Collide (Two Hearts, #1)

by Melissa Toppen

  I didn't realize how much of a buzz I had until now. The sidewalk seems to keep moving off to the side even though I swear I am walking a straight line. I can't help but laugh at myself. How ridiculous am I? Stumbling through the city in the middle of a Sunday afternoon, completely smashed. Very classy Grace.

  “My oh my if it's not the girl of my dreams.” I hear Carver drawl in his best country accent, pulling my attention to the curb directly in front of our building. Pulling a couple of shopping bags out of the back of a cab, he sits them on the ground and after throwing some cash at the cabbie, he makes his way towards me, a wide smile on his face.

  He drops the bags next to me and then immediately hoists me into his arms. “Oh Grace. Grace, Grace, Grace. Where have you been all my life?” He croons out, spinning me a couple of times in a circle. I can't contain the laughter that bursts from my mouth.

  “Sorry Grace, I've always wanted to do that.” He says, landing a swift kiss to my cheek before setting me back to my feet.

  You would think by now that I would have gotten used to all the theatrics and public embarrassment that comes along with having friends like Carver and Emma but I haven't. Even through my alcohol induced haze, I can still feel my cheeks flush crimson as passing pedestrians huff around us, some even throwing dirty looks over their shoulders.

  “What? A girl not allowed to literally be swept off her feet?” I blurt out at a trampy looking woman who gives me a death glare as she steps around me and Carver, still taking up a good portion of the sidewalk.

  Carver's eyes widen in surprise and then a knowing smile creeps across his handsome face. “Gracie Morgan.” He says, putting his hands on his hips for effect. “Have you been drinking on a Sunday afternoon?” He asks, laughter vibrating through his chest.

  “Oh shut up Carv.” I say, giving his chest a friendly shove. He grabs my arm and pulls me to him.

  “Everything okay Grace?” He asks, clearly worried that I have lost my mind or have officially jumped off some emotionally stable wagon and am sure to go into hysterics at any moment.

  I snuggle into his embrace, laughter vibrating lightly through me. “I'm good.” I say, pulling my head back to stare up at him. “I got a job!” I say, smiling wider.

  “Holy shit Grace, that's awesome. Where?” He asks, still not dropping his hold on me.

  I shake my head slightly. “It's a secret.” I say, winking. Figuring he will eventually get it out of me, he doesn't push for more. Instead, he lands a light kiss to my forehead. Only then does it dawn on me how much Carver and I seem like a real life couple. His fingers entwine with mine as he pulls me towards the entrance of our building.

  The contact between us is constant and it has always been that way with me and Carver. I have always held his hand and snuggled with him on the couch. I have always laid my head on his shoulder at the movie theater and fell asleep in his lap in the car after having too much to drink.

  I peer up at his handsome face and give him a sweet smile. It doesn't matter what other people think. He is my best friend and we love each other, just not in that way.

  I'm still staring up at him with a completely goofy grin on my face as we approach the front door of our building, when his movements suddenly stop out of nowhere, stopping me along with him. I follow his line of sight and then gasp at the person sitting on the front steps of my apartment building glaring at Carver like he's ready to make him disappear, like forever.

  “Zayne..... What....what are you doing here?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “What are you doing here?” I ask again, fearing that maybe my words were too slurred together for him to hear me right the first time.

  His eyes finally break away from Carver's face and meet mine for the first time. He stands, his usual air of confidence surrounding him. “I came to see how the new guitar is working out.” He says casually, gesturing to the case in my hand.

  “It's good, great actually.” I say, nervousness lacing my voice. Having never prepared myself for the day that Zayne Evans would just show up on my door step, it takes me a few seconds to gather my barrings.

  “Um Carver this is Zayne, Alec's best friend. Zayne this is Carver.” I say, feeling oddly out of place giving the introduction. Considering the fact that he's sitting on my door step in the middle of the afternoon, I assume he doesn't mind me giving Carver his name. The two men nod at one another and Carver reaches out, giving Zayne's hand a firm shake before turning his attention back to me.

