Season's Change: Summer: A Goddess Legacy Companion Novel (Goddess Legacy 1.5) (15 page)

Don and Zach did the macho fist bump thing before they left. Then Don took my hand and walked me to his car. I was still dazed. On the way home, he held my hand and stroked the back of it with his thumb. Every now and then, he'd lift our joined

hands and kiss the back of mine. I was so wrapped up in the kiss we'd shared, it was amazing that I even remembered our plans for the next day.

"What time do I need to be at your place tomorrow?"

"I can come get you. The party starts at one o'clock, but I need to set up everything. How does eleven sound?"

"Eleven's good."

When we got to my house, Don walked me to my door.

"Thank you for going with me today," I said, looking into his eyes.

"Thank you for asking me. I had a wonderful time." He stepped closer to me and rubbed my arm.

"Me, too." I was barely audible.

Don dropped his arm from mine and put both around my waist, pulling me against him. I stretched up on my toes and put my arms around his neck, playing with his hair. He shivered at my touch, released a low moan, and then kissed me again.

"I have to go," he finally said, breaking away from our kiss. "I know."

"I'll be here in the morning."

"Are you coming earlier than eleven o'clock?" I teased.

He sighed. "I might. I don't know if I can wait that long to see you again." "I'm sure you have plenty to keep you busy in the morning."

"Yeah." But he didn't sound convincing. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I watched Don drive away before going into the house. Tomorrow wouldn't arrive fast enough.

I
slept soundly
and got up bright and early the next morning. After I showered, I ate breakfast before I took my time getting ready, leaving my hair down since it'd be getting wet anyway and putting on a little waterproof makeup. I painted my toenails to match my bronze swimsuit and sandals and put on a pair of jean shorts and a white, sheer top so that my bikini top could be seen through it. I threw my sunglasses in my hair, and I was ready.

Don showed up promptly at eleven o'clock. When I opened the door, his eyes popped, and he gasped. He definitely liked what he saw. He put his hand on the doorjamb as he tried to compose himself, but he seemed to be at a loss for words.

I wasn't too distracted by his reaction to my outfit not to notice how hot he was. He had on his swimming trunks with a fitted T-shirt. Don may not be a god like Chrys was going to be, but he sure did look like one.

When we got to his house, I helped set up.

"So who all's going to be here?" I asked as I put out some of the food. "Just some friends."

"Do you have any family coming over?"

"Nope. Mom's spending the day shopping with my grandma. She left after making all the side dishes."

"So what's the occasion?" I wondered. The Fourth was over, and it wasn't like it was his birthday.

"This is the first Saturday that we were all able to get together. Several of the guys are going away to school, so this is like their farewell."

We finished setting up just as Don's guests started to arrive. I stayed by his side as he introduced me—as his girlfriend—to all his friends. I recognized the ones from school, but many of his friends didn't go to our school, and most of them brought dates. They all seemed very nice. Of course several of the guys were rowdy, but I expected as much.

Don left the front door open, so new guests could come right in, and we headed for the backyard, which was full of people whose names I didn't remember. I stayed by Don as he cooked the burgers and hot dogs; sure, I didn't really know anyone, but I also didn't want any of the single girls to get any ideas.

We were almost finished when I heard his backdoor open. I looked up and saw Chloe walking out.

"Chloe? What are you doing here?" Zach walked out behind her. "Don invited us."

I turned to Don, and he was smiling. "I said friends were coming. Your friends are my friends." He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

Zach walked over to chat with Don, and I walked over to Chloe and hugged her. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I didn't have a chance. Don invited Zach while we were in the restroom last night. Then after the fireworks show, you were too
tongue-tied
to speak." She giggled.

We walked over to one of the side tables and visited while Zach helped Don finish cooking. A couple of Don's friends who came in late walked over and talked to us. I thought it was nice of them to try and include us with the rest of the crowd since we obviously didn't know everyone as well as the two guys manning the grill.

One of the guys was taller, and the other one was more muscular. At first, I thought they were just being polite, but then I realized they were hitting on us. I was too shocked to put a stop to it, so Chloe was the one to break it to them.

"You two seem like really nice guys, but we already have boyfriends." She tried to let them down easy.

"Nobody said nothin' about boyfriends," the muscular one said. Chloe and I were speechless at the change in his tone..

"Besides," the taller one added, "even if you really do have boyfriends, they're not here. I know just about everyone here, so I'd know if either of you was already taken."

