Page 26 of Collide (Collide 1)

After taking a few minutes to grasp the fact that she was about to spend her afternoon in a very uncomfortable situation, she emerged from the bathroom and found Gavin casually leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed. She could hear Dillon and Cali-Girl laughing in the other room, but the conversation was inaudible.

"You find this whole thing funny, don't you?" she asked.

Smiling, he stepped closer. "You don't?"

She stepped back. "Not as funny as I think you find it. "

Undeterred, Gavin stepped closer still. "We're pals, remember?"

Not saying a word, she took another step back, only to find she was now against the wall with her sweaty palms pressed against the cool surface.

He propped his hand just above her shoulder, angling his head to the side as he ducked down to stare into her eyes. "It's just lunch," he said, his voice low, seductive even. "Friends have lunch together all the time. "

Closing her eyes, Emily tried to concentrate on the distant echoing of Dillon's voice in the other room, but Gavin's sweet breath so close to her was making it difficult. Goosebumps erupted all over her skin.

"You're fucked up," she breathed, her heart ricocheting in her chest so hard she swore he could see it.

"You think so?"

Swallowing hard, she opened her eyes and nodded.

He caught his bottom lip, dragging it slowly between his teeth. "Then, can I make a confession since I seem to be a pretty fucked-up guy to you?"

The husky sound of his voice made a fresh round of butterflies explode within her stomach.

Another speechless nod.

Softly running his fingertips down her bare arm, he slipped a bottle cap into her hand. He leaned in inches from her ear, his voice nothing but a whisper. "I completely forgot to give you this when you walked in. "

Smiling, he backed away and walked into his room, closing the door behind him.

Emily let out the breath she was holding, trying to restore her jumping pulse to a normal rhythm. A knot swelled in her throat. After shoving the damn bottle cap into her purse, she made her way back into the living room and sat on the couch next to Dillon. Over the next fifteen minutes, while waiting for Gavin to get ready, she endured Natasha's mind-numbingly detailed explanation of her recent plastic surgery endeavor to lift her ass higher. Even though Natasha seemed to be a nice, slightly confused girl, by the time Gavin walked into the living room, Emily was more than happy to get the hell out of there.

If it were even possible, the elevator ride down was more torturous than the ride up. The sexual tension in the small space was so thick that Emily could feel it slithering across her skin. The two couples stood across from one another on each side. Dillon and Natasha talked about stock options that he felt she should look into purchasing. Smiling, Gavin casually leaned against the wall, snaking his arm around Natasha's waist, his eyes never wavering from Emily. She watched him just as intently. He was decked out in a form-fitting black shirt that strained around his muscled forearms and black slacks that snuggly hugged his tapered waist. When the cheery ding of the elevator rang on the bottom floor, Emily slipped out as fast as she could, finding retreat in the open-aired space of the lobby - away from him.

Stepping out from the building, the couples decided that they would all drive in Dillon's car over to the restaurant. As Natasha and Gavin sat in the backseat, Emily lost track of the amount of times she rolled her eyes at every giggle that escaped Natasha's lips, caused by something whispered by Gavin.

No doubt something sexual in nature.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Dillon helped Emily out from the car as Gavin did the same with Natasha. Although the savory smell of the Greek food lingering in the air surrounded Emily's senses, she didn't have much of an appetite once the host showed them to their table.

"So, Emily, you're really beautiful," Natasha remarked from across the table. "Have you ever, like, thought about getting into modeling? You're over eighteen, right?"

"Um, yes, I'm twenty-four. But I've never thought about doing anything like that. Besides, I like food too much," she laughed, handing the menu back to the waiter.

Dillon reached for Emily's hand and looked to Natasha. "I wouldn't want her modeling anyway. "

"And why is that? She'd, like, make totally awesome money, and I have the best agent in New York that I would totally introduce her to. "

"She doesn't need to worry about money. " Dillon leaned back in his seat. "It's just something I'd prefer her not to do, that's all. "

Natasha shrugged and flipped her hair to the side.

