“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 stir up quite the gamut of emotions. One of the reasons he had always been so fascinated by her. Nobody could get to him the way she could. And nobody could match him in conversation the way Kate could.
She flattened her palms on his chest. “Gray, I can’t lose you as a friend.”
“I never said I was going anywhere.” He leaned in just a bit closer, close enough to see those navy flecks in her bright blue eyes. Close enough for her to realize he wasn’t messing around anymore. “Tell me you don’t want me kissing you again.”
Because as much as he worried he was pushing her, he kept returning to the fact that she’d kissed him back.
Kate’s mouth opened, then closed. That was all the green light he needed.
Gray didn’t waste time gripping her hips and capturing her mouth. Those fingertips against his chest curled in, biting into his skin through the fabric. She let out a soft moan as her body melted against his. He wanted to hoist her up onto this bar and see exactly what she wore beneath this damn dress that had driven him crazy all night. He wanted those legs wrapped around him, her body arched against his.
Kate tore her mouth away. “We can’t... Why does this feel so good? It can’t go anywhere.”
Like hell it couldn’t. She was just as turned on as he was if the way she’d rubbed herself against him proved anything.
Gray slid his hands over the curve of her hips, to the dip in her waist, and back down. “Tell me to stop and I will.”
He leaned in, trailing his lips over her collarbone, breathing in that jasmine scent that belonged only on her.
“Tell me, Kate,” he whispered, smiling when she trembled beneath his touch. “I have to hear the words.”
He was torturing himself. If she told him to stop right now he would. But damn it, being pulled away after having a sample would be hell.
Slowly her hands slid up around his neck, and her fingers threaded through his hair. “Gray,” she murmured.
Music to his ears. He’d always wondered how his name would sound sliding through her lips on a whispered sigh. Now he knew...and he wanted more.
Gray hovered with his mouth right over hers, his hands circling her waist. “You want me.”
She nodded.
“Say it.”
“I want you,” she murmured. “But I need you as a friend. Please. Tell me we won’t lose that.”
He didn’t want to lose anything. He wanted to build on what they had. They couldn’t ignore this pull between them, so taking this risk to see where things went was the only option.
When he said nothing, she eased back as much as she could with the bar at her back. “Gray, this night is all we can have. We’ll still be friends come morning.”
One night? Did she think she’d be done with him that soon?
“And nobody can know,” she added. “I don’t want Lucy or Tara to know.”
Her girl posse. He understood the need for privacy, but at the same time, he didn’t want to be her dirty little secret and he sure as hell wanted more than one night.
He was a guy. Wasn’t he supposed to be thrilled at the idea of a one-night stand with no strings? He should’ve had her dress off by now.
But this was Kate and she was special. Always had been.