by Carly Spade
He chuckled. “You think you’re bruising my ego?” His golden hair fell in a perfect frame over his face.
“Definitely.” I pulled my shoulders back.
He pointed at my shirt. “What’s the cartoon supposed to be?”
“Hades.”
He narrowed his eyes and smirked. “Real cute.”
“I thought so.”
Kate, my unsung hero, appeared beside me. “They’re saying we have to go,” she groaned.
“Have to go already?” He leaned toward me. “Such a shame,” he said, sarcasm lacing his tone.
Was it horrible I felt the urge to stick my tongue out at him? Instead, I lifted my chin in the air and grabbed the crook of Kate’s elbow.
“Come on, Kate. It’s getting stuffy in here.” I glared at him over my shoulder.
She whined. “But I don’t want to go.”
“Would ice cream help?” I asked.
She perked up. “Soft serve?”
“Is there any other kind?”
Her pace quickened, and I stopped at the stairs to risk a look back. Ace stood in the same spot we’d left him, rubbing his smooth chin. He stared at the ground before catching my gaze. He made a ‘shoo’ gesture with his hands. It took every ounce of my willpower to not throw one of the nearby stage lights at him. Not that I could throw it that far anyway. I blew air out of my nostrils like a bull and clamored down the stairs.
“So, you and Ace were alone,” Kate said, nudging me in the rib with her elbow.
“I don’t like him. He doesn’t like me. So, stop whatever fantasy is rolling around in that crazy brain of yours pronto.”
Her grin widened into a maniacal one.
“Why do you have that look on your face?” I asked, leaning away.
“Because all the best romances start that way.” She raised on the balls of her feet and skipped toward the parking lot.
STAY TUNED!
www.carlyspade.com
First, to my husband, you gave me so many unique ideas to flesh out Hades' character, and as always, I appreciate your support and continued willingness to hear my thoughts.
To my critique partner: Sarah. I can’t thank you enough for the honesty you always give, and with this book in particular, it needed those harsh truths. Thank you for making it better.
To my beta readers, your feedback made this story bigger, better, and totally badass. I can’t thank you all enough for taking the time to read and comment, all the while being honest and enthusiastic.
Meghan and Brittany AKA “Miss Poopy Pants”, you both read Hades not once, but twice as I made revisions. You’re both my heroes, and I couldn’t ask for better cheerleaders in my corner.
Matt, thank you for being my go-to with anything law enforcement related. I couldn’t have come up with such a plausible case and I appreciated your help and input.
A special thanks to the creators of the nineties shows Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. Those shows shaped my childhood and made me the Greek mythology fiend I am today.
To the readers, I know there are so many Greek myth retellings out there, and I thank you for taking the chance on yet another series. Greek mythology has been a passion of mine for over twenty years, and it was only a matter of time before it seeped into my writing. I hope this series will remain unique from what you’ve read and continue to feed into your hunger for more Greek god and goddess goodies!
CARLY SPADE is an adult romance writer who has been writing since she could pick up a pencil. After the insanity of obtaining a bachelor’s and master’s degree in cybersecurity, creating worlds to escape to still ate at her very soul. She started writing FanFiction (which can still be found if you scour the internet), and soon felt the need to get her original ideas on paper. And so the adventure began.
She lives in Colorado with her husband and two fur babies, and revels in an enemies to lovers trope with a slow burn.
Find her online:
www.carlyspade.com