Hidden Deep Read Online Free PDF Page B

but the stadium lights were already blazing.
    “Oooh, Jake’s game has started,” Emmy said. “I don’t want to miss him batting.” She pressed the gas pedal a little harder, leaning forward over the wheel to scope a good parking spot.
    For a three-stoplight town, Deep River had a pretty decent ballpark. The complex had three baseball diamonds arranged around a common area with picnic tables and a snack hut. A tall announcers’ booth stood behind the backstop of the largest field, the one with the expensive lighting. The smell of grilling hamburgers filled the air. A hint of popcorn, too. It was definitely the place to be on a late spring weeknight. Families and groups of teenagers walked around, and the stands were nearly full at all the fields.
    Emmy and I made our way to the bleachers on the home team side of the largest diamond, where the older guys were in a play-off game. We found some space a few rows from the top and sat down so she could scout her number one crush.
    “Look at him,” she whispered to me in kind of a hushed squeal. She pointed to a big guy with a blond buzz cut—number eight. “Doesn’t he look kind of like Thor?”
    I followed her pointing finger and located the object of her desire, playing third base. Jake was attractive in an I-spend-hours-a-day-working-on-the-guns-in-the-weight-room kind of way.
    “Yeah, he’s cute,” I said to please her.
    Emmy nodded her head furiously and giggled.
    “You should be careful with him, though,” I warned. “He has a reputation for a reason.”
    She rolled her eyes at me with a groan. “‘Be careful with him. Don’t join a fan pod,’” She mocked my warnings in a goofy voice. “I swear, Ryann, you act older than your grandma. Your hair’s gonna turn white if you don’t relax and live a little. Are you honestly telling me you don’t want a nibble of that man-candy?”
    I shrugged, abashed, and looked away from her, out toward the players running in from the outfield. I certainly didn’t mind muscles on a guy, but Jake wasn’t my type. I really preferred the long and lean variety. Hard, rather than puffed-up. More like Lad… or him…
    My gaze landed on a guy walking past our section of bleachers. Nox was lanky and tall with wavy hair so shiny dark brown it bordered on black. It looked like he’d showered just before coming here and let the air from the rolled-down car windows dry his hair on the way. He wore some well-aged jeans, a vintage AC/DC t-shirt, and western boots, in spite of the steamy night. He had a swaggering way of walking, lazily stretching out one long leg after the other, moving slowly past the stands with his eyes on the field.
    Oh, and he was stunning. In fact, he would’ve looked quite natural in one of Emmy’s magazines.
    Emmy followed my stare. “Gorgeous jerk,” she whispered with a conspiratorial grin. “ He looks sort of like Vallon Foster, doesn’t he? Too bad he totally knows it.”
    “Yeah,” I agreed. Every female under the age of thirty in Deep River was aware of Nox Knight. He’d started at DRHS a few months ago. Anyone new in town would have made waves, but this guy had caused an estrogen tsunami.
    He wasn’t just good-looking—he’d moved here from California, had his own band and the bad-boy musician attitude to go with it. Like everyone else, I liked to look at him, but I’d known better than to dive in. Not that I’d ever been invited into the water.
    I was still watching Nox when he glanced up in our direction. Sucking in a quick breath, I turned my head. When I peeked back again, he’d gone about his way. He hadn’t noticed me—as usual.
    “Oh, Shay’s here. Come on,” Emmy said, craning her neck toward the parking lot. She got up and started stepping over seats to get to the bleacher stairs. I followed.
    Shay Cook was also a junior, with shiny dark curls and perfect skin. She’d won the Squash Blossom pageant the previous weekend. To make it even worse, she was a total brain and