From Best Friend To Daddy

“I’ll pick you up,” she stated, swiping away a hair that had landed right on her lip gloss. “I want my own vehicle there.”

“Fine. Hop in.” He motioned toward the truck. “I have to swing by the bar and get champagne out of the back stock since more was consumed tonight than originally planned. I’ll give you a drink of whatever you want. But your first one will be with me.”

“It’s late, Gray. You don’t have to do that. My list isn’t going anywhere.”

“List?” He shook his head, muttering something under his breath she couldn’t quite make out. “Get in the truck. I should’ve known you’d have a damn list about taking a sip of alcohol.”

Kate blew out a sigh. “I’m not sure, though. Maybe I should just mark it off and move on to the next item.”

Gray reached out and tucked a strand behind her ear. “First of all, one drink of champagne or wine is a far cry from the ten empty vodka bottles found in the car of the person who hit your parents. Second, I’d never let you get in over your head. Third, what the hell is this list you keep referring to?”

The breeze kicked up, thankfully sending some relief over her bare shoulders, but making it impossible to let go of her dress. She’d left her hair down, which was a huge mistake. With that thick mass sticking to her neck and back, she’d give anything for a rubber band about now.

“It’s silly.”

“I live for silly.”

Even without the dry humor, she knew Gray was as far removed from silly as any human being.

“Since I was turning thirty, I decided to make a list of things I want to do. Kind of a way to give myself a life makeover.” She shrugged, because saying this out loud sounded even more ridiculous. “Trying a drink is on there.”

“What else made the list?”

His eyes raked over her. Sometimes he did that. Like she was fragile. Just because life had knocked her down at times didn’t mean she couldn’t handle herself.

“Nothing for you to worry about.”

She started to edge around him and reach for her handle when he stepped in her path. “Tell me.”

Her eyes met his and she could tell by the hard stare that he wasn’t backing down.

“I don’t know what’s up with you lately. You’ve been a bit of a Neanderthal.” Might as well point out the proverbial elephant in the room. “You’re pushy and hovering and...well, demanding. Just because some guy flirts with me doesn’t mean I’m going to repeat old mistakes. And if I want a drink, I can do that for myself, too. I know you want to protect me, but you can’t always do that, Gray. I’m a big girl and—”

In a quick move he spun her around and had her caged between the truck door and his hard chest. Mercy, he was ripped...and strong.

“Wh-what are you—”

“Putting that mouth to better use.”

The words had barely processed before he covered her lips with his. There was nothing gentle, nothing sweet or calm about Gray. He was a storm, sweeping her up before she even knew what hit her.

Wait. She shouldn’t be kissing her best friend. Should she?

He touched her nowhere else and she still clutched her dress in one hand. On a low growl, he shifted and changed the angle of the kiss before diving back in for more. The way he towered over her, covering her body from lips to hips, made her feel protected and ravaged all at the same time.

Heat flooded through her in a way that had nothing to do with the weather.

Just as fiercely as he started, Gray pulled back. Cursing under his breath, he raked a hand through his already messy hair. Clearly he was waging some war with himself. Well, he could just get in line, because she had no idea what to do about what had just happened.

“Gray—”

“Get in the truck, Kate.”

His raspy voice slid over her, making her shiver despite the heat.

What the hell did that mean? What did any of the past few minutes mean? Kate couldn’t wrap her mind around his actions, his words. One minute she was trying to get to the bottom of his behavior and the next...well, she was being kissed by her best friend, and not just any kiss. No, he’d all but devoured her, almost as if he were trying to ruin her for another man.

Gray reached around her for the door handle, giving her no choice but to move. She settled inside and stared ahead, completely dazed. With his taste still on her lips and countless questions swirling through her mind, Kate didn’t dare say another word out loud as she buckled her seat belt.

What on earth had triggered such an intense response? And then to just leave like that? She’d already told him that they couldn’t be more than friends, but damn it, that kiss sparked something inside her she’d never experienced before.

Why did he have to go and do that to her? Why did he have to make her question her stance on their relationship and leave her aching for more?

More wasn’t an option.

Chapter Two (#u42d65de2-c7f1-578e-8096-b416b38fc1f1)

The ride from the country club to Gallagher’s had been too damn quiet. Tension had settled between them like an unwanted third party. Never before had things been this tense between them. They bantered, they bickered...that’s just who they were.

But now, thanks to his inability to control himself, the dynamics had shifted completely.

Gray wasn’t even going to question what had gotten into him. He knew full well that years of pent-up frustration from being relegated to the friend category, seeing her flirt and dance with other men at his bar and then being engaged and heartbroken, and finally that damn dress and heels tonight had all caused him to snap. There was only so much a man could take...especially from a woman like Kate.

And then the list. He wanted to know what the hell was on it and why she thought she needed to revamp herself. Not a thing was wrong with her. Who was she proving herself to?

Losing his cool and kissing her may not have been his finest moment, but every man had a breaking point and Kate McCoy had been his for far too long.

Damn, she’d tasted good and she’d felt even better all pressed against him. He wasn’t sorry he’d kissed her, wasn’t regretting in the slightest that he’d finally taken what he’d wanted. She’d leaned into him and obviously had wanted it just as much.

No, what angered him was the shocked look on her face and the fact he’d just pulled them both across a line they could never come back from. He was her friend, her self-appointed protector. She didn’t have many constants in her life and she counted on him, damn it. She trusted him.

Now Kate stood at the bar, her eyes never meeting his. No doubt she was replaying that kiss just as he’d been over the past ten minutes.

Gray didn’t say anything as he went to the back and pulled out a bottle of champagne that none of his customers would ever be interested in, but it was perfect for Kate. Once he got her home and came back, though, he was going to need something much stronger. Thankfully he could just crawl upstairs to his apartment after throwing one back.

Gray returned to the bar to find Kate exactly how he’d left her. He reached for a glass and carried that and the bottle around to the front side of the bar.

“I assume you still want that drink.”

Finally, her blue eyes darted to his. “If anything in my life warranted a drink, this night would be it.”

He poured her a small amount and slid the glass over to her. Kate stared at the peach-toned liquid for only a moment before picking it up and smelling the contents.

All of that long, dark hair curtained her face as she leaned down. With those creamy shoulders exposed, he was having a difficult time not reaching out to touch her.

Had he severed that right? Had he ruined everything innocent about their friendship when he’d put his lips on hers?

Damn it. He didn’t like the idea of another man coming into her life. It had damn near killed him when she’d gotten engaged while he’d been in the army. Then, when the jerk had broken her heart, it had taken all of Gray’s willpower not to pummel the guy.