Read Online Hidden Scars by Amanda K. Byrne - Free Book Online

doubt in the back of his mind.
           The invitation to the book signing was something he’d thought of doing a while ago and ultimately decided against. He hadn’t quite been ready to let her know how closely he’d been paying attention. It had slipped out anyway, and if it hadn’t been for his offer to pick her up, it wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary for them now.
           It hadn’t taken long to figure out that the big gestures needed to be Sara’s move if this relationship was going to go the way he hoped. The gradual buildup of information, likes, dislikes, even hobbies, was natural and plausible for a casual friendship. The film festival movies, the game tonight took it a step further. Willingly attending a book signing she’d probably rightly figure would bore him? Another step. A big one.
           But she’d said yes. So assuming this evening didn’t go down in flames, he’d be picking her up Saturday afternoon at two.
           He spotted Sara coming toward him, and stayed as he was. She’d find him. And it gave him a few moments to pull his head back into the present. To wipe clean the inappropriate thoughts of how good her ass would look in her jeans, and to forget about the vaguely disturbing email from his younger brother Jamie. Tony had sent one of his men around to casually inquire how he was doing. Jamie didn’t think anything would come of it, since he hadn’t been dumb enough to fall for the man’s false interest and tell him where Taylor was living.
           But if Tony wanted to find him, he would.
           Sara’s face brightened when she saw him, and she came bounding up, excitement radiating from her. “This is going to be fucking awesome.”
           Another thing he liked about Sara. Outside of work, she had a mouth like a trucker.
           She chattered on as they joined the masses entering the arena, spouting player stats and commenting on the dubious sexual practices of the opposing team’s starting five. Her level of knowledge was impressive, her snarky opinions pushing away dark thoughts of Tony and what he might want. The grin formed and stayed put as they found their seats, and she popped back up again. “Beers. Stay. I’ll be back. You hungry?”
           “You won’t be able to carry two beers plus food without someone bumping into you.” He gave her a gentle push toward the center aisle, and they inched through the crowd toward the concession stand.
           The throngs pressed in, and his hand found its way to the small of her back, keeping her close. Safer, he reasoned, than sliding his arm around her waist.
           What would she do if he’d done that instead? Would she let him, or ease away so she didn’t offend him?
           She’d stiffened slightly at the first touch, the tension dropping almost immediately. He’d made the right choice, then, waiting a while longer to hold her, press her against his side.
           He left his wallet in his pocket when it came time to pay. She’d insisted, after all. He always took her at her word. They had a deliberate, delicate balance, one he could sense was important to her. She needed a measure of control, an escape hatch.
           Hands full, they braved the crush to find their seats again. Any attempts to restart the conversation would have been cut off, because Sara leaned forward, beer clutched in one hand, hot dog in the other, and looked to be holding her breath while the players arranged themselves on the court.
           Dayton grabbed control of the ball at tip-off, and they settled into the hypnotic rhythm of the game. Dayton’s point guard was good, excellent even, running the show from the top of the key like a seasoned conductor, although Taylor was pretty sure Sara had said he was a freshman. The ball whipped around the court, sailing through the air, bouncing off the rim and landing in the huge hands of West