  “Would you mind running this up for me?” I ask, handing him my guitar case. He takes it without hesitation. “I'll be up in a minute.” I say, giving him a smile that lets him know he has nothing to worry about. “And can you not mention this to Emma, please.” I whisper giving him a swift kiss on the cheek. I know he picks up on why I'm asking, he really does know me that well. Emma has a tendency to blow things up and I really don't feel like dealing with the questions right now. He gives me a quick nod before passing Zayne and pushing his way through the front door.

  “So did you really come here to see about the guitar?” I ask, not trying to hide the questioning tone of my voice. He shuffles his feet for a moment and then his eyes find mine again. “You know it's okay if you just really missed me and wanted to see me.” I say, laughing lightly. “I certainly wouldn't hold it against you. I, Mr. Evans, am a girl worth missing.” I say jokingly, tossing my hair over my shoulder.

  “Have you been drinking?” He asks, making his way towards me and joining me at the bottom of the stairs. I peer up at his impossibly handsome face and have to resist the urge to push a lock of hair away from his forehead.

  “Celebrating.” I say on shrug. “I have officially entered the land of the employed.”

  “Well Congratulations.” He says, his smile revealing a mouth full of perfectly straight and impossibly white teeth.

  “Thank you.” I say, shifting my weight from leg to leg. While a small portion of the alcohol has worn off, the majority of it is still in effect and I feel my body swaying in the light summer breeze.

  A strand of my hair blows across my face and he reaches out to tuck it behind my ear. For whatever reason, the action seems more intimate than it should and my heart rate kicks into overdrive.

  “Let me take you to dinner.” He says, more a command than a question. I look down at my torn jeans and black tank top.

  “Um, I'm not really dressed to go out.” I say, now knowing the kind of places that him and Alec go to.

  “You're perfect.” He says, his smile slipping back into place. “Besides, I'll keep it casual, I promise. There's a great little pizza place just around the corner. What do you say?”

  “Okay.” My voice gets caught in my throat a little and the word comes out dry and forced. He smiles again and then steps off the last step, holding his arm out to me. I hesitantly slip my arm through his and let him lead me down the sidewalk.

  “And you were right.” He adds. “I did miss you.” His confession causes butterflies to erupt in my stomach and even with the liquid courage flowing through me, I find myself scrambling for something that doesn't make me sound too desperate to say.

  Since my mind can come up with nothing at the present moment, I keep my mouth shut and my eyes forward. “So who was that guy back at your apartment?” He asks, not disguising the hint of disgust in his voice. If I didn't know any better, I would say that he's jealous but then again, what would a man like Zayne Evans ever have to be jealous about?

  “Carver.” I say on a shrug. “He's one of my best friends and he also happens to be my roommate.” I say, not missing the way Zayne's features tighten at my words. I can tell he wants to say more but instead he remains silent for the remainder of the walk.

  When we arrive at the restaurant, I am more than a little surprised by the run down family owned pizza place in front of me. Zayne doesn't comment on my shocked expression and gently guides me through the door, his hand once again falling to the small of my back. I can't contain t
he shiver that runs through me with his fingers resting so closely to the top of my ass.

  Ferro's Pizza leaves a lot to be desired but it has a very laid back feel and is comfortable, nothing like the stuffy restaurant I went to with Alec and Zayne. A few run down booths line the walls, some chipped, old tables scattered through out the middle, and a small counter lines the front. “What's your favorite?” Zayne asks, turning to face me.

  It takes me a moment to realize he's asking me what kind of pizza I like and I quickly mumble out a response. “Whatever is fine but I prefer veggie.” I say on a shrug.

  Zayne nods and then walks to the counter to place our order while I pick a little booth on the far left hand side of the room. I stare out of the dark tinted windows trying to regulate my breathing when he slides into the booth across from me.

