The Inconvenient Bride (8 page)

Grabbing a cup of tart punch from the overly decorated table she gulped the cool liquid down, hoping it would bring her back to her senses. For a moment it had, but that quickly ended when he moved closer to her, so close she could feel his heavy breathe against her ear.

God he smelled good.

The sweet scent of oak and a hint of peppermint gum drifted into her nostrils and made her mind spin.

“Kaya Hanson, I asked you if you wanted to dance.” Why was he taunting her? Why would he play such a painful joke on a person who had been nothing but cordial to him all these years?

Enough!

It was time to put her foot down.

Kaya stiffened her shoulders, straightened her back and stuck out her lip, all clear signs that she refused to participate in his silly high school games. She didn’t care what his social status was he needed to get out of her space and allow her to enjoy the rest of this miserable affair.

But, Max stood there, relentless, in her space, determined.

He stepped closer.

Then closer.

His warm breath against her neck caused flashes of heat to pulsate down her lower thigh. The feeling was warm and intoxicating. What was it?

“Just one dance, please,” he stated with a deep urgency in his voice.

Why me? She thought as she stood there frozen, helplessly drinking in his appearance. Max was tall, he towered over her with a strong lean frame and muscular physique. His crew cut hair was dark, with a slight shimmer of bronze around the edges that danced around his forehead highlighting his olive complexion. His oval face was slender and sturdy which defined his strong model like cheekbones. But it was his lips, those lips, which defined his perfection, like Michelangelo had painted them on himself. You couldn’t miss his scrumptious lips even if you tried. They were full, bursting with wetness and plump as a ripe juicy cherry.

Just one taste, Kaya thought as she shifted her weight trying to regain her composure. At seventeen years old she had never longed to be touched or kissed by a man but something had changed with his simple agonizing question. She tried to look away but his dark sultry glare left her weak and desperate. Breath deep. Focus. It will all be okay.

But, Kaya knew everything was wrong. Dead wrong.

Forced into reality, with the DJ’s next slow tune. Kaya seized the opportunity to make her exit.

“Thanks, but I was just about to leave!”

“Leave before I get one dance Kaya. Before I get one goodbye kiss?” He stated with those tempting puffy lips.

“A kiss?”

“A kiss!”

Kaya’s head was spinning, why was Max playing such a torturous game with her mind? His audaciousness and ego had hit her faster than a moving train. Did he really want to wrap his strong masculine hands around her tight body, then commence into some gyrating grind? And what about his request to press those tantalizing lips against her own? She was in trouble.

“Are you ready Kaya?”

She didn’t acknowledge him verbally, but every nerve in her body perked up and responded to his request.

He saw.

She launched in.

“Max, you are a spoiled rich kid who thinks he deserves anything that wants. Well, I hate to be the one to break the news to you but you don’t always get what you want. I don’t care who you are or how good you look.”

“W-What did you just say?”

Shit, oh no! It was too late to take back, the words had already drifted from her quick tempered lips. She looked away, but she could feel his eyes glued on her, and she knew he was completely and absolutely pleased with himself.

“So, you find me attractive?”

“Not really,” she uttered. Damn, everything was coming out wrong.

“So you do want a kiss?”

Kaya could feel the space closing in on them. A few seconds later blood quickly rushed to her face, flushing her with embarrassment. What the hell was he doing to her? Get control Kaya, don’t let him see you sweat.

So she did the only thing she could do.

She ran.

She bolted quickly towards the exit door, bumping, dashing, and sprinting between random well-dressed folks trying to make the perfect getaway. Kaya wasn’t about to stick around for another minute, knowing she could possibly put her foot back in her mouth. She flung the massive gym door open and scurried down the long hallway until the thunderous music was nothing more than a faint whisper. How had Max King caused her to unravel right before him? Did the most beautiful man in the world really want to dance with her and kiss virgin wet lips?

