“Are we going to your place or mine?” I ask as I smooth out the rest of my clothing.
“Move in with me.” He blurts out.
My head snaps up and a nervous giggle escapes from my throat. “What?”
“Move in with me.” He repeats, not even slightly affected by my response.
My heart slams against my ribcage and my mind is going about a million miles an hour. The elevator reaching the ground floor is what allows me to stall for some time. The doors slide open and we automatically create space between us. Evidence of our learned behavior while hiding what we have in public. It is scary how naturally it occurs, how used we are to this. We head to the parking garage without speaking. The silence is so loud it is almost deafening. The feeling of euphoria I had just minutes ago while we were in that elevator seems to have been anchored there. His question hovers in the air between us. I want us to move in together. I can enumerate the many reasons of why we should do this. But then there is the one reason why we shouldn’t. And it weighs heavily on me. Is it finally time to tell him? Are we going to confess that we have been together for all these years behind his back? I should have listened to Eric years ago and just bit the sour apple then. Because now that we have waited this long, it feels wrong. Like we have betrayed him. We walk to Eric’s car and ever the gentleman he walks around and opens the passenger side door for me. He watches me climb in to the vehicle and closes the door before rounding the car and getting into the driver’s seat.
“We can’t keep doing this, Mik. I am tired of hiding, I am tired of lying. I want to come home to you every night. Wake up next to you every morning. And not have to sneak around anymore.”
I feel every word he’s saying and I feel the same. But I can’t seem to say the words that I know he needs to hear from me right now. The words that my heart really wants to say. When I finally speak, it is barely a whisper.
“I need some time to think about it.”
“You don’t want to move in with me?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what? What is it Mik? We love each other, don’t we?”
“You know I love you.”
“You are not ready to move in together?”
“We’ve been together for almost five years. I think I am ready.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Not what. Who.”
“It’s past time to tell Mika. We should have told your brother a long time ago. We need to tell him and face the music already.”
He’s right of course. But even though I am not ashamed of what we have, I am ashamed of lying to my brother for five whole years. I can’t stomach the thought that he will look at me differently. Or the thought that the relationship between Eric and Mika will be completely ruined. My brother needs Eric. He’s always seen him like a brother. But even so, my brother is not the forgiving type. And he always has made it extremely clear to Eric that I was one hundred percent off limits.
“Eric, I just need you to give me a little time. Can you take me home? Please?”
He doesn’t respond with words. He simply nods. His facial expression stoic. Neither of say a word until he pulls up into the parking garage of my apartment building.
“I love you, Lady Kingsley. With everything that I am. And I know that I will love you until the day I die. But this is it. I will give you some time. I will give you until tomorrow night at nine o’clock to show up at my apartment. If you show up, we will go to Mika and tell him everything. If you don’t, then we are done. I am not lying to him anymore. This has gone on far too long. If you don’t show up, then we move on like it never happened. We will find a way to coexist and I will let you be. I promise you, I won’t make it hard on you.”
I swallow hard. Wanting to reply but unable to find the words I need to string together. Eric unbuckles his seatbelt and leans in and undoes mine. He cradles my head in his hands and angles me so I am looking right at him. He leans in and kisses me, sweetly at first, but then with a little more force. I can taste the desperation of his plea. Way too soon he pulls back.
“Look at me, Mikaela.”
I immediately obey. Once our eyes are locked he continues to speak.
“I am leaving it up to you, baby. I hope to God that you’ll show. Because frankly, I am not sure I will ever get over you. But if not…Mik, I mean it. I can’t and I won’t live like this anymore. Either we tell him or we are done.”
He sounds determined and resolute. I nod, my head in a daze, my heart aching and beating out of control. I am not exactly sure when I got out of the car, but I am standing in front of my apartment door and honestly, for the life of me, I don’t even remember the elevator ride up here.
“What am I doing?” I tell myself out loud.
