From Best Friend to Daddy

by Jules Bennett

  She closed the door, locking it before she turned to face him. “And what on earth do you possibly need at this time of the night?”

  “You weren’t asleep. I saw your lights on.”

  No, she wasn’t asleep, and he’d just come from the bar. His black T-shirt with the bar logo on his left pec stretched tightly across his broad shoulders. She could never look at those shoulders the same way again, not after clutching them the other night as he’d given her the most intensely satisfying experience of her life.

  Suddenly the foyer in her townhome seemed too small. She couldn’t be this close to Gray, not with those memories replaying through her head. The memories that made her question everything and want more than she should.

  Clearing her throat, Kate turned and headed to the back of the house, where she’d turned a spare bedroom into her home office.

  Gray fell in step behind her. She went back to her cushy chair at her corner desk and spun around to see Gray fold his frame onto the delicate yellow sofa she’d found at a yard sale a couple of years ago.

  “Why am I not surprised you’re working?” he asked, nodding toward the organized piles on her desk.

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “There’s a surefire remedy for that.”

  Kate stared at him for a moment before she rolled her eyes. “Did you seriously come here thinking we’d have sex again?”

  Gray quirked one dark brow. He stretched his long, denim-clad legs out in front of him and crossed his ankles. He placed one tattooed arm on the armrest. Gray was clearly comfortable with this topic based on the way he looked at her, taking in her thin tank and ratty old shorts.

  His gaze was anything but friendly. Well, it was friendly in the sense that he looked like he wanted to strip her out of her clothes again.

  Wait. He’d never gotten her out of her clothes the first time. Perhaps that’s why he was staring so intently. But he’d seen her in a bathing suit and he’d most definitely seen her lower half.

  Boobs. Men always wanted boobs. It was a ridiculous thing she would never understand. Still, he continued to stare across the office as if he knew exactly what she looked like in her birthday suit.

  Had he always been this intense? This potent?

  Kate shivered and tucked one leg beneath her. “Why did you really stop by?”

  “I missed you.”

  The way those words settled between them had Kate’s breath catching in her throat. He said them so simply, as if the question were silly and it should be obvious why he was here.

  They hadn’t gone this long without seeing each other since he’d served in the army. She appreciated how he put himself out there and used complete and utter honesty.

  Another reason why he was her everything. Gray never sugarcoated anything and had always been up front with her. Considering her ex had been so deceitful, having Gray in her life was refreshing and made her realize there were good men out there. This good man, however, just couldn’t be for her.

  “I missed you, too,” she replied, because she wanted to be just as honest right back. “I’ve been busy with the Savvy Scheduler, the blogs and the scheduling for upcoming giveaways, and then getting ready for the next Helping Hands meeting. With Lucy gone—”

  “You’re hiding from me.”

  She really was getting ready for the next meeting. Kate, Tara and Lucy all led a weekly support group that helped to uplift those hurting from loss. They’d all experienced it themselves on some level, so it was a labor of love.

  But perhaps she was using her work and the group to hide from Gray. Still, she’d always made time for him before and he’d never pushed her away. Not once.

  Fine. So maybe she wasn’t being totally honest with him, but how could she be when she was trying to fumble around with her own emotions and figure it all out herself?

  Kate glanced down to her lap and stared at her pale pink polish. “I don’t know what to do now.”

  Silence settled in the room. She had no clue what he was thinking, no clue how to get them back on the comfortable ground they’d been walking on for years. How could one moment undo years of friendship? How did sex muddle so much?

  When the awkward tension became unbearable, Kate turned slightly and started straightening her desk. There had never been awkwardness between them and she desperately needed to rid this moment of it. She needed her Gray back—her best friend back.

  She glanced at the outline for her next week and mentally tried to prepare herself and focus. At least this was something she could control, because she sure as hell couldn’t control her feelings—not now that he was in her house and staring at her as if he wanted an encore bar performance.

  No. No more sex—at least not with him. She shouldn’t pay attention to her body when it started getting all revved up again at just the sight of Gray. She shouldn’t keep remembering how he’d felt as he’d joined their bodies. And she sure as hell shouldn’t keep wondering if there was any man who could measure up to him.

  “We do what we’ve always done, Kate.”

  She shivered as his soft words pierced the silence and washed over her. Leave it to him to find a simple resolution to their tension. Maybe he didn’t have the juxtaposition of feelings running through him like she did. Maybe he slept just fine at night and hadn’t given her or their encounter another thought.

  Kate slid the green marker back into the pouch, set Mrs. Clements’s folder in her desk organizer labeled Things to Do, and worked the corners of the rest of the folders until they were perfectly lined up. Now what? There was nothing else to straighten or fiddle with.

  “Look at me.”

  Oh, that low, sultry tone. Now that they’d been intimate, she could appreciate it so much more.

  Kate gritted her teeth and spun around in her chair. That piercing stare had her gripping the edge of her chair. Anticipation curled low in her belly at what he would say or do next. She’d never been on the edge of her seat with him before.

