“Now is not a good time. If it is anything that can’t wait call Ellie and she will take care of it,” I say, a little more annoyance in my voice than I intend.
He looks at me and nods.
“Are you joining Ms. Ray or will you be returning?”
I see Sean pull up in front of the hotel and I immediately start making my way to the exit.
“I’m hoping we’ll both be back,” I say over my shoulder.
Sean is a godsend to have around. He is not only my right-hand man and one of the few people I trust implicitly, but I also consider him to be my friend and I do not have many of those. Not to mention that the man is quite skilled; he has been trained in everything from security to flying a plane and he’s a wizard when it comes to navigation, which today I especially appreciate. It only takes me minutes to find the next flight to the States and I secure a seat just in case. I have never flown commercially before; it’ll be a novelty. I pull up the map of the airport and study it. I have just figured out what gate I need to be at and how to get there when Sean pulls in front of Kansai International Airport. We got to the airport in what I know for a fact is record time. The distance from my hotel to here is thirty-one miles and during the thirty-one-mile drive we broke about eighty-six traffic laws alone and, surprisingly, I can’t bring myself to give a shit. All I care about right now is getting to Raeva. Everything in my world lately revolves around her.
I check the time. I have about an hour and seventeen minutes before the scheduled boarding time. Never one to waste a single second, I jump out of the car and start my purposeful stride toward the departure gates. I am not even sure how I seem to know where the hell I am going after only looking at a map during the car ride here but it’s like an internal navigation system has awakened within me. I can feel that she is here and it’s like there is an invisible thread that is pulling me to her. I make my way to the gate quickly, scanning the area for a glimpse of her. I feel her before I see her. Warmth spreads through my body at the same time a stabbing pain hits me in my chest cavity. I am part pissed the fuck off and part relieved that she’s here in front of me. Thank fuck I made it in time. I have never chased after any woman and feeling anything at all is foreign to me. I don’t know how to approach this. I’m hurt and I am also angry as hell. Normally I take control over any situation without thinking of the consequences or how the other person involved might take my approach. My instincts tell me this particular situation is delicate and that my normal way of taking action is not the way to come at this. But I can’t just do nothing. I watch as Raeva gives up her seat to a frail-looking old man. Her kindness never ceases to amaze me. I already feel my resolve weakening. She is mine and I am not letting her slip away. She smiles and her stunning face lights up. She is so damn beautiful to the point of distraction that I have trouble focusing on the task at hand. As I reach her I gently touch her arm.
“Raeva…” I breathe.
I feel her stiffen as she slowly turns to face me, the expression on her face falling.
“No,” she says, conviction in her tone.
“No?” I repeat.
She sighs and runs her hand through her hair. She takes a few steps backward, creating space between us.
“Yes, Mika. Just…just no. Don’t make this harder than it already is.”
“Am I missing something here? Was I supposed to make this easy for you? Why the hell did you leave, Raeva? And not even bothering to let me know? Shoot a text or leave a fucking note? You didn’t think I deserved at least that much?”
Okay then…anger it is then. She bites her lip. I can tell from her demeanor that she is contrite.
“Why. Did. You. Leave, Raeva?” I urge her again.
She shakes her head, tears starting to pool in her eyes, and I fight the urge to pull her into my arms. I take a step closer and pretty much eliminate the distance between us. I take her chin between my index finger and thumb and guide her head so I am directly in her line of vision. I hear her suck in a breath as I stroke my thumb across her chin. Our eyes lock and any anger or hurt I feel is drowned out by the overpowering feeling of affection for the woman in front of me. My phone starts ringing in my pocket and I don’t even bother to look at it or silence it. I direct my focus to Raeva.
“I can’t say that I have a lot of experience with relationships. In fact, I think my knowledge of relationships is tragically abysmal at best. But even I know that you don’t just leave someone with no explanation. Talk to me baby, please.”
A tear spills from her eye and rolls down her cheek. I lean in and kiss it away.
