Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 1.1 - Sometimes You Just Know Read Online Free PDF Page B

there's no doubt that's what Dan's doing, moving away now without even pretending to wait for Justin's number.
    Justin's tempted to let him go. This guy's got heartache written all over him, and Justin doesn't need the pain. But his body betrays him again, his arm reaching out as he steps forward, his hand grabbing Dan's upper arm. The other man turns to face him, and Justin doesn't know what to say. Dan looks at him intently, and Justin can see his face soften a little just before he looks down at his feet. Justin lets go of his arm, and Dan looks

Sometimes You Just Know | Kate Sherwood
    up again.
"I bartend at the Firehall Friday and Saturday nights," Dan says
quietly. This doesn't feel like a performance for Molly. "I don't really need
you to buy me a beer there, but if you come by towards the end of the
night, I could buy you one." He smiles, but this time there's no mockery in
it. "Then you'd owe me even more…"
"The Firehall. Yeah, okay." Bars don't close until 2:30, and Justin's
up most mornings by 6:00, but for the chance of another genuine smile,
he'll lose the sleep. He steps back, and he sees Dan's face harden up as he
turns away and heads back to work. Justin has no idea what has happened
to this guy to make it so important that he shield himself so well, but he
really wants to find out. He just hopes Dan will give him the chance.

Sometimes You Just Know | Kate Sherwood
CHAPTER THREE
    Justin's not the nervous type. He just isn't. He's a professional athlete, a professional horseman —if he can't keep his nerves under control, his horse will sense it, and a nervous horse is rarely a good thing in any sort of competition. So he's built on his natural calmness, and made himself almost totally controlled, to the point where people have called him a robot.
    A robot. Yeah, right. Justin looks up at the sign for the Firehall, and when he wipes his sweaty hands on his pants, he notices that they're actually trembling a little. He's had little bouts of cold feet several times over the last few days, but they've all been about not wanting to make a fool of himself, or being worried that he'll blow it with Dan; now, he's wondering if he can actually afford to get into a relationship that affects him this much, that makes him this crazy. Is this really what he wants? Dan is seductive, intoxicating, addictive… he makes Justin lose control of himself. And Justin doesn't like to be out of control. Or at least he never thought that he did.
    His body takes over again, his hand reaching eagerly for the door handle even as his brain prevaricates. His body knows what it wants, at least. And when Justin spots Dan behind the bar, his black T-shirt snug against his lean torso, the jolt of excitement that courses through him silences any doubts he might have been having. Justin stares, watching Dan smile at the woman he's serving. He feels a little lurch in his stomach; he'd thought he'd seen something special in the way Dan had looked at him, had really felt they'd made some connection, but Justin can tell from the way the woman is leaning in that she's feeling the same thing. And when Dan moves down the bar and hands two bottles of beer to a preppy banker-type, Justin sees how Dan lets their fingers brush, gives the guy the

same smile, and Justin sees the banker watch Dan as he walks away, justSometimes You Just Know | Kate Sherwood
like Justin's watching him…
    Justin's nerves are back, worse than before. He'd been a fool to think that there's anything special in him, anything special between him and Dan. And then Dan looks up and sees Justin, and the easy smile doesn't come. Dan doesn't give him the practiced, pleasant mask; instead, he looks almost wary. Justin isn't sure what to make of it, but he tries to tell himself that at least this response is different from the others, even if it isn't exactly positive. And then Dan nods down towards the end of the bar where there's a bit of a gap, and Justin works his way towards it.