Collide (Collide #1)(57)

He wet his lips and stared at her a moment. "I think it's apparent...don't you?"

Hesitantly, she looked at him. "Yes, it is," she whispered, meeting his eyes. "What did you have in mind?"

Pulling in a breath, he ran his hand across the back of his neck. "I was thinking we could go grab a drink. There's a coffee house right around the corner."

A flicker of uncertainty passed across her face. "I don't know. I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"I just need five minutes of your time, Molly...I mean, Emily," he replied, sending a full-watted smile her way.

"Ha-ha," she said dryly.

He grinned and held his hands up in mock surrender. "Just five minutes?"

She swallowed, wanting to refuse, but her efforts were futile. "Okay, but not a minute more."

"You have my word. It's this way," he said, beckoning her with his head to the corner of 44th Street.

Less than a half a city block later, the two entered a quaint little coffee shop. The scent of freshly baked pastries infused the air. A few customers sat on a comfortable red couch as others browsed the Web seated at chestnut brown tables. Behind the bar, the fashionably bored barista took their order, and they retreated to a tiny table in the back of the cafe.

With a smile on his face, Gavin held up his wrist and set his watch. "Okay, my time begins...now."

Emily sheepishly looked down at her hands twisting in her lap.

Gavin leaned back against his seat and crossed his arms, the smile falling from his face. "Emily, I'm sorry for what I did," he whispered, his eyes intense. "I made an already awkward situation worse, and I feel terrible about it."

She looked deep into his eyes, unable to believe the words that were coming from his mouth. "You don't have to apologize to me. It was my wrong doing - not yours."

"No, Emily, it was my fault," he said, emphasizing each word perfectly. "It was wrong of me to take advantage of you. I leaned in to kiss you."

"It takes two to tango."

"Right, but - "

"I kissed you back."

A slow smile curled his lips, his blue eyes shimmering. "So you wanted to kiss me?"

"Are you serious?"

"Very."

"Gavin."

"Emily."

She sighed. "Well, what do you expect me to say?"

"I want you to say it."

"Say what?"

"That you wanted to kiss me."

"You've lost your mind," she scoffed. "And why do you need to hear me say it?"

Rubbing his chin, he analyzed her face, and his expression suddenly turned serious. "Because I need to know that I didn't force you into something you didn't want."

"You didn't force me."

"Then say it, Emily."

A blush rushed up her neck to her cheeks. "You're unreal."

"Say it," he dragged the words out.

"Fine." She nervously looked around. Bringing her eyes back to his, she crossed her arms. "I wanted to kiss you, Gavin. Are you happy now?"

"No. I still feel like an * for putting you in that position."

"I guess we're even then because I still feel like shit about doing it." She stood up to leave. "What exactly was this talk for again?"

"I want us to establish a friendship." He rose to his feet, hoping to stop her from walking away.

"And how do we do that, Gavin?"