Page 6 of Legacy
She barely heard the girl as his peppermintscent filled her nostrils. The sweet, crisp scent was impossible toresist, and she wanted to get closer. When she slipped her handinto his, a jolt went through her.
The jolt wasn’t unpleasant, but it was strongenough to remind her of the time when she accidentally grabbed anelectric fence as a kid. Her father had taken her to a farm withall kinds of livestock, but the horses drew her attention themost.
She’d always wanted to pet a horse, but she’dnever been that close to one before, and while her fathernegotiated buying a bunch of meat from the farmer, she crept closerand closer to the paddock until she stood on the other side.
The horse’s ears flickered toward her as itmunched its grass, but it didn’t run away. The size of the animalscared her, but she was too captivated by it to turn back.Determined to pet the beautiful animal, she grasped the fence andnearly shrieked when the electric wire running along the inside ofthe board zapped her.
Blood filled her mouth when she bit hertongue and staggered away from the fence. She glanced back at herfather and the farmer, but neither of them had seen what happened.When she approached the fence again, she stayed away from the upperboard and stuck her hand inside the paddock.
Stretching her fingers forward, she wasdesperate to touch the horse and to experience something normal foroncein her short life. And then, her fingers brushedagainst its cheek. It snorted as it stomped its feet, and she heldher breath as she waited for it to bolt, but it didn’t.
On the verge of tears, she’d hung half insidethe paddock as she pet the animal again and again. After her fatherfinished with the farmer, he had to pull her away from theanimal.
She’d stared at the horse as her father,keeping his hands on her shoulders, led her to their car. On thedrive back to the facility, a single tear slid free. He never tookher to the farm again.
This jolt she shared with Kyle was nowherenear as painful as the one the fence gave her, but it was every bitas startling. Involuntarily, her fingers clenched around his as heled her out to the dance floor.
Unable to stop herself, Melanie laughed as hespun her around before pulling her into his arms. Her head tippedback, and she grinned up at him as they swayed together. She didn’tcare about the heat as much when their bodies pressed together.
She’d never danced with a guy before. Untilnow, she hadn’t realized it had never happened. It was such asimple thing, and she was denied it, along with so much else in herlife.
For the first time in a while, anger swelledinside her. Once she escaped the facility, she was determined notto wallow in self-pity and put her past behind her. She didn’t wantto live a life filled with resentment, but being starkly remindedof all she’d been denied only enflamed the anger she’d spent yearstrying to overcome.
However, when Kyle’s thumb stroked her hand,that anger vanished. Not only was this her first time dancing withanother, but it felt so incredibly right. She could spend everynight in his arms.
She gulped when she realized she was gettingway ahead of herself and shut down any more imaginings of a futurebetween them.
The song was upbeat, but Kyle kept her closeand moved with a confidence that made the fact they weren’t dancingfast seem totally normal. When his hands settled on the small ofher back, she couldn’t stop the shiver of delight that ran throughher over the possessive gesture.
She shouldn’t do it, but she couldn’t resistclosing her eyes and resting her head on his chest. Beneath hercheek, he was a wall of solid muscle that flexed as they dancedlike they were the only ones in the room. And as far as she wasconcerned, they were.
Kyle savored the rightness of holding Melaniein his arms. She was small, but he felt her breasts' lushness asthey moved together.
She was unlike any of the other women he heldover the years. She calmed him and brought a sense of peace to hislife he hadn’t experienced since childhood. He never wanted to lether go.
CHAPTER 4
When the musicchanged, neither one of them pulled apart, and they danced througha few more songs before she lifted her head to look up at him.
“I need a drink,” she said as she pitched hervoice over the music and the crowd.
“Then let’s go.”
He reluctantly released her but rested hishand possessively against her hip. They walked out of the room andinto the kitchen. She lifted a cup from the stack on the crowded,white tile countertop and poured herself a glass of tap water.
Standing at the sink, Melanie stared out thewindow and into the backyard. There were people out there, playingbeer pong and sitting in the shadows. Suddenly, the stifling heatof the house hit her again, and she yearned to be out there withthem.
She poured herself another glass of waterbefore turning to Kyle. He was leaning against the counter with hisarms crossed over his chest while he watched her. Her breath caughta little as those magnificent eyes perused her. Everywhere his eyestouched, her skin prickled with awareness.
Afraid she would throw herself at him anddesperate to be free of this oppressive place, she asked, “Do youwant to go outside?”
Kyle lowered his arms to hold his hand out toher. He smiled when she took it and followed him out the back door.Though it was a hot July night, stepping outside was like walkinginto air-conditioning after being inside the house.
A couple of dozen people were alreadyoutside. Kyle didn’t understand why there weren’t more crowding thesmall patch of mostly dirt lawn, until he realized all the kegswere inside.
Music drifted from someone’s phone, and mostpeople were gathered around the ping-pong table as they tossedballs at the cups set up across from them. People cheered orgroaned as balls either hit or missed.
The people not gathered around the table wereseated in the few white, plastic chairs set up outside. He was finewith that as most of the chairs didn’t look like they would holdthe weight of a cat, never mind him.
