My Date From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy, #2)

It All Comes Flooding Back (Part 4)

Kai gave me a measured look. "You're not listening, stubborn girl. Everything got tangled up because I started to have feelings for you."

My brain locked onto the word "feelings" like a heat-seeking missile. I mustered up all my courage and asked, "Feelings?"

I felt the weight of his gaze before he blinked and looked away. "You scared me. Because what I felt for Persephone was nothing compared to what I thought I might feel for you."

Kai glanced down before hitting me with a look of such intensity it stole my breath away. "I didn't want to be at someone's mercy again," he said. "Couldn't deal with the idea of loving someone and losing them again. So I used the ritual as a convenient excuse."

A faint blush tinged his cheeks and he watched me ... nervously?

Ack! I think, in his roundabout way, he was telling me that he loved me.

But did I love him back?

If I defined love as heady, at first sight, unicorns, rainbows, and floating hearts, then no. I didn't.

But as something deeper? Scarier? Flawed? Wanting Kai to be the one by my side as we fought, as we laughed, that I kissed? Who infuriated me and who, past the posturing and the defenses, made my blood turn to slow molasses? Whose entire maddening, caring, wonderful self made my heart beat faster?

I did.

I loved Kai.

My breath had seized, my palms were clammy, and my heart was racing. I wanted this, despite how scary it was. Didn't mean I didn't want to hear him spell out his feelings in his own words.

Preferably three of them.

"Go on," I squeaked.

Kai brushed his knuckles along my cheek. "Goddesses aren't half as challenging as humans. You drive me nuts and I still can't stay away from you."

He shifted to face me full-on, took my face in his hands, and gazed into my eyes, utterly serious. Utterly focused. "Saya-ga-po, Sophie. I love you."

Kai loved me.

Me!

Amazing how three very short words could make me plummet. Hard. Lose all sense of the ground under my feet and which way was up.

Kai tapped me on the shoulder. "Anything you care to say to me?"

I grinned. "Nope. I'm good."

Yeah, yeah. I was gonna say it. I just wanted a moment of pure smugness to have it be all about me.

It mattered that Kai had said it first, but not in the way I'd expected it to. Not because this was a competition, or I was being petty and wanted to win.

It was just that other than Hannah, no one had ever told me they loved me.

Hearing Kai say the words freely, not because he had to or in response to me—meant everything.

I couldn't stop my massive grin. My heart did a joyous samba and my usually evil voice of insecurity was singing "He loves me!"

Squee infinity and yay me!

Reality intruded on my happy place. I still needed the memories back. Because amazing as it was that Kai loved me, losing Hannah when Hades and Zeus destroyed the ritual location and turned the world to crap would utterly destroy me.

Which meant I needed access to everything in Persephone's brain.

Maybe I had to declare my love aloud for the kiss to work. But first I wanted to come clean about my insecurities regarding Persephone and my own past behavior towards Kai. A declaration of this importance needed some build up.