Page 34 of Total Shutdown

Eyes wide and a perfectly manicured brow arched, she turns around to face me. I haven’t even acknowledged the blond dude since I reached the bar, but I can feel the weight of his stare as I focus solely on Collins.

I can’t make out if she’s more pissed or shocked right now, but I can definitely tell she’s both. And like each time before, her reaction fortifies my need, daring me to challenge her in the way I know she likes.

This girl doesn’t want a man at her feet. She wants a guy who’ll toss her around the bedroom and tussle for dominance.

“Is this your, er …”

“Boyfriend,” I finish for the blond-haired guy as he shifts awkwardly next to us.

Collins’s eyes drop to my hand as I wrap my palm around her hip, turning her to face me fully.

I know the sparkle in her eyes isn’t from the twinkling lights pinned to the ceiling above us; it’s fueled only by the charge we both feel when I touch her.

She lifts her gaze back to mine, and I watch the way her throat works on a swallow.

“I’ve been waiting on our drinks for a while,” she finally says.

Without saying a word, the guy takes the hint and returns to his friends, pulling a smirk from me while I stare down at her.

She bites on her lip, a subtle flush warming her cheeks. I know she’s fighting a smile, and I know a part—or maybe even all—of what just happened pleases her.

“You gonna beat on your chest like a caveman now?” she asks in a steady tone that’s all fake.

I shake my head slowly—pleasure, satisfaction, and realization rolling through me.

I want this girl.

“Come home with me.” The words hang between us, and my lungs tighten while I wait on her response. “We both know that wasn’t the last time.”

For a brief second, I see my need reciprocated in her expression, and then it’s gone. As quickly as it appeared, she wipes it from her face, shutting me down in her trademark way.

Collins shrugs and breaks eye contact, attempting to garner a bartender’s attention. “We can’t sleep together again. It’s not a good idea.”

Despite the disappointment settling in my gut, I squeeze my palm still wrapped around her hip. “Give me one good reason why, Collins.”

A staff member acknowledges her, gesturing to give him a minute, and finally, I have her eyes back on mine.

She blows a breath into her cheeks, another shot of vulnerability crossing her features. “Because I don’t do sex when it can get complicated.”

She reaches up on her tiptoes, and I lean down to meet her height.

Glossy lips tease the shell of my ear as she says, “And especially when that complication involves a man who I can tell wants more from me than I can offer. I don’t know exactly where you expect this to go, but it doesn’t involve catching feelings.”

Satisfaction inflates my chest. It’s the first time she’s been truly honest with me, lowering her defenses even a fraction.

I lean into her ear, the charge between us at an all-time high. “Aren’t you a little bit intrigued by this? I know I am. I want to know where this can go.”

She shakes her head, dismissing the notion immediately. “We already turned that stone over. You’re just horny.”

“Maybe I am, and I don’t see anything wrong with that. Are you horny, Baby Girl?”

She inches back from me, brown eyes narrowed at the nickname. “Yes. But it’s nothing a toy can’t cure.”

My dick stirs. Images of Collins with a vibrator between her thighs is all I can see.

She drops her eyes to the front of my pants, releasing a satisfied noise. The sound only drives my need further.

“Come home with me,” I repeat. “Let me be your toy. You can ride me all night and call all the shots on what we do.”

---