"I think you'd like to take a swim with me," the muscular one said as he grabbed my arm and tried pulling me out of my chair..

My shock wore off, and I turned to glare at him as I suddenly found my voice. "You're wrong," I snapped, yanking my arm away.

Out of nowhere, Don was at my side.

"What's going on, Dave?" he asked the muscular one. Don was trying to defuse the situation, but I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was about to knock out this Dave guy.

"Take it easy, Don. Mike and I were just trying to make new friends," Dave said. Mike must be the tall one. From the look Don shot him, Mike was going to be kissing the concrete with Dave.

"Yeah," Mike agreed, touching Chloe's shoulder. Zach pushed him off her.

"What's your problem, dude?" Mike puffed out his chest, but he was no physical match for Zach.

I realized I needed to bust up the testosterone fest. I jumped up out of my seat to try and do just that, but Don shoved me behind his back.

"Wait," I said to Don and glanced over at Dave and Mike from behind Don's back. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Season, Don's girlfriend." Mike and Dave immediately relaxed their stances and looked at Don apologetically. "And this is my best friend, Chloe, and her boyfriend, Zach," I finished quickly.

Dave and Mike tried to mumble apologies to Don, but he just shook his head at them, not wanting to hear it. He turned around to face me.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm completely fine. That wasn't the first time I've been hit on by some self- centered punk."

"I'm sorry," he whispered and then kissed my cheek. "It's not your fault."

Don mumbled something unintelligible and then scanned his backyard. Seeking out Mike and Dave, I supposed. I grabbed his face and turned his head in my direction.

"Is it time to eat?" He sighed. "Yes." "Good. I'm starving."

He walked me over to the table on the covered patio and fixed my plate. Chloe and Zach ate with us. Everyone else was eating, swimming, or throwing a football around. When we finished eating, Chloe and Zach jumped in the pool, and they immediately started kissing each other. I was delighted to see Chloe so happy.

I stayed out of the pool to help Don clean up some of the mess. As the time passed, though, I noticed he wasn't making a move to the pool. I realized a little late that the reason was probably related to me having to take off my clothes and walking around in a bikini in front of all his friends—two friends in particular. But I wasn't going to let Dave or Mike ruin my fun.

"It's really hot," I said, leaning toward Don and moving my shirt back-and-forth, fanning myself.

He smiled crookedly at me but didn't say anything. "I think I need to jump in your pool, so I can cool off."

"I need to throw out the potato salad. It's been sitting out a while. I have some more in the refrigerator we can bring out."

"Nobody's eating right now. It can wait." "It'll just take a minute."

Ugh. This wasn't working. I'd just have to be direct.

"Well, okay. You can join me when you get finished." I stood up and started to take off my top.

Don stood up and took both my hands into his, stopping me from taking off my clothes. He didn't say anything—his panicked eyes revealed his concern. I stared at him and then slipped my hands out of his. He just stood there watching me, so I grabbed the sides of his shirt, and with a smile on my face, I started pulling it up. He finally grinned a little and pulled off his shirt for me.

I rubbed my hand on his bare chest, and his smile grew bigger.

"I think this is my favorite outfit that I've seen you in," I joked. Seriously, he was stunning . . . absolutely gorgeous . . . but I was trying to stay focused on lifting him out of his mood.

Don laughed lightly and then sighed. "I'm sorry. I know I need to chill. I was just really bothered by—"

"Stop," I whispered, shaking my head. "The best way for you to chill is by jumping in a nice cool swimming pool."

He laughed louder at my corny joke. "Okay. But let's get some sunscreen on,

first."

He was my little advocate on skin care. He grabbed the bottle, but I took it out of

his hand and squirted some in my own palm this time. Then I started to rub the lotion on him. He squirmed at first, but I continued to rub the lotion all over his chest, back, and shoulders, trying not to think about what I was actually doing.

Then I took off my clothes and left them in the chair I was sitting in. I could tell when Don saw me in nothing but my bikini that he briefly considered dealing with the potato salad again, which I would be forced to assist with, so I acted quickly.

"Will you put some on my back?" I asked as I squirted some lotion in my palm again before handing it to him.

He hesitated, so I started rubbing the lotion I had in my hand onto my stomach and chest. I watched him while I rubbed the lotion on myself, but he was watching my hands.

"If you don't want to put it on my back, I can ask Chloe. If she's busy, I'm sure I can find someone willing," I teased as I stepped away from him, pretending to leave.

