Tomorrow: Kingsley series book 1

by Haylee Thorne

  “I miss him, too,” I confess. “But I—”

  A tingling feeling rolls down my spine and butterflies appear inside my belly. I do not need to turn to know that he’s here.

  “Raeva,” he breathes.

  I turn at the sound of his voice and am flooded with a multitude of emotions. Our eyes meet and I know that I am a goner. Tears are pooling in my eyes and I have difficulty breathing. I cover my mouth and nose with my hands and I feel my knees buckle. . . Mika strides over to me and takes my face in his hands. Our eyes are locked and searching for the answers to the unspoken questions that hang between us. Mika finally breaks the silence.

  “I’ve missed you,” he says, voice gruff.

  I open my mouth to speak but he seals his lips over mine and kisses me with a hunger I have never felt before. He is letting his kiss tell me how much he missed me. I look around for Mikaela but she has discreetly made her way to the window looking out on the gorgeous garden. I look back over to Mika. Our eyes meet once more and he continues.

  “I am completely and utterly guilty of being obsessed with you, Sweet Pea. I need you more than I need my next breath because you make me want to be a better man, and God knows I need to be a better man. Right now, I don’t deserve you, but I promise—if you’ll give me the chance—I will show you that I can be the kind of man that you deserve.”

  Damn him. How can a girl ignore a declaration like that? Mika kisses the tip of my nose. “I am in awe of you and of the kind of woman that you are. And these two weeks without you have been the darkest weeks of my life. I have honored your wishes and stayed away but I can’t take it anymore. I can’t let you out of my sight again. Move in with me.”

  Wait, what? I stand here before him, stunned. This man doesn’t do anything at half speed, only at the speed of light. I don’t get the chance to answer him because just as I open my mouth to speak Mikaela gasps. I turn just in time to see her collapse onto the floor. We both run over to her I immediately search for a pulse, which I find quickly. She is breathing too, so no CPR needed. She fainted.

  “We need to get her into the bed,” I tell Mika.

  He lifts her off the ground with ease and walks her toward her bedroom. I am about to follow when I see Tammy walking in the garden, pushing Mr. King around. She looks up at the same time I notice them and waves. I wave back lamely and follow Mika into the bedroom. He has places Mikaela on the bed and I start to take her blood pressure. I have just secured the cuff around her arm when she starts to wake up.

  “Just relax honey,” I tell her. “I am just going to check your vital signs, okay?”

  She looks at me and nods. I smile at her to make her feel more at ease.

  “Stop hovering Mika, I’ve got this,” I tell him sternly.

  He doesn’t speak but he takes a few steps away from the bed, giving me space to walk around. Mikaela bursts out laughing.

  “Well holy crap,” she sputters. “You really have met your match, Ivy League.”

  I raise my brow.

  “Ivy League?” I snicker.

  “Shut it, Mik,” Mika grumbles.

  I continue to take her vital signs, which appear to be fine.

  “We will talk later,” she whispers as she winks at me.

  I smirk at her.

  “Oh, I can’t wait,” I reply. “Okay, tell me what happened before you lost consciousness. Did you feel it coming on?”

  Mikaela’s smile disappears immediately and her eyes fly to Mika.

  “What’s wrong?” Mika demands.

  She shakes her head.

  “It is silly. I just thought I saw someone, that’s all. It was just my imagination, I’m sure.”

  Her smile is back but this time it doesn’t reach her eyes, a move I easily recognize because I have been using it for the past few weeks. Maybe the siblings need some privacy.

  “Okay, I am going to call the doctor to let him know what happened and chart it. I will be right back. Mika will stay with you, won’t you?”

  Mika walks over to where I am and kisses the corner of my mouth.

  “I’ll be here,” he mutters.

  I walk over to the nurse’s station where I call the doctor and chart the incident and her vitals before I make my way back to the suite. I don’t bother knocking and when I walk into the bedroom Mika and Mikaela are talking in hushed tones. Even though I am not trying to, I can’t help but overhear the last sentence that rolls from her lips.

  “I know what I saw, Mika. It was him.”

  Mika turns and spots me.

  “We will talk about this later, Mik,” he says in a warning tone.

  I look from Mika to Mikaela and back.

  “Is everything okay, guys?”

  Mikaela forces another smile, I can tell.

  “Yes, everything is great.”

  I am not believing it for a second but I decide to let it go for now. Mika steps closer to me.

  “Can we talk later?” he asks, eyes pleading.

  How am I supposed to resist him? Isn’t it time to stop pretending that resisting him is futile?

