Forever Tomorrow: Kingsley Series Book 4

by Thorne, Haylee

  “No.”

  I laugh again. She’s so much like me, it’s not even funny.

  “No?”

  “Yeah. No.”

  “So, which is it?” Yeah or no?” I tease.

  “That money isn’t mine. I didn’t earn it.”

  “So what? All the Kingsley grandchildren got a trust. I am sure that Mika just made sure you got your fair share.”

  “How would Mika even have access to my account information?”

  I roll my eyes, I can’t help it.

  “Our brother has his ways. I am sure he has a file on you too.”

  “Me too? He does this a lot?”

  “A safety thing. He likes to know who he’s dealing with.”

  “He can’t ask questions like normal people?”

  I shrug. It’s a fair question.

  “Sweetie, growing up Kingsley isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And nowhere near normal. He has trust issues. He needs the information. I guess that comes with the territory. A lot of people lie. I’m not saying that you do, but that has been our experience a lot of times in our lives. Mika, he just…He likes to know what kind of person he’s dealing with.”

  The look on her face softens and a small smile appears on her face.

  “I’m not sure if I will ever be able to relate to any of that. But I can certainly try and understand.”

  I reach over and grab her hand.

  “I’m glad that we are finally all together now. I wish we hadn’t missed all these years.”

  She squeezes my hand and looks at me affectionately.

  “Me too.”

  We move on to lighter conversation for the remainder of the drive, happily chatting about fashion and art. By the time we pull over in front of the massive Kingsley Inc. building we are both in great spirits. Although I am here to see Eric, I decide to walk her to Mika’s office first. After all, she has never been here before. Phoenix exits the car first and when I climb out of the car I can hear her gasp. I look up and see the look on her face as she looks up at the impressive structure. And suddenly I realize how much I have been taking things like this for granted. I remember when I saw this building for the first time and I can’t help but wonder if I had the same look on my face. I always like to think that having money didn’t make me any different. But seeing Phoenix’s reactions to things that seem so second nature to me makes me realize how that was naïve. My gaze follows hers. I also take a moment to appreciate the grandness of this building. The sun is peeking through the clouds and the sunshine gleams off the windows, adding to the beauty of it.

  “Ready to go in?” I ask.

  She doesn’t speak but nods her head. I smile and offer her my arm once more. She accepts and we enter the building. I usher us straight to the executive elevator and Phoenix wordlessly lets me drags her along. When the elevator doors slide shut she finally speaks.

  “Mika owns all of this?”

  “Well, technically, you and I own part of it too. But yes, he has built it into this. Kingsley Inc. was nothing like this until Mika started running things. He’s quite brilliant.”

  “No kidding,” she gushes.

  We step out of the elevators, and we have barely taken a couple of steps when I happen to look to my left and see both Mika and River walk into Eric’s office. I don’t think twice and stalk toward his office. Ash, his assistant sees me coming and rises to his feet.

  “Ms. Kingsley, I’ll tell Mr.—.”

  “Don’t bother,” I tell him as I hold a hand up. “I’ll tell him myself.”

  “But—.”

  I’ve already pushed the door open before he can say another word to stop me. Honestly, I think that if it wasn’t the fact that I am Mikaela Kingsley, he would have tried to tackle me. I wasn’t trying to be rude, but I am on a mission here. Three surprised faces look up at me and because I stop dead in my tracks in the doorway, Phoenix walks straight into my back.

  “Ouch, shit,” she grumbles from behind me.

  The three men exchange a look and burst out laughing.

  “If it isn’t my two favorite sisters,” Mika says shaking his head.

  I’m not in the mood for pleasantries.

  “Are you talking about investigating mom again?” I demand.

  “Hello, to you, too, Lady Kingsley,” Eric says gently.

  Mika mumbles something to River, and he nods before stalking out of the room. Even in my angry state, I don’t miss the lingering look that is exchanged between River and Phoenix.

  “Why won’t you guys listen to me and drop this?”

  “I can’t do that,” My brother replies.

  “And we are just doing what you want to do? With no discussion?”

  “This isn’t up for discussion Mikaela,” Mika says calmly. “I need to know who and what poses a threat to our family. The sooner that you wrap your head around that the better. And quite honestly, I’d think that you would be more concerned for your future niece or nephew’s safety than about the feelings of a woman who at best has abandoned us.”

  Anger surges through me. The combination of his words and the infuriatingly calm way he says them has me boiling with anger. Even though a small part of me knows that he has a point.

  “I don’t care what she might have done. She’s our mom, I want to give her a chance to explain.”