"So Dillon said that you'll be teaching in the city this year?" Gavin asked, glancing in Emily's direction.

"Yes," she replied, placing a napkin in her lap. "Over in Greenwich Village. "

"Yeah, she's teaching first graders, so I don't have to worry about any of her students developing a crush on her," Dillon laughed and leaned over to kiss her neck.

"Ah, but you may be incorrect on that, Dillon," Gavin said. "I had a thing for my first-grade teacher when I was a kid. "

Dillon took a swig of his whiskey on the rocks and laughed. "Are you for real?"

"I am," Gavin leaned back in his chair. "If I recall. . . " He paused for a second and smiled. "Her name was Miss Molly. And, man, let me tell you, I had it bad for her. She drove something in me that I couldn't quite understand. "

Emily shot him a wry smile and rolled her eyes.

Natasha laughed, playfully smacking him on his arm. "Like, you were totally after women even then, huh?"

"Apparently, he was. " Emily tented her hands under her chin and eyed him from across the table.

Smirking, Gavin drew up a brow but remained silent.

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"Holy shit, if it isn't Dillon Parker!"

Emily turned around and observed a tall man around their age beaming a smile, his brown hair slicked back with a good amount of gel.

"No fucking way!" Dillon stood up, rounded the table, and shook hands with the man. "Where the hell have you been hiding?"

The man smiled. "Down in Cancun with the luscious senoritas, but I am back and hotter than ever. "

Dillon turned around to Emily. "Babe, this is an old buddy of mine from college, Keith Jacobs. Keith, this is my girlfriend, Emily. "

She shook his hand, and Dillon introduced him to Gavin and Natasha. Small talk was briefly exchanged, and Dillon excused himself from everyone to go chat it out with Keith at the bar for a few minutes.

Figuring she could play the game just as good - if not better - Emily smiled and turned to Natasha. "So, Natasha, have you had the chance to visit the New York City Public Library yet?"

"Oh, well, not yet, but I like to read magazines. I'm sure they have some there, right?"

Gavin smiled in Emily's direction, thoroughly enjoying her wiseass remark. He knew exactly the conversation she was referring to by bringing up the library.

"Absolutely they do. " Emily widened her green eyes. "Hundreds, if not thousands, of magazines would be right at your fingertips. " She took a sip of her much-needed Cosmopolitan and smiled. "I bet there's a ton of Vogue magazines as well. "

Natasha smiled. "Thanks for the suggestion. Like, I'll totally have to check it out one day," she giggled. "But, right now, I have to powder my nose. I'll be right back. "

She stood up, dropped a chaste kiss on Gavin's temple, and scooted her way across the restaurant, her ass chucking firmly from side to side as she adjusted her tube dress.

"That was pretty funny," Gavin laughed as he slightly leaned across the table. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you're a pretty funny girl. "

"Really, Gavin? A man of your stature dates a ditz like that? I guess you weren't kidding when you said you attracted the all-beauty-and-no-brains type. "

"I told you we all have ways of filling voids in our lives," he shrugged. "She gives me what I need, and I give her what she needs. It seems fair to me. "

"Oh, that's right, 'cause who could honestly miss the rock hanging from her neck?"

"You seem. . . upset?" he replied, his voice monotone and his face impassive.

Emily inwardly flared but kept her tone to a whisper. "You want to know what I'm upset about?" He nodded, not taking his eyes off her. "I'm upset that you blatantly go out of your way to make me uncomfortable. What happened to your whole wanting-to-be-friends gesture?"

"Am I making it that hard for you?" he asked mockingly.

"Yes, Gavin, you are," she quietly spat, her fingertips white-knuckled around her glass.

With his need for her trapped inside - blistering hot, sweltering, ready to explode - he leaned in closer, dropping his voice. "Good, because whenever you're near me, I fucking lose every bit of self-control I have left. "

Emily's throat tightened at his unexpected words. She breathed out heavily, the sound hanging in the air as the tingles coursing through her entire body came in crashing waves. And, to top it off, with every second he stared at her the way he was, she was getting hotter. The impact created an explosion between her legs, causing a chain reaction of anger mixed with more desire for him than ever before.