  “Yes,” I concede.

  “I will come pick you up and bring you to my place after your shift. Is that okay?”

  I nod. Mika kisses Mikaela on the cheek.

  “I’ll see you later, Mik,” he says as he walks over to me.

  “Walk me to the door?” he asks.

  I take his hand and lead him to the front door. He leans in and gently places a peck on my lips. Mika hooks my chin between his index finger and his thumb.

  “How am I ever going to show you that I am worthy of you when you keep on showing me at every turn how incredible you are?” he mutters.

  “You are just going to have to step up your game,” I tease.

  Mika’s eyes twinkle and I know exactly what that look in his eyes means.

  “Down boy,” I say, laughing. “Let me finish my shift and take care of your sister and then we will go home.”

  Mika smiles sweetly. He looks at me, excitement clearly driving his mood right now.

  “You said ‘and then we will go home,’” he says with a wide smile. “Does that mean what I hope it means?”

  “Well, I guess that depends on what you hope it means.”

  “Is that a yes to moving in with me?”

  “That is a let’s see how it goes but for now I am keeping my house.”

  Mika smirks.

  “I’ll take it.”

  The rest of my shift goes pretty fast. Mikaela’s friends have been in and out all day and it was fun meeting them all. She sure has the busiest room in this place. Even when she was in a coma all her friends stopped by. Mika comes to the suite to pick me up and hangs out with his sister while I give my report to the night shift nurse, Briella. Mika’s spirits are not as lifted as they were when he left me earlier and that worries me.

  “What’s wrong babe?” I ask him gently when we get settled in the car.

  He sighs and lays his head back on the headrest as he closes his eyes.

  “She doesn’t remember anything that has happened these last five years. It is like those years are lost, just erased from her memory.”

  I grab his hand and squeeze it.

  “Dr. Samson told us that she might never get those five years back.”

  “But she does remember you, right?” I ask.

  He nods.

  “Silver lining, babe,” I say brightly. “At least now she’s awake and we can work on getting her memory back.”

  “God, you are perfect,” he mutters.

  His lips curl slightly. Mika leans in and gently brushes my lips with his, giving me a toe-curling and all-consuming kiss. We don’t come up for air until we reach Mika’s building.

  The very first thing I want to do is take a long hot shower and wash today’s events off me. Mika heads to his office to catch up with some work things while I enjoy washing off. After I get out of the shower I scour the walk-in closet for something to wear and although there are
many nighties for me to choose from, I decide that all I want to wear right now is one of Mika’s t-shirts. I grab a shirt and pull it over my head. I step into a pair of black lace panties and then turn to go and find Mika. I trail down the hall toward his office. I open the door and as I enter I watch Mika undo his tie. He’s on the phone, talking to someone about some kind of business deal. For a moment, I’m frozen in place, stunned into a mesmerized state. Just the sight of him is enough to make my mouth water. My tongue darts out, licking my lips. I see the change in his expression as he notices me and it slays me. How can a man look so powerful and yet so vulnerable at the same time? His face breaks out in that sexy as hell smile of his, making my insides boil with desire. Mika ends the call, walks around his enormous solid wooden desk, and crooks his finger to beckon me closer.

  “Come here,” he says, his tone laced with desire.

  I shake my head to snap myself out of it. I start to make my way to him, slowly and with very weak knees. When I am about halfway there, Mika holds up a finger. Confusion washes over me. I don’t know what he wants and I am not sure how to react.

  “My turn,” he says simply.

  Mika slowly stalks toward me, his eyes roaming over my body. He stops mere inches in front of me.

  “You are so fucking beautiful.”

  The timbre of his voice sends tingles throughout my body. He circles around me like a lion prowls around his prey. I feel my heart speed up and it is beating loudly inside my chest.

  “And you are so incredibly sexy,” he says as he trails a finger across my neck. “You look so much better in that shirt than I do.”

  I suck on my bottom lip. I sigh softly as my shoulders relax.

  “Close your eyes.”

  I oblige before consciously making the decision to do so. I feel him clasp something around my wrist.

  “Okay,” he croaks. “Open your eyes.”

  I open them and gasp when I notice the beautiful bracelet on my wrist. Upon closer inspection, I note that there are two little charms dangling from the delicate chain. The first is a tiny compass that seems to actually work. The next is a little scroll and it looks like a group of random numbers are written on it. I look up at Mika, who’s intently studying my reaction.

