The Promise Pact (Promise to Love Book 1) (8 page)

Without hesitation, he grabbed her suitcase and handbag and escorted her onto the plane.
Focus Max, focus.

Once onboard Kaya sat, then nervously fastened her seatbelt.

“Would you care for something to drink before you take off?” An older male flight attendant stated flashing his pearly whites.

“No thank you! I ate earlier.”

“Well, I’m Jacob and if you need anything let me know. Mr. King told us you are a special guest at least ten times.” He snickered.

She smiled.

Moments later Max reappeared.

“I have several calls and emails to catch up on. I’ll be in my office near the rear of the plane if you need anything,” he stated without emotion as he disappeared behind the curtain.

Kaya was glad he was gone. She wasn’t sure if he disappeared to make her feel better or if he really was slammed with work. Whatever the reason she needed space and sleep. She gently reclined her seat and minutes later drifted off into a deep slumber. Two hours later, the sudden jerk of the plane officially announced they were in the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina.

***

Ahh.

The city was beautiful. Sprawling beaches, pristine sand dunes and charming historic buildings. The warm humid air made her feel like she was in heaven. Immediately Kaya understood why Ms. Roy went back home after living so many years in the busy northeast. The ride to Ms. Roy’s modest beach home was filled with scenic delights. Silently, they both drank in the wonders of the historic low country. This was peace.

“It looks like we’re almost there,” he announced glancing down at his fancy GPS. “I arranged for groceries to be delivered to the house. I’m sure you must be hungry after the flight.” She nodded. His voice as neutral, something was definitely different. He hadn’t said a word to her since they left New York but she wasn’t going to push.

Minutes later they arrived.

The house looked perfect, nestled close to a dunes and far away from other homes. Max quickly collected their bags while Kaya soaked in the invigorating, salty smell of ocean air. Ms. Roy had left them a blessing.

“Can I help?” She stated walking towards the trunk of the car.

“No!” His single word answer bothered her.

She tried to ignore his sudden change but secretly it stung. It wasn’t as if he was being rude, just different. Reaching into his jean pocket he handed her an old worn key. She brushed off the exchange and bolted for the door.

“I love it! I love it. Max, it’s incredible.” She leaped with delight doing a small dance to show her excitement.

Ms. Roy’s home was modest in appearance, just like her. You could see the entire ocean from every corner of the quaint, two bedroom retreat. She felt like a kid in a toy store exploring each section. First, she explored the bedrooms, then the bathroom, then the open den and finally the southern, rustic kitchen. She spun around the charming home and drank in all its warmth.

“Oh my Max, this is simply wonderful.”

He watched her become a child in front of his eyes. It was encouraging to see her let her guard down but after the look of disgust on her face the night before, he needed to keep his distance.

“I’ll place your bags in your room!” He stated without looking directly at her.

“Thanks, I’ll get started on lunch.”

***

Kaya opened the kitchen window and let in the crisp ocean breeze. Next, she rummaged through the stocked refrigerator and took inventory of its contents so she could decide what to prepare.
Fresh seafood, veggies, cheese, and a variety of wines forced a deep growl to escape from her tummy. Taking a quick check of time, she decided to keep it simple and settled on preparing fresh, wild peppered salmon with ginger asparagus. As the food simmered on the burner she grabbed a worn down cutting board from the cabinet so she could prepare some light appetizers for them to munch on. She sliced a few pieces of cheese, popped open a jar of black olives and took out some pesto spread from the cupboard. Finally she poured two glasses of vintage Merlot. She grabbed two small plates and headed to the open deck.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she caught a glimpse of Max leaning over the balcony looking out into the ocean. His dark jeans curved perfectly on his chiseled rear showing off his muscular thighs.

Stop looking. Don’t stare. Get back into the kitchen.

But it was too late, she was already deep in thought as her eyes zoned in on what she was really hungry for,
him
.