  “Okay guys, let’s calm down. There is no reason to fight. Mik, what did you tell me just twenty minutes ago? About the information thing?” Phoenix urges in a gentle tone.

  She’s right, of course. But I am still feeling salty.

  “And you,” she says as she turns her attention to Mika. “You have to accept her need to come to terms with the situation on her terms. Not yours.”

  “Sounds fair to me,” Eric says.

  Both Mika and I shoot Eric an annoyed look. In typical Eric fashion, he’s not impressed by the looks we shoot him. Instead, he smiles at me reassuringly, causing my resolve to melt even more. My stubborn side isn’t ready to give up so easily though, and I am about to open my mouth to start to launch into another speech when my purse starts to vibrate followed by a loud ring tone. My first instinct is to ignore it, so I pull my cell from my purse and am about to send it to voicemail when I notice the number on the screen. My gaze flickers towards Mika, who is immediately interested. Not a damn thing escapes his notice. I don’t break eye contact as I swipe to answer.

  “Mom?”

  Mika’s eyebrow shoots up.

  “Hey love bug,” she replies warmly.

  Hearing her voice fills me with dueling emotions. Part elation and part guilt. Knowing how Mika feels about all this has my heart split in two when it comes to this.

  “Is this a bad time?” she asks after a moment of silence.

  “No.no,” I stammer sheepishly. “Of course not, mom.”

  “Oh good,” she replies, clearly sounding relieved.

  I can’t help but smile.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure mom?”

  “I wanted to invite you for dinner tonight.”

  “Dinner?”

  “Yes, dinner. Not just you, your brother as well.”

  My gaze flickers to Mika once more.

  “Your father would like Phoenix to be there also. Of course, we expect you to bring Eric and Raeva as well.”

  “Mom, I’d love to have dinner with you. But I am not sure that I am willing to sit at a table and break bread with that man you call our father.”

  Mom sighs.

  “I really feel like we owe you all some explanations, and your father is a part of that, love bug.”

  My turn to sigh. “I’ll have to get back to you mom, I need to talk to Mika.”

  I can hear the smile in her voice as she answers me.

  “I’m glad the two of you remained this close. Talk to him and let me know please.”

  “I will, mom,” I tell her as I cut the call.

  Six pairs of eyes stare at me curiously. “We’ve been invited to dinner,” I anno
unce.