  “I hope water is okay.” He says, sitting a bottle of water in front of me.

  “Waters perfect.” I say, screwing off the cap and taking a long gulp. I am so completely nervous that I have no idea what to do with myself so I take another drink, just trying to buy myself some time.

  “So tell me about this new job.” He says, leaning forward on his elbows, a curious expression on his face.

  At first I consider lying but then I decide against it. What's the point anyways? It's not like it really matters if he knows or not. “I'm going to be playing music at a bar four nights a week.” I say proudly, not missing the surprised look on his face.

  “That's awesome Grace. Where at?” He asks and I shake my head. No way in hell I am telling him where. That's all I need is for him to show up one night. Again, it's one thing to play in front of strangers. Playing in front of Zayne would be damn near impossible. I doubt I could remember one damn thing with his dazzling blue eyes on me.

  “You're really not going to tell me?” He asks in disbelief.

  “Nope.” I say, shaking my head again. “Besides, last time I checked we aren't friends so why do you even care?” The words I am thinking make their way from my mouth and I cringe at my own boldness.

  “Fair enough.” He says, breaking his eyes away from mine to stare out of the window for a moment. At first I'm afraid I have offended him but then a small smile turns up the corners of his mouth and his eyes find mine again.

  “And I only said I couldn't be your friend.” He says, the smile disappearing. His eyes burn holes through me and I find it impossible not to squirm under the intensity. “Because I don't just want to be your friend Grace. I want so much more than that.” His words bleed seduction and I take a shaky inhale trying to calm the storm that is now raging inside of me.

  I don't know what to say so I just sit there, looking at him. It takes everything I have not to launch myself over the table and into his arms but luckily a freckled face teenager shows up with our pizza and the moment is over.

  He doesn't say anymore on the subject and we spend the duration of our meal talking about him and Alec's business. I have always been very curious about what exactly they do. I mean, I know they develop applications for smart phones and tablets but what kind of apps and how one goes about creating them is unknown to me.

  Zayne is very open with me and tells me all about the process, though I don't understand most of it. From what I gather, Alec is more of the creator, supplying the ideas for the apps while Zayne is the tech. He's the one who actually turns Alec's ideas into a reality. It seems like they have a pretty good system set up and I can tell by Zayne's reaction to my curiosity that he loves what they do.

  By the end of our meal I have eaten extremely too much veggie pizza and my alcohol buzz has officially left the building. While it feels good to have some sense of reality again, it's also a lot harder to face Zayne when I am completely sober. He makes me feel so many things all at once that my mind has a hard time trying to process it all and I usually end up coming across as a complete idiot. Or at least that's how I feel. He just has this way of making me feel like I am not worthy to be in his presence and it has nothing to do with anything that he does or says, it's just him.

  Just as we are rounding the corner to my apartment building my phone sounds an incoming text message. I pull it out of the back pocket of my jeans and click on my messages. It's from Emma telling me that her and Carver headed out to grab a bite to eat and would be back later. It dawns on me that I never told Carver I was leaving but apparently he assumed I had after I never came upstairs.

  Suddenly the knowledge that my apartment is now completely roommate free for at least the next hour, my mind swirls with possibilities. Zayne walks me to the front door and before he can react, I blurt out. “Do you want to come up for a few?” Immediately feeling embarrassed to have asked.

  “Aren't your roommates home?” He asks and I don't miss the jab he's taking with his words. Clearly he's not buying the best friend/roommate scenario with Carver.

  “Carver and Emma went to grab a bite to eat. They won't be back for a little while.” I say, regretting my decision to even bring this up.

  “I probably shouldn't.” He says, pulling the door open for me, his eyes never finding mine.

  “Oh, okay. Yeah, no biggie.” I try to brush it off but it sounds forced and I doubt that he believes a word I am sputtering out.

