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.
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.
Tonight he’d nearly lost it when Noah’s best man had gotten flirty. Gray saw how Bryan looked at her, like she was going to be easy to take home. That wasn’t his Kate. She didn’t go home with random strangers.
Kate slammed her empty glass on the bar. “More.”
He added a bit more to her glass and was a little surprised when she tipped it back and swallowed it in one drink. Then belched like a champ.
“Wow. That’s bubbly.”
Gray couldn’t help but smile. “It is. Had enough?”
“I can still taste your lips, so probably not.”
His gut tightened as arousal spiraled through him. “Don’t say things like that.”
She lifted a slender shoulder. “Why not? It’s the truth.”
Gray took her glass away and set it aside with the bottle. The last thing she needed was to start buzzing, get all talkative and then regret spilling her secrets come morning. Though part of him—the part that had kissed her—would love to keep pouring and get her true feelings to come out into the open.
The low lighting behind the bottles lining the mirror along the bar wall sent a warm glow throughout the space. The main dining section and dance floor were still dark and Gray had never been more aware of a woman or his desire.
Over the years he’d purposely never allowed himself to be in a compromising situation with Kate, yet here he was only moments after plastering her against the side of his truck and claiming her lips.
“You can’t be attracted to me,” she murmured. “You can’t, Gray.”
If her words had any heat to them, if he thought for a second she didn’t feel anything toward him, he’d ignore his need. But the only emotion he heard in her tone was fear and she’d kissed him right back earlier, so...
“You know I’m attracted to you.” He closed the space between them. “I’ve never made it a secret.”
“I’m the only woman who comes in your bar and hasn’t thrown herself at you. I’m a conquest.”
Anger settled heavily inside him. “Never call yourself that.”
“Then what’s the reasoning?” she tossed back. “Why me? After all these years, you’re telling me...what? I need you to talk to me instead of being so damn irritated. Why now?”
“Maybe I’m tired of seeing other guys flirt with you. Maybe I’m sick of you dating losers since your breakup because you know your heart won’t get involved.”
She’d been burned and her defense mechanism to set her standards low was slowly driving him out of his ever-loving mind. Couldn’t she see that she deserved more? She should actually be expecting more.
“Why did you kiss me back?” he asked, shifting the direction back to her.
Gray adjusted his body to cage her in against the bar with one hand on either side of her hips. He didn’t want her to dodge him or look away or find an excuse not to hash this out right here, right now.
Maybe it was the late hour, maybe it was the near-darkness surrounding them. Or perhaps it was just time that his war with himself came to an end one way or another.
Kate’s eyes widened, then darted to his mouth. That innocent act had arousal pumping through him. His frustrating friend could
