Casual: Part 4 (Power Play Series Book 12) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Casual

  Part 4

  A Power Play Series Novella

  by

  Kelly Harper

  kellyharperauthor.com

  CASUAL: PART 4 copyright 2017 by Kelly Harper

  CASUAL: PART 4 is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite online retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Table of Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Casual: Part 4

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  Prologue

  Logan

  The smile on my face vanishes and the pleasant warmth from the wine turns to ice in my gut. I invited Aimee to the wine cellar so we could have some privacy before returning to the City. But now, everything is going sideways.

  Quickly.

  “I told you I feel a connection with you,” I say, firmly.

  “I just don’t want you to feel trapped or obligated into something because of me.”

  I shift from one foot to the other. My brow tightens as I try to make sense of what she’s telling me.

  “Where is this coming from? Are you saying you want to leave this here?”

  “It’s just… you’re busy closing this deal. And I know it’s important to you… I understand if you want this to be casual so you can focus on what matters…”

  And there it is… casual.

  The ice in my gut spreads throughout my body. I can feel the walls forming around my heart, tightening my chest, insulating me from the pain. I’m familiar with this feeling. Dare I say I’m getting comfortable with it.

  If this is what she wants, this is what she’ll get.

  “Yeah, maybe you’re right. Things are a little crazy.” I say, shrugging a shoulder. “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Or the next day. So if you’re looking for some kind of commitment…”

  It’s complete bullshit, but if Aimee wants out then so be it. I’m not going to beg her to stay with me.

  “You should focus on that,” Aimee says. “I don’t want to be in the way.”

  I don’t say anything. I just stand there. Stunned and unable to move. I can’t believe she’s already pushing me away. Was everything she told me a lie? Was all that talk about feeling a connection just bullshit?

  She stares at me for a long moment. Her beautiful blue eyes glisten in the dim light of the wine cellar as they search my face. I can tell she wants me to say something comforting—probably more for her benefit than mine. But if she’s going to walk out on me like this then I’m not going to make it easy on her.

  Finally, she breaks the silence.

  “I need to finish getting my things together,” she says. “Just let me know when we’re heading back and I’ll be there.”

  I nod.

  “I will,” I say.

  The words come out cold. As cold as the ice I feel in my chest right now. I don’t budge as she gives me one final look before pushing past me. It isn’t long before the clapping of her feet on the stone floor fades into the background.

  I remain motionless for what might be a lifetime. There haven’t been many times in my life when I’ve felt this paralyzed. It’s rare that anyone surprises me. I usually have such a good read on everyone.

  But not this time.

  Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. Aimee has defied my expectations since the moment I saw her in the bar. I’ll admit it… I hadn’t thought much of her at first. I mean, sure, she’s hot as hell. But I got over chasing every hot piece of ass that comes my way a long time ago. It takes a lot more than looks to catch my attention.

  A lot more is exactly what I got when Aimee approached me at the bar.

  When she told me buy her a drink I knew I was in trouble. She wasn’t like all of the other women who troll the bars looking to hookup with a rich fund manager. I could tell right away that she had no idea who I am. More importantly, I could tell that she wasn’t interested in me because of some title, or the fact that I have my own Wikipedia page where anonymous people try to estimate my net worth.

  She was interested because she could see the person I am beyond all that. Our connection cut straight through the superficial layers that protects who I really am.

  So, what the fuck is going on now?

  Why is she running away? Why is she trying to act like she doesn’t feel anything between us? What more do I have to do to show her how important she is to me?

  She’s driving me fucking crazy!

  I hate it.

  And I love it.

  The caged emotions are too much. They’ve got to come out.

  I suck all of my frustrations into the center of my chest and then release them at the top of my lungs. The stone cellar echoes and amplifies the noise. It’s so loud I’m sure everyone in the entire mansion hears it. The echoes finally fade, leaving nothing but the sound of my heart slamming in my chest.

  If Aimee isn’t going to stick around then it’s for the best that I find out now, before it’s too late. It doesn’t matter how different she is… I don’t want to be with a woman who just wants me for my money. I also don’t want a woman who is going to run every time something scares her. I want a woman who wants to be with me.

  No… I want a woman who can’t live without me.