How can I have just let him go? Of course, I want us to move in together, to stop hiding. And Mika deserves to know the truth. I turn my heel and don’t even bother calling the elevator. I practically burst through the emergency stairwell and sprint down the stairs. Taking large strides as I make my way to the parking garage level. It isn’t until I reach the parking lot that I realize that my car is not here.
Shit.
I run through the garage and to the door that leads outside. I struggle to remember the code I need to punch in. I almost give up when the door opens. Edwin, the night doorman steps through. He nods his head as he greets me. I smile sheepishly as I mumble a greeting. I pass him and step onto the busy sidewalk in search of a cab. I hear the door fall shut behind me when I realize that I could have asked Edwin to help me hail a cab. I step toward the curb and try to hail a cab. The first cab that heads this way turns out to be full. The second nearly hits me but doesn’t stop. I can see another one coming my way at the end of the street when I hear a familiar voice.
“Hey, Mikaela. Everything okay? You look upset.”
I smile at my new friend Layla Hayes. I met her a few months ago, and she has turned out to be a great friend.
“Oh, I’m okay. I’m just trying to hail a cab. What are you doing here?”
She smiles and tugs a strand of her gorgeous fiery locks behind her ear. Layla is a stunning woman, and always immaculately dressed.
“I had a house call with a patient. I was just headed home. I am parked just a little down the street. I’d be happy to give you a ride?”
“Oh my God. Really? I would really appreciate a ride.” I tell her gratefully.
“No problem at all. Let’s go.” She says as she links her arm with mine.
We walk to the end of the street and she leads me to an alley.
“Where are we going?” I ask, starting to feel uneasy.
“Oh, I parked over there.” She says as she points to a white van.
“You drive a van?”
I can hardly imagine her driving a van. She doesn’t seem like the type. Layla chuckles.
“Yeah, I usually do not drive that van. My brother had a hot date, so I let him borrow my car so he could impress the girl. Didn’t count on getting stuck having to drive his van though.”
Her response makes sense, but the nagging voice in the back of my head that is telling me to turn around won’t shut up.
“Brothers.” I tell her as I roll my eyes.
“Tell me about it.”
“You never told me you had a brother before.” I tell her as we reach the van.
The door slides open and before I can even react I am pulled inside. I open my mouth to scream but my mouth is covered with a cloth. I struggle with all my might but whoever is holding is strong, stronger than me. I can feel my eyelids growing heavy, I try to fight it, but I know it’s a lost cause.
Is this how I am going to die?
I look around and the last thing I see before my world turns black is Layla Hayes, wearing the most spine chilling sinister smile I have ever seen.
* * *
* * *
Two years ago…
For the longest time, there was nothing but darkness, and I mean that
in the most literal sense of the word. The blackness blanketed me in the most crippling of ways. I could hear everything, I could feel everything, but I couldn’t get myself to wake up. A prisoner in my own body. It was the voices of the people I love that kept me fighting to wake up. But it was the voice of a stranger, this woman who introduced herself to me as Raeva Ray, that soothed me. It was her voice that made me feel safe and calm in my imprisoned state. I found myself waiting for her to come and talk to me, sing to me, read to me, and when she stopped coming around, I remember feeling lonely and disappointed. I remember all this so vividly as if it just happened seconds ago, and yet I cannot, for the life of me, remember the last five years of my life.
“Good morning, Lady Kingsley. You have had me waiting for a long time.”
I turn abruptly when I hear the sound of his voice. Eric Hardwick, in the flesh. I have loved this man as long as I can remember. If he only knew. Dear God is he a sight for sore eyes. My eyes greedily roam over him from head to toe. His unruly and thick, dark brown hair is just a little too long—just the way I like it. His dark navy blue suit looks as if it has been poured onto him, and he fills it out so well that I cannot help but swallow hard. His sexy mouth is curved into that smile that makes me weak in the knees, the same one that has ruined me for every other man on the planet, and when my eyes lock onto his dark grey irises, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am a goner.
“Hello,” I manage to croak.
