Page 31 of Collide (Collide 1)

She lifted her chin in defiance. "Pfft, your loss, buddy. "

He laughed and watched her wiggle her way through the crowd where she eventually found Trevor and Fallon still going at it. Gavin could see her gazing at him. Her hair, hanging wildly, created a tumultuous auburn curtain that swayed as her body moved provocatively to the music. It took everything he had not to stand up from the couch and pull her into his arms. But he knew that dancing with her in the state she was in, along with his increasingly aroused frame of mind, would be deadly to them both. She was definitely putting on a show for him though. She backed herself against Fallon's chest and caressed her hands down her waist. Trevor's eyes widened at the display, but nonetheless, he positioned himself behind Fallon, grinding his hips against her ass.

Emily's eyes caught Gavin's again as she gestured with her fingers for him to join her. He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side, pretending to be confused as he pointed to himself. Smiling, she nodded her head. He mouthed the word "no" and pointed to some girl passed out next to him. Although he couldn't hear her, Emily laughed, a smile beaming ear to ear as she continued to grind her backside against Fallon.

Gavin's attention broke from Emily's for a second when the incoherent girl beside him abruptly sat up and decided that the pillow she was laying on would be the perfect spot to throw up. One of her friends, who witnessed the disgusting scene, dragged the girl from the couch and helped her to the bathroom. Standing from the couch, Gavin moved across the living room, skillfully dodging several drunken people as they clung to one another in order to remain upright.

He leaned against the wall and scanned the crowd for Emily. When he spotted her, Trevor and Fallon weren't with her. Their replacement was some guy with his hands moving down her waist, his eyes undressing her, his mouth in her ear - wait - now it was on her neck. Gavin evaluated her with the stroke of his eyes, and she seemed to be content with what was happening - but Gavin wasn't. A surge of jealousy slithered its way through his body, and within a few strides, he was next to Emily. With the rigid set of his shoulders, a muscle working in his jaw, and his blue eyes filled with lethal calmness, Gavin pinned the other man with a glare. He didn't say a word, but he didn't have to because the drunk got the point and backed away slowly.

"You've come to dance with me," Emily breathed out, her skin glistening with sweat. Without warning, she slid her hands across Gavin's taut muscular chest and then wrapped them around his neck. She drew his face down to hers. "I like dancing with shmexy guys. "

With their faces inches apart, a rush of adrenaline-spiked heat coursed through Gavin's veins. His lips tingled in anticipation as he gazed at the curvature of Emily's plump lips, remembering how they felt plastered against his. He tried - God knows he tried - to keep his hands off her, but he couldn't. He found them gliding slowly down her waist, lingering as he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her skirt. He pulled her closer, reveling in the way her sweat felt against his skin.

It was Emily's turn to drag her lip through her teeth as her eyes bore into his with pure unadulterated lust. The pulsing music and the feel of his hard arousal pressed against her stomach fueled her further. She didn't know if he heard it, but a soft moan wisped past her lips. She turned around, arched her back against his chest, and tilted her neck up. Her head barely reached his shoulder. Slowly - so slowly - he pulled her arms around his neck. As her fingers tangled in his hair, he smoothed his hands down the curve of her elbows, skimmed the side of her breasts, and ultimately settled back on her waist. With their bodies moving in sync to 50 Cent talking about "Just A Lil' Bit," Emily felt her heart trip over itself when Gavin grazed his lips against the shell of her ear.

Now she wanted to turn back around and face him to see his beautiful eyes and soak in every inch of his delectable body, but when she attempted to, he held her in place. He was teasing her, and she knew it. His touch left searing heat with every inch that made contact with her sensitive flesh. It left her wanting - no, craving - more. His attention was fast becoming an addiction to her that she didn't think she could ever get enough of. If "Mother Nature" wasn't calling her name, she would've stayed in that position with him the entire night.

Quickly turning to face him, she stared into his eyes. "I have to use the bathroom," she said, the words coming out as breathless as she anticipated they would.

"I'll take a walk with you," he replied, wiping a thin sheen of sweat from his brow.

"You don't have to. "

He smiled at her almost questioningly. "I'm not letting you wander through this mayhem alone. "

She playfully flexed her bicep. "Really, I'm a tough girl. "

"Well, you're a beautiful tough girl, so I would feel better making sure you don't get mauled on your way to relieve some of that alcohol out of your system. "

She casually shrugged. "I guess you have a point. "

He led her gently by the elbow to one of the bathrooms located on the first floor. With the long line wrapping its way through the kitchen, they decided to try one of the others available on the second level. Emily peered at the mountain of stairs with a look of grief. Gavin smiled at her reaction and helped her climb her way to the top. To her dismay, the line for that bathroom was longer. Gavin let out a full throaty laugh at the look on her face. She shook her head and explained there was a third level that supposedly had more bathrooms. As he did before, he helped her up the stairs. With no line at all and the top level essentially empty, Emily was in and out within two minutes.