  I want a woman who’s going to fight for me every bit as much as I fight for her. I made it clear to Aimee that I feel a connection with her. I’ve done everything to reassure her. But none of that seems to matter. Her ex must have left her with some serious trust issues. I wish I could be the one to help her with them, but I can’t do anything if she won’t let me in.

  I let out a sigh and look at the half-empty bottle of wine sitting on the table. Things did not go how I expected this weekend. Friday night was incredible. Maybe if Mara and Lucas never showed up Aimee and I could have moved at a more reasonable pace and we wouldn’t be in this situation.

  But things don’t always work out the way we want.

  I don’t believe in fate, but I do believe there’s a narrow window at the beginning of a relationship that will set the tone. Not every relationship can make it past that point. Not every relationship should make it past that point. Maybe this is one of them.

  Tomorrow my li
fe will return to how it was when I woke up on Friday, before I ever met Aimee Watson. A busy week will keep me distracted long enough to try and put this weekend behind me.

  Maybe it’s for the best.

  It’s not like I can do anything about it, so it had better be…

  Chapter 1

  Aimee

  Mara and Lucas?

  Together?

  And they’re planning something behind Logan’s back…

  I have to do something! But, what?

  The sound of them having sex reminds me that I’m still slumped against the wall next to the sauna with nothing but a fogged-over glass door separating us. I need to get out of here before they notice me.

  I back out of the hallway, slowly and quietly, until I’m out of the locker room. I need to find Logan and warn him. Even if things are weird between us, I would feel terrible if something bad happened to him that I could have prevented. Not to mention the other things I wanted to talk to him about…

  Why did Gervas tell me Logan would be in the gym if he wasn’t? Gervas always seems to know where everyone is. Did he know I would run into Mara and Lucas or was it just an innocent mistake? Maybe I should bring that up with Logan too.

  The mansion is still unnervingly quiet. Most of the house staff must still be at the banquet or cleaning up after it. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen any of them except Gervas. Maybe Logan gave them the rest of the day off.

  It isn’t long before I realize that I’m heading in the direction of my room. At least, that’s where I think I’m heading. I guess I really won’t ever get the chance to learn my way around this place. Hopefully that thought won’t haunt me for too long.

  When I arrive at my room I’m surprised to find a pair of unexpected visitors standing outside my door.

  “Bre, what are you doing here?”

  She’s stooped down, taping a piece of paper to the door. She looks up at me, startled. Collin is with her, wheeling a suitcase behind him. She flashes him a nervous look before responding.

  “I didn’t know when you were going to be back,” she says.

  She looks down at the piece of paper in her hand before extending it to me. A note and a suitcase can only mean one thing.

  “You’re leaving?”

  “We wanted to spend some time alone in the city. You know, before the week starts…”

  “And you weren’t going to tell me?”

  She waves the piece of paper.

  “I was leaving you a note.”

  “A note? Why didn’t you just text me?”

  Bre winces. She grabs my arm and pulls me a few steps away from Collin.

  “What’s going on?” I whisper. “Is everything okay?”

  “It’s nothing,” she says, quietly. “It’s just… we were hoping to get some quiet time for ourselves.”

  “And you didn’t want me to know about it?”

  “I didn’t want you to talk me out of it.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “It’s just… I don’t know. I’m new at this.” She sounds completely unsure of herself. “I don’t know how someone is supposed act, you know, when they like someone.”

  My eyes widen, surprised by what she said.

  “Like?” I ask, tilting my head.

  Her brow knits together into a dangerous scowl, revealing a hint of the Bre I know and love.

  “You don’t have to make a big deal of it!” she glances over her shoulder to make sure Collin isn’t too close. “I’m just trying to take it slow and figure things out.”

  I can’t help but smile.

  “I’m happy for you. I’m sure things are going to be great.”

  Bre rolls her eyes.

  “Don’t get your hopes up just yet… And don’t you dare tell Stephanie.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” I say, pulling two fingers across my lips to zip them shut.

  She gives me a hard look, as though to make sure I know she means business. Bre gets so touchy about the most random things. It’s almost comical.

  But I wouldn’t dare let her know how funny it is. That would be like signing my own death warrant.

  “So what’s going on with you and Logan?” she asks, sounding more relaxed.

  I let out an exasperated sigh.

  “I think I’ve got a bigger problem on my hands than Logan…”

  She cocks an eyebrow and gives me a look.