He takes a few more steps toward me, closing the distance between us. The closer he gets, the more my nerve endings start to tingle. Before I can take my next breath, I am tugged into his arms. He presses me tightly against his rock-hard chest.
“I’ve missed you,” he breathes.
I don’t want to close my eyes. It has been dark for so long. I nuzzle into him, inhaling his scent. He smells spicy and clean and every bit delectable. Tears start to flow freely from my eyes.
“Shh,” Eric whispers soothingly. “Don’t cry. I am here now.”
He doesn’t yet realize that I am not quite here yet. That I don’t know what has happened the last five years. This morning, when I was finally able to open my eyes, I woke up thinking it was 2012. Dr. Samson has been great and was very gentle when telling me that I was, in fact, in the year 2017 and that I have been in a coma for the past couple of months. He told me that I am lucky. I guess he has a point, but I don’t feel lucky at all. It seems selfish, I know. But five years…that’s a long time to miss out on. “Where is Ivy league?” I ask, unable to keep myself from sobbing. I need my twin brother here more than ever.
“He’s on his way here, Lady Kingsley. Don’t you worry.”
I cannot help the small pang of pain that originates from deep inside my chest. Why isn’t he here?
“Mik…he’s in love,” Eric says in a conspiratorial tone of voice. “He says he’s found his tomorrow.”
My eyes flash up and meet his. His lip curls in amusement at the baffled look that I know must be painted on my face right now. “His…tomorrow”?” I ask.
Eric nods. “Yes, and won’t you just believe it…he’s already fucked it up,” he chuckles. “Who would have thought that Mika Kingsley would ever find the woman that could bring him to his knees? You should see him, Mik,” he continues. “Raeva is great.”
That name! “What did you call her?”
“Raeva. Raeva Ray.”
“She’s a nurse?”
Eric raises a brow.
“Yeah, she is the one who has been part of your team here, but she got reassigned not too long ago.”
That must be her, the voice that kept me sane.
“I want her back. Can you help me?”
Present time
Broken.
That word, I dislike it with a passion. It has always had unhappy connotations for me. And now more than ever before. Because when a “thing” is broken, sometimes said thing can be fixed and we move on. But sometimes it remains broken, and therefore useless. So? You throw it away and get a new one. Easy as pie. But what if it isn’t a thing that is broken? What if it is you that desperately needs fixing and are deemed “unfixable”? Am I now useless? Every single day, I ponder this, or things like this, while I sit in front of my massive dressing table. Brushing my hair with tedious strokes as I stare at myself in the mirror. Staring myself down, almost as if I am willing myself to remember anything at all from the missing five years. It’s been my morning ritual for quite a while now. And who knows? Maybe even from before my coma. Dr. Sampson says that my memories may come back in small doses, or all flood back in at once. Or maybe, never come back at all. And to be honest, I am not sure what would be better. My mind starts to drift to the other thing I obsessively think about. Or rather, person. Eric Hardwick. That man is literally sex on legs. Handsome, brilliant, tall, dark and dominant. When Eric walks into a room, even next to a man like my brother, he commands attention and respect. We grew up together, the three of us. He is my brother’s right-hand man, best friend and attorney. And unfortunately for me, he only has ever seen me as Mika’s sister, the third wheel. And besides, even if that wasn’t the case, my brother has made it very clear that Eric Hardwick is one hundred percent off-limits, which doesn’t stop me from fantasizing about him pretty much every moment that I allow my mind to wander.
There is a small knock on my bedroom door and my eyes flicker to the reflection in the mirror. And the smile that appears on my face is immediate and genuine.
“Good morning, Mik.” She tells me brightly.
“Morning, sis.”
I turn to face my brand-new sister-in-law slash bestie, Raeva. She has been coming to check on me every day since our other bestie Jill moved out of my penthouse and in with her new gorgeous fiancé Benjamin.
“I brought coffee,” she tells me, as she holds the cup out for me. “Grande White Chocolate Mocha, extra whip. Just the way you like it.”