“I’m sorry, Mika. I should not have left like that but…I just…I don’t know…seeing you with all those women…I mean I scrolled through hundreds of pictures and they were just from the last three months, Mika. How am I supposed to believe that you are suddenly this one-woman man for someone like me? Some plain jane woman that you screwed a few times? I can’t have you break my heart and I won’t make a fool of myself, and I refuse to be one of many. I am sorry Mika, I just can’t…”
I press my mouth on hers, silencing her rant. I feel her melting into me briefly before she pushes me away.
“Mika…”
How can she not know how I feel about her?
“Listen to me, Raeva. I cannot change what I was before I met you. I have never tried to hide my past from you. I am quite sure I have told you that I didn’t live like a monk. Yes, I have fucked a bunch of women, many of which I can’t even remember. And yes, that makes me despicable. Sex was always a bodily function, a way to relieve stress…”
My phone starts ringing again and I choose to ignore it again. I tighten my hold on her as she starts to try and get away from me. I need her to hear me out.
“And when you have willing women throwing themselves at you…well let’s be honest here, not many men would say no. I didn’t say no. But I have never cared about those women or my reputation before you walked into my life. What I can do is show you that since meeting you, I don’t want anyone else. I wish to God that I had any indication I would meet you someday. I would have waited for you and only you but I also never thought there was anyone for me.”
I pull her closer to my chest.
“Oh baby, how can you not know? How is it possible that you don’t realize how you have changed everything for me? I have lived my entire life in the dark and when you walked into my world you turned on the light. Everything I couldn’t see before, couldn’t feel before, didn’t know before, is crystal clear now. I can’t go back to living my life in the dark. I do not want to be without you, Sweet Pea.”
She lifts her head up to look at me. Slowly her lips curl into that mischievous grin I adore.
“You know, for someone who sucks at this that was pretty damn good,” she smirks.
I can’t help but smile back at her.
“We can work anything out together. You can’t just leave. Please come back with me and we’ll talk about everything.”
She stands on her tiptoes and brushes her lips against mine.
“Okay,” she breathes.
My phone starts ringing yet again.
“Maybe you need to answer it,” she whispers.
I yank my phone out of my pocket and don’t even bother to look at who is calling as I press the green button on my screen.
“What?” I snap to the unsuspecting person on the other end of the line.
I listen and the voice on the other end turns out to be Eric. He tells me to sit down and, as usual, I ignore his advice but as the next words come out of his mouth I immediately regret that decision.
If you know anything at all about Mika Kingsley, you know that the man has an unrivaled poker face. Quite frankly, at times it seems as if the man has the emotional capacity of a doorknob. Where I wear my heart on my sleeve, Mika keeps his in a lead box chained up and buried deep inside. So, when I see his steely mask of control slip ever so slightly for a fraction of a moment, I know that whatever the person on the other
end has told him is catastrophic at best. Our eyes meet as Mika ends the call. His eyes are so expressive to me in this moment; silently telling me that he needs me to be there for him. He pulls me until my body collides with his and captures my lips in a rough and needy kiss. He needs this right now. He needs to take from me and I cannot deny him. I pour every ounce of what I am feeling into the kiss and know that he can feel it. I can feel him physically relaxing against me. When he breaks the kiss—way too soon for my liking—he rests his forehead on mine.
“We have to go, Sweet Pea,” he says, following his statement with a big sigh.
“Okay, are we headed back to the hotel?”
He brings my hand to his mouth and presses his lips on the back of it gently before letting it go.
“No babe, we have to back to the States. We will take the Gulf, okay?”
“Mika, what is going on? Is something wrong with Mikaela?”
Mika hesitates for a moment before he answers.
“No, nothing is wrong with Mikaela. Can we talk about this on the plane, please? I don’t want to do this here.”
Although I want some answers, something about the somber tinge in the tone of his voice tells me not to press the issue right now.
“Okay, if you promise that we will talk on the plane I will let it go for now.”
Mika nods. I take the hand he’s held out for me and let him lead the way. I must say that I am very impressed that he can type so fast with one hand and navigate us through the airport while barely looking up.
