Goddess Legacy: Goddess Series Book 1 (29 page)

When they finished, she shifted her position so that she was sitting between Adin’s legs with her back leaning against his chest, hands resting on his legs. Adin had his arms wrapped around her stomach and put his chin on her shoulder. They sat like this while they watched the sunset, which was magnificent. The sky was a rainbow of colors cascading off the horizon.

While she gently caressed Adin’s legs with her fingers, he lifted one of his hands and brushed her hair around to her opposite shoulder. He put his chin back down, but continued to stroke her hair on the other side. His touch was so soothing.

“Legacy,” he whispered in her ear.

“Mmmmm…”

“I love you,” he said so gingerly.

Her heart swelled, and she could feel it beating harder. It was radiating throughout her body. She reached her hand up and stroked the side of his face. He told her that he loved her!

“I love you too,” she murmured.

And she did. She knew she was in love with Adin. There was no doubt in her mind or in her heart. Her heart would always belong to him. Before, she had a very hard time believing that this magnificent creature wanted her…that he was hers. But now she knew he loved her too, and that feeling was overwhelming. He belonged to her. His heart, his soul.

Adin held her a little tighter and pressed his lips into her neck while she ran her fingers through his hair. After he kissed her neck, he rested his chin on her shoulder and kept stroking her hair.

In this moment, there wasn’t anything else to say. She knew if she tried to say something, she would cry. She felt a lump in her throat just thinking about the words he’d just said to her. The words that changed everything for her. Even though she already knew she loved him, his love for her meant more than anything else.

They sat unmoving until it started to get dark. Adin loosened his arm that was around her and leaned back. She twisted to the side to watch him.

“We should probably leave before the mosquitoes eat us alive.” He chuckled.

“You’re probably right,” she said, leaning to the side so she could get up.

Adin got up first and helped her to her feet. Once she was upright, she stretched, and Adin laughed again.

“What?”

“You’re just very beautiful.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

“I know so,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

She stretched up on her toes and put her hands on his face, stroking it lightly while she stared into his eyes. He was incredibly handsome, but he was so much more than good-looking. He was beautiful inside and out. She stared at him in awe.

As her fingers caressed his face, he reached up and put his hand on top of her right hand, holding it to his face.

“Your hand is cold,” he said as he shut his eyes.

“It doesn’t feel that way to me. Right now, it just feels
right
against you,” she murmured.

Adin sighed and opened his eyes, staring into the depths of hers. “I love you so much,” he breathed. “I’ve loved you for a very long time. I wanted to wait until the end of summer to confess my feelings since we were taking things slowly, but after the last time we were together—when there was a brief moment that I thought you were breaking up with me—I realized I wasn’t going to make it until the end of summer. I almost told you that night, but I wanted the first time to be special, so I decided to bring you back here, to where we had their first date.”

He didn’t give her an opportunity to respond. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers instead. While he was kissing her, her breathing was jagged. It was only then that she realized the lump in her throat was no longer contained. She was crying.

She would always need Adin as he would always need her. She knew that after tonight, she would never be the same. She had changed.

Chapter Eighteen

“Calli, what time is Zach picking you up?”

“He’ll be here in about an hour. Then we’ll head to your house.”

“Okay, bye.” Legacy hung up the phone and continued getting ready.

Tonight was the double date that she and Calli had planned last week. Zach and Adin got along fine, so that was a bonus. They didn’t seem like the type of guys that would be friends on their own, but since she and Calli brought them together, they were more than cordial. She figured when Calli and Zach broke up that Adin would probably stay friends with Zach. She didn’t expect a breakup soon, but their relationship didn’t seem as serious as her relationship with Adin was.

And their relationship was serious. They were now spending every free second together, and when they weren’t together, they were on the phone. They talked about everything. She told him about her dreams and her theories, and he was always attentive and insightful. She didn’t think he really believed she was going to be a goddess—other than his own personal goddess—but he was never negative about it. He knew that was what she thought, and he was there for her.