Her first visual bite was his masculine, defined, broad back. Oh how she loved raking her fingers over his needy flesh the night before. Her eyes then trailed to his tight lower back muscles. Her legs felt weak as she imagined gripping his tight waist, as he moved slowly in and out of her wet being. Next, her eyelids fluttered at the site of his bulging triceps, she knew that muscle well. It was the same one that had lifted her the night before and slammed her on the cold granite countertop.
Why couldn’t his fingers come out to touch, tease and play with her now?
Finally her eyes were glued to his neck. It was long and lean. Damn, she wanted to pepper small wet kisses on each section, soft and slow, until he shouted her name.

“Oh,
mmm
,” she mumbled. Max King had the physique of a ravenous Roman Gladiator and she was ready for battle. Battle underneath the sheets. Then it happened…
Oh shit!

Max turned and caught her sex hungry gaze.

She stumbled. Her eyes became wide. Then she cleared her throat so she could speak. “I-I was bringing out some appetizers before lunch is served,” she managed to utter trying to pretend the moment hadn’t occurred.

He looked away.

She felt flushed and quickly moved towards the small table sitting on the deck, so she could get control of herself. Unfortunately, Kaya was inexperienced in the art of passionate desire. Having only had few uneventful sexual experiences she didn’t know what was happening to her. As a nurse, she technically knew what an orgasm was but at 33 she had never experienced one.

“You should sit Kaya, you look a little pale. Ill grab the food.” He said as he walked into the house. She was thankful he didn’t mention the moment.

Minutes later he reappeared with the delectable treats. Silently, they sipped on the wine and looked out at the ocean. They avoided eye contact until he finally broke the tension.

“Look, I know you don’t want to be here. I’ve been thinking a lot about this entire situation and I’ve decided we take shifts so we aren’t working on the garden at the same time.”

“What? Why did you say that Max?”

“The look in your eyes last night reminded me of the pain I caused you many years ago. I didn’t agree to this to cause you more pain. That was never my intention.” He shifted in his seat. “I know it’s hard to believe but I’ve changed. I’m not the same stupid kid you remember.” The confession ripped something from him and softened Kaya’s heart, just a little. He hadn’t meant to confess so much but it was necessary.

“Look Max, I made a promise to Ms. Roy years ago and I intend to keep it. She wanted us to work on the garden together and that’s what we will do. Can we do that?” Without thought she reached over and placed her hand on the table, making sure not to touch his. It was a peace offering.

He nodded then smiled.

They polished off the delicious appetizers and then the salmon and asparagus. Max was impressed with her culinary skills and she enjoyed his company. They both purposely avoided the topic of what happened the night before, keeping the conversation light and humorous. Something was happening between the two of them, something out of their control but it felt good and normal. For the rest of the afternoon, they reminisced in the warm southern sun. It was exactly what they both needed in order to make the garden a success.

***

The next morning they arrived at the Edna Roy Community Garden. The garden was a ghastly sight, filled with weeds, rotten vegetables and shrubs.

“This is horrible Max, where do we start?” Kaya uttered, shaking her head and removing her oversized sweater. The lacy top underneath clearly showed off her curves and perfectly toned arms. Max took one glance and looked away. He wasn’t going to have blue balls tonight. The sound of young children snapped him back into reality. At least a dozen children from inside the community center came running out to see the two people who would help restore Ms. Roy’s vision.

An old cheerful woman with grey hair spoke, “You must be Max and Kaya. The children have been climbing up the walls to meet you both. I don’t think some of them slept last night knowing that their two favorite characters in Ms. Roy’s stories would be coming today.

“Stories? What stories?” Max asked as he was interrupted by a stout little girl with red pigtails saluting him.

“Oh my goodness, are you the majestic, brave warrior Max?”

Kaya chuckled with delight.

“It’s Princess Kaya! It’s Princess Kaya.” A dark haired boy shouted as he immediately bowed in adoration. A group of giggly girls, all dressed in pink, attacked her with hugs.

The old woman’s face danced with enjoyment. “Everyone, everyone, please settle down so we can welcome Princess Kaya and King Max.” The overly anxious children bounced up and down and cheered loudly.

