Goddess Legacy: Goddess Series Book 1 (Young Adult / New Adult Series)

by M. W. Muse

  What? “You found out last Friday night?” she asked, puzzled.

  “Yes,” he responded, but seemed confused at the change in her tone.

  “That’s the same night I found out about my mother.”

  “I know.”

  “Don’t you think it’s weird that we both found out things about our lives on the same night?”

  “I’m sure it wasn’t a coincidence. There are no coincidences.”

  “I don’t understand any of this.” And she couldn’t. Just when she thought she’d gotten a handle on the goddess stuff, her mind would rebel.

  “I’m not sure if I believe it completely myself, but I know when I saw you here that Saturday, I knew there was something special about you. When we went out and you told me about yourself, I realized why. I feel attached to you, like I need to protect you, which is why I don’t like my mother’s hatred toward you or your mother.”

  “What do you mean you feel attached to me? We just met!” There went any politeness she was trying to maintain.

  “Don’t you see? This is why I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this. I needed to give you enough time for our relationship to develop naturally. I’m not playing with the same advantages Adin has.” He half-smiled and sighed, looking up. “He’s known you for years. You’ve had time to be friends with him first. If he weren’t in the picture, then maybe I wouldn’t have needed time; I could have just flirted a little and asked you out.” He blinked and looked at her with more conviction. “That’s why I didn’t want to tell you about this just yet. But you pleaded with me, and I can’t refuse you,” he said shaking his head, watching her eyes. “I already feel like you belong to me. I can only assume Adin feels the same way. He just doesn’t understand why he feels so strongly for you now. This is out of all our hands.”

  She slumped back into her chair. “That’s insane,” she said, barely a whisper.

  “My mom will be back any minute, and I have one more thing I need to say to you before she gets here.”

  “What?” she asked, but was distant.

  “Legacy, look at me. I need you to pay attention.”

  She forced her gaze to meet his.

  “My mom doesn’t like you or your mom, so she’s not happy about this prophecy since it’s about the two of us being together. I don’t know Adin, but I don’t have any ill feelings toward him either. I don’t think you should talk to him about this because he will not understand, but I think you should watch out for him. If the only thing that keeps us apart is his death, I wouldn’t put it past my mother to make sure that that happens.”

  The bell sounded as the front door to the store opened.

  “That’s her,” he said quickly. “Remember, we can’t talk about this with her around.”

  She nodded and picked up a stack of papers to shred, and he dug into another box. Ms. Gorgos walked in with bags of food and put them on the table.

  “Did anything happen while I was away?” she asked River.

  “Nope,” he responded, seeming uninterested while he separated the papers out into different piles.

  “I’ll be in my office,” she said, and turned to walk out the door.

  Legacy ate quickly without another word to River. Once they were finished eating, they went back to the menial task in silence. She caught him staring at her a few times, but he tried to play off those moments as nothing. She wondered what he could be thinking. She already knew what she was thinking.

  “Are you okay?” River finally asked.

  “Fine,” she said without making eye contact.

  “I’m really sorry,” he whispered. “More than you know.”

  She took a deep breath and looked at him. “Don’t worry about it,” she said matching his tone. “I’ll be fine.” She shrugged and turned back to the shredder.

  She heard his chair move, but didn’t turn around. Then she felt his hand on her shoulder, which startled her.

  “You know you can talk to me about anything,” he whispered, being careful not to mention the specifics.

  So he felt like she could talk to him about anything, but she didn’t think so. To her, he was still someone she hardly knew. But he was right in that he was the only one who’d offered her any explanation. She couldn’t deny that. She didn’t want to close off this source of information, but she didn’t want to encourage him either. He already felt a connection to her, but she didn’t feel one for him. She knew who she wanted to be with.

  “I know,” she said, nodding her head.

  He went back to his seat, and they finished going through all the boxes. Ms. Gorgos came in while they were on the last one and was so pleased at their progress that she told her she could go home after they finished. But as she thought of her through River’s eyes—with the belief that she didn’t like her or want her to be with River—Legacy could see an ulterior motive. Letting her leave when finished meant she wouldn’t have to spend any more time with River than what was necessary. But she really didn’t know what to think.

  As she got up to leave, River stood and stretched. “I’ll see you later,” he said, stepping over to her.

  She nodded at him at left.

  With more questions than she had answers.

  Chapter Seven

  Skirt or no skirt? That was the question. Legacy stood in front of her closet wearing a robe, her damp hair still dripping, trying to decide what to wear on her second date with Adin. The weather had been unpredictable lately, and if Legacy were to believe River’s theory that his mother had something to do with affecting the weather, then there was no way to know how the weather would be today. Or any day for that matter. So if the wind started howling, wearing a skirt to the botanical garden would be out of the question. She wanted to feel pretty, not pretty embarrassed, which was exactly how she would feel if her skirt flew up and revealed the secret she’d acquired from Victoria.

  She opened the window and felt how calm it was. She really wanted to go with a skirt. She’d had on jeans last time, but now she wanted to show some leg.