  Honestly, sex changed everything. Hadn’t she warned herself about that in the few moments between the kiss and the torn underwear? But her hormones had taken over and Gray had been all too convincing...and she was human.

  “We’re still Gray and Kate,” he reminded her, pinning her with that dark gaze. “We annoy each other for fun. We watch old movies and argue over the classics. I still worry you’re going to choose another loser, so I’m extra cautious and overprotective. Yes, we had sex, but we’re still us.”

  He made things sound so simple and easy, as if sex hadn’t changed a thing. But it had changed everything. She found herself looking at him differently, seeing him in a completely different light. Because for a short time he’d been not only her best friend, but also her lover.

  “That’s why you came?” she asked.

  “You didn’t think I’d let you hide forever, did you?”

  Kate smiled. “I would’ve been at Ladies’ Night this week.”

  That side grin flashed over his face. “You missed last week, so I wasn’t sure.”

  Kate picked at one of the threads on the edge of her shorts. “I just needed some space.”

  “Had enough?”

  She chewed the inside of her cheek. “Maybe.”

  Gray came to his feet and crossed to her. He took her hands and pulled her up against him. Kate tipped her head back to look him directly in the eyes. A punch of lust hit her faster than she’d expected. She’d hoped that need, that ache, had vanished or had been all in her mind. But no. Gray had crossed the line and had settled deep into a place inside her. And she had no clue how to categorize him.

  “You’re done hiding or running, or whatever the hell else you were doing.” He flashed her that devilish grin. “I need you, Kate. We’ve been together too long to let anything come between our friendship. Can we just get back there again?”

&nbs
p; Something akin to relief slid through her at how easily he was putting them both back on stable ground. At the same time, though, she hated that they were going back to being just friends.

  How could she just ignore how she felt now that he was this close? How could she forget how he’d kissed her? How he’d looked at her, touched her?

  She couldn’t forget. Gray had imbedded himself so far into her soul, she truly wasn’t sure she could go back. She wasn’t even entirely sure she wanted to.

  “We are friends,” she agreed. “You have to admit this is a bit awkward.”

  Gray laughed. “So stop making it awkward.”

  He pulled her into a hug just like he’d done for years. Only this time she couldn’t prevent herself from pulling in a deep breath of that masculine scent, remembering how she’d been completely enveloped by that familiar aroma and the man. His potency had been all-consuming when he’d ripped off her panties and taken her on that bar top. Would she ever get that image, that feeling from her mind?

  “You in a hurry to get home?” she asked into his chest.

  “Not really.”

  Kate tipped her head back and smiled. “How about a movie?”

  Gray kissed her forehead. “Perfect.”

  Chapter Six

  “Tell me about this list.”

  Kate stopped tapping her toes on the side of his thigh. He sat on one end of the sofa and she had relaxed on the other, stretching those legs out, propping her dainty feet against his denim-clad thigh, and driving him out of his ever-loving mind.

  Gray had known facing her would be difficult. Of course they’d seen each other at the wedding, but this was the first time they’d been alone and forced to really discuss what had happened at the bar. The tension still hovered between them, but he was going to push through because as much as he wanted her physically, he refused to lose her altogether.

  Other than the obvious fact she’d been dodging him, he knew she was panicking about where they were now. He knew she’d be trying to analyze things from every which angle and she wouldn’t be able to. He’d wanted her for a while, longer than he probably wanted to admit even to himself, so there was no way she could decipher what the hell truly happened when he couldn’t explain it himself.

  For years, he’d been able to control himself out of respect for her and their friendship. Then, over the past several months, little by little, seeing her at the bar dancing with other guys, then at the rehearsal with Bryan, it had all just become too much and he’d snapped. Every man had a breaking point and she’d definitely hit his.

  “It’s nothing,” she finally replied.

  He curled his hand around her bare toes. “Tell me about the infamous list or I’ll crack your toes.”

  Kate’s legs jerked from his lap as she laughed. “Watch the movie and leave me alone.”

  “We’ve seen this at least a hundred times,” he told her as he shifted on the couch to face her. He grabbed the remote from the back of the couch and muted the TV before tossing the device between them on the cushion. “Talk to me, Kate. You can’t hide it forever. I’m going to get the truth out of you, you know.”

  She let out a sigh and shook her head. “Fine.”

  When she started to get up, Gray reached out and gripped her arm. “You don’t have to go get some color-coded spreadsheet that no doubt you’ve laminated. Just tell me. I want to hear your words, not read some damn paper.”

  Kate smiled as she settled onto the couch. She swung her legs back up and he instantly started rubbing her feet. Maybe if she was relaxed she’d talk, and if she was talking about this mystery list, then perhaps he would focus on that and not the fact that he wanted his best friend now more than ever.

  There was still the matter of discussing the business proposition with her, but right now there were much more important things to work out. It was just another area of his life he was confused as hell about. Once he talked to Kate and his father, he’d have a clearer picture of the future...he hoped.

  “Tell me why you made a list,” he started, needing to reel himself in from his wayward thoughts.

