Read Online Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 2.2 - Head Shy by Kate Sherwood - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kate Sherwood
Ads: Link
Huh. Expensive lesson, man."
"Well, maybe you'll remember it, then." Dan would really like to switch back to Smooth mode and gloss over things with Evan, but he's not sure that would fly. So he takes a deep breath and charges in. "I've done lots of stupid stuff, and lots of stuff that I'm really not proud of. But… this afternoon, acting like that… it's not a big deal. It's not… it's not lying, it's just… easier. It's easier if people like me."
Jeff jumps in now. "People like the regular you, too, Dan."
Dan shrugs. "It's not like I have a split personality or something, dude. It's still the regular me, I'm just… being more careful, or something."
Chris snorts. "More careful? You were flirting with every person in the damn room. Except for Jeff and Evan." He stops. "And me. You fucker, am I not good enough for you, or something?"
"Chris, you are not even close to good enough for me." Dan looks over at Jeff and Evan. "But I wasn't really flirting. I was just trying to make them like me." He's feeling a little insecure about this now.
Jeff's smile is wolfish. "Oh, they liked you alright." He lets his eyes burn a little. "They liked you a lot."
Dan looks over at Evan. "Nah. If you'd thought I was flirting, you'd have gotten all jealous caveman, right?"
Evan shrugs. "I don't know… it was… yeah, it seemed like you were flirting, man. But I was… I think I was just too confused to get jealous." "Seriously?" Dan thinks back. "Yeah, okay, I was, like, friendly
Head Shy | Kate Sherwood
flirting. But why's that so confusing?" He looks at all three of them. "You guys don't think you're over-reacting a little? I mean, everyone acts differently around different people."
Evan frowns. "It's just… you were… you were really good at it, man. I mean, those are some pretty smart people, they're educated, sophisticated… and you had them eating out of your hand. Like, instantly!"
"Not all of them. And, not instantly ."
"Dude, Bridgette loved you, and Bridgette makes people cry. A lot. She's tough to the point of being mean." Evan nods towards Chris. "Ask your boy. She's been totally cold to him since he showed up."
"Aw, Chrissy, did she make you cry?" Dan turns back to Evan. "But not liking Chris doesn't show that she's mean, it just shows that she's got good taste."
"Okay, asshole, enough. I've already done the mom-confession, and I'll pay you your penance. I can't take a whole lot more from you today." Chris looks pissed off, but Dan isn't too worried. After the key confession, the bastard owes him more than a couple bucks and a few insults.
Evan's not really listening to any of this, he's just watching Dan. He looks like he's thinking, and then he smiles. "But that's just for them, right? I mean… we get the real you, they get the…." He pauses, and frowns. "The…."
"The mask." Jeff says quietly. He smiles at Dan. "You're right, everyone's got one. We just maybe didn't realize how honest you've been being with us. We thought you were just always like that, always showing
Head Shy | Kate Sherwood
your emotions." He reaches out his foot and presses his ankle against Dan's. "But really, you could have been hiding all the time, and you hardly ever did." He shrugs. "You ran every now and then, but… you didn't hide." His eyes are warm, and they make Dan feel almost guilty; he's torn between basking in Jeff's appreciation and feeling that he doesn't really deserve it.
Evan looks thoughtful, then he smiles over at Dan. "Yeah. Almost always. I mean, last night…." He glances at Chris, then charges on anyway. "You maybe tried to hide a bit, but you were so obvious about it…." He shakes his head. "If I hadn't seen you today, I would have thought that was the best you could do, last night. But, damn, man!" His grin is wide. "You could have had us totally snowed, and you didn't! You did a half-assed job, let us see that there was a problem, and then, okay, maybe you didn't want to talk about it, but you let us
"Well, maybe you'll remember it, then." Dan would really like to switch back to Smooth mode and gloss over things with Evan, but he's not sure that would fly. So he takes a deep breath and charges in. "I've done lots of stupid stuff, and lots of stuff that I'm really not proud of. But… this afternoon, acting like that… it's not a big deal. It's not… it's not lying, it's just… easier. It's easier if people like me."
Jeff jumps in now. "People like the regular you, too, Dan."
Dan shrugs. "It's not like I have a split personality or something, dude. It's still the regular me, I'm just… being more careful, or something."
Chris snorts. "More careful? You were flirting with every person in the damn room. Except for Jeff and Evan." He stops. "And me. You fucker, am I not good enough for you, or something?"
"Chris, you are not even close to good enough for me." Dan looks over at Jeff and Evan. "But I wasn't really flirting. I was just trying to make them like me." He's feeling a little insecure about this now.
Jeff's smile is wolfish. "Oh, they liked you alright." He lets his eyes burn a little. "They liked you a lot."
Dan looks over at Evan. "Nah. If you'd thought I was flirting, you'd have gotten all jealous caveman, right?"
Evan shrugs. "I don't know… it was… yeah, it seemed like you were flirting, man. But I was… I think I was just too confused to get jealous." "Seriously?" Dan thinks back. "Yeah, okay, I was, like, friendly
Head Shy | Kate Sherwood
flirting. But why's that so confusing?" He looks at all three of them. "You guys don't think you're over-reacting a little? I mean, everyone acts differently around different people."
Evan frowns. "It's just… you were… you were really good at it, man. I mean, those are some pretty smart people, they're educated, sophisticated… and you had them eating out of your hand. Like, instantly!"
"Not all of them. And, not instantly ."
"Dude, Bridgette loved you, and Bridgette makes people cry. A lot. She's tough to the point of being mean." Evan nods towards Chris. "Ask your boy. She's been totally cold to him since he showed up."
"Aw, Chrissy, did she make you cry?" Dan turns back to Evan. "But not liking Chris doesn't show that she's mean, it just shows that she's got good taste."
"Okay, asshole, enough. I've already done the mom-confession, and I'll pay you your penance. I can't take a whole lot more from you today." Chris looks pissed off, but Dan isn't too worried. After the key confession, the bastard owes him more than a couple bucks and a few insults.
Evan's not really listening to any of this, he's just watching Dan. He looks like he's thinking, and then he smiles. "But that's just for them, right? I mean… we get the real you, they get the…." He pauses, and frowns. "The…."
"The mask." Jeff says quietly. He smiles at Dan. "You're right, everyone's got one. We just maybe didn't realize how honest you've been being with us. We thought you were just always like that, always showing
Head Shy | Kate Sherwood
your emotions." He reaches out his foot and presses his ankle against Dan's. "But really, you could have been hiding all the time, and you hardly ever did." He shrugs. "You ran every now and then, but… you didn't hide." His eyes are warm, and they make Dan feel almost guilty; he's torn between basking in Jeff's appreciation and feeling that he doesn't really deserve it.
Evan looks thoughtful, then he smiles over at Dan. "Yeah. Almost always. I mean, last night…." He glances at Chris, then charges on anyway. "You maybe tried to hide a bit, but you were so obvious about it…." He shakes his head. "If I hadn't seen you today, I would have thought that was the best you could do, last night. But, damn, man!" His grin is wide. "You could have had us totally snowed, and you didn't! You did a half-assed job, let us see that there was a problem, and then, okay, maybe you didn't want to talk about it, but you let us
Similar Books