When Emily emerged, she found Gavin leaning against the wall, his eyes locking on hers as she walked over to him.

Mocking his position, she stood next to him, their shoulders barely brushing. She turned her neck to look up at him. "Thank you for making sure I didn't get attacked on my way up here. "

Pushing himself off the wall, Gavin stepped directly in front of her - so close that he could feel the heat emanating from her body. "Not a problem. Are you ready to go back downstairs?"

Tempting her own destruction, she shook her head. The sounds from the music and party going on below faded away. Other than her own quick breathing, Emily could hear only his voice, see only his eyes, and feel only his hot breath feath

ering her cheeks.

Gavin could feel the emotions filtering through her eyes. Lust. Desire. Want. Need. All of which mirrored his own. He stepped closer still, their eyes never unlocking. "Tell me what you want," he whispered.

Not answering and acting on impulse, she pressed herself against him, melting into the solidness of his hard body. She slowly brought her arms up around his neck, stared deep into his eyes, and pulled the smooth musky scent of his cologne through her nose. She anchored him with a salacious gaze, their lips inches apart with her sweet alcohol-infused breath dancing across his face.

"Say it, Emily. " The words came out in a low growl as he grasped the curve of her hips. "I need to hear you say it. "

Even in her alcohol-induced daze, she knew what he meant. With her chest rising and falling from her labored breathing, she answered, barely getting the words past her lips. "I. . . I want you. "

With the weight of his body, he pressed her back against the wall and licked the soft spot below her earlobe. "Tell me how much you fucking want me," he breathed.

Heat pulsed in her stomach, tingling through her entire being, as his tongue traced a wet torrid line up her neck. "Oh God, Gavin," she moaned, her body trembling. "You're in my dreams, in my thoughts, in my skin. "

Before she could catch her breath, he claimed her mouth. His lips were a shock to her system, breaking the rhythm and certainty of her beating heart. He tasted of mint, a little bit of booze, and something inherently Gavin. Delicious heat curled through every muscle, every fiber, and every cell in her body. With one hand splayed across the small of her back, he took the other and buried it in her tangled curls. Emily moaned softly as the heat of his mouth moved easily over her lips. The assault on her nerves was close to overwhelming, not allowing a single coherent thought to pass through her mind. He might have stolen her breath the first time they kissed, but here and now - stealthy like a cat burglar - he was trying to steal her heart.

With alcohol, lust, and desire reeling through her veins, Emily was dimly aware of them haphazardly stumbling into an empty bedroom. With the back of his foot, Gavin kicked the door closed. They embraced one another like a boa constrictor wrapped around its prey. Gavin let out a groan as their lips briefly tore apart, allowing enough time for Emily to pull his shirt up over his head. Gavin's fingers fumbled to unbutton her blouse, eventually tossing it to the floor. With both of their chests heaving for air - Emily in her bra, skirt, and heels and Gavin left only in his pants - they stood face to face staring at each other for a beat.

The connection caught and ricocheted through them. Never breaking his gaze, Gavin bent his head and crushed his mouth to hers again, her lips tasting better than he remembered. His hands roamed over her soft skin as he studied every inch, reading her flesh like a novel written in braille. Everything about her was pure deliciousness. He kissed her as though the brief time they had been apart had starved him of all basic human necessities. Emily released a soft whimper as his tongue laved over her ear, down to her neck, and across the curve of her collarbone. That whimper - that lusty little whimper - sent Gavin's body and mind into overdrive when they fell back onto the bed.

Dillon's name vaguely surfaced in Emily's mind, along with the guilt for what she was about to do, but those thoughts quickly faded when Gavin pulled down the scalloped edge of her white lace bra. Pushing his knee between her legs, coaxing them to open, he leaned down and licked the soft swell of her breast. Circling his lips around one taut peak, he sucked it in softly. Emily felt herself flush and grow hot as she pressed against his mouth, her body writhing with burning pleasure under his attack. His tongue skillfully made the burning heat in her stomach unfurl while each slow languorous circle and gentle stroke unraveled her by the second.

Gavin pulled her skirt above her waist, his kiss growing frantic, as his hands skimmed the smooth flesh between her legs. Emily moaned as he yanked her panties down to her thighs. Her breath caught again as his smoldering blue eyes watched her reaction when he slid two fingers - and then a third - inside her wet folds, her back arching against the sensation. Her eyes never left his as she let out a gasp. She brought her arms up, threading her fingers through his hair, and pulled him back down to her lips. As the kiss grew deeper, Gavin's response was a long drawn-out groan into her mouth, only increasing the fervor running through her.

His mouth was hot and hungry over hers - tongue sliding in and out - tasting her sweetness until he was straining for more. His body pulsed with pleasure as her nails bit into his shoulders, clawing and digging as she circled her hips against his hand. Pulling back, his mouth abandoned her lips as he continued to thrust his fingers inside, her breath mounting faster while his gaze raked over her beautiful face.

---