  But definitely no heels if they were to be walking around a garden for who knew how long. She selected a pale-colored, floral skirt with a nude top and espadrille sandals and set them all side before heading downstairs to eat breakfast. Adin had sent her a text late last night when he’d gotten in, and they’d arranged for him to be here at ten this morning.

  As she grabbed some cereal, she thought back over the night. She’d awoken from a heavenly slumber this morning and hadn’t remembered any of her dreams, though she was sure she’d had them. And with how bizarre they’d been lately, there was no telling what they could have been about last night.

  Olive came into the kitchen yawning. “Good morning.”

  “Morning,” Legacy said right before she took another bite. Olive retrieved a bowl from the cabinet and a spoon from the drawer before joining her at the table.

  “How did you sleep last night?” she asked after swallowing another bite of cereal.

  “Fine. You?”

  “Fine.”

  Olive poured milk over her cereal and dug in. “So another big date today, huh?

  “Yep.”

  They sat in silence while eating their cereal. But it didn’t last long enough.

  “How do you like your new job?”

  “Oh, it’s great. Kinda slow at times, but it’s easy work. Could be worse.”

  “How well do you get along with the Gorgos family?”

  Odd question. “We get along fine.”

  “When you said you had a date this morning, I thought maybe you were going to say you went out with that guy River.”

  “Why would you think that? I didn’t even know you knew of River or the Gorgos family.”

  “Word gets around. The Gorgoses are ridiculously rich.”

  “But why would you think I’d go out with River?”

  “It seemed logical. I assumed you just met him, and you’re working with him at his mom’s store. Sometimes peopl
e who work together play together. Logical.”

  “Ah, well, no. I mean, we did go out after my first day on the job, but it wasn’t like that.”

  Olive perked up. “You did?” she asked, a little too excited.

  “I said it wasn’t like that.” She didn’t want to tell her why they’d gone out, not without getting more information from River about his family and maybe more information about her mom. “He’s just a friend, and really, he’s not even that. He’s just a co-worker.”

  “Well, I’ll bet he’s a catch,” she said as she stood up, rinsed her dishes, and put them in the dishwasher.

  “He’s definitely good-looking. There’s no denying that.”

  “But you’re not interested?” she asked, sounding perplexed.

  “Not in that way. I like Adin.”

  “Right. I hope you have fun today.”

  “Sure thing,” Legacy said as she cleaned her dishes and left the kitchen.

  Back upstairs, she stood in the mirror looking at her damp hair. It was already too humid outside for her to straighten her hair today. It’d just end up a frizzy mess before the day was over. She decided to put some pomade in it and scrunch it while drying it. She preferred soft, touchable hair, but she’d have to make due. She’d rather it be hard and nice than soft and a fuzzy mess. The strands that didn’t cooperate naturally got a turn around her handy-dandy styling iron. Once she stared curling, the naturally curly strands didn’t look curly enough, so she ended up curling most of her hair. After she finished, she put some soft finishing spray in it, so the curls would still bounce freely without them all sticking together.

  She still had time to kill, so she took her time putting on her makeup. Plus, she didn’t want to get any on her clothes. When she got finished, she figured she should change the polish on her toenails. The dark red she’d had on since her first date with him didn’t really go with the pale tones of this outfit.

  She took off her sandals and changed the polish color to a more earth-tone shade. After her toenails dried, she put her shoes back on.

  She heard the familiar three soft knocks at the door as she walked back downstairs.

  “I’ll get it,” she yelled to Olive, not knowing where she was exactly.

  She put her hand on the door, took a deep breath to steady herself, and opened it.

  The sight of Adin, now slightly tanned, took her breath away. Just like last time, she appraised him as he appraised her, and it appeared they both liked what they saw. Today he was wearing jeans again, but had a short-sleeved, unbuttoned plaid shirt with a v-neck, fitted, beige t-shirt underneath.

  “Come in. I’ll be right back.”

  He walked in, but his eyebrows furrowed.

  “Don’t worry. I just have to get my purse. I’m coming back.” She snickered.

  “You’d better,” he said, matching her tone.

  She walked into the living room to grab her purse and then met him at the door again.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes,” she said, grinning.

  He reached over and took her hand. “Then, let’s go,” he said with a wink. Adin led her out of the house and into his car. Once they were out of the driveway, he started talking again. “You look very beautiful.”

  “Thanks, you look nice too.”

  “Do you remember the last day of school when I was there for the senior parade and you told me that?”

  “Yes,” she said, but she was puzzled.

  “I told you that you looked nice every day,” he continued.

  “I remember. I dressed up that day.”

  “It was your birthday,” he said, like that was the obvious reason for dressing up.

  “Right,” she said, knowing that wasn’t why she really dressed up, but she didn’t have to tell him that.

  “Well, I wasn’t being truthful when I said that.”

  Huh? “What do you mean?” Her smile was fading.

  “You never look just nice,” he said, raising his eyebrows and grinning.

  “Oh, well, thanks.” Her smile returned to her face, but it wasn’t the only thing. Now she was blushing.

