Athena's Daughter Read Online Free Page A

emulate her
friend’s easy cool.
    “So you’re with the band?”
    “Yeah, I play guitar. I’m Derek.” Sunlight
flooded through the truck’s windshield and washed over his dark
wavy hair giving it the appearance of well polished mahogany, the
light picking out glints of shimmering dark auburn.
    She cast a glance toward the flatbed. It was
imperative she tear her eyes away from him or she’d fall to the
ground at his feet and start babbling like a fool. “What’s the name
of your band?”
    “Wolf.”
    Her eyes stuttered back to his face. “Wolf?
Why Wolf?” She was immediately mortified; what a stupid thing to
say.
    His grin lit up his face. “Because all of the
good names are already taken.” One hand rose to push his hair back
from his forehead. “So what are you called, then?”
    “Oh.” Geez, she hated this part. “It’s
Athena.”
    As she’d expected, his eyebrows shot up in
surprise, and her shoulders rose in the apologetic shrug she always
employed when people first heard her name. “Yeah, I know. My
parents are nuts.”
    “Not at all,” he replied. “I think Athena’s a
beautiful name.”
    On his lips it was beautiful, and the warmth
in his eyes made her feel like she was beautiful, too.
    “Athena,” Vanessa’s voice intruded on the
moment. “It’s time for us to find the other girls. We should bring
them to hear this music, don’t you think?”
    Some of the light in Derek’s eyes dimmed, and
Athena shook her head as a burst of confidence made her feel light
as air. It was the first time in her life that a good-looking guy
seemed to want to know her, and she wasn’t leaving that spot.
    “You can go find them if you want,” she told
Vanessa. “I’m staying here.”
    It brought the light back to his eyes and she
smiled, delighted. Glancing at Vanessa, she saw her friend’s sharp
gaze flit over her and then Derek. A Gallic shrug lifted her slim
shoulders.
    “I will stay here, too,” she declared.
“Perhaps they will come when they hear the music.” She spun on her
heel and headed back to the blonde guy she’d first approached.
“Paul, I am staying to hear you sing.”
    Athena looked back at Derek. “Paul?”
    “Our singer,” he explained. A
beautifully-shaped arm gestured toward the makeshift stage. “And
that’s Robin on bass, and Ian on drums.” He fidgeted with a leather
bracelet on one wrist, and Athena quivered with joy. He was
nervous! She’d spent her life watching guys act that way around
other girls, but never with her. To know she affected him the way
he affected her made her feel tall, slim and desirable.
    “I can’t wait to hear you play,” she told
him, and was rewarded by another beautiful smile that sparked
warmth in her belly that spread with speed to her fingers and
toes.
    His bottom lip was full, accentuated by his
moustache and the line of beard that grew along his jaw line. He
bit down on that lip for a moment and Athena was consumed by a
wild, unexpected desire to nibble on it herself. Overwhelmed, she
almost missed his question.
    “After we’ve finished playing, would you like
to get a pint with me?”
    Pure joy shot through her. “I’d like that.”
His answering smile made her weak. “How long are you going to
play?”
    He laughed. “Until someone comes along and
chases us out. Could be two minutes, could be two hours.”
    “I hope it’s longer than two minutes,” Athena
giggled. “I’d really like to hear your music.”
    He slid from the cab of the truck. “Your wish
is my command, Athena.”
     
     
     

CHAPTER FOUR

    Memphis, April 5, 1975
     
    Stax of Wax had never been so crowded, not
even on the busiest Saturday before Christmas. Despite the headache
of herding Wolf’s fans to the back of the store, trying to
discourage Paul and Ian from hitting on every female who approached
the table so she could keep the line moving, and keeping an eagle
eye out so no albums from the bins would be stuffed under a
windbreaker for a