“I’m so sorry, I’m Ms. Thomas. As you can see we are so glad you are both here.” But not everyone was, Max looked uneasy. Instinctively, Kaya moved in closer to protect him from all the hugs and tugs but the damage was done.

Max breathed deeply. Ms. Roy’s letter hadn’t indicated that babysitting children would be a part of the process. What was going on? His parents had destroyed his life and he wasn’t in any shape to be a role model to anyone. The problem was that his royal subjects weren’t going to allow him to get away that easily.

“King Max, I am your most loyal subject. What role do I have in this enchanted forest?” The small red headed beauty close to his side asked.

“Time out little one. I’m not responsible for assigning roles.” He nearly shouted looking her squarely in the eyes.

Kaya could see the discomfort on Max’s face and quickly stepped in.

“Okay everyone. King Max and Princess Kaya will assign duties to each of you once we return from the hardware store. In the meantime, we need you all to be on your best behavior for Ms. Thomas. We will be right back.” Then she quickly bent down and planted a kiss on the head of each one of her loyal subjects then directed Max to the car.

***

“Are you okay?” Kaya chuckled after her seat belt was fastened.

“Kaya, I’ve handled some of the most controversial legal cases in this country but something tells me Ms. Red Ponytail is going to give me a run for my money.” He groaned while tossing his head on the steering wheel.

“Breathe. They’re just children. How bad can it be?” She giggled while trying to hold back her laughter.

“Bad! Really bad. I’m not good with children. Ms. Roy knew I wasn’t interested in having or being around them,” he angrily explained. He was obviously stressed.
What? He didn’t want children?

She knew it wasn’t the time to probe so instead she rested her hand on his strong shoulder and spoke, “We can do this. We won’t let a bunch of tots defeat us. Remember we are in this together.”

Max wasn’t buying the pep talk but he appreciated hearing that they were a team in this effort.

“Look Max, these children need us to finish this garden. Two days ago, I would have laughed if someone told me I would be in South Carolina, but I’m here.” She breathed deeply and continued, “The past is the past. Don’t let it haunt you. It will just consume you until there is nothing left.”

“Do you really mean that?” His words were direct and sobering and of course had mixed meanings. She wasn’t sure from where her words had originated but a part of her meant it. Of course, she still harbored her own feelings about their past but how long could she hold onto the bitterness before it consumed every bit of her strength? Years ago, she had forgiven her own ruthless attacker so why did she find it so hard to forgive him? She took a long hard look at herself and decided it might be time to start.

“I’ll try if you do! Let’s just take it one day at a time, fair?” She squeezed his shoulder tighter reassuring him of her comment.

“Fair!”

But could she really forgive him?

CHAPTER SIX

Max was beyond happy. Kaya was finally learning to forgive. With each passing day she felt the numbness in her heart melt away. It was hard to hold onto her anger especially with him around. The days seem to come and go with such ease. Before they knew it, a whole month had passed.

Each morning over breakfast, they would plan their strategy for ditching the latest episode of Princess Kaya and King Max but somehow the kids always seemed to win. During the day, they worked non-stop on the garden; pulling, whacking and sowing the fertile soil. Eventually, Max gave in and bought armor, swords and ballroom gowns for the children. He was trying. In the late afternoons, they would spend time preparing elaborate meals together then they would take long leisurely walks on the beach, laughing and talking. At night they retreated to their own private quarters.

As a partner at a prestigious law firm, Max was always knee deep in documents, emails, legal briefs, and late night conference calls. Kaya enjoyed living in a high paced law firm type of environment. Most nights, she would fall asleep listening to his steady stern voice through the walls. During those hours Kaya felt very alone. No work. No garden. No Max.

Augh.

Kaya tossed and turned in her massive bed. She was restless. She flipped over and stared at the clock. It was after midnight. She reached for her phone and realized that Angie had called six times. She quickly sent her a text message and promised to call in the morning.

“I need some tea,” she mumbled as she tip toed out of her room. Her eyes searched for light under Max’s door but it was dark. She figured he was sound asleep. She turned the antique kettle on and opened the kitchen window for some fresh air. Minutes later, the sound of water bubbling indicated the tea was done.