  Adin reached for her hand that was in her lap. His hand grazed her bare leg, and her heart raced. His touch was so soft that she wished he’d forget about her hand and just put his on her knee instead. She glanced at him as he moved their joined hands to the middle of their seats, and as he did, she could see him shift uneasily. He hadn’t anticipated touching her bare leg, and it was obvious to her that he enjoyed that touch more than he expected, probably as much as she did. He took a deep breath, but tried concealing his heavy exhale by clearing his throat. He glanced out his side window before turning his eyes back to the road.

  He hadn’t relaxed his posture yet. She could almost hear him chanting, Slowly, slowly, slowly! to himself as he tried to get the thought of her leg out of his head. Even though he was incredibly handsome, she had to admit his response was adorable. The skirt was an excellent idea.

  It was an hour-long ride to the botanical garden, and they still had a good forty-five minutes left. Adin had always been a guy who seemed cool under pressure. Well, except his initial nervousness around her when he first asked her out. But the leg incident seemed to have penetrated his usual gentlemanly façade. She was surprised that she felt at ease so quickly after it had happened. And the reason, she guessed, was because she was beginning to find his behavior a little funny.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked in a teasing tone.

  “Er, yeah.” He shifted in his seat again.

  She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling, not that he would notice—he hadn’t made eye contact since he moved their hands away from her leg.

  “You seem awfully quiet,” she said once she knew she’d be able to get it out without giggling.

  “Do I?” he said, still no eye contact.

  She shrugged at his response, not that he’d notice.

  Legacy would need to take decisive action. After deliberating for a moment, she decided to let go of his hand so she could see his reaction. She would need an excuse, though. If she just let go of it, he’d know something was up. She had a piece of hair that was dangling by her eye, so she could use that. Ladies primped all the time. He shouldn’t think anything of her examining herself in the mirror.

  She leaned forward, positioned the visor with her right hand, and slipped her left hand out of his grasp simultaneously. She fixed her hair in the mirror but watched his reaction with her peripheral vision.

  She heard him catch his breath and saw him turn his head in her direction. Once he realized what she was doing, he moved his hand from the console between them back to his own lap. Even though he seemed to relax—only slightly—she figured she should help ease his tension even more.

  “So, have you ever been to this garden before?” she asked casually while she continued playing with her hair.

  “No, I, um, I’ve heard about it, though. It’s supposed to be really beautiful.” He struggled to keep going and managed to get only a little more out. “I thought it’d be something you’d like.”

  She put the visor back into its regular position and leaned back into her seat with her hands in her lap. “If you picked it out, I’m sure I’ll love it,” she said, looking over at him.

  He flashed his gaze at her and smiled quickly, then turned his focus back to the road.

  He was still tense, and apparently not going to make a move to get her hand back. Now, she regretted letting go. Even though she enjoyed this more than she should—and why not? She’d liked Adin for a really long time; she should enjoy how she made him feel. She did not like not touching him. Her hand ached to be in his again.

  She looked over at him, and his wasn’t resting gently on his leg. Oh, no. It looked as if he had it clamped down on his thigh. Maybe if she took his hand back, he’d relax.

  She sighed, and he blinked his eyes in her direction for a fraction of a second and back to the road. Then she
leaned over toward him with her eyes on his face. Because his hand was clamped so tightly, she knew she’d have to brush hers against his jeans to get to his fingers. She slid her hand across his leg and to his hand. She started to gently slip her hand under his with her palm facing down on his leg. Adin looked down and released his grip, realizing what she was doing. His breathing sped up, and he looked back out the windshield.

  Touching his leg sent her heart racing. But she wasn’t the only one who responded to the sensation. He seemed to enjoy her touching him more than he enjoyed it when he touched her. But now that their hands were on his leg instead of hers, he seemed even tenser.

  Adin shifted his hand so that she could wrap her fingers around his, and she turned hers up so that she could grasp his.

  She wasn’t sure if she should move their hands away, back to the safety of the console. But having them there earlier hadn’t seemed to help. She knew they couldn’t move them back to her lap. Even though he seemed more worked up when she touched him, apparently that principle didn’t apply when touching her bare leg. At least his legs were covered, not that that helped her, so she decided to keep their hands on his leg. If it became too much for him, then he could be the one to move them.

  They sat quietly with their hands on his leg for the rest of the trip.

  Once they arrived at the garden, he released her to turn off the car. Then he got out of the car and walked to her door. She glanced at his face as he took her arm to help her out. She didn’t miss his eyes glancing quickly at her legs either.

  The garden was beautiful. There were over two hundred acres filled with thousands of rare shrubs, flowers, and trees nestled against a serene lake. Among the varieties were magnolias, camellias, azaleas, Japanese maples, and endless roses.

  Adin was back to his regular, charming self. As he guided her around the grounds, he pointed out the antique variety of roses and the rare tree from Burma, which was the only known one of its kind in North America. They continued walking around and easily talking. There were natural bridges over streams, beautifully placed boulders throughout the garden, and several waterfalls that could be heard throughout the grounds. Even though it was hot and sticky outside, the lush trees provided ample shade throughout the park.