Collide (Collide #1)(41)

"I'm just assuming here, so I apologize if I'm wrong, but I'm thinking you've played this game more than once," she remarked.

"Why, I've only played it twice, of course," he laughed.

Emily threw another and missed by only a foot this time. "Twice, my ass. There has to be five-hundred bottle caps in that thing."

Gavin shot her a wry smile. "Close but no cigar. It's actually over a thousand."

"Drink much?"

"Many summers, many parties, many friends equals a huge bottle-cap collection, Miss."

She shook her head and laughed. "Speaking of collections, I noticed the many vehicles you have parked in your driveway." She took a swig of her beer. "A motorcycle, a BMW, a Bentley, and I don't know the name of the other."

He smiled. "It's a Nissan GT-R."

"Yes, a Nissan GT-R," she laughed. "Boys and their many toys."

Rubbing at his chin, he gazed deep into her eyes for a second. "Don't we all have to fill voids in our lives with something?"

Taken aback, Emily searched his face, not knowing how to answer.

He flashed a smile and casually tossed another cap into the pot.

She could tell there was more behind his question than she could possibly understand. The first thing that popped into her mind was an onion. Gavin Blake had many layers to him that needed to be peeled. Some that were there were true to their form, but others were simply a cast-iron veneer she felt he wore around himself.

After several hit and missed thrown caps and much-needed laughter, Gavin looked at his watch and noticed it was past three in the morning. Standing up, he offered Emily his hand, and she accepted.

His voice slid through the air like the finest cashmere. "Even though our evening started off a little...sad, I had a great time with you, Emily," he stated softly, focusing his intense eyes on hers.

She could feel the stroke of his heated gaze on her, warming her inside and out. She slowly pulled her hand from his and cupped the back of her neck as she stared up into his eyes. "I did, too, Gavin."

He smiled, walked away, and opened the French doors that led to his bedroom, but not before he turned to look at her one last time.

Nervously biting her lip, she followed suit and made her way into the room where Dillon lay sleeping.

Still snoring.

As she closed the doors behind her, Emily leaned herself against them, panicky and once again breathless. Sliding her fingers down her neck, she tried to rationalize the visceral pull that Gavin had over her, but she was too tired at that point to even begin to understand it.




A knock against the door and a low groan from Dillon registered somewhere in the back of Emily's sleeping brain. Forcing one eye open, she was able to make out Trevor poking his head into the room.

"Fuck," Dillon shouted gruffly. "What the hell time is it?"

"It's time to get our fishing on," Trevor answered a little too cheerfully.

Dillon ran a palm over his face, shot Trevor a hard look, and lifted his head gingerly in Emily's direction. "Are you getting up?"

Peering at the clock through hooded lids to see it was only seven, Emily curled the duvet cover tightly around her body. "No...I'm not," she moaned out and rolled over. "Just get in the shower, and I'll get up in a while."

Cursing in frustration from the early morning wake up, Dillon slid from the bed and reluctantly padded to the bathroom.

Emily heard the door snap shut with Trevor's departure. Sunlight filtering into the room in stages threatened to wake her further as she nuzzled herself cozily into the crook of her arm. With a deep breath, her nose inhaled the heavenly intoxicating, mind-numbing smell that was Gavin as she tried to fall back to sleep.