  “What did you do now?”

  “Hey! This one isn’t my fault! I caught Mara and Lucas… together.”

  It takes a moment for what I said to really sink in. Her eyes widen in surprise.

  “Like… together together?” I nod. “Isn’t she supposed to be Logan’s pretend fiancee? Do you think Lucas knows they’re not really engaged?”

  “I think they’ve been planning something behind Logan’s back this whole time.”

  “What could it be?” she asks.

  “I have no idea, but it can’t be good.”

  “Are you sure you heard them right? Maybe they’re just fooling around?”

  I shake my head.

  “No, they’re definitely up to something. They mentioned not having to fake it for much longer.”

  “Actually, I might have an idea about that…”

  Bre and I round on Collin so quickly it obviously startles him. Bre gives him the hardest look I’ve ever seen.

  “Well? If you’re going to listen in on our conversation then you might as well go ahead and tell us what you know.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to listen in… I just heard you mention Lucas and Mara being together.”

  His utter lack of surprise at hearing about the two of them gives him away.

  “You knew about it? Why didn’t you say anything?”

  He hesitates before responding.

  “I don’t know the specifics but Mara has been getting close to Lucas for a while now.”

  I stare at him, dumbly.

  “And you didn’t think this was important information to share before now?”

  Collin actually looks frustrated.

  “Look, I’m not the only one who already knows about it…”

  My stomach tightens.

  “Logan?” I ask.

  Collin hesitates, again.

  “I could get in a lot of trouble for sharing any of this with you.”

  “I didn’t find out about them from you. I witnessed it for myself. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  He shakes his head.

  “That’s not what I mean. Lucas isn’t the first guy that she’s gotten close to…”

  Isn’t the first guy? There are others?

  “Are you saying that Logan has her sleeping with other men? Why would he do something like that?”

  Collin holds his hands up, shaking his head.

  “I’ve said enough already. If you want to know more then you should take it up with him.”

  “You can’t just make an accusation like that and then stop talking about it!”

  The look Collin gives me makes me feel like a naive child.

  “You do realize who you’re dealing with, right? People like Logan and Mara play at the highest stakes. Neither of them is afraid to do whatever it takes to get ahead. If that’s too much for you to handle then you should just leave well enough alone and stay out of it.”

  My stomach sinks even farther. The thought of Mara seducing Lucas as a part of a business plan is utterly disgusting. I don’t even want to think about it anymore. Collin might be right. There’s obviously way more going on here than I realized—I should just get out while I still can.

  But I know I can’t. My gut is telling me that Mara and Lucas have something up their sleeves. If something bad happens to Logan—something I could have prevented—I’d never be able to live with myself. I need to talk to him.

  I let out a frustrated sigh.

  Why do things always seem to get more and more complicated around here?

  “Maybe I
should just go back with you two,” I say. Bre rounds on me and gives me a death stare. “I was just kidding! I can’t leave, I need to at least tell Logan what I overheard. I owe him that much…”

  Bre studies my face for a few breaths. She must see just how stressed I am because her face softens into something that might be called sympathetic. She hooks an arm under mine as she draws herself close.

  “I can stick around if you need me to,” she says.

  Collin takes a step forward and looks like he’s about to say something, but one look from Bre cuts him off. I pat her hand and give her a warm smile.

  “I’ll be fine,” I reassure her. “You two have your own stuff to figure out. Let’s grab drinks later this week and I’ll catch you up on everything.”

  She nods and squeezes my arm one more time.

  “Don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything,” she says.

  “Thanks. I won’t.”

  If nothing else, at least this weekend has brought Bre and I closer together. At least that’s something.

  Chapter 2

  Logan

  The laptop screen snaps as I slam it shut. I suck in a few deep breaths while staring out over the marble balcony, trying to clear my head. A little sunlight and the sound of the water against the coast while catching up on emails was supposed to distract me from thinking about Aimee.

  It isn’t working.

  How can a woman get herself inside my head so quickly? I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t want any of this. This weekend was supposed to be a relaxing reprieve from working on the deal before things get really crazy again.

  And then she showed up…

  Everything has been fucking chaos ever since. She’s the only thing I can think about. The only thing I want is to be at her side. To be inside of her. She makes me feel more complete than I’ve ever felt before.

  My cock lurches.

  Christ. It’s waking up again.