Collide (Collide, #1)(16)

Dillon spotted Gavin as he approached. Turning to Emily, he let her know he’d be right back. He stalked over to Gavin, tossing his arm around his neck. “Everything taken care of?”

Crossing his arms, Gavin took a step back. “Yeah, she’s gone. What the f*ck are you doing? Are you still messing around with her?”

Dillon shrugged nonchalantly. “I was, but I’m done with her now. She kept calling and harassing me. You know how she gets.”

Dillon went to walk away, but Gavin grabbed his arm. “Man, seriously, you have a pretty cool woman now. What the f*ck is wrong with you?”

Laughing, Dillon pulled his arm away. “There you go again concerned about what I’m doing. You just worry about yourself. I told you that I’m done with the whore.” He tossed his shot down his throat. “Come on, I don’t want to waste anymore of my night on her.” He started to walk away and then turned back. “Oh, I told Emily you used to f*ck around with her.”

Before Gavin could say a word, Dillon walked back over to Emily, a smile twisting on his lips as he kissed her. Gavin watched as his friend played the smooth Jekyll-and-Hyde he’d come to know over the years. Gavin couldn’t help but notice the way Emily stared at him as he lounged back into his seat.

“You really do know how to pick them, Gavin,” Emily laughed, tilting her beer to her mouth. “The library—don’t forget the library.”

Gavin finished his beer before leveling an icy look at Dillon. His eyes then flicked to Emily as he rubbed at his chin absentmindedly. “Yeah, I’ve had my share of troubled women I guess,” he said, motioning for the bartender to bring him another. “I’ll definitely start with the library as you’ve suggested, Emily.”

Over the next few hours, Dillon became mindlessly hammered. The many beers and shots of tequila had caught up with him. By the end of the night, both Trevor and Gavin had to help him out to Trevor’s SUV. Having lost all patience by that point, Gavin tossed him in the backseat and closed the door behind him.

Trevor shook Gavin’s hand and got into the vehicle.

Emily stood in the parking lot, feeling embarrassed by Dillon’s drunken stupor. “I’m sorry about this. He gets a little out of hand when he celebrates a new account.”

Gavin leaned against the vehicle, his eyes coming to rest on her lips. “There’s no need for you to apologize on his behalf,” he softly remarked, his eyes shifting to meet hers. “I’ve known him long enough to know how he gets.”

Drawing in a deep breath, Emily held her hand out. Trying hard to appear relaxed, her voice sounded unnatural and shaky. “Well, it was good officially meeting you, Gavin. I guess I’ll see you around.”

Closing the space between them, he reached for her hand. He felt momentarily frozen as he stared deeply into her green eyes. He simply shook her hand and gave her a smile. “It was good to have finally met you, too, Emily. I’ll see you at the Fourth of July party.”

Slipping into the front seat, she nodded and smiled in his direction. “Fourth of July.”

Standing in the parking lot, Gavin watched them disappear into the heavy traffic of Manhattan while the shock of the evening from discovering who Emily really was washed over him.





Chapter Four


Unexpected Details





“Mr. Blake, the board is pleased with this quarter’s earnings. We’re also anticipating further growth next quarter for Blake Industries, considering the new Armstrong account you’ve acquired.”

Gavin stroked his fingers rhythmically across the sleek mahogany conference table. “That’s wonderful news, Barry. Have we heard anything on the Kinsman account?”

Ten pairs of eyes swung to the man as he nervously rifled through some files.

Another executive chimed in all too eagerly before he could answer. “Yes, Mr. Blake. They’ve accepted the offer and should be ready to move forward by the end of July, sir.” The man cleared his throat. “I gave all of the necessary paperwork to your brother.”

Gavin rose from his chair, gave a satisfactory nod, and called the meeting to an end.

As the last of the board members exited, Gavin sauntered over to a floor-to-ceiling window in his office. Peering down to the streets of Manhattan, he watched the chaotic lives of others rumble on below him. At the age of twenty-eight, he knew he had the world by the balls. Blake Industries was one of New York’s largest advertising agencies. Nevertheless, he lacked the most vital necessity ever—love. He inwardly knew it; hell, he knew it better than he knew his own facial features. Though he played the dating game after a long-term relationship ended, few—if any contestants—evoked feelings within him.

Finding someone who truly wanted him for who he was had become…interesting since the breakup.

Watching the tiny figures below scurry along the sidewalks, he found his thoughts racing back to Emily. It had been less than twenty-four hours since he was hit with the fact of whom she really belonged to. Gavin seethed at the fact that Dillon used him as a pawn with Monica. Yet, even though he had an attraction to Emily, Gavin knew he had to cover for his friend.

Still, his emotions volleyed back and forth between the lie he had been forced to tell and the upsurge of want for her snaking its way through his mind. Sure, some of it was a sexual attraction. Emily was beyond beautiful, and he couldn’t deny that fact. However, that wasn’t what fueled his desire for her. He couldn’t quite define exactly what it was, but he knew it was unlike any other attraction he’d ever had. He felt a connection to her—a deep pull within his gut that she was supposed to be with him.