  After the announcement of a dinner invitation, there is some discussion. Phoenix is agreeable, after all, the only thing she wants is to understand what happened between her mom and Mason and why she has been excluded from her siblings her entire life. Mika isn’t happy, but even he has to agree that the possibility of getting some actual answers is hard to pass up. The attorney in me is always looking for the cold hard facts, that is deeply ingrained in me. That side of me is in clear contrast with Mikaela, who operates purely from her emotions, and that is deeply ingrained in her. I both love and hate that about her because her judgement can be clouded by her emotions at times and facts don’t seem to matter, but her ability to see the good in people and in situations is something I envy at times. So, while we both readily agreed to this, we had our own very different reasons to convince Mika to join us as well. And while Mika has significantly changed since marrying Rae, he is still fundamentally the kind of man that operates with calculated wit. And he doesn’t like to enter any situation without having the upper hand. But with our combined efforts, we convinced Mika to attend. We’re at Mik’s apartment, and I’m impatiently waiting for her to finish getting ready. I have poured myself a drink, and I’m nursing it as I take a seat in her living room. I am feeling restless, and I have barely drunk half of the amber liquid before I get up and restlessly walk down the hall to be closer to her. I’m pulled to her like a magnet as if my body cannot help but needing to be close to her. In any way that I can get it. I can hear the shower running and visions of her gloriously naked body flash before my eyes. I’ve not been able to touch her in days, and I miss her. The scent of her, the smooth feel of her silky skin, the glint in her golden eyes as she watches me shamelessly ogle her, the sounds that she makes when I caress her. I make my way into her bedroom needing to feel closer to her. I can hear the water shut off as I settle on the edge of her bed. She walks out of her bathroom just mere moments later. A plush white towel is loosely wrapped around her, but my eyes are drawn to the errant drops of water that drip from her still wet hair onto her shoulders, before they congregate into her decollete. She bites her bottom lip as she notices me sitting on her bed. I know her, and I know that even though she is still not happy with me, she wants me as much as I want her. The enigmatic pull that has always existed between us, seems to be stronger than ever. Mikaela is stunning, yes. There isn’t a straight man on this planet with a pulse that wouldn’t want her, whenever and however he could get her. She strolls casually toward me, not once taking her eyes off me. As cliché as it sounds, my mouth literally waters at the sight of her. I know the game she is playing, the torture she is intending to bestow upon me. Even knowing what she’s intending to do, I can’t deny that she is succeeding. She is trying to be aloof, I can tell, but when I unbutton the top two buttons of my shirt and loosen my tie, it’s undeniable that she’s affected by me too. But Mikaela plays to win, and she doesn’t take prisoners. Just as she reaches me, she “accidentally” drops her towel and my eyes follow the movement. My gaze flickers to the plush fabric that’s pooled around her feet before my eyes greedily roam her magnificent body. It takes every ounce of self-control not to pounce on her. Still, I’m not a saint and my eyes devour every inch of her. My want for her multiplies infinitely, and I am not sure how much longer I can control myself. My irises are fixed on her as she bends forward and reaches for me. Every nerve ending in my body is exhilaratingly awaiting her touch, but instead, she reaches past me and plucks up something from behind me. My gaze drops to her hand and I see a tiny scrap of material loosely hanging from her fingertips. Her eyes are fixed on mine as she reveals the lace fabric to be her panties. I swallow hard as I watch her nonchalantly step into them. I can feel the evidence of my arousal straining against my zipper as she pulls the tiny lace material over her perfect hips. She’s standing before me in nothing but a scandalous tiny pair of undergarments and I swallow hard as I take in the vision before me. She takes a few steps toward her bedside table and opens the drawer and my eyes never leave her. She pulls out a small bottle of oil. I watch her unscrew the top of the bottle and pour some into the palm of her hand, and she places a foot onto the bed before rubbing the oil sensually onto her leg. Starting at her magnificent thigh and slowly but surely working her way down to her ankle. She lowers her foot and repeats the action with her opposite leg. I watch her with unparalleled fascination. I notice that the corners of her perfect mouth slightly lift up. I can tell she is trying to hide the fact that she’s enjoying this, she’s toying with me, and it is sexy yet infuriating in equal measure. When she finishes rubbing the oil on her mile-long legs, she pours some more into the palm of her hand and starts to apply the oil to her abdomen, working her way up to her breasts. She lingers just a bit as she rubs the oil onto her ample flesh. Her nipples pebble up and I want nothing more than to take them into my mouth right now. The air is laced with desire and then when the enticing scent of the oil reaches my nostrils, I close my eyes for just a moment and inhale deeply. The combination of her signature jasmine scented soap and the gentle but alluring aroma of the oil she is rubbing onto herself has my senses in overdrive. Without a word, she turns and saunters seductively toward her closet. I want to follow her, and take her right there in her closet. I want to. But I don’t. I don’t want to press my luck, knowing that she’s still livid about me taking Mika’s side on the investigation. By the time she re-emerges from the closet fully dressed and looking stunning in a short pale pink sleeveless dress that shows off those amazing legs of hers, I have a serious case of blue balls.

  “I’m ready.” She announces.

  It’s the first thing either of us has said since we walked into the apartment. And fuck if the sound of her voice doesn’t fill me with an unexplainable elation.

  “You look stunning, as always, Lady Kingsley,” I tell her earnestly.

  Her golden irises light up and the corners of her perfect mouth curve into a smile that nearly knocks me off my feet. A warmth radiates throughout my chest as she rewards me with that smile. I take it as a sign that she’s softening towards me and I can feel some of the tension I’ve been feeling leave my body. Unable to help myself, I take large strides toward her, closing the distance between us and take her face gently into my hands. I lean in and claim her lips. Relief floods through me when she doesn’t recoil, but hungrily responds. One hand moves to the back of her neck while the other wanders to her small of her back. Just as I deepen the kiss we are interrupted by the clearing of a throat. Reluctantly, I pull back and release Mikaela. I turn to see my best friend and his beautiful wife standing before us. Raeva is grinning widely and when I catch her eye she winks at me.

  “I really didn’t want to see that,” Mika grumbles unhappily.

  Mika has given us his blessing, but Mik’s still his sister and I imagine watching her make out isn’t exactly pleasant for him.

  “If you don’t want to see things like this, you shouldn’t walk into my apartment without being invited in,” Mikaela says with a smirk.

  “Invited in? Why would I need to be invited in? It’s never been a problem before.”

  “And it’s still not a problem for me. But clearly, for you it is. You’re lucky that all you walked in on was a little kiss,” she says in a matter of fact tone that has me chuckling.

  The expression on Mika’s face is priceless. His nose wrinkled at the mere thought of what Mikaela suggested.

