?”

  He nodded.

  “The question is: are you going to be able to handle what I give you?”

  She bit her lip.

  “Why don’t you stop wasting time and find out for yourself?”

  In a flash, she was in his arms and their lips were going at it like nothing had even happened. Collin carried her the rest of the way into her bedroom—this time without any issues. He lowered her and she quickly shoved away the pile of laundry from its usual home at the end of the bed. Collin didn’t say anything about it; probably because he actually wanted to get laid and knew what was best for him.

  They both started ripping each other’s clothes off. Enough light came in through the window next to her bed that Bre got the chance to admire Collin’s athletic chest as he unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down over her ass and off her legs. Collin’s pants quickly followed. His rock-hard cock sprung out like a caged animal.

  “I’ve been looking forward to this since I was on the other side of the world,” Collin said, gazing down at her, taking all of her in.

  It had been weeks since they’d seen each other. And if she only had one night with him before he flew out of the country again she wasn’t about to take it slow.

  Tonight was about one thing: fucking.

  “If you make me wait a second longer to have your dick inside of me you’re not going to like what happens…”

  Collin didn’t need any more motivation than that. He grabbed his cock and pressed it into her soaked pussy. She’d been fantasizing about it for the last two weeks and she had to suck in a long breath as it invaded her body.

  “Give it to me!” she moaned.

  He lived up to his end of the deal. He worked her harder and more thoroughly than he ever had before. Everything felt like it was on another level. More sensitive. More amazing. He looked divine as he plunged himself in and out of her. It felt like only a brief second passed bef
ore she was coming. Her core quivered and contracted around his throbbing cock, as though she were trying to squeeze the life out of it.

  Her first orgasm was intense, but brief, and Bre was quickly back to grinding her hips as Collin slid in and out of her. The light from the window behind her bed made the thin sheen of sweat glint on his muscular chest. He looked so delicious.

  Damn, she loved having him inside of her.

  His assault was unrelenting and with each pump his breath became more and more labored. But he never slowed. He just kept giving it to her. It was incredible. And just like that, Bre was coming again. She let out a loud scream as another pulse of blinding light washed away everything but her ecstasy.

  A grin spread across Collin’s face.

  “Twice already?”

  She shot him a fierce stare when she finally came back to her senses.

  “We’re just getting started.”

  In one fluid motion, Bre shifted her weight to the side and pressed Collin over. He rolled with her and she ended on top of him, riding his cock. It was so fluid they might have coordinated it ahead of time but that’s just how connected they were. Completely in sync with each other.

  His cock always felt larger when she was on top. She could easily shift herself to make it hit all the right spots. And that’s exactly what she did.

  Bre worked her hips forward, backward, and side to side. The look on Collin’s face let her know she was on the right track. She wanted to milk him for everything he had. Judging by the way his cock was trembling inside of her, it wouldn’t be long before he gave her exactly that.

  “You’re so fucking hot,” Collin said. His hands clamped around her tiny waist, pinning her in place as he started fucking her from the bottom. “Everything about you. You’re fucking perfect.”

  “Everything?”

  “Everything. You’re flawless.”

  “You’re just saying that to flatter me.”

  “Yes. But it’s the truth.”

  She bit her lip.

  “It’s working.”

  His cock twitched and felt like it grew even harder inside of her. Collin thrusted it hard and fast. Her core tightened around him, preparing for yet another orgasm. Was she really about to come again this quickly? She’d never come this quickly so many times before.