by Lexy Timms
But he knew he would be in his own personal hell until tomorrow night. He knew that as much as he wanted to hear from her, he wouldn’t. He wanted an answer now. He wanted to call her and ask her how she liked the gifts. If she’d read the note. If the lingerie was overkill or not.
He looked down at his phone in his hand before he tossed it onto the couch.
He couldn’t be near it. He couldn't look at it. Because if he did, he would ruin it. His want to be next to Kallie was overpowering what he knew he had to do in the first place. He walked away from his phone. Away from the living room. Shut himself up in his bedroom and then walked into his bathroom. He put every single barrier he possibly could in between him and that phone, then began stripping out of his clothes.
A shower.
He couldn't pick up his phone while wet.
He stood in the hot water until it turned cold. Steam filled the bathroom as he blocked out all essence of Kallie from his mind. He turned the water off and reached for a towel, but purposefully didn’t dry himself off. Instead, he simply wrapped the towel around his waist and quickly crossed his apartment, finding himself in the kitchen. Food. He could cook himself up some food. Fill his stomach. Cook the most luscious dinner imaginable, with popping, hot grease and all sorts of ingredients he didn’t want his phone around.
He dried himself off before wrapping the towel back around him.
He spent the entire day doing things that would force him away from his phone. He cooked an amazing dinner before sitting down to eat it. He hated having his phone around while he ate. Then he put on some workout clothes and made his way to the gym in his apartment complex. He never took his phone to the gym for fear that he would smash it to pieces. He ran until he worked up a sweat so great the only thing he could think about was taking another shower.
Then he washed himself down in the piping hot water until it ran cold again.
By the time he was done, he was exhausted. He fell into bed face-first, then breathed in the scent of his pillows. It smelled like the detergent his maid used, coupled with the faintest hint of something he recognized.
Something he could never forget even if he wanted to.
Kallie.
Her wild scent still filled his nostrils. Even though the sheets had been washed. Even though the pillows had been fluffed and flipped. Even though it had been weeks since she’d been in his place. His home still clung to the smell of her. Clung to a hope that one day, she would return back to it.
Fuck.
His mind was back on his phone again.
Chapter 26
Kallie
Kallie was shocked when a gift bag appeared at her door via a very well-dressed delivery man. It was big and white, and the handles were tied shut with a beautiful red bow. She took it from the man and thanked him for it, then asked him who it was from.
“There’s a note inside,” was all the man said. “Read it after you open everything.”
Then she watched as he backtracked down the hallway and stepped into the elevator.
Reaching her foot out to close the door, she took the bag over to her kitchen table and set it down, then began unraveling the red bow. The package was so beautiful she almost didn’t want to touch it. But she was curious as to who it was from and what was inside.
The note was the first thing she grabbed, but she obeyed the instructions of the courier. She set it off to the side and pulled out four boxes, all of different sizes and lengths. She opened up the smallest package first and found a beautiful black velvet box. She cracked it open and gasped at the jewelry, watching as it sparkled in the light of her apartment.
“Oh my gosh,” she said with a whisper.
Her fingers danced along the beautiful stones and pearls as tears rose to her eyes. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life. She set it down and took out the second box, then opened it up to find not one, but two pairs of dark red shoes. A pair of heels the likes of which she’d never owned before, and a pair of flats.
Both of which were in her size.
She set them down and pulled out the next box, gasping as she unwrapped its contents. She pulled out the dress and held it up to her body, stunned when she saw how perfectly it fit her. She scrambled out of her clothes and slipped into the dress, sighing as the fabric slid across her skin. Soft. Silky. Beautiful.
She gave it a twirl as her giggles filled her living room.
She reached in for the last box and was careful to unwrap it. And the lingerie that came spilling out told her exactly who the gift was from. She held up the barely there lacy black panties and the salacious black bra, which was nothing but pasties with a halter-top neckline that could be pulled together and tied off with a corseted string down the middle of it. Not an ounce of fabric on the bra wrapped around her frame, making it the perfect bra for the dress she was currently wearing.
Her cheeks flushed a crimson that matched her entire outfit before she put everything down to pick up the letter.
She opened it carefully, trying to preserve the beautiful envelope. The cardstock was thick and the letter was handwritten. Painstakingly so. She knew Ash’s handwriting. It was practically chicken scratch. So the fact that the letter was legible and the writing was straight meant he went to a lot of trouble to pen this for her.
And with every word she read, her heart soared.
My Pretty Kallie,
I want to thank you for helping me organize my life. If you’ve checked your bank account, you’ll see that I have not only fulfilled my invoice, but I also left you a tip for your service. What you gave me on that island was all the tools I needed for a fresh start. Something I’ll never fully be able to repay you for, no matter how much money I give you.
Kallie felt her eyes welling with tears as she cleared her throat.
