Free Take Me (Power Play #1) by Kelly Harper Page B

world around me is a haze-filled bliss. I can’t tell up from down or right from left any more than I can tell where my tangled limbs end and his tangled limbs begin.
    I am done.
    Not just in the sleepy way that you get after an all-night marathon fuck fest, but in the way your soul gets when it realizes it’s not going to find anything better in life. But still, a distant part of me is wary. It tells me to be careful, that I still barely know this guy, and that I need to be cautious.
    Optimistic, perhaps.
    Cautious, definitely.
    “I need to get back home,” I say, finally.
    Both of our eyes have drooped closed so many times that I’m surprised either of us is even half awake. His fingers dawdle through the mess of my brown hair.
    “Stay the night.”
    “I can’t.”
    “Can’t or won’t?”
    I let out a slow breath.
    “It’s not a good idea. There needs to be boundaries. We’ve only just met.”
    Isaac sits up against the headboard and peers down at me. His brow is knitted close together.
    “I stayed with you last night. Why won’t you stay here tonight?”
    There’s a tight buzzing sensation in my chest.
    “This is different.”
    He gives me a long, hard look, and I’m thankful when he doesn’t ask me to explain myself. Finally he nods.
    “If that is what you want, then that is what you’ll get.”
    I draw in a slow breath, then nod once.
    I’m surprised when Isaac doesn’t call me a cab. He hitches up his pants and pulls a shirt over his head and leads me downstairs. Minutes later we’re back in his Jag and driving through the romantic streets of New York City at night.  
    “You didn’t have to drive me.”
    “I didn’t let you go home alone last night, and I definitely will not let you go home alone right now.”
    “Thanks,” I say.
    I know driving me home shouldn’t be a big deal, but it is. It’s significant. It makes me feel funny things that I don’t know whether or not I’m ready to handle. It’s been a long time since I’ve ever even considered getting into something romantic, but things with Isaac don’t feel like they will remain just sexual for long.
    “I’m sorry again about your bike.”
    “Forget it. I’d give up ten of them for a night with you. No, a hundred!”
    A tiny giggle escapes me as I beam a smile at him. He returns it while still flicking glances at the road in front of us.
    “We do have one more issue that needs resolving,” I say, glancing at him from the corner of my eye.
    A tiny smirk tugs at the corner of his lips.
    “I suppose you’d like me to sign those papers and make everything official?”
    I lean in closer to him.
    “If there’s anything I can do to convince you that it’s a good idea, I’ll do it.”
    His eyes narrow as he studies me for a moment.
    “It really means that much to you?”
    I nod, quickly. “More than you know.”
    He doesn’t hesitate before he gives me a tight nod of his head.
    “I’ll have my lawyers look it over first thing in the morning.”
    My heart pounds with excitement so hard in my chest that I forget we’re driving down the street. I throw my arms around his neck and pull him into a tight hug. I kiss him on the cheek repeatedly before I realize that I’m acting like a little schoolgirl who’s just been told she’s going to see her favorite boy band in concert.
    “You’re not going to regret this. I promise.”
    He grins at me.
    “I haven’t regretted a single thing with you.”

    * * * * *

    When we pull up to the curb in front of my building, Isaac puts the car in park and switches off the engine.
    “Where do you think you’re going, Mister?” I say, giving him a suspicious look.
    “You don’t think I’m going to drop you at the curb, do you? What kind of barbarian do you take me for?”
    I lean over the console and press my lips into his. He pulls me into a deep kiss that lasts longer than I expect it to. When we finally break apart, I give his nose a quick nuzzle with my own.
    “You’re