  “I'll see you later. Thanks for dinner.” I breeze past him through the door.

  “Grace.” His voice halts me after no more than a couple of steps and I hesitantly turn to see him walking through the door towards me. “I'm sorry. I would love to come up for a few. If that's still okay?” He asks, throwing me an apologetic look.

  “Yeah, okay.” I say, trying to sound as casual as possible. I lead him to the elevators along the far right wall of the first floor. His hand falls to the small of my back as he ushers me inside but this time I am prepared for the electricity that sears my skin on contact.

  The ride up in the elevator is one of the most intense and uncomfortable moments I have ever experienced. The air thickening the second the doors close behind us, making it seem difficult to breath. I can tell by the way Zayne's eyes avoid mine that he's feeling it too. Like at the restaurant, it takes everything I have not to close the tiny distance between us but I refrain. I've embarrassed myself enough in front of him for a lifetime already, no need to add to the countless things I wish I could take back.

  I watch the buttons light up as we pass each floor just trying to distract myself. I can feel Zayne's eyes on me, crawling over my body. Every inch of my skin prickles as his eyes travel across my flesh.

  Out of the corner of my eye I see him move and before I have a chance to really react, his hands are on me. “Zayne, what are you....” My sentence gets cut off as he pushes me back into the wall and his lips crash down on mine.

  The intensity of his lips on mine, of his intoxicating scent overtakes all of my senses and I struggle to do something as natural as breathe. Within seconds the elevator jerks to a stop and the doors slide open. Zayne doesn't give me a chance to react to anything going on around me as he hoists my body up, my legs instinctively wrapping around his waist.

  “Keys.” He growls against my lips.

  “Front pocket.” I pant out, pulling him impossibly close to me and running my tongue across his lower lip. I can feel his rapid breath on my cheek as he reaches between us and manages to pull my keys from my pocket.

  I don't have time to question how he knows which apartment is mine. The second he pushes us through the door, he slams it and pins my body against the hard wood, grinding his hips upwards so that I can feel his arousal through my jeans.

  I moan out, having never felt anything like this before in my life. I mean sure, I have found my own means of satisfaction, I am twenty-two after all and I am not immune to sexual needs but its never been anything even close to the fire I feel burning through every inch of my flesh.

  “Zayne.” I pant against his mouth, not wanting him to stop but needing at least a second to process what the hell is going on here.

  “No Grace. I
want you. I have wanted you from the first moment I saw you. I am done fighting it. I want you dammit.” He growls against my mouth before dropping his lips to my neck, slowly licking and nipping at my flesh.

  “I want you too.” I grind out, barely able to form words. “God I want you.” I say again, pulling his head back to me and smashing my lips against his.

  “Bedroom?” He growls, his voice thick.

  “To the left, last room.” I say, gripping his hair and pulling his lips to mine again. I don't know how but he manages to get us all the way to my room without even so much as a stumble, his lips never leaving mine but he does.

  When he kicks my bedroom door shut behind him and slides the lock into place, the fire that has been slowly building in my veins erupts into an inferno. Every touch feels too hot, every kiss feels too intense. Everything feels like it's too much and yet it's everything that I want.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Wait..... I can't do this.” Zayne breathes out, pushing himself up on his elbows to stare down at me. I'm pinned, my body pressed firmly between him and the mattress below me.

  I am near naked below him, only my matching black bra and panties covering my most private areas. I cock my head to the side, questioning his ability to walk away now that he has me so ready and willing to give myself to him.

  “Your first time should be more than this Grace. You mean more than this.” He says, resting his forehead against mine. “God this is so wrong on so many levels and yet....” He pauses, trailing his fingers down my cheek. “I... fuck Grace. I want you so bad.” He breathes out.

  I reach up and trail my hands through his messy hair. Having my fingers running through it and pulling it for the last fifteen minutes has done nothing to the style. If nothing else, he looks even more irresistible.