River was his new distant self. He didn’t talk to her unless she spoke to him first, but he was always staring. Always longing from afar. If he was close to her, he used it as an opportunity to touch her, which she ignored, and he hated. A few times he’d overheard her talking to Yale about her dates with Adin, and that would either put him in a funkier mood or make him more presumptuous. She didn’t like him hurting, but she wasn’t going to entertain his behavior. She knew her indifference hurt him more than anything, though.

The weather hadn’t changed. Since it hadn’t rained in weeks, there were still burn bans everywhere, and it was blistering hot. Too hot to do much of anything outside during the peak hours of the day. The spring flowers were dried up and dead, as was the grass and everything else that was supposed to be green or colorful. And the scorching weather outside made a movie night ideal, so that was what they were all going to do tonight. Since Zach had an SUV, they were riding with him. After Zach and Calli picked her up, they were going to get Adin.

She had been too busy picking out a sexy outfit that she was running late when Calli and Zach arrived, so she threw her hair up and ran outside. When they reached Adin’s house, she got out and went to his door, but he came out before she got there.

“You should have waited for me to come and get you,” she teased.

Adin laughed and shook his head. “I didn’t want you out in this heat.” He grabbed her waist. “But you do look hot!”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I know,” she said a little arrogantly while she twisted out of his embrace and grabbed his hand.

They got in the car and headed to the movies. It was the first time she and Adin had been in a car together without him driving. It wasn’t dark yet, so she and Adin could stare at each other without any intrusions. Well,
almost
any intrusions.

“What are you two doing back there?” Calli asked as she turned to look.

“Nothing,” Legacy said sarcastically.

“You’re being awfully quiet,” her BFF teased.

“And you’re not,” she said, unable to suppress a laugh.

Calli turned back around and messed with the radio. Legacy went back to staring at Adin, but he had a playful look in his eyes.

She raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was thinking, but he just grinned bigger. Then he leaned over and kissed her. She realized he was doing this to irritate Calli, but Legacy had gotten so into it that she eventually forgot they weren’t alone. She held him tightly to her, drinking in his hot kisses, losing herself in his exploring mouth.

Calli cleared her throat. “You two should get a room!” she chided jokingly.

Adin pulled away laughing, but Legacy was too flustered to find her friend’s interruption funny.

It didn’t matter because they were pulling into the parking lot at the movie theater. Adin got out of the car, and she slid out the same door. He put his arm around her and guided her into the theater while Calli and Zach went in hand-in-hand.

When they got inside, Adin handed her some money. “Why don’t you and Calli get in line at the concession stand?” It was a good idea. That line was already long.

The guys waited to buy their tickets while she and Calli stood in line to get some popcorn and drinks. While they were waiting, she heard a familiar voice coming in.

And Legacy froze.

The voice wasn’t as somber as it had been recently. There was laughing and joking coming from it. She didn’t even want to turn around and look. She knew it was River.

She turned to Calli to see if she’d heard him, but she was trying to look around the people in front of us to see the candy selection.

“Calli?” Legacy whispered.

“Huh?” she asked, not looking at her.

Legacy gently tugged her arm, and she turned to look at her. “River is here.”

Calli’s eyes got really big, and she started to speak. Legacy shook her head quickly. She didn’t want her friend opening her mouth since she had no idea where he was.

Calli glanced around causally, like she was bored with standing in line. When she finished, she leaned toward Legacy. “He saw me,” she murmured.

Legacy growled under her breath. This could not be happening! She and Adin hadn’t talked about River since the night Adin had gotten back from his dad’s. From the sound of it that night, Adin wasn’t dropping the conversation, but there really wasn’t a point in bringing it back up. Until now.

It was their turn at the counter, so they quickly got their popcorn and sodas and stepped to the side to wait for their dates.

“Where are Adin and Zach?” she asked Calli when she realized neither of them was in line at the ticket counter.