“Crew is meeting us now. We will have wheels up in twenty-five minutes, sir.”
I only now notice that Sean has fallen into step with us.
“Hello, Sean.”
He nods curtly.
“Ms. Ray.”
I smile at him and he attempts to smile back, but the smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Instantly alarm bells are screaming in my head. Sean is worried, too. This can’t be good.
Within the hour we are in the air and on our way home. Mika is tense and has hardly spoken two words since boarding the plane. The tension in the cabin can be cut with a knife and I feel helpless. I can feel him slipping away into himself and it is freaking me out. Mika is sitting on the large white leather seat and resting his head back, eyes shut. His hands are holding onto the armrests so rigidly that he’s white-knuckling. I unbuckle myself and climb onto his lap. Mika immediately wraps his arms around me, pulling me tightly against him. He buries his nose in my hair and inhales deeply. I reach up and run my hand through his hair, soothing him.
“Talk to me, baby.” I whisper.
Mika kisses the top of my head.
“I know you saw that article. Did you read it all?”
I shake my head.
“I skimmed it but no, not really.”
I shift so that I can look at him properly. His gaze is fixed upon one of the art pieces on the wall. The expression on his face is pained and it hurts my heart.
“Our family has always had money. The Kingsley family comes from old money and all the Kingsley men are born with what is referred to as the ‘Midas touch’. We all know how to make money. My grandfather James Gerald Kingsley was well-respected by the business community. He worked hard and was fair and generous to others. Mikaela and I adored him. My grandmother passed before we were born and he never remarried. He always said that he promised her to love her and only her for the rest of his life and he intended to keep that promise. And he did. I had never seen him so much as look at another woman. Unlike my father…and the prick didn’t even wait for my mother to die.”
Mika gently urges me off his lap, unbuckles himself, and walks over to the bar. He grabs some ice from the small icebox, tosses the cubes in a tumbler, and then pours himself some kind of amber liquid—whiskey maybe? He holds the glass out to me, offering me a drink, but I decline with a shake of my head. He drains the entire thing and I can hear the ice clink against his teeth. With a small thud he puts the glass down.
“Mason Gerald Kingsley was not a very well-liked man. He was feared by many, respected by some, but to most he was a psychotic asshole who thrived on playing people against each other. Only that wasn’t fulfilling enough for him. His favorite thing to do was manipulate situations in such a way that would always result in the destruction of something…friendships, romances, businesses. Hell, the man has torn apart families, including our own…”
I have not taken my eyes of him once and I don’t speak. I have been waiting for him to let me in and now that he is finally opening up to me, I don’t want to interrupt. Mika walks back over to me and takes his seat next to mine. He reaches for my hand and kisses the back of it before lacing our fingers together.
“Our mother, Audrey Kay Kingsley, was beautiful and kind. She loved us more than anything. She did what she could to shield us from our father. She tried to hide her heartache about my father’s blatant and indiscrete affairs but we all knew, everyone knew. Despite everything my father has ever done to any of us, she loved him. He never deserved her but in his sick and twisted way he loved her, too. And when she died…”
He squeezes my hand. I pull our linked hands toward me and kiss the back of his. Mika’s lips curl slightly at the gesture.
“That article compares me to my father. It insinuates that I have inherited my appetite for women as well as my golden touch in business from my him, all of which is damning enough. It’s bullshit, too. I mean, yes, I have been around the block a few times when it comes to women but I wasn’t married or even involved with anyone. I didn’t know you were out there. I…”
Mika takes my chin between his forefinger and thumb and guides my head so that we are eye to eye. Our eyes lock and I can feel my heart speed up and pound loudly against my ribcage.
“I would never do that to you, Raeva. Never,” he says with such intensity it wrecks me.
“I…I believe you,” I croak.
Mika leans in and presses his lips to mine, bestowing me with a toe-curling kiss that’s sweet and gentle. When he withdraws, he sighs deeply.
“Today another article hit the press. This time they have drawn parallels with what happened to Mikaela and what happened to our mother. Since what happened to mom is eerily like what happened to my sister they are pointing fingers. Only now, they are pointing the finger at me and not my father.”