I gratefully accept the cup as Rae takes a seat next to me on the small bench I’ve been sitting on. The sweet aroma tickles my nostrils and promise of caffeine makes my mouth water. I take a sip of the piping hot liquid and close my eyes for a moment as it slides down my throat.
“I really love seeing you every day, Rae. And I especially appreciate the coffee. But you know that I have lived on my own for years before Jill moved in a few months ago, right?” I say with a small chuckle.
“I know,” she replies sheepishly. “I just don’t want you to get lonely in this big apartment. Plus, you are right next door, and bonus! I don’t have to round up security to come here!” She says with a big smile.
I know how she feels. Mika has been out of control with security lately, especially after I finally told him that our father is back. I can’t say for sure, because I cannot remember the last five years, but I am pretty sure he has never been that angry with me before.
“You’re just not as slick as me.”
Raeva chuckles. “Yeah girl, you’re so slick that you now have five security guards following your every move.”
I roll my eyes. “Your husband is crazy.”
She smiles at me indulgently.
“Your brother is worried about you, and you can’t blame him after everything that has happened. Plus, let’s not forget that the amount of guards you have following you around is totally on you.”
I smirk. Little rebel that I am, I started giving my security detail of one the slip. Mika added another. I gave them the slip, and Mika added a third. And now we are at five and I know he won’t back down. So, I have begrudgingly accepted my fate—for now.
“Fair enough.” I concede.
She smirks at me as she drapes her arm around me.
“I might also have an ulterior motive for showing up bearing caffeine.”
I pull back slightly and raise a brow. “Oh?”
“Look at your cup.”
I look at it and back at her, not understanding what she wants. Raeva chuckles. “Turn the cup around.”
For once and very unlike me, I do as I am told and see “Aunty Mik” scribbled onto the cup. My eyes fly up to meet hers. She smiles as she pats her belly. “I need help setting up a nursery.”
My eyes widen and genuine excitement flows through me. I am going to be an aunt! I hug my sister-in-law tightly. “Congratulations, Rae. I am so happy for you both.”
Happy tears stream down both our faces.
“I hope you’re prepared though.”
“Oh trust me, your brother’s protective streak has already reached epic proportions. He would barely let me step into the tub.” She says rolling her eyes. “You’d think that I was deadly ill.”
I laugh. “Well, that too. He’s always been a little extra—especially when it comes to you. But I was referring to the fact that your child will be the most spoiled child on the planet. Between my brother, Jillybean and me, that kid will want for nothing.” I tell her with a wink. “And not to mention the fact that that baby will be the best-dressed kid around. Wait do you know yet what you are having? Oh my God, I hope it’s a little girl. Although a little Mika would be cute. Oh! What if you have twins?”
Excitement is pouring from my pores and the words keep falling from my lips like a waterfall. We needed some happy news, especially since the news of my father’s return has had our family shook.
Raeva grins. “Calm down, you’re just as extra as your brother.”
“Oh, I bet he is over the moon.”
“You bet your ass I am.”
Both Raeva and myself turn at the sound of my brother’s voice. Mika strides towards us and before he reaches us, Rae has already risen to her feet. As if pulled by some magnetic force—like an ocean high tide being pulled by the moon. When he reaches her, he gently places a hand on her belly. His facial features are painted with elation as he leans in and brushes his lips against her temple. A warmth spreads through me as I watch the two of them. Mika is my twin brother, and I have always adored him. Being a twin is different, the bond between twins runs deeper than most siblings. After our mother died, he was the only one left to protect me from our father. We protected each other and we have always been close. I have always known him as a protector, but I have never seen him show affection to anyone besides me. But with Raeva he is different. He is always smiling, freely affectionate and for the first time ever—truly happy. I think that was what made me love her instantly. I count her as one of my best friends, and I feel blessed to have her as my sister and my best friend.
Reclaiming Tomorrow: Kingsley Series Book 3 Page 6
