Actually you can read your snake pretty easily, once your used to it. I can watch their breathing to see if it's increasing, indicating stress. Hissing and the S shape in their neck as their poised to strike are more obvious signs of a potential bite. All in all though, most bps just don't strike. They usually ball up, hence the name.

The most important thing is not to back down. If your animal knows that if it hisses or strikes and you leave it alone, then it will reinforce that behavior. Make sure you snake has had a week to settle into it's new enviroment and eating.

If it makes you feel better you can use a sheet to throw over your snake before you pick it up. It sounds like you just need to get used to handling them. I've only been bitten once in 3 years, and it didn't hurt at all. In fact, I wasn't even sure I had been bitten except I was bleeding. lol. I always tell my kids that I've had worse bites from them when they were babies, than any from my snakes.

Sorry for the rambling babblings. I hope that may be of some help, if it's at all intelligible.