I gasp.
“What? That is ludicrous. Why would anyone even think that?”
“Well, they claim I have motive. After my mom died my father disappeared, leaving the entire Kingsley fortune to Mikaela and I. With her out of the way, so to speak, I would get everything.”
“Nobody believes that crap, right? I mean everyone knows how close you two are.”
Another sigh.
“Remember the annulment papers?”
“Like I could forget making an idiot of myself,” I say as I roll my eyes.
“After Mikaela’s accident this guy shows up out of nowhere, claiming that they are married. Weeks later, I may add. The paperwork all seems in order, only I have never heard her mention him. Believe me, Mikaela wouldn’t just get married without me being there or at least telling me. I didn’t believe him or trust him. Especially when it takes him more than two weeks after her accident to show up. I wasn’t going to let some opportunist just swoop in and take her money so I froze all her assets and prepared the annulment papers. It pissed him off, to say the least, so he retaliated by going to the press and playing the ‘Mika Kingsley is a ruthless asshole card,’ which they are eating up.”
My heart shatters into pieces when I see the anguish painted on that beautiful face of his. It doesn’t belong there and feels wrong.
“Raeva, I need you to know that I am innocent. I swear I would never harm a hair on Mikaela’s head. She is not just my twin sister; she has been my rock since childhood. I could ne—”
I move myself back onto his lap and seal my mouth on his, effectively silencing him as he has done to me many times before. I can’t
find the nerve to say the things I want to tell him. Instead of using words, I try to tell him everything that I feel for him with this kiss. Arms fly around one another and Mika pulls me closer. There isn’t an inch between us but it doesn’t feel close enough. Our kiss turns urgent and hungrier by the second and I don’t want to come up for air. Without breaking the kiss Mika stands, wraps my legs around his waist, and walks us to the bedroom. He throws me onto the bed and starts ripping his clothes off, unceremoniously tossing them over his shoulder. I follow suit and in my haste, I am being incredibly clumsy. Mika smirks at me.
“Are you greedy for me, Sweet Pea?” he taunts me.
I bite my bottom lip and nod my head. His smile widens as he prowls toward me, eyes focused on me and not wavering once. The bed dips as he climbs on top of it and my body tingles with anticipation. Mika hovers over me and every single fragment of my body is screaming for his touch. When his hand finds its way between my legs I don’t even try to stifle the moan that seems to originate from the tips of my toes. Mika hums his approval when he slides his finger through my slickness.
“Oh you sexy little minx. You’re dripping for me.”
I can hear the smile in his voice when he tells me this.
“Use your words, baby,” he mutters as his mouth finds its way to my neck. “Tell. Me. What. You. Want,” he growls between kisses that trail from my neck to my collarbone.
“I… I want your mouth on me,” I manage to croak.
“Where do you want my mouth?”
I slide my hand over his. “Right here,” I whisper.
“I thought you’d never ask…” he says as he pushes my legs apart.
And then his mouth is on me, slow strokes at first, lapping up every drop like he hasn’t had a drink in weeks. He increases the pace and when he takes that little bundle of nerves in between his lips and sucks, I arch off the bed and scream his name. He inserts two fingers into me and strokes my walls until he finds that spot that sends me over the edge, making beckoning motions while sucking, licking, and nipping at my folds. He sucks harder and harder and increases the speed of his fingers in and out of my body. I feel the tightening start deep in my core and hear myself begging him not to stop. He obliges, pumping into me with renewed enthusiasm, and then the euphoria overtakes me; wave after wave like a tsunami. But the man doesn’t show me any mercy, doesn’t give me time recover, before I feel him position himself at my center. Oh, my dear God he was right. I am so greedy for him. I need to feel him inside of me. I want every inch of his thick, hard cock filling my walls. And apparently, even without saying the words out loud, my wish is his command. Mika fills me to the hilt in one smooth stroke, fully furnishing me with all his glory.
Tomorrow: Kingsley series book 1 Page 11