He grabbed my arm and snorted. "Turn around."

I did, and he gently rubbed the lotion on my back and shoulders while I worked on my stomach. As Don rubbed the lotion down my sides to my hips, I flinched, and he stopped, not moving his hands from my hips. He stepped up against my back and put his lips to my ear.

"What's wrong?"

"Er, nothing." I shrugged and started rubbing the lotion on my stomach again. "Season?"

"I'm, umm, I'm just ticklish." Even though he did accidentally tickle me, having him rub lotion on me was not an unpleasant experience, to say the least. It was easier for me to rub lotion on him because I didn't have to think about what I was doing, but it was impossible to ignore him rubbing it on me, especially when he grazed a ticklish spot.

"Oh." He chuckled against my ear. "That's need-to-know information."

I shifted my weight, trying to distract myself because I knew there were a lot of people around us. But as I did, I heard his breathing spike, which did not help me.

I slid my hands from my stomach to on top of his at my sides and intertwined our fingers together. Then I pulled his hands around my stomach, so his arms were wrapped around me. Don leaned down and kissed my shoulder.

"I taste like lotion," I warned. "You taste like heaven."

My heart raced, and I knew that I needed to act quickly. I maneuvered out of his embrace and smoothed the lotion on my legs. After he did the same, I grabbed his hand and dragged him out by the pool, and then I dove in.

By the time I swam to the shallow end, Don was already there. If he was stunning before, he was downright astonishing now. His wet hair looked darker, and his eyes were bluer than the water glistening on his hard body. I stared in awe, partly because of his beauty and partly because he stared at me with the same awed expression.

"You beat me," I teased. "I cheated."

He reached out and pulled me up to him. I put my arms around his neck, wrapping my legs around his waist. He put his hands on my back and looked up at me while I stared down at him.

"See this isn't
so
bad," I said with a hint of a smile.

Don laughed while he rubbed his hands up and down my back.

"I'm glad to see you two finally in here," I heard Chloe say from behind me.

He turned us to the side so that we both could see her and Zach. Don slid his hands down, thinking I was going to unwind myself. He was wrong. I squeezed my arms around his neck, and he put his hands back where they belonged.

"We were busy." I figured I didn't need to go into the real reason why we hadn't been in the pool.

Don let out a short laugh but didn't correct me.

"We're going to leave soon; we have plans for tonight, and I need to get ready," Chloe said.

"Oh, okay. Well, thanks for coming."

Don slipped one hand off my back and reached over to shake Zach's hand. "Thanks for coming, man."

"No problem," Zach said.

All the guests were pretty much preoccupied with doing their own things. Don and I chatted with them periodically and were in and out of the pool the rest of the day. Each time we swam, I wound my legs around him, and he held me up. He was more relaxed with each swim that we took.

By early evening, most of the guests had left, and Don and I cleaned up the mess.

After we were finished and the last person left, Don put his arms around me. "Would you like to swim one more time before I take you home?"

I
liked
this idea. "Sure."

We walked outside and into the pool from the shallow end, and I dunked under the water to wet my hair. As I surfaced, I smoothed it back.

"You are so beautiful," Don whispered as he stepped toward me. He said that a lot, and I liked that, not because he said it, but because he believed it.

I reached up and put my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist like I'd been doing all day. Don gently walked us to the side of the pool and into slightly deeper water. When my back was up against one of the pool's walls, he slid his hands down to my waist. I twisted my fingers in his hair while I gazed down at him. I could tell from the intense look in his eyes that he wanted to kiss me, but at this angle, I knew

he wouldn't be able to reach without me bringing my head down. I wasn't going to. If he wanted to kiss me, he'd have to figure out a way to make it happen.

He did. He grasped my waist and pulled me down so that my face was at the same level as his. That quick move sent a shock through my system, and I gasped. His lips found mine, and we kissed for a while.

After we kissed, Don moved us around the pool. He splashed water at me, being playful. Now that we were alone in the pool for the first time, I felt a little playful myself. But in a different way. I put my lips to his ear and kissed it gently.

"I really like your shirt being off," I whispered into his ear and then kissed it again while I rubbed my hand down his chest.

I felt him shiver and heard his breathing pick up. I wondered if it was me kissing his ear or rubbing his bare chest that stirred that reaction. It could have been a combination, but I wanted to see.

I put my hand around his neck, but kept my lips at his ear.

"Do you like having your shirt off in front of me?" I asked right in his ear, then slowly kissed his earlobe.