Now outdoors, she breathed in a hefty gulp of clean crisp night air, then she let out a deep sigh. Maybe it was the loud music or the tart punch that had caused all the sudden confusion. Whatever the reason, she was glad she was out there, or was she?

Kaya immediately dismissed her random thoughts. She rushed back into the building, retrieved her coat from the coat check and asked Mr. Molten, the janitor, to inform Ms. Roy she had to leave early because she wasn’t feeling well. Then she headed to the bus stop, destined for home.

The cool, calm Philadelphia air quickly comforted her senses as she tried to get her average life back to normal. The 11:30 pm bus seemed to be running late but Kaya didn’t mind because she was at peace, and more importantly, she was away from Max.

With all her finals completed Kaya could now put high school in her rearview mirror and focus on her future. A future that included obtaining a Bachelor’s in Nursing degree. Of course, Ms. Roy had tried to convince her to attend graduation but she had refused, citing her elderly grandmother’s failing health as the primary reason. Deep down, Ms. Roy knew Kaya’s constant struggle to fit in with Lakewood High’s elite had been the main reason.

Glancing at her simple reflection in the glass of the bus stop shelter, she gazed over her hideous oversized outfit. One day things would be different. One day I will fit in!

Her thoughts were interrupted when a cherry red BMW 328i screeched in front of the bus stop. Moments later, a concerned familiar face emerged from the car. It was Max!

“Why did you bolt out of the party so fast?”

“Please Max, just go back to the party and leave me alone,” Kaya stated sarcastically with a hint of loneliness and fear in her eyes.

***

Max stood there in the cool air feeling like a fool. Why was it so hard for him to speak to her? Why did Kaya always make him feel unworthy of her time?

Kaya Hanson wasn’t like any of the girls he dated. She didn’t don the latest designer bag, prance around in Prada heels or tell the world what she ate or who she saw via the internet. By all accounts, she was a simple looking girl but his primal and raw urges told him she was anything but plain under those frocks. She stood tall at five-feet-nine-inches, with a curvy slender build. She had silky, dark hair, which she only wore in a ponytail, and mesmerizing midnight coal eyes.

Gazing now, Max could clearly make out the perkiness and roundness of her breast underneath her oversized dress. He could only imagine how full and tender they would feel in his massive hands. Would she succumb to his every desire with one sweet flick of the tongue across her ripe nipples? He quickly shrugged off his erotic thoughts and moved in closer to her.

“Congratulations! I heard you got into New York University,” Max stated with a small smile on his face. “I also heard you got into Columbia, Temple, Harvard, Yale and Princeton.”

Kaya nodded in appreciation, but was careful not to utter a sound.

Her expression ripped through him. Anxiety bubbled in his core. But he knew he deserved her coldness. For four years, Max knew Kaya traveled nearly two hours one way, each day, to attend their exclusive private high school on a full academic scholarship. She was invisible to most students at the school, but not him. So, why hadn’t he said a word to her for nearly three years? Why did he waste an entire year in Chemistry study sessions rattling off scientific terms when he wanted to take a magnifying glass and see what was below? Shit, Kaya frustrated him mentally, emotionally and absolutely physically. It was time he confessed.

“I wish I had taken the time to get to know you better this year, well, every year you were here at Lakewood.” He sincerely stated as he sat down on the bench.

Kaya remained quiet.

“Have you narrowed down your choices yet for college? Any idea what you will major in?” He uttered sounding genuinely interested in her future. The night was taking her on an emotional roller coaster ride and she was ready to get off, or was she?

“I-I’m not sure yet. College is extremely expensive and I don’t have the money most people around here do.” Max felt uncomfortable listening to her story but he let her continue. “I’m waiting to see how much financial aid and scholarship money I receive from each school. That’s how I’ll make my final decision. Unfortunately Max, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I have to work for everything I have.” Her words weren’t meant to hurt him but he somehow felt the sting so he stood and walked slowly towards her.

Kaya’s body stiffened as he approached. She tried to look away, but she couldn’t. Despite every alarm bell ringing in her head, she narrowed her gaze to his deep mesmerizing eyes.