Emily returned his hot gaze with one of her own, showing a streak of defiance as she tried to catch her breath. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to give in to what I see behind your eyes every time I'm near you. " Slowly - so slowly - he licked his lips as his brilliant blue eyes hardened with palpable lust. "I want you to give in to the way you trembled in my arms when I touched you. . . the way your breathing becomes faster when I look at you. "

Staring at him, her heart ricocheted in the cavity of her chest, but she was unable to form a sentence.

"I loved the way your lips felt against mine, and I'm pretty sure you did, too. I also enjoy the way I can almost feel you becoming wet for me right now. " Leaning in closer, he dropped his voice to a hard whisper. "Are you going to pretend that you don't feel anything for me, Emily?"

He wasn't even touching her, yet he was correct - her panties were damp. She hated that he was right; she hated that he could notice every physical and emotional reaction she had toward him. And she hated that she wanted him so bad she could taste it.

Damn him.

"I'm not answering your question," she breathed out.

Their eyes seductively bored into each other like two charging bulls relentlessly ramming against a cage.

"You don't like answering questions," he stated through gritted teeth, trying to fight his urge of dragging her clear across the table and into his arms. He could've devoured every inch of her body right there. Like a tornado ripping through anything in its path, her presence alone was pulling him into her.

Damn her.

"No, Gavin, I don't like answering your questions," she quickly whispered. "And it looks like I don't have to because your void-filler is walking this way. "

Gavin's pupils lost her gaze and dilated with awareness of what she said. Casually leaning back in his seat, he plastered a fake smile across his face as Natasha approached the table.

Before taking her seat, she leaned down and pulled him in for a kiss. Emily was foolish not to peel her eyes away from their open-mouth exchange. She felt a nauseated pang deep in the pit of her stomach at the sight of Gavin sliding his hot tongue over Natasha's mouth. She didn't know why she was having such feelings, but in that moment watching them, she felt pissed, and she knew she had no right to. When the kissing skit finally ended, Gavin's blue eyes flitted over to Emily; his gaze was unsteady with a strong hint of something akin to an apology shimmering behind them.

One corner of Natasha's mouth tipped in a satisfied smile before she took her seat next to him. "Sorry I took so long. Like, I had to totally empty out my purse to find my lipstick. "

Emily drew in a long breath and almost jumped up when she felt a large hand squeezing her shoulder gently. She turned around, and it was Dillon. Meeting his gaze, she tried to get her heart to slow from its frantic shock of the conversation that had just ended.

The waiter eventually brought their food. Heated glances exchanged between her and Gavin for the remainder of the meal kept Emily's hands nervously dancing with her silverware.

After being forced to endure an hour of mind-fucking conversation regarding Dillon's concern over Gavin's stock portfolio choices, Emily was elated when the couples finally retreated to Dillon's car, putting an end to the afternoon that had left her stomach in knots. She was practically silent during their drive across the city to drop off Gavin and Natasha at his place, but if Dillon noticed her sudden change in demeanor, he didn't comment. When they arrived at Gavin's high-rise, Emily claimed she wasn't feeling well, grasping for any excuse to stay in the car while Dillon walked them up to the entrance. He politely kissed Natasha's cheek and bade his farewell to Gavin with a firm shake of his hand. While Dillon was heading back to the car, Emily's eyes were magnetically drawn to Gavin, who was holding the door open for Natasha as she sauntered into the lobby flipping her hair. Before he followed Natasha into the building, Gavin turned around with both of his hands buried in his front pockets and threw Emily one last longing, piercing stare that would stay burned into her memory for the rest of the afternoon.

Dillon lounged into his seat and smiled. "Ready for some Fifth Avenue shopping?"

Although feeling like she had just escaped from a psychiatric ward, Emily plastered one of her own fake smiles on her face and nodded to Dillon. "Yes, let's get out of here. "

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