Page 23 of Dotted Lines (Runaway 5)

“Yesterday, Aria and I saw this lady jogging toward the junkyard.”

“Jogging?”

“Yup. Seriously, have you ever seen a jogger on this road?”

“No. Never.”

“Strange, right?”

Karson nodded. “Yeah.”

“Oh, it gets worse. Aria and I split up at the stoplight so she could go to work. I went to the store to get a few things and I was outside, packing up my bag, and the jogger was there. She was, like, watching me.”

Karson slowed his steps and his forehead furrowed. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “For sure. I think she followed me.”

“Have you ever seen her before?”

“No. Neither had Aria.”

He frowned and glanced around, but as usual, we were alone on the road. “Could just be a coincidence.”

“Maybe. Probably.”

“Keep an eye out. Watch for her.”

“Aria and I thought we should mix up our schedule a little. She left for work earlier this morning than normal. I’ll do the same tomorrow when I go in.”

“We should all start walking together. I’ll come in with you both. Even on the days when I’m not working.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

He winked. “I want to.”

God, it was hot when he winked. He had this sexy grin afterward that made me want to melt. “Thanks.” I bit my lower lip to hide a goofy smile.

“Always.” He slung a hand around my shoulders and pulled me into a sideways hug.

I tensed, unsure of what to do, but since he kept walking, so did I. One foot in front of the other, like everything was normal. Like it was no freaking huge deal that Karson’s arm was around my shoulders.

Why wasn’t he letting go? What did this mean? Karson didn’t hug me, like . . . ever. He’d elbow me or poke me or flick the end of my hair. But a hug? Did this even count?

Was this just a guy slinging his arm around the shoulder of his friend? When he’d hug Londyn, he’d wrap both arms around her. Normally his hands would dive into the back pockets of her jeans.

That was a hug. A lover’s hug. This was . . . what the hell was this?

I held my shoulders as still as possible. I barely let my hands swing at my sides. If this was the only hug I got from Karson Avery, then I was making it last as long as I could.

The sun beat down on us, the afternoon rays growing stronger with every passing minute. I struggled to take a deep breath, my heart racing like a Ferrari in my chest.

Karson was relaxed. Content to leave his arm around me. His side was pressed to mine, his hand draped over my shoulder, his wrist relaxed.

He looked casual. This was a casual hug, right?

But what if I was wrong? What if this was Karson’s way of testing the waters? What if he liked me? Liked me, liked me. What if this hug was his way of breaking past the friend zone?

Before I could make sense of my thoughts, his arm was gone and we were in town, cars whizzing by us on the street.