He moved closer to her, his face just mere inches from her lips. His warm breath forced her heavy-lidded eyes to close.

“Please kiss me,” he pleaded.

“I can’t,” her quivering voice uttered.

“You can. Please!”

“It’s just one kiss. Just one, I promise,” he moaned as his mouth came racing down against her lips. Every nerve in Kaya’s body was set on fire. She quickly parted her lips and his tongue plunged into the wet canal of her mouth.

“Please more,” he moaned in between kisses. Her body responded to his request. She dipped her neck back and wrapped her arms around him. A flush of emotions rushed through them causing a range of feelings to rock their young bodies.

“Mmm, you need more,” he managed to utter as his tongue planted small kisses, then intense small bites up and down her neck.

“Yes, yes I do,” she gasped as the warm flood gate opened between her thighs causing a greedy ache from beneath to pull him closer. What was happening to her? What was that unusual tense feeling stirring in every part of her body? Why was she losing control?

Max couldn’t control himself. He needed more. Wanted more. Sure he had his fair share of beautiful girls but this was different. This was a mixture of fear, excitement and a deep need to have something meaningful.

“Kaya, just a little more,” he begged as he reached down and claimed her throbbing breasts, he could feel her nipples through the dress and squeezed them delicately until her eyes rolled back. He immediately cupped her ass with his other hand while his mouth claimed her fully, again. They were caught in the throes of passion, two young kids feverishly feasting on each other until…

A familiar black Mercedes coup pulled up next to Max’s BMW and startled them out of their moment. Kaya recognized the troublemaker immediately.

“Billy, what are you doing here?” Max barked with an odd expression planted on his face.

“Why am I here?” he chuckled. His detestable laugh made both of them feel uneasy.

“Yes, you?” he uttered visibly agitated.

“Same as you bro, I’m here to hook up with the help.”

Kaya felt her knees go weak and she grabbed Max’s hand for support. His eyes shifted to her vulnerable face, he studied each expression and drank in her pain. Just breathe Kaya. You’re alright, he’s not going to let anything happen to you.

“Max let’s just go,” she sobbed gripping his hand tighter. She turned to look at him but he looked away. Then, she felt his body stiffen. He went ice cold, frigid to the touch. Seconds later, he released her hand completely.

“Max, don’t do this,” she begged.

Her pleading and sobbing words forced him to stop dead in his tracks. She took a deep breath. The moment seemed to last forever. And then the moment was gone, and he turned and walked away.

Billy broke the deafening silence with his next insult, this one more hurtful than the last. “Don’t cry Kaya, as soon as Max speeds away I can take you for a ride,” he chuckled.

“Billy shut up and let’s go,” Max shouted slamming his fist on the hood of the car. Billy could see something different in his friend’s eyes. He knew better than to utter another sound. A fragile line had been crossed but just how far he had gone Billy would never know. Throwing the car into high gear, he cranked up his music and let out a deep howl as his car bolted down the street. Max drove away seconds later.

Kaya stood there frozen and ashamed. The first man she had ever touched, let alone kissed had vanished into thin air leaving her exposed and afraid.

Completely out of her mind and crying Kaya headed back to the school and waited for the janitor to fetch Ms. Roy. The moment she saw her she ran into her comforting motherly arms.

All was lost.

Babbling incoherent thoughts, she replayed the horrifying events of the evening to Ms. Roy. She vowed at that moment never to utter his name again. It would take Kaya years to fully comprehend what had transpired that fateful night. Years to vocalize the deep pain she found lurking in her heart.

Max had stolen her innocence and crushed her heart.

About The Author

J.A. Fraser is an indie author. Her debut novel,
The Promise Pact
was her first contemporary romance novel and its being touted as an “edgy, fast-paced, dialogue-heavy steamy read.” Fraser’s next novel, the highly anticipated second installment in the Promise to Love Series,
A Promise to Remember
, will be available in the Summer of 2015. Currently, she lives in New York City.