Teaser Time!! A teaser from Gail McHugh’s upcoming “Pulse” (sequel to Collide)…

Ohhhh you guys. I have something *big* for all of you (and me!!!). Remember how much we loved Gavin (in Collide (Volume 1)) and how we couldn’t get enough of him and how crazy he made us feel? (in a good way… and sometimes in an emotionally distraught way). GAH!!! That boook huuuurrrrrt sooooooo gooooood!!! He was SO intense and so real to me. That whole situation/relationship was everything I had been craving. IS everything I am still craving.

Nancy: I can not WAIT for the next book….I fell in love with tall…dark..and F@#$able. He is the dream of all dreams. I hope Emily makes the right choice which I believe she does… Gavin OMG Gavin is all i can say….

Maggie: Gavin is someone to swoon over!! This is one book that I didn’t want to end and I am still struggling with my emotions and the pull that it had on me.

Cody: I’m finishing Collide and I have to say it was just what I needed! I needed a big love and here it was! So happy! Why!? Why!? Why?! Do we have to wait until summer for book 2??? Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Maryse: LOVED IT!!!!! Fantastic book and exactly what I needed too!

And now… so many of us are desperately awaiting the sequel (Pulse). Well… while we wait, how about a super long teaser from that upcoming book, hrmmm…? I hear it’s super-emotional, too. Yep. I haven’t even read it yet, either. The minute it hit my message box, I immediately started this post!!

So y’all ready for more Gavin and all of that Gavin/Emily angst? I AM!!! Let’s read it!

Emily watched Javier bolt down the steps and across the driveway. After placing her luggage back into the trunk, he opened the door to the limousine for her. Still standing on the porch, Emily hesitated. Her mind was spinning over every possible reason she shouldn’t show up in a public place to see Gavin. She couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right. They needed their privacy to discuss everything. Though the pain of having to wait to see him—even just a while longer— throbbed within her chest, Emily decided that she would get settled in her hotel room and come back later in the evening.  With that, she started making her way over to Javier to let him know her plans. As she neared the limo, she snapped her head in the direction of the sound of a vehicle’s tires kicking up gravel in the distance. Holding her hand up to shade the sun from her eyes, she squinted and watched the charcoal gray sleek sports car cut a hard left into the driveway.

With windows tinted as black as an iron kettle, Emily couldn’t make out who was driving the vehicle. That didn’t prevent her heart, which was beating like a drum, from coming to a complete stop for a long second. As she tried to pull in a breath, the organ stuttered back to life when Gavin stepped out of the vehicle—a grin clearly on his face. Emily’s eyes flickered with a moment of uncertainty at his demeanor, considering he hadn’t looked in her direction yet. In a complete fog at what she was witnessing, chills shot and prickled across her skin when not one, but two reasons for Gavin’s jovial mood slid out from the front and rear passenger sides. Taking an unsteady step back, panic flooded Emily’s limbs when Gavin’s gaze caught hers from across the driveway—the grin disappearing from his face immediately. She could read the question evident in his eyes and she was sure she was about to pass out.

Tilting his head in confusion, Gavin halted mid-stride.  He knew that the past few days had taken its toll on his body mentally and physically, and he also knew he had some alcohol running through his system, but he was pretty fucking sure he wasn’t seeing things.

“What the fuck?” he whispered. He whipped the sunglasses off his face and scrubbed the heels of his palms across his eyes.

“What’s the matter?”  the auburn beauty asked, grazing her pouty red lips against his jaw as she pushed up on her tiptoes. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Gavin rolled his shoulder, shrugging her off his arm. “I have,” he bit out, cutting his narrowed eyes her way.

“Jeez,” her friend said. The platinum knockout snapped her gum. “Talk about split personalities. What’s up?”

Gavin tore his attention from the two soon to be ‘void killers’, his gaze intent on Emily who was now turning to get into the limo. Without saying another word to them, he jogged over to her, his body reacting to Emily in the only way it had ever known how.

Heart in his throat and confusion hammering through his head, Gavin reached out, grabbing her by her elbow. “What are you doing here, Emily?” The feel of her soft skin seared into his mind, kicking up memories he was trying to forget.

Frozen, Emily didn’t turn around. She couldn’t. Breathing heavily from his simple touch, she nervously swallowed and tried to find her words. “I came to talk to you,” she whispered.

Gavin released his hold on her and took a step back. “Turn around and look at me, Emily,” he commanded, his voice low.

Pulse quickening, Emily slowly turned, her gaze locking onto his. Staring into his confused, blue eyes, she curled her fingers around the top of the door in an effort to steady herself.

