Page 14 of Collide

Tommy clutches my shoulder, pinching the area hard with his beefy hand, and spins me to face him. My head bobbles. “Don’t be a dick.”

“How am I a dick? At least I think with my head.” Cash was always the impulsive one, letting his dick lead him around, screwing everything. Then again, what does it say about me and my time with Ivy? What it says is it was the one and only time something like that happened.

“Then use it now. Don’t do something you’ll regret,” Tommy warns me, still shaking me by the shoulder.

“Regret.” I laugh bitterly.

My only regret is I didn’t see you again. I’m a fucking fool. Why would I tell her such a thing?

Because you like her. You’re attracted to her. She’s so sad, and you want to make her smile.

Too bad. Too late.

Petty and Jared saunter into the bar. Petty takes the seat next to me while Jared squeezes himself to stand between Petty and me.

“Everything all right?” Jared asks, his studious eyes questioning me. Sometimes I feel bad he dropped out of college to be in the band. He would have made a great professor or lawyer. He wears the glasses like one. I wave him off.

“Pissed off that little firecracker.” Petty snorts, and Tommy reaches all the way around Jared and me to smack Petty in the back of the head.

“Ow,” Petty huffs, rubbing the back of his skull. After what he smoked when we finished parasailing, he isn’t feeling anything, so I don’t know why he’s exaggerating a little head tap.

“Don’t be disrespecting my niece,” Tommy demands, all papa bear.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Petty says, lowering his eyes. “She looked pretty upset. Maybe you shouldn’t have touched her?” He shifts his eyes to me and away.

“I didn’t hurt her, did I?” I turn to Tommy, forcing my eyes wide while they already feel swollen and heavy.

Tommy shakes his head, and Jared speaks next. “She seemed pretty shaken up, but she was more worried about you. She asked us to come find you and make sure you were okay.” Jared holds up my glasses, my shirt, and my flip-flops.

“She did?” My voice cracks like a prepubescent teen.

“I think she likes you,” Jared teases, adding a wink for full measure.

“You have that so wrong,” I mutter, shaking my head and downing the rest of my second glass.

8

IVY

The look on his face nearly broke me. His eyes a dark night full of stars and then I told him the truth. If we had been two stars colliding, we were the pair that collapsed. We dissolved, disappearing into nothingness.

My heart felt so heavy in my chest, and I gripped my belly as I returned to the penthouse. I couldn’t face him. I couldn’t face any of them, so I stayed in my room. I didn’t hear anyone return, and sometime past dinnertime, I decided I couldn’t go any longer without food. I made my way to the kitchen, hearing the sound of slamming cabinet doors and the fridge long before I exit the hall to the main room. I stop short when I see Gage, and I’m ready to spin back for my room when a painful slur freezes me in place.

“Little mama.” Gage storms toward me, and my instinct tells me to move. Back up. Get out of his way. Instead, I hold my ground, and he…he does the damnedest thing.

He wraps himself around me. An arm circles my waist until a firm hand presses against the small of my back. Fingers delve into my hair, cradling the back of my head as he tugs me into his chest. He’s enveloped me, and I’m overwhelmed by all that is Gage Everly. He smells like fresh sun, salty air, and a bit of whiskey. From the sound of his voice, he’s clearly drunk, but the way he’s holding me, like I’m a life preserver and he’s hanging on for dear life, I can’t push him away. Besides, it feels so good to be held. So damn good.

“I’m sorry,” he purrs into my ear, his breath a tickle at the shell. “I’m so sorry, Ivy.” He continues to hold me, rocking us a little. My hands come to his hips, but I don’t know what to do with him.

“Hug me back, gorgeous,” he murmurs. I can’t remember the last time someone hugged me—really hugged me—so I give in. My hands slide up his back, bracing my palms against his shoulder blades. He nuzzles his nose lower into the crook of my neck and shoulder, and I tug him closer to me. My breasts ache as they flatten against his hard chest, but I don’t want to let him go. I melt into him, molding myself to his embrace, and praying he won’t release me.

But he does.

He unwraps from me, and without looking at my face, he falls to his knees. Both land with a thud on the tile floor, but he doesn’t flinch. His forehead presses against my belly as his hands cup the baby bump.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he mutters to my belly, rolling his head back and forth. He sniffs, and I fear he’s crying. My hands cup his rough cheeks, tugging gently so he’ll look up at me, but he continues to roll his forehead on my belly. Another sniff.

“I’m sorry if I hurt you.” He presses his face against my stomach, forcing my nightshirt back. He’s…he’s kissing my belly, circling and circling as he mutters. “If I hurt the baby…”