Tomorrow night, I have a function I’m attending. A charity event that is of the utmost importance to me. It’s the very last peg I have to orchestrate and drop in order to make my transition into my new life the best transition it can possibly be. And it wouldn’t make sense to not have the maestro there for the performance. You orchestrated my new life, Kallie. You helped all of this to happen. And I hope you will consider coming to the event. It’s Saturday night at 8 p.m. at the Grant Ballroom inside the Four Seasons. This letter will serve as your personal invitation.
Kallie looked down at the dress she was wearing before her eyes scanned all of the gifts. Was this really a charity function? Why in the world would he buy her lingerie for a charity function?
I hope the lingerie isn’t overkill. I saw it and couldn’t stop thinking of you. A dress like the one I purchased requires a specific set of undergarments. You don’t have to wear them. But I didn’t want to get you a dress without the proper underwear to go underneath it.
“Uh-huh,” Kallie said to herself. “I’m sure that’s why you bought it.”
She felt a grin slide across her cheeks anyway, though.
Please come. It would mean the world to me if you did.
Forever yours,
Ashly Worthington
She looked back at the lingerie and giggled at how skimpy it was. But he was right. The dress he’d purchased for her required a backless bra, and those were hard to come by. Everything was beautiful, and she could tell a lot of thought and preparation went into it all.
But she still wasn’t sure if she should go.
She set the letter down and took off the dress. She draped it over one of her kitchen chairs and backed away from everything. She needed some space to breathe. Some space to think.
For a little while anyway.
In the end, Kallie couldn’t resist. Partially because of Ash’s plea, and partially out of curiosity. Kallie spent all day Saturday getting dolled up. She went to get her hair and makeup done before she went home and got dressed, opting for the heels instead of the flats. Despite their height, they were surprisingly comfortable, and she was impressed that Ash had picked them out.
&nb
sp; After putting on her lingerie and slipping into her dress, she took great care in putting on her jewelry. She picked out a black clutch purse she had stuffed in the bottom of her closet and cleaned it off, then put her essentials into it. Her card. Some cash. Her phone and her identification. She jammed the keys to her apartment in the corner before grabbing the letter Ash wrote her, then she flagged a taxi down and headed over to the Four Seasons.
And the man at the door smiled as she approached.
He let her in without even seeing her letter and she wondered if Ash had told him to expect her. But the second she walked into the event, she began to feel nervous. There were so many beautiful and rich people in attendance. Women with diamonds glittering all over their bodies and men clad in tailored tuxedos. Women were dressed in gorgeous ball gowns and she could smell the expensive food and drinks permeating the air.
Kallie felt very out of place.
Until a familiar face emerged from the crowd.
Ash, with his bright-hazel eyes and his boyish smile, pierced the crowd and headed for her. He actually looked excited to see her despite how they had left things on the island. He scooped her up in a hug and she giggled, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
“Thank you so much for coming,” he said.
“I wouldn't have missed this for the world, Ash.”
“How have you been?” he asked as he set her back down onto her feet.
His hand slid around her waist, settling into the small of her back.
She enjoyed the feel of it there.
“It’s been an interesting week,” Kallie said. “Some unexpected visits from people, and now this.”
Ash led her through the crowd, and suddenly she found herself back behind a stage.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Do you trust me?” Ash asked.
Kallie’s eyes fluttered up to his as they stood back behind a stage. Away from the crowd of people bustling and talking as their bodies filled the ballroom. Did she trust him? Could she trust him? Her eyes danced between his as he patiently waited for an answer. He didn’t try to push her, or pull her toward his body, or influence her decision in any way.
He was giving her the space she needed.
Like he’d done by having someone deliver her gifts instead of personally delivering them himself.
“I do,” Kallie said. “I do trust you, Ash.”
“Then remember that when you turn around,” he said.
Kallie’s head panned over and her eyes fell on someone she never expected to see again. Sylvia, with her icy eyes and her Botoxed forehead, was standing right behind her. Even though she practically couldn't move her face, she could tell Ash’s mother was very unhappy to see her.
But before she could question Ash on what was going on, a very tall man who looked exactly like Ash appeared from the shadows.
“What in the world are you doing here?” the man asked.
Kallie watched as Sylvia’s face lost all of its color.
“Before you answer that question, Mother, I have something I’d like to say,” Ash said.
“What is it you could possibly want?” Sylvia asked.
“I want the two of you to meet Kallie. The woman I’m in love with.”
Kallie whipped her eyes up toward Ash’s face as her jaw dropped open.
Did she hear him right?
“You can’t be serious,” Sylvia said.
“Are you at least taking my advice, son?” the man asked.
“Kallie, this is my father, Martin. You’ve already met my mother. And if I have anything to do with it, you won’t be meeting them again,” Ash said.
“What?” his father asked.