Her beautiful face nearly stole the breath from Gavin’s lungs. His eyes fell from hers, immediately landing on her quivering lips. Lips that God created to fit his. Lips that had haunted every dream for the past two weeks.  Her silky auburn hair whipped around in the warm breeze — auburn hair that was made to tickle his face as she hovered above him while making love.  Trying to breathe, his need for her snaked its way through every tense muscle in his body, culminating in a torturous slow burn.

His chest constricted with need, but anger at her boiled beneath his skin as a slow smirk curled his mouth. “You have permission from your husband to come see me? I never took Dillon for one that would grant his wife an open marriage.”

Emily’s knees went weak, her eyes steeped in confusion. “I didn’t marry him, Gavin. You know this. I… I called. I left you messages.” Though she tried, she couldn’t help the tears from pooling in her eyes as she stared at his shocked expression. Suddenly, she found her words tumbling from her mouth. “I left Dillon that night and went to your penthouse. I’ve called your phone every day over the past few weeks. Colton called and left your housekeeper messages. Trevor. Olivia. We all did.” Pausing, Emily looked away, her eyes locking on the two women Gavin showed up with. Each leaning against his Jaguar, they both peered in Emily’s direction. Her voice trailed. “I don’t expect you to take me back, but I needed to come here and tell you how sorry I am.” She shook her head and brought her gaze back to his. “I needed to tell you how much I love you, Gavin. How much I need you in my life.”

Looking down to the ground, Gavin grabbed the back of his neck with both hands. He then snapped his head up and looked at the driver. “Javier, recoga sus cosas para mi.”

Javier nodded. “Por supuesto, señor Blake.”

Emily watched Javier retrieve her luggage from the trunk and pass it to Gavin.  After thanking Javier, Gavin grabbed Emily’s hand in his, his grip tight as he led her in the direction of his car. Struggling to keep up with his quickened pace, Emily’s heels clicked frantically against the pavement as she stared at the two women.

The brunette quirked a brow and placed a hand on her hip. “Um, not that were opposed to adding a third to the mix, I still think you should’ve asked us first.”

The blonde nodded in agreement and straightened her pink tank top.

Emily bit her lip, her eyes wide on Gavin.

Gavin released a weighted breath, pulled Emily to the passenger side, and opened the rear door. He tossed her suitcase into the backseat. Opening the front door, he looked at Emily. “Get in.”

“What?” she questioned, shock shimmering in her eyes.

“You heard me, Emily. Get in,” he replied as he rounded the car.

The blonde cocked her head to the side. “Where are we going?”

“You two are going home,” Gavin answered, his tone clipped. He looked in the direction of his driver who appeared equally confused. “Necesito que lleves estos dos a casa, de acuerdo?”

“Si señor Blake.” Javier waved the two women over.

This time the brunette cocked her head to the side. “You’re making us leave? You can’t do that.”

“I just did. Have a great day, ladies,” Gavin replied, staring at Emily over the roof of his car. With a casual shrug, he brushed off the gasp one of them emitted. “Get in the car, doll.”

Bending to his will, Emily snapped her mouth shut and ducked into the vehicle.

After closing his door, Gavin pushed a button and started the car. He punched the gas a few times and the engine roared, giving warning to the two women still standing behind the vehicle. Taking him seriously, the both stepped back onto the grass and crossed their arms in clear annoyance. Once out of his way, Gavin floored the gas and the sleek, Jaguar careened in reverse out of his driveway.

Gavin lowered the window and called out to Javier who was about to get into the limo,“Sabes en cual hotel esta quedando?”

“Si, en El Real, Senor Blake.”

“Gracias,” Gavin replied.

With one hand gripped tight around the wheel and the other on the shift, he looked over to Emily. “Get your seatbelt on.”

“What did you just ask him?”

“I asked him what hotel you’re staying at. Now get your seatbelt on.”

Feeling the tension pour off of him, Emily did as he said, and pulled the belt over her waist. After it clicked, Gavin slammed the gear into first and took off. Dust from the graveled road swamped the rear and both sides of the car. Out of the corner of her eye Emily watched Gavin, his eyes trained and focused on the road, his face painfully impassive. Her heart clenched against the long stretch of silence that had taken hold in the air around them. Gavin turned onto an open highway and adrenaline washed through Emily’s veins as he kicked through the gears effortlessly—ripping in between slower vehicles—the odometer nearing 85 mph.

Emily tensed, grabbed for the handle above her head, and looked at Gavin. “You’re going to kill us.”

“I’m already dead,” he answered, clenching his jaw. He gripped the steering wheel tighter and punched the gas again, this time harder.

The force jerked Emily’s body forward. “Gavin! Have you lost your mind?”

Without looking at her, Gavin cut the wheel hard right and the car fishtailed to a screeching stop onto the side of the road. Car horns blared, flying past them as dust settled itself around the vehicle. Both heaving for air, their gazes caught one another.