“Er, I don’t know. Maybe they went to the restroom.”

Not thinking, Legacy scanned the crowd to try and find Adin. Mistake. River was staring right at her, waiting for her to look for him. Their eyes met for half a second, and he started to smile, but she kept scanning the room, looking for Adin. She couldn’t find him. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to entertain River undressing her with his eyes.

“River just saw me,” she whispered to Calli. “I was looking for Adin, so River probably thinks you told me you saw him and that I tried to find him.”

“Don’t be silly, Legacy.”

“Calli, I told you about what happened. If Adin knows that River is here, he’s going to flip!”

“Well, River does look hot. And that guy he’s with, talk about ridiculous! They must be related.”

Leave it to Calli to focus on their looks. “He said something about family being in from out of town,” she mumbled, still looking for Adin.

“Hi, Legacy,” she heard from behind, but that voice so did not belong to the man she was looking for.

Calli jumped and spun around.

Legacy slowly turned. “Hi, River.”

“Wow. You look gorgeous,” River said, staring at her, the longing look front and center.

“Thanks.”

River shut his eyes and shook his head. “Ummm…” He opened his eyes again. “This is my cousin, Paul,” he introduced.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said as she went back to scanning the room.

“What are you looking for?” River asked.

“Hmm?” She was still scanning the room, not looking at River.

“Hey,” she heard Adin say, coming from the side.

She twirled around to face him. He had a half-smile on his face, and Zach was laughing.

“He just beat me playing air hockey,” Zach said as they approached. “No one’s ever beaten me before.”

“Really?” Legacy asked nervously. How could she get Adin away without seeing the guy beside her?

Adin noticed the tone in her voice and furrowed his eyebrows. As he stepped up to her, he finally saw River and Paul standing behind Legacy and Calli.

“Looks like every time we leave you two alone, men hit on you,” Zach said as he put his arm around Calli.

“Hi, I’m River Rysaor.” River introduced himself, sticking his hand out to Zach. “I live next door to Calli.”

She was watching Adin’s face as she heard River’s voice. His expression turned to stone right in front of her. He clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes. This was not going to be good.

“Don’t,” she mouthed to Adin without speaking. “Please.”

He walked up to her and put his hand on her side to move her around him so that now Adin was standing in front of River.

“Oh, well, it’s nice to meet you then,” Zach responded.

Adin stuck his hand out to River, and she watched from behind. “Adin Sheppard,” he said in a grave tone, and River’s eyes opened slightly wider, then narrowed.

“River Rysaor.”

The two of them glared at each other and shook hands purposefully. While they were sizing each other up, Zach and Paul watched in confusion.

Adin stepped right up to River, and Legacy closed her eyes. This was not going to end well. River would be in the hospital, and they were all going to jail.

“If you don’t start showing her some respect, I’m going to tear you apart,” Adin said as calmly as he could manage.

“If you don’t back off, you’ll get your chance sooner rather than later.” River wasn’t calm.

Adin laughed without any humor. “It’s not so much fun having someone in your face that you don’t want there, is it?” He paused. “
This
is your
only
warning,” he growled. He dropped River’s hand and turned to her. He put his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead. He started to lead her off when River spoke again.

“It was a pleasure meeting you,” River said with heavy sarcasm.

They kept walking, but Adin turned to look at him. “The pleasure’s going to be
all
mine.”

Legacy was sure she wasn’t the only one who caught all the meanings in that phrase! The pleasure Adin would have when he killed him. The pleasure he would have by her being all his. But at least he didn’t beat him to a pulp.

They got into the movie and took their seats.

“Are you okay?” she asked Adin.

“Me? Why?” He sounded puzzled.

“Because you looked like you were about to kill River.”

“I’m fine.” He shrugged. “Are you okay?”

“I guess so.”

“That’s all that matters to me. Besides, I’m not going to let him ruin our date.”