Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 2.2 - Head Shy by Kate Sherwood Read Free Book Online Page A

really like that, and he can feel them starting to compete a little, talking louder, telling more outrageous stories, trying to get his attention back on them. It's still friendly, not as tense as he used to let it get at the bar; the people here aren't going to start sending outrageous tips his way in order to win his gaze, so there's no need to ramp things up to that level. Still, it's kind of a kick to realize that he still could, if he wanted to. He's not letting himself pay any attention to Jeff or Evan, but he knows they're noticing, seeing that he's not some helpless

Head Shy | Kate Sherwood
little lamb that needs protecting.
    Bridgette slips her hand onto his leg to get his attention, and she lets it linger there, just for a second longer than necessary. "We're making our snack run," she whispers. "Want to come?"
    And that makes sense. A little absence to make people wonder where he is, when he's coming back. He used to do that at the bar, make sure that he left the room entirely on his break, even if it meant he just went up on the roof to smoke alone. It was good for the crowd, and good for him, too, because, yeah, this is exhausting. "Absolutely," he grins, holding her eyes as he smiles.
    Dan doesn't look around, doesn't make any acknowledgment of Jeff or Evan as he heads out of the room, and, yeah, he guesses that probably means he's pissed. Whatever, that's not something he needs to think about right now. Or ever, maybe. He's sure he'll get over it.
    Kristen guides them down a staircase and they're in some sort of utility hallway, and Dan begins to understand why she and Bridgette have been acting like they need to sneak around with all this. He's not sure where they are, but it's pretty clearly not somewhere that most spectators have access to. He glances over at the two women and grins. "I feel like we're spies, or something."
Bridgette smiles back. "Cat burglars. We're just missing the sexy black bodysuits."
    Kristen reaches a door and knocks on it, and it's opened by a blonde teenager wearing an orange and red uniform and a cheap visor. Kristen greets her like they're old friends. "Nicki, hey—can you hook us up?" Dan peers through the door and sees that they're at the back of one of the stadium concessions. Workers are hurrying around in the front, serving long lines of impatient football fans. Once again, Dan seems to be getting

Head Shy | Kate Sherwood
preferential treatment, but Smooth Dan doesn't worry about that stuff. Hell, he likes it.
     
Nicki peers around Kristen's shoulder. "Three this time? Dogs and garlic fries for everyone?"
    Bridgette nods enthusiastically, and then she and Kristen both look at Dan for confirmation. He smiles back. "I'm in your hands… whatever you recommend."
"Oh, we recommend dogs and fries, absolutely." Kristen runs her eyes down Dan's torso playfully. "And sexy bodysuits."
     
"Excellent." Dan pulls out his wallet. "I can get this, okay?"
    Kristen and Bridgette don't argue more than absolutely necessary, but Bridgette does keep an eye to make sure that Dan's giving Nikki a generous tip. When he catches her watching, she just shrugs. "I don't want to mess up our connection."
    Dan has been part of dealer-level drug transactions that have less drama than this, but, whatever. He figures Kristen and Bridgette just want a little excitement in their lives. And he can see that it would be nice to have a way to avoid the long line-ups.
    They get their snacks and Dan assumes they'll head back to the suite, but instead, they end up sitting on the steps in the stairwell. Apparently it would be insulting to the caterers to bring stadium food into their venue. A few other small groups come down from the suites and come back up with contraband. It's like a little club out there in the back hall, happily eating their fast food instead of the gourmet fare being served in the suites. Dan doesn't really care about making any of these people like him,

Head Shy | Kate Sherwood
    but