Clung.

“I’m already dead,” Gavin repeated, the words spoken low, but the undertone of anger as clear as the cloudless sky above them. But as angry as he was at her, like a rubber band, something snapped inside of him as he stared at Emily’s lips. In one swift movement, he reached for her, lifting her over the console and onto his lap.

Emily straddled him and her breath faltered as she stared down at his face, his pained eyes staring back at her.  Unable to contain her want, she crashed her lips to his and gripped the back of his hair, her apologies whipping past her mouth as she soaked in his familiar taste with each stroke of her tongue. “I’m so sorry, Gavin. I can’t take away what I’ve done to you. I know I can’t, but I love you, Gavin. God, I love you so much.”

Gavin squeezed her thighs tight, and slipped his hands under her sundress.  Gripping Emily’s waist, a groan ripped through his throat when she arched her chest against his. He could feel her hardened nipples through the thin cotton material and he swore he would lose it right there. Sweeping his tongue through her mouth and trying to savor every moan she expelled at his touch, Gavin fought against the images of doubt that plagued his mind. With one hand still caressing her waist, he took the other and fisted the back of her hair, pulling her down harder to his mouth. She moaned and circled her hips, grinding down against his rising dick. Her panting breaths echoed in his ears along with the words she’d spoken to him the night of her rehearsal dinner.

“Fuck!” he snarled, tearing his mouth from hers.  Hand still tangled in her wavy curls, he stared at her with narrowed eyes.

Before Emily could catch her breath, he swung the door open and slipped out of the car, leaving her on her knees in the driver’s seat. She curled her fingers around the head rest, watching him pace back and forth on the side of the road, both of his hands gripping his hair.

“Fuck!” he yelled out again, reaching down to the ground.

Eyes wide and breathing heavy, Emily jumped, her body jerking with sudden fear as he pelted a rock against the back window.  The glass split into a cobweb. Without hesitation, he rocketed another against the taillight. Emily gasped, but with confusion and anger bubbling in her stomach she hauled her suitcase over the backseat and tore out of the car. She headed in the opposite direction, tears streaming down her cheeks in the heat as she tried to pull the wheeled luggage through the rocks.

“Where are you going, Emily?” Gavin called out, following after her.

Without stopping, she flipped him the bird and continued her pursuit into nowhere land.

Coming up behind her, Gavin grabbed her by the elbow and spun her around, a lopsided smirk tipping his lips. “You’re in the middle of Mexico, doll.”

“And you’re an asshole,” she hissed, defiance glittering in her eyes. She wiped the tears away from her face.

“Ahh, still so beautiful when you’re mad.” He reached out, cupped her chin and smoothed the pad of his thumb under her eye. After wiping the smudged mascara from her face, he took a step back and crossed his arms. “And you still love calling me an asshole, huh?”

Throwing her arm out to the side, she took a step forward, her chin jutted up. “What do you want from me, Gavin? I came down here to apologize.  You knew damn well I didn’t marry him, but yet you didn’t take my calls and you say you’re dead? I’m dead right now!”

“I am fucking dead, Goddammit!” He stepped closer, curled his arm around her waist, and pulled her against him. Staring down into her watery, green eyes, he resisted the urge to kiss her again. “You killed me, Emily,” he breathed out, brushing her hair away from her face. Leaning into her ear, he yanked the suitcase from her hand, his voice a heated whisper. “I didn’t know you never went through with it. I chucked my phone the night I came out here and I haven’t read any of the messages my fucking housekeeper left for me. I threw each and every single one of them away.”

With that, he whipped around and headed for the car.

“Gavin, wait!” she called out.

Not facing her, he came to a stop and shook his head.

Inching her way toward him, Emily swallowed nervously, her head more confused than when she’d first showed up. “What are you trying to say to me?” she asked, taking a cautious step forward. “Say it if you have to, Gavin, but I need to know. What are we doing?”

Gavin turned around and raked his hand through his hair. “I don’t know what we’re doing, Emily.” He paused, his gaze shifting between her and the highway. He shook his head again, then brought his attention back to her. “I don’t know what I want right now.”

“I’ve broken us,” she whispered, slowly bringing her hand up to her cheek as she stared at the ground.  Trying to catch the breath that had been stolen from her chest, she lifted her head, her eyes locking on Gavin’s. “I have. I’ve broken us.”

Gavin cupped the back of his neck and stared at her a long moment, his mind fighting against what his heart wanted. “Yeah. You might have,” he answered softly. Gavin pulled in a deep breath and turned around. “Come on… I’m taking you back to your hotel.”

Tagged as: contemporary romance, Gail McHugh, teaser