Athena's Daughter Read Online Free

museum with reluctance, each of them
excited by what they saw and discussing their favorite exhibits
with enthusiasm. The afternoon was sunny and warm, and they enjoyed
the quick stroll to Hyde Park to meet up with their friends. As
they hurried along the path, Athena’s attention was caught by
several young men swarming over a flatbed truck that looked as out
of place in the park as a large, inflatable rubber duck. Two men
were hefting amplifiers in place on the flatbed, another was busy
setting up a drum kit, while yet another was stringing wires to the
front of the truck.
    “Wonder what they’re doing?”
    “I don’t know, but we can find out. This
looks interesting.” Vanessa shook back her shaggy black hair and
marched over to the truck, Athena in tow.
    As they drew closer, Athena saw that the
wires ran from the amplifiers into the cab of the truck, and she
wondered in confusion if they were plugged into the cigarette
lighter. One of the men noticed the two girls and stopped work to
give them a bright smile.
    “You are going to play music, no?” Vanessa
asked him, her dimples dancing.
    “No. I mean, yes.” The man laughed and pushed
a hank of blonde hair behind his ear. “Yes, we’re playing music. I
hope you’ll stay and listen.”
    “Nothing would give me greater pleasure,”
Vanessa purred.
    And, pow! Just like that, the man was
captivated. Athena suppressed a laugh as he melted like warm clay
in Vanessa’s hand. Maybe if she watched Vanessa enough, she’d learn
how to make guys fall with nothing more than a smile and a certain
tone of voice. As it was, she always ended up stammering and
looking like a fool when confronted with attractive males. The only
reason she’d had a prom date senior year was because the boy was
even more awkward than she was. It had not been the stuff of
adolescent dreams.
    Leaving Vanessa to work her magic on her
prey, Athena moved nearer to the cab of the truck, still wondering
about those wires. A pair of feet shod in black boots protruded
from the open door, and Athena tilted her head to get a better
view. Her eyes moved from the boots up long legs encased in striped
pants to a very nicely rounded derrière. She admired it for a
moment before letting her gaze follow the lines of the back and
broad shoulders of the person – most definitely male – who had his
head stuck under the truck’s dash as he laid face down over the
bench seat.
    Curious, Athena leaned forward to see what he
was doing just as he sat up, cursing under his breath. Uttering a
surprised squeak, she found herself inches from the bluest eyes
she’d ever seen, the breathtaking blue of a clear October sky. In
that frozen moment of surprise she had time to notice the long,
black lashes that surrounded them and the dark eyebrows that
slanted above them, ending in an almost mischievous arch before
sweeping down again.
    The owner of the eyes made a startled sound
of surprise, and the heat of a furious blush suffused Athena’s
cheeks. “Sorry,” she mumbled, and took a quick step back.
    “It’s all right,” he said. “I just didn’t
know anyone was standing here.”
    “I was just wondering what you were…um.” She
waved a hand toward the truck’s dashboard, trying to subdue the
flames of embarrassment that licked up her skin to her hairline.
She knew she must look like a ripe tomato, but her reaction was par
for the course. Handsome guys made her feel like a gawky
pre-adolescent, and this guy was the most handsome one she’d ever
seen.
    “Just trying to hook up some power.” He
relaxed against the seat, and one side of his mouth curved up in an
endearing half smile that brought a dimple to his left cheek.
    Athena caught her breath and tried not to
swoon. The surprise in his eyes was replaced by an interested
twinkle, and Athena almost turned around to see who he was trying
to charm before she realized it was her. She remembered the way
Vanessa captivated the guy on the flatbed, and tried to