Collide (Collide #1)(18)

And Gavin didn't like it one bit.

Eventually, Dillon walked up to Gavin when Emily disappeared into the restroom. He leaned against the bar, a reverent smile breaking out across his face. "Wishing you were me, buddy?"

Gavin couldn't help feeling a stab of jealousy, but this wasn't something he was about to confess. "I'm just wondering how you pulled that one off."

It wasn't a question but a statement on Gavin's part. Dillon usually hung with crowds of women that were far wilder than Emily seemed to be.

Dillon threw his head back and laughed as he ordered a shot of tequila. "You seem to think you're the only god in this city."

"I'm no god, Dillon, and you're certainly not either," Gavin remarked, propping his arm on the rolled leather edge of the bar. "But I do know that you need to take care of a woman like that."

Dillon started flexing his hips back and forth. "Oh, I'm taking care of it. She has no complaints whatsoever in that department."

"I didn't mean it like that," Gavin snapped, trying to rid the thought from his mind. He then smoothed his voice out to a calmer tone. "Be good to her, seriously."

Cocking his head to the side, Dillon furrowed his brows. "Since when did you become so worried about how I treat a woman Mr. Non-Commitment? You f*ck anything that throws itself at you, and they're lucky if they get a call the next day."

"We're not talking about me," Gavin said, drawing a bottle of beer to his mouth. "Like I said, take care of her."

"Gavin Blake's trying to teach me how to treat a woman. This is hysterical." He swallowed his drink and slammed the glass down on the bar. "I'm marrying this one. You'll see. Just to torture you, you're going to be in the wedding party." Dillon shook his head and laughed but recovered quickly as his expression tightened. "Like I said earlier, she's mine. You get enough everywhere you go."

Before Gavin could respond, Emily approached them.

Dillon handed her a beer, and she smiled. "Thanks. So what are you guys talking about?"

Gavin figured he would play a little game, considering he knew Dillon was taunting him. His eyes concentrated on the exact curve of Emily's jaw before locking his eyes on hers. "I'm just wondering how my friend here landed such a beautiful woman. He's obviously out of his league."

Emily could feel the way Gavin stared at her. His eyes seemed to sink into her, making her want to bare every emotion and every secret.

What a dangerous talent for a man's eyes to possess, she thought to herself.

She went to speak, but Dillon's voice broke through the deafening level of music. "Fuck you and your comment. Out of my league?"

Gavin laughed mischievously as he casually sank into a seat at the bar. "Yes, very out of your league."

A grin curled Dillon's lips. "Whatever makes you sleep better tonight, man, but she's the one leaving with me." Dillon glanced down at an incoming text and then turned to Emily where she stood inwardly mortified at the conversation taking place. "Trevor's on his way, babe. I need to use the restroom, but don't let this clown fool you while I'm gone. He's a player."

He dropped a chaste kiss on her cheek and walked away.

Gavin watched Emily carefully, silence stretching between them as she sipped her beer. He felt her eyes on him, giving nervous little looks that tugged at every rational instinct he had left. Each time her gaze met his, he wanted to sink into it and live in it forever. He wondered if she felt the connection that had passed between them when he kissed her hand.