Page 27 of Quarter Miles (Runaway 3)

We were friends.

We’d been friends for over a decade.

I shoved my door open and went about getting gas, taking a few moments to get myself in check. It wasn’t like these thoughts were completely foreign. It wasn’t like today was the first time I’d noticed that Katherine Gates was a gorgeous woman.

But today, it was like my body had finally had enough of my mind games.

After twelve years, denial’s ironclad grip was beginning to falter, and without my family around, there was no constant reminder that I was expected to behave a certain way where Kat was concerned. That they’d kill me if I broke her heart.

Yes, Kat and I had spent plenty of time together at home without my body getting overheated. But it was my grandparents’ former house.

Last night, she’d confided in me. She’d trusted me. And how was I repaying her? By sporting a goddamn chubby all day and gawking at her body.

I was such a fucking asshole.

The nozzle on the gas pump popped and I returned it to its cradle, closing the cap on the Cadillac’s tank before stuffing the keys in my pocket and walking into the store.

Katherine snared my attention instantly. She was standing in the candy aisle, her eyebrows furrowed. She was probably trying to decide between a salted nut roll or chocolate bar. Sure enough, I rounded the corner and she held one in one hand and the other in the opposite.

“Get both.”

She looked at me and frowned. “You always say that.”

I chuckled and walked closer, bending in front of her to pick up my own salted nut roll. On the way up, I miscalculated, moving too close. My arm brushed against hers and Kat’s peach scent drew me in. I hovered, unable to step away.

Her blue eyes lifted to mine and she held my gaze. God, she was close. So damn close. My fingers itch

ed to run up the bare skin of her arm and see if it was as velvety smooth as the fruit she smelled like.

When my gaze dropped to her lips, she gasped.

Christ. I took one long step back, then tossed her my nut roll. What was wrong with me? “I’m, uh . . . gonna use the restroom.”

“Okay.” She put the chocolate bar back and pointed to the row of coolers along the far wall, not looking at me. “What do you want to drink?”

“Water.”

She bolted away so fast her flip-flops nearly slipped on the glossy linoleum surface.

Hell. Now I’d made her uncomfortable.

I marched to the bathroom and splashed a handful of cold water on my face. “Get your shit together, Greer.”

The smell of industrial cleaner and a urinal cake chased Kat’s scent from my nose but as soon as we were back in the car, it would be waiting. It was how our house smelled, sweet and fresh. It was not a new smell, yet today, there was a heady, alluring undertone. I’d noticed it last night in the hotel room when she’d hugged me good night.

When she’d come into my arms so easily that for a moment, I’d forgotten I had to let her go.

I used the bathroom, my mood growing more and more irritable with every passing second. When I stalked out of the men’s room, Kat was visible through the store’s plate glass window, standing beside the Cadillac, her head bent and her fingers flying over the screen of her phone. I walked to the candy aisle, grabbing the chocolate bar she hadn’t bought and a pack of gum, delaying my return to the car for just another minute.

This trip was supposed to be fun. Yesterday had been fun, driving wherever the quarter directed. Hearing stories about her past from her own lips. Sharing a good dinner and her company.

Dany’s jealousy hadn’t been that off base, had it? Last night had stirred emotions that I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge—lust, for one.

Well, lust could fuck right off. I wasn’t going to sabotage my friendship with Kat just because my cock was going through a dry spell.

I paid the clerk for Kat’s chocolate, then squared my shoulders and stalked outside. My steps slowed as I approached and caught the scowl on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Carol told my entire staff not to email me. Which is ironic because Annabeth just emailed me to tell me they aren’t allowed to email me.”