“No, Dad. I’m not taking your advice. Because I’m in love with Kallie Semple. I plan to ask her if I can spend the rest of my life with her, and my hope is that she’ll say ‘yes.’ And before either of you speak, know this. I don’t care what you think. I don’t care what your opinions are, because they’ve never mattered to me. But I do want you two to hear me loud and clear, because I’m only going to say this once.”
Kallie’s shocked stare panned over both of his parents and she watched their faces set into stone. A hardened, angry type of stone that made Kallie instinctively back into Ash’s body.
But he was there. Unwavering in his presence as he slipped his hand from her back to around her waist. Cradling her. Grounding her. Protecting her without shielding her from anything.
Had Eris been right?
Was he really not trying to hide her away?
“If the two of you ever say an unkind word about Kallie to her face or behind her back, I’ll figure it out. I’ll find you, and I will punish you for it. Whether it’s in court, in the court of opinion, or by decimating your reputations. It doesn’t matter to me. You will respect my choice to be with her and you will respect her. No matter what choice she makes when I ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.”
In court?
Holy shit, was Ash the one that filed that lawsuit?
Kallie felt her knees growing weaker by the second.
“This is all your fault, Martin.”
“My fault? You’re the one who defaulted on raising him right, Sylvia.”
“You weren’t even around for his childhood! Had you been there to lead him, he wouldn't have even chosen this woman!”
“At least he chose a better woman than you! I could’ve done ten times better the first time around!”
Kallie felt a small tug on her waist and she was more than comfortable going with Ash. Anything to get herself away from the fight that was mounting by the second. His hand slipped to her hip and guided her along as they both walked back out into the main ballroom. His parents shouting soon faded into the background as her ears latched onto the sounds around her. Onto the clinking of glasses and the chewing of food and the fake laughter that surrounded them.
Kallie could see why Ash wanted to get away from this kind of atmosphere.
Ash’s lips against hers pulled her from her shell-shocked state. The kiss was sweet. No tongue. No overbearing arms. No pulling her body into his. Just a simple kiss from a man guiding her without hiding her away. Her eyes fell closed and she puckered her lips just before he pulled away, leaving her wanting more as they stood at the corner of all the chaos.
“What is going on?” Kallie asked.
“Be strong for just a little while longer, and then I promise we’ll talk,” Ash said.
“I don’t understand. You said—”
Kallie watched Ash smile down at her and her heart surged with joy. She felt breathless. Suspended in the moment as reality finally crashed down around her. She was looking into the eyes of a man that loved her.
A man she loved in return.
“Come with me,” Ash said. “Please?”
Kallie found herself nodding her head.
He guided her to the side of the stage and she caught the slightest earful of his parents still fighting. What an absolutely selfish couple. No wonder he was estranged from them. They turned and Ash’s arm guided her up the steps onto the main platform, and suddenly Kallie grew nervous again.
Then, she felt Ash’s lips press against her cheek before he stepped up the microphone.
Was he about to give a speech!?
Chapter 27
Ash
Ash took a deep breath as he stepped up to the microphone. Everything was riding on how she took the speech he had prepared. He spent all morning on it. Tailoring it and tweaking it. Memorizing it and reciting it in the mirror to himself. It all hinged on this one moment as she stood on stage with him.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” Ash asked.
The ballroom slowly died down and everyone’s attention turned to him.
“First off, I want to thank you all for coming and supporting my new charity, the Ocean Sky Foundation. Our purpose is simple. To help protect our environment by employing those around the globe who need jo
bs in order to support their families. This is not a business. It is not a way to gain profit. The only bank account this charity will have will be the bank account your donated funds will dip into before being distributed around the world to organizations that will be put in place to help conserve our environment. To help protect endangered species. To buy out islands before they can be filled with tourists and to cultivate lands that have been decimated by the human touch. I am personally footing the initial bill it will take to set up all of these organizations, and I will also be donating eight hundred million dollars to get the charity on its feet.”
A gasp trickled around the room before a massive applause erupted from the crowd.
“My hope is that all of you will be compelled to donate as well. We have an obligation to our future generations to preserve the planet they will be born to, so they can try to amass their own wealth and live their own life. My charity will take on as many projects as well can. From water filtration to sea-cleaning to endangered species preservation. From planting trees in a rainforest decimated by bulldozing and wood harvesting all the way to funding scientists so they can find a way to obtain a cleaner, more efficient energy source for our growing world. And there’s only one person I could think of that can manage a project of this scale.”
Ash’s eyes looked back at Kallie as her jaw dropped.
“I want everyone to meet Kallie Semple. The charity’s manager.”
He watched Kallie gasp and a sheepish smile crossed his cheeks. He had no idea if she would accept his offer, but he knew he had to try. This was how he could give back to his community. This was how Ash could breathe purpose into Kallie while still giving her the option of coming to live with him in Bali.
What better place for a charity to be run then from the very shores that charity wanted to protect?
