Collide (Collide, #1)(88)
His warm fingers lazily traveled up her spine, coming to rest on the nape of her neck. “You deserve to be loved like that,” he whispered against her hair.
When he pulled back, their lips were close. With the slightest movement from either, they would connect.
With his whisper bracing soft and sexual, Emily pulled in a ragged breath and tried to ignore the electricity tingling over her skin. The combination of his touch and the seductive sound of his voice had her body aching with need. Now she was breathing harshly. She felt her breasts rising and falling and noticed his gaze flick over them as she looked away, not saying a word.
Gavin stopped moving, and Emily brought her attention back up to his face.
His touch was almost unbearable, whispering over her jaw, as his gaze penetrated into her. “I can still taste you on my lips.”
Heart ricocheting through her chest, Emily lost all ability to think and simply drowned in the feeling of his hands, now tenderly floating down her waist. Unable to speak, she simply looked up into his blue eyes.
“I miss the way your body feels against mine.” Wetting his lips, his hands clenched her waist tighter. “I miss feeling the way your pulse accelerates when I touch you.” He swallowed, closed his eyes, and inhaled her scent, the sweet smell of jasmine intoxicating him. Opening his eyes, his voice notched lower, softer even, as his hands framed her face. “I want to take my time with you, brushing my fingers over the spots that he’s neglected. He’s never loved you the way you need to be loved,” he whispered into her ear, pulling her closer. “Let me love every part of you. Your mind…” He trailed his fingers down her neck. “Your body…your heart…your scars…” His hands ghosted back down her waist. “Your quirks…your habits…your thoughts…all of you. Give me all of it, Emily.”
Swallowing hard, Emily’s body shook. She backed away from him, not meeting his eyes, her voice low. “I can’t do this with you, Gavin. We…we can’t do this.” He moved toward her, but she stepped away further. “Tell Olivia I’ll meet her back at the apartment. I have to leave.”
She spun on her heel and headed for the table to grab her clutch and shawl.
With tangible shock on his face, Gavin watched as she scurried through the ballroom, making her way through the crowd. However, he wasn’t about to let her go. He wasn’t about to let her walk out of his life.
Not now. Not ever.
In a few quick strides, he made his way through the throng of guests and caught her by the elbow in the lobby. Eyes filled with confusion, he looked down to her, his heart pounding. “Why are you running from me, Emily?”
“I’m not running from you,” she whispered, her eyes brimming with threatening tears.
Sighing, he plowed his hand through his hair. “You are running from me, and I want to know why.”
She looked away. She refused to see the pain evident in his eyes—and refused to feel the pain in her heart. “It’ll never work out. You and Dillon were friends, and he’d never allow this to happen.”
“What?” he asked in disbelief, stepping closer. She backed away. “How do you think he’d be able to control anything between you and me?”
“He will,” she said as tears slipped down her cheeks.
“The hell he will,” he breathed out, taking another step closer. Before she could back away again, he gripped her waist with one hand as the other wiped the tears from her face. “You’re supposed to be with me, and you know it. You said it yourself that you feel me when I’m not near you.” Dipping his head, he looked straight into her eyes, his voice low. “God, Emily, please…you have to give us a chance. Let me take care of you. Let me love you.”
She waited for the words—the right words—to come to her, but they didn’t. Cupping her hand over her mouth, she backed away, feeling Gavin’s fingertips fall from her waist. A steady stream of tears dripped from her eyes. She looked at him for a moment while her heart grated to shreds in the process, and without another word, she walked out of the lobby.
Watching her slip into a taxi, Gavin stayed rooted in her wake, his heart sinking as he tried to process what had just happened. He knew Dillon had a hold on her, but Emily believing he would be able to come between them f*cked with Gavin’s head—and it f*cked with it bad. Before he knew it, he was digging in his pocket for his keys and heading out to his car. After sending his brother a text to let him know that he had left the party, he found himself driving all over the city. Part of him wanted to drive over to her apartment and push the issue further, but logic told him that he had pushed far enough. There was nothing more that he could say to her, so all he wound up doing was going home.
Upon entering his penthouse, Gavin shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket, grabbed a bottle of bourbon, and promptly poured himself a shot. After tossing it back, he ripped the bow tie from his neck, kicked his shoes off, and sat at his kitchen island. He couldn’t help but let out a laugh, although inside he wasn’t laughing. He was sinking—sinking further into what he needed. Pounding his fists on the counter, he damned himself for not going to her apartment. Remembering his brother’s words, Gavin knew right then and there that he hadn’t fought hard enough for her. Standing up, he paced back and forth, staring at his phone while debating what to do. He went to dial Emily’s number but stopped himself. This didn’t merit a phone call. He needed to go to her—and he refused to stop himself this time.