Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 2.3 - Into the Light Read Online Free PDF Page B

shoulder. Again, he waited for me to spook, but I didn’t want to. It felt different, the size and strength of his hand clear even with that light contact, but it didn’t feel bad. He stepped in closer. He was going to kiss me, and I was going to let him.
But he didn’t. He just hovered there, watching me, his hand on my

Into the Light | Kate Sherwood
neck, until I frowned in confusion. “What?” I tried not to sound as insecure as I was suddenly feeling.
     
“You’re really going to do this, aren’t you? I mean—you’re not going to flake out.” He sounded genuinely surprised.
    “I don’t know—I think so. I wouldn’t have dragged you along this far if I didn’t think there was a good chance.” How much of an asshole did he think I was? I felt almost betrayed, like he hadn’t understood me as well as I thought he had.
“Yeah. Okay, yeah.” He stepped back a little, his hand leaving my neck. “We should get going. Paulo won’t wait around forever.”
    It was an abrupt return to reality, and I wasn’t at all sure what was going on. He started walking, and I fell in beside him; I couldn’t think of what else to do.
    We got to Bart’s and Ryan rapped on the glass door with his knuckles. There was movement inside the darkened shop, and a youngish guy with olive skin and short dark hair opened the door part way. “Ryan, hi.”
    “Hey, man.” Ryan turned a little to include me in the conversation. “This is Chris—he moved to town just after I left, last time. Chris, this is Paulo. Trust me, he’s a good person to know.”
    I leaned forward to shake Paulo’s hand, and I felt Ryan’s hand on my lower back, barely touching, but definitely there. I’d done the same thing, countless times to countless women, but thinking about it, I really had no idea what the gesture meant. He wasn’t balancing me—I was leaning forward, not back into his hand. He wasn’t guiding me—it was pretty clear where I was heading, and I really didn’t need his help.
I shook Paulo’s hand and managed to give him a friendly smile, despite being distracted. I was pretty sure that when I touched a woman like that, I was staking a claim, making it clear that she was with me. Was

Into the Light | Kate Sherwood
that Ryan was doing? And if it was, how did I feel about it?
    My mind got back to what I was doing when I caught sight of the paper bag Paulo was handing out to Ryan. It was huge. “Jesus, how much food do we need?”
    Ryan hefted the bag thoughtfully. “There might be enough for leftovers. But, I don’t know—I’m pretty hungry.” He grinned at Paulo and stepped back. “Thanks man. You can put it on my tab, right?”
    Paulo nodded. “I already did the cash, for today, and there’s no way I’m doing it again, just because you can’t do your shopping at normal hours.” He turned towards me. “Nice to meet you, Chris.” Then his grin got wicked, and his voice was teasing. “Has he taken you down to Santa Cruz, yet? Ryan likes taking guys to Santa Cruz….”
    “Shut up, Paulo,” Ryan said. He actually looked a little embarrassed. “Thanks for the food.” He backed up out of the doorway and I followed, as Paulo locked the door behind us.
Ryan and I walked silently towards my house, but we didn’t get far before I said, “You took Danny to Santa Cruz. Right?”
     
Ryan sighed. “It’s a nice town. There’s a boardwalk, and it’s right on the ocean.”
    “Well, yeah. I wouldn’t think you’d take him to some slum, somewhere.” I wasn’t sure what I was getting at, but I felt like I had a question. “So—why don’t I get to go?”
He gave me a weird look. “I still don’t—you’re not freaked out that Paulo assumed we were together? You’re honestly doing this?” “Fuck, Ryan, how many more times can I say it? I mean—I can’t guarantee anything, but, yeah, I want to try.”
     
He stopped walking, and turned to look at me. He was a couple

Into the Light | Kate Sherwood
    inches