Collide (Collide #1)(70)

"Oh, that's right, 'cause who could honestly miss the rock hanging from her neck?"

"You seem...upset?" he replied, his voice monotone and his face impassive.

Emily inwardly flared but kept her tone to a whisper. "You want to know what I'm upset about?" He nodded, not taking his eyes off her. "I'm upset that you blatantly go out of your way to make me uncomfortable. What happened to your whole wanting-to-be-friends gesture?"

"Am I making it that hard for you?" he asked mockingly.

"Yes, Gavin, you are," she quietly spat, her fingertips white-knuckled around her glass.

With his need for her trapped inside - blistering hot, sweltering, ready to explode - he leaned in closer, dropping his voice. "Good, because whenever you're near me, I f*cking lose every bit of self-control I have left."

Emily's throat tightened at his unexpected words. She breathed out heavily, the sound hanging in the air as the tingles coursing through her entire body came in crashing waves. And, to top it off, with every second he stared at her the way he was, she was getting hotter. The impact created an explosion between her legs, causing a chain reaction of anger mixed with more desire for him than ever before.

Emily returned his hot gaze with one of her own, showing a streak of defiance as she tried to catch her breath. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to give in to what I see behind your eyes every time I'm near you." Slowly - so slowly - he licked his lips as his brilliant blue eyes hardened with palpable lust. "I want you to give in to the way you trembled in my arms when I touched you...the way your breathing becomes faster when I look at you."

Staring at him, her heart ricocheted in the cavity of her chest, but she was unable to form a sentence.

"I loved the way your lips felt against mine, and I'm pretty sure you did, too. I also enjoy the way I can almost feel you becoming wet for me right now." Leaning in closer, he dropped his voice to a hard whisper. "Are you going to pretend that you don't feel anything for me, Emily?"

He wasn't even touching her, yet he was correct - her panties were damp. She hated that he was right; she hated that he could notice every physical and emotional reaction she had toward him. And she hated that she wanted him so bad she could taste it.

Damn him.

"I'm not answering your question," she breathed out.

Their eyes seductively bored into each other like two charging bulls relentlessly ramming against a cage.

"You don't like answering questions," he stated through gritted teeth, trying to fight his urge of dragging her clear across the table and into his arms. He could've devoured every inch of her body right there. Like a tornado ripping through anything in its path, her presence alone was pulling him into her.

Damn her.

"No, Gavin, I don't like answering your questions," she quickly whispered. "And it looks like I don't have to because your void-filler is walking this way."

Gavin's pupils lost her gaze and dilated with awareness of what she said. Casually leaning back in his seat, he plastered a fake smile across his face as Natasha approached the table.

Before taking her seat, she leaned down and pulled him in for a kiss. Emily was foolish not to peel her eyes away from their open-mouth exchange. She felt a nauseated pang deep in the pit of her stomach at the sight of Gavin sliding his hot tongue over Natasha's mouth. She didn't know why she was having such feelings, but in that moment watching them, she felt pissed, and she knew she had no right to. When the kissing skit finally ended, Gavin's blue eyes flitted over to Emily; his gaze was unsteady with a strong hint of something akin to an apology shimmering behind them.