Hades Read Online Free PDF

wrinkled his
    face in disgust at the lacy underwear lying on the porch. “I
    hope I never fal for someone so hard that I agree to have
    sex in a tractor.”
    “I don’t know about the tractor,” I teased. “But I’m betting
    one day you’l fal in love and there won’t be a thing you can
    do about it.”
    “Not a chance.” Ben stretched out with his arms crossed
    over his head and shut his eyes. “I’m too bitter and jaded.”
    “I could try and set you up with one of my friends,” I
    offered. I quite liked the idea of matchmaking and was fairly
    confident in my skil s. “What about Abby? She’s single and
    pretty and wouldn’t be too demanding.”
    “Dear God, please don’t,” Ben said. “That would have to
    be the worst match in history.”
    “I beg your pardon?” Ben’s lack of confidence in my
    abilities was disappointing.
    “Beg al you want.” Ben snorted. “My decision is final. I
    won’t be set up with a cooler-drinking, stiletto-wearing
    bimbo. We’d have nothing to say to each other except bye. ”
    “It’s good to know you have such a high opinion of my
    friends,” I said crossly. “Is that what you think of me?”
    “No, but you’re different.”
    “How so?”
    “You’re weird.”
    “I am not!” I exclaimed. “What’s so weird about me?
    Xavier, do you think I’m weird?”
    “Calm down, babe,” Xavier said, eyes twinkling with
    amusement. “I’m sure Carter means weird in the most
    flattering sense.”
    “Wel , you’re weird too,” I hit back at Ben, realizing at the
    same time how petulant I sounded.
    He chuckled and downed the rest of his beer. “Takes one
    to know one.”
    The sound of raucous voices coming from inside drew
    our attention. The screen door was thrown open and a
    group of boys from the water-polo team appeared on the
    porch. It was amazing, I thought to myself, how much they
    reminded me of young lion cubs, jostling and tumbling over
    one another. Xavier shook his head in gentle
    admonishment as they stumbled toward us. I recognized
    the faces of Wesley and Lawson among them. They were
    easy to pick out; Wesley with his slick, dark hair and low-
    set brows and Lawson with his white-blond crew cut and
    hooded blue eyes. They were a dul blue, I noticed, they
    didn’t sparkle like Xavier’s. Both boys were shirtless and
    striped with war paint. They acknowledged my presence
    with a curt nod in my direction and I thought fleetingly back
    to a time when men would click their heels and bow in the
    presence of a lady. I returned their acknowledgment with a
    smile. I couldn’t bring myself to do what my friends cal ed
    the “s’up nod”—it made me feel as if I were in one of those
    music videos Mol y watched on MTV where men in hoods
    rapped about “homies” and something cal ed “bling.”
    “Come on, Woods,” the boys cal ed. “We’re headed to
    the lake.”
    Xavier groaned. “Here we go.”
    “You know the rules,” Wesley cal ed out. “Last one there
    has to skinny-dip.”
    “My God, they real y have discovered the pinnacle of
    intel ectual stimulation,” muttered Ben.
    Xavier got up reluctantly and I stared at him in surprise.
    “You’re not going, are you?” I said.
    “The race is a Bryce tradition.” He laughed. “We do it
    every year wherever we are. But don’t worry, I never come
    in last.”
    “Don’t be so sure,” Lawson crowed as he leapt off the
    porch and pelted toward the woods at the rear of the
    property. “Head start advantage!” The rest of the boys
    fol owed suit, shoving one another unceremoniously as they
    ran. They went crashing through the overgrown shrubs and
    headed for the open fields like a stampede.
    Once they’d disappeared, I left Ben to his philosophical
    brooding and went inside to find Mol y. She and the girls
    had moved and were now huddled secretively in a little
    cluster by the foot of the stairs. Abigail had a supersize
    paper bag tucked under her arm and they al looked