  “You’ve shamelessly made out with Rae in front of me many times my friend. It’s your turn to watch me kiss the love of my life.”

  The words are out before I even realize what I’ve said. But even though I’ve uttered them in front of my best friend, I don’t regret them. After all, it’s true, Mikaela is undoubtedly the love of my life. I turn my head to look at her and she beams at me.

  “I think you are going to want to step out for a second, big brother,” she says, not taking her eyes off me. “Because I’m about to plant a big one on my guy.”

  She barel
y uttered the words before she throws her arms around my neck and kisses me with a passion that has me feeling light-headed and breathless. I’m not sure how long we stand there, or how long it took for Mika and Raeva to retreat into another room. And while I am usually more reserved, I can’t muster up the inclination to care at this moment. It is with great difficulty that I tear my lips from hers.

  “We have to go and pick up your sister,” I say with regret in my voice.

  She pouts and it’s fucking adorable. I lean in and kiss the tip of her nose. Our eyes lock and while neither of us speaks, the conversation between her golden irises and my silver ones is crystal clear.

  * * *

  Audrey offered to send a car to pick us all up, but neither Mika nor myself relished the idea of being trapped in a place with no way of escape. So, we politely declined and are currently all piled into one of Mika’s large town cars and after we pick up Phoenix we are en route to the address she texted Mikaela earlier this evening. Mika forwarded the address to his security team as well as River. It’s a bit of a drive since the address is in Greenwich. But Sean is driving us and as always, he efficiently maneuvers through the New York traffic as if it’s nothing. I am pleased, and definitely not surprised when I notice that there is a black sedan following us because I know that Mika is taking a lot of precautions. I’d bet just about anything that there is already a vehicle with more security in front of the place we are headed. My friend doesn’t do anything unprepared or halfway. I don’t mention it out loud, knowing it will annoy Mikaela. I glance over at her and watch the elated look on her face as she animatedly chats with Phoenix and Rae. Her seemingly worry-free attitude in contrast with my cautious one. I’m not sure what to expect from this evening, but I have an uneasy feeling in my gut. I want to be happy for Mikaela, but I can’t ignore the alarm bells in my head. Mika hasn’t said a word since we got into the car, and I know he is feeling the same unease I do. The fact that even River hasn’t found anything concrete yet concerns me as well. But if there is something out there, he will find it. I know it is only a matter of time, the man is brilliant and tenacious. I know that he won’t leave a stone unturned, especially not since it involves his family and their safety. I take Mikaela’s hand in mine and bring it to my lips, pressing a soft kiss on the back of it before resting our intertwined hands on my lap. I listen to the happy banter between the women while I turn my head and look out of the window watching the lively city pass by in an effort to distract my mind from racing. But I am having a hard time staying out of my own head. I remain silent the entire 48-minute trip. I don’t want another fight with Mikaela, but I can’t join in her enthusiasm for tonight’s dinner. There must be some kind of camera or sensor system because when we reach a large iron gate, it opens before we even slow down. They must have been watching for us. I think to myself. We pull into what seems to be a private drive. I smile to myself when I see two vehicles that I recognize to be Mika’s parked close to the gate. Confirming my suspicion that Mika is prepared for anything. We drive a short while, the scenery breathtaking. The landscape is immaculate and there are so many different types of trees and greenery along the road that it almost feels as if we are in a small forest. Resting at the end of the drive is an impressive Tudor style mansion. I raise a brow, this seems excessive for someone in witness protection, though I suppose that this mansion is very private. The property is at least half a mile from a public road and there are so many trees surrounding the gorgeous structure that it almost looks hidden. I admire the large fountain that almost leads to the front of the house, stopping at the edge of the circle driveway. My attention gets pulled to the front door where Audrey is standing timidly, with a serene aura about her. The windows of our vehicle are tinted, so I know that she can’t see us. But she smiles a wide toothy smile that matches the elated expression on her face. The car has barely come to a complete stop when she already reaches over me to try and open the door to get out. Excitement is clearly driving her mood right now. I can’t help the smile that tugs at the corners of my mouth as I watch her. Suddenly, she stiffens and I follow her gaze. Mason Kingsley has joined Audrey at the door, his hands casually tucked into his pockets. The expression on his face is neutral, yet smug. He always looks like he is planning something sinister, and today is no exception. The urge to get out and punch the piece of shit in the face surges through me. But I dismiss the notion, telling myself that he isn’t worth the trouble. I distract myself from my murderous thoughts by focusing my attention firmly back onto Mikaela. I am still holding her hand and I squeeze it, letting her know that she has me to lean on if she needs me.