Collide (Collide, #1)(17)
Attracting, compelling, colliding, their chemistry—to say the least—was explosive. He felt it the first time he laid eyes on her, the drawing energy that radiated from her eyes as she stared into his. Standing among the empire he had built while the sun cast its rays against the steel giants lining the streets, he fought back the overwhelming urge to pay her another unexpected visit. Shaking his head at the insane thought, Gavin moved across his office. He sat down at his desk, went through some quarterly reports, and tried to rid the woman that could never be his from his mind.
It was then that Gavin’s older brother, Colton, walked into the office.
Crossing his arms in annoyance, Gavin glared at his brother with a displeased look on his face. “Where were you? Did you not receive the message I left with Natalie regarding the meeting?”
Colton gave Gavin a wry smile. “I must say you play the roll very well, little man,” he answered evenly, striding across the office as a muffled laugh left his lips.
“Stop being a wiseass. Really, what the f*ck happened?”
“Jesus, Gavin, I got hung up on the home front with Melanie and the kids. Theresa and Timothy had a preschool musical.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He frowned, rocking back in his black leather chair. He had a soft spot for his niece and nephew. “I would’ve gone to see it.”
Colton waved a dismissive hand, his green eyes shimmering. “Don’t worry about it; they did just fine without Uncle Gavin.” He laughed and patted Gavin on his shoulder. “And I’m sure you did just fine without me during the meeting.”
Gavin snorted through his nose and muttered, “They’re f*cking sharks if the numbers aren’t appealing to them.”
“That’s the business.” Colton shrugged and took a seat on the black leather couch. “We have people who invest in our company, and we need to produce the revenue they’re looking for in return.”
Standing up from his chair, Gavin effectively ignored his brother’s words and walked back over to the window.
“So are you ever going to secure an evening out with Alicia?” Colton probed.
Without turning around, Gavin crossed his arms and let out a chuckle. “I can’t deny that I don’t admire the way you’re able to seemingly transition from one topic to the next, Colton.”
“There’s a true compliment somewhere in that statement. But seriously, man, Melanie’s been bothering me about hooking you two up for a while. Just come out with us one night and decide if she’d be someone who would interest you.”
“I see you two are on the finding-Gavin-a-secure-relationship mission again.”
“Mission—not quite. But I think it’s about time you get over her.”
Snapping his head in Colton’s direction, Gavin’s eyes lit up with raw amusement. “Do you think I’m honestly not over her?” He almost laughed. “It’s been two years.”
“Well, she definitely caused you to draw back from forming other attachments—long-term attachments, that is.” Colton rose from the couch. “They’re not all the same, little man. She was just in it for all the wrong reasons.”
Gavin’s jaw tensed almost imperceptibly. “I really have no desire at all to talk about this,” he said, his voice holding a warning.
“Fair enough. Are you coming to dinner tonight at Mom and Dad’s?”
Shrugging into his suit jacket, the barest suggestion of a smile played on his lips. “Yes, I’ll be there—with the exception that you and my wonderful sister-in-law are not hiding a secret date for me under the table.”
Colton dug his keys from his pocket, gave an impish smirk, and walked out of the office.
By the time Gavin left, it was gridlock in Manhattan. Sighing, he rubbed a palm over his face as he gripped the steering wheel of his black BMW. While waiting for a herd of pedestrians to cross the street, he realized he was at the corner beside the restaurant where Emily worked. The blood drained from his face at the sight of her opening the door to leave. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he contemplated pulling over to say hello, but as soon as the idea entered his mind, a horn cut through his thoughts. Flipping the bird to the impatient driver, Gavin slid into first gear and navigated his way through traffic. He averted his eyes to the rearview mirror, trying to catch one last glimpse of her. It was then that his father’s far-fetched story about love at first sight slammed into his mind.
“She’s out there, son, and when you find her, you’ll know it the very second you see her. She’ll pull at your every instinct. Without any regard to the natural order of things, she’ll just…appear.”
“This is utterly f*cking hilarious,” he laughed, tapping his finger on the steering wheel. “I’ve got to be out of my mind thinking about this girl.”
With so many conflicting emotions, over the next hour, Gavin thought about his beliefs carefully. As Manhattan’s skyline disappeared from view and the sprawling trees that layered upstate replaced it, he swore to himself that he would try to rid Emily from his mind—though he wasn’t quite sure if that was possible.
Applying the last bit of mascara to her lashes, Emily tore her attention away from the mirror. The slamming door signaled Olivia’s arrival home from work.
She hurried into the living room. “I’ve been calling and texting you all day,” Emily let out breathlessly, slipping on a pair of red heels. “Why didn’t you call me back?”