  Kate adjusted the throw pillow between her head and the arm of the couch. Tipping her head sideways, she stared down at him. “My thirtieth birthday just passed.”

  “Yes, I’m aware of that.” His thumb slid up over the arch of her foot. “So, what? You think you’re old now that you’re thirty? I’m thirty-one. We’re barely getting started.”

  She smiled, which is exactly the response he wanted. He loved seeing that smile, loved knowing he could get such a quick, heartfelt reaction from her.

  Lacing her hands over her abdomen, Kate blew out a deep sigh. “I don’t think we’re old. My mom was only thirty-two when she died, which was way too young. I just... I don’t know. I guess I’ve been thinking too much over the past year. My mom probably thought she had her whole life ahead of her with raising me. Maybe she even wanted more kids. I have no clue. All I know is I don’t want to lose out on anything because I was too busy working or assumed I had more time.”

  Gray’s hands stilled. Her words hit hard. She was absolutely right. What if he kept up his day-to-day life, wondering what else was out there, what he was missing out on? Life was fleeting and nothing was guaranteed.

  Should he take that business deal? Should he accept the money and sell Gallagher’s, finally moving on to fill that void? The possibilities for him would be endless and the money would allow him to fully explore his options.

  But at what cost? Disappointment from his father and the unknown of what he’d do next or if he would even stay in Stonerock. The risk from either decision weighed heavily on him.

  “You okay?” Kate asked, pulling him away from his thoughts.

  “Fine.” He switched to her other foot and circled back to her needs. He wasn’t quite ready to express his own just yet. “Tell me what you’ve put on the list.”

  “You’ll think I’m silly.”

  “We’ve already established I live for silly.”

  Kate rolled her eyes and laughed—music to his ears. “Well, I’d like to go camping.”

  Gray couldn’t help but laugh. “Camping? What in the world brought that up?”

  “I don’t know. It’s just something I haven’t done.” She stretched her legs and rotated her ankles before dropping them back to his lap. “I live in the mountains, for crying out loud, and I’ve never been camping.”

  “So you made a bucket list?”

  She nodded. “I titled it My Life List.”

  “Of course you gave it a title. What else is on there?” he asked, resting his hands on her legs.

  “I’d like to get a dog and name her Sprout. A kennel dog or a stray. I can’t handle the thought of all those abandoned animals while people are paying for novelty pets. It’s heartbreaking. So I’ll start with one dog. Who knows how many I’ll end up with.”

  Someone as passionate and caring as Kate would want to help the less fortunate. Just another aspect he’d always admired about her. She was always looking at how to spread her light, even when she didn’t always shine it on herself.

  Kate kept her eyes on his as she discussed the items from her list. “I want to go to the beach since I’ve never seen the ocean. I’d love to throw a Great Gatsby–themed party and dress up and have fun all night. I think I’d like to go on a road trip. Of course I’d have to have it mapped out, but I want to just take off in the car and visit some national landmarks. Once I get closer to checking that one off the list, I’ll make a spreadsheet.”

  As he listened to her, Gray realized her goals were all so obtainable and there was no reason she couldn’t do those things.

  “I wanted to try alcohol, so that box is already ticked off,” she added.

  “In bright blue marker, I’m sure.”

  She reached up to swat his shoulder. “No
, smarty-pants. Yellow is clearly the only choice.”

  Gray couldn’t help but laugh. Kate took her feet from his lap and crisscrossed them in front of her on the cushion.

  “So what else do you have?” he asked.

  “I want to do something utterly spontaneous.”

  Gray stared at her, waiting for her to smile or give some hint that she was kidding. But she merely stared at him, completely serious.

  “Darlin’, you do realize you’re missing the whole point of being spontaneous if you put it on a list and schedule it.”

  She toyed with the frayed ends of her shorts. Gray couldn’t help but watch her movements, tormenting himself further as he stared at the white threads lying against her tanned skin. He wanted to run his hands up those shapely legs. He wanted to strip her and have her right here on this couch.

  Being together in the middle of the night with nothing around to interrupt them was probably not the smartest idea, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He was dead-tired now, but she was talking. They were getting back to a place of comfort and familiarity. And she wasn’t trying to make excuses for the mistake they’d made.

  Only having sex hadn’t been a mistake. It had been perfect and he was hell-bent on making sure it happened again. But above all, he didn’t want her to worry about the future of their relationship. He’d never let anything—including his all-consuming desire for her—jeopardize that, because he needed her just as much.

  While he respected her stipulation that their one night of passion stay just that, he wasn’t going to let her ignore the attraction. If the opportunity arose again, if she gave the slightest hint she wanted more, he’d be all over it...and her.

  “Well, I don’t know what the spontaneous moment will be,” she explained. “So it’s not completely ridiculous that I listed it. I just want to try to be more... I don’t know. Like you. You’re so laid-back and carefree. I don’t even know what that would feel like. But it’s a short-term goal.”

  He wasn’t going to state the obvious of the spontaneity on the bar. She’d probably already labeled that under something else.