  “The numbers on here are coordinates,” he says as he fingers the scroll. “The coordinates point to the exact place where I was when I realized that you are more than I ever dreamed of…that you are my tomorrow. And this compass is so that you will always find your way back to me.”

  Tears start streaming down my face.

  “This is perfect Mika, thank you,” I say through my tears.

  I get on my tippy toes and brush his lips with mine. He greedily answers that kiss with his usual passion and soon we are both panting.

  “It’s been too long since I’ve been inside you,” he grumbles.

  I chuckle.

  “No time like the present, Mr. Kingsley.”

  “Oh, Ms. Ray, that sounds like a challenge.”

  “I’m sure you’ll rise to it.”

  Mika grins that trademark grin of his, the one that he gives me when he’s about to really rock my world. He lifts me off the floor and walks us over to his colossal desk. He circles to where he usually sits and places me on top of the desk.

  “Undress me,” he says in that commanding tone of his.

  I don’t know why but it turns me on and I am ready to get my man naked. I start undoing his buttons slowly, one after the other, teasing him with my slow pace. I gasp when I slide the shirt off his shoulders. Right there in the middle of his chest, slightly to his left, is a brand, new tattoo. It is a compass and it also has coordinates.

  “Do you like it, Sweet Pea?” he asks. “I wanted you to know that I would always find my way back to you, too.”

  I smile so wide I think I might break my face. I’m not sure why I notice but the numbers are different.

  “Why are the numbers different on here?” I ask as I carefully run a finger under the coordinates.

  “Ah,” he says. “These coordinates are the exact place where I was when you agreed to be mine so I keep those coordinates right over my heart.”

  Oh.

  “Mika Kingsley.”

  “Raeva Ray,” he counters.

  “If you don’t take me now, so help me—”

  I don’t even get to finish that sentence. Mika rips my panties off with one hand while freeing himself with the other. Before I can utter the last words of that sentence he thrusts into me, hitting the deepest part of me, in one smooth stroke. I moan loudly at the sudden feeling of complete fullness. He stills for a moment, allowing me to adjust to him, and then he begins to move in earnest. I grip the desk, holding on for dear life as he pounds into me harder and faster and harder and faster and oh this feels so good. Mika rips the t-shirt to shreds and takes my nipple into his mouth. My back arches as he sucks hard while massaging my breasts. He is taking control of the body that he knows he owns. I meet him thrust for thrust and sooner than I wanted to I start to feel the tightening at my core. He snakes a hand between my legs and finds my clit. He strokes it twice and I about lose my mind.

  “You. Are. Mine,” he grunts. “This. Pussy. Is. Mine.”

  “Ye…yes,” I whimper. “Yours.”

  He rolls that little bundle of nerves between his fingers and this time it sends me into the void. I scream his name loudly as I dig my nails into his back. I am drowning in my euphoria when I feel him reach the release he’s been chasing. When he collapses into his desk chair he takes me with him, holding me snug against chest. When we both finally catch our breaths, he whispers against my temple, “I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

  I frown.

  “What’s happening tomorrow?”

  I can’t see his face since my head is firmly resting on his chest but I can hear the smile in his voice when he replies.

  “You will be in it.”

  The End... for now

  I have been very blessed in my life with people who have supported my dreams. Family and friends alike. My #bookbestie Michelle, I FLOVE you, and wouldn’t know what to do without your constant love and support and I adore you more for putting up with my crazy. Thank you to my Hoarder girls, I adore you and I am so grateful for all your support and guidance and kindness you’ve shown this newbie author. FLOVE you all. Thank you so much to Booksmacked for the kind words that really made my week when I needed it most! My friend and ONE AND ONLY PA Lauren, you are the best! Love ya <3. A HUGE thank you to my editor Kim of Elevated Edits, you have kept me sane while I drove you crazy. I adore the crap out of you. Thank you Lee Ching of undercover Design for giving Tomorrow the best cover possible. You rock! I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to my husband Stephen, for loving me most when I don’t deserve it, for spoiling me so thoroughly in every way imaginable, that I now finally know how a woman deserves to be treated and for always letting me chase my dreams. Thank you for being my best friend and my very favorite human being in the world. I love you, always. I’d like to thank my rock through this whole ordeal, my twinkle; Mike. Thank you for the guidance, the time and love you have sunk into this process with me. You are brilliant, thank you for sharing your brilliance with me, I adore you! I couldn’t forget to mention my person, my human diary, my sister; Jillybean. Thank you for putting me in my place when I need it, for being there for me in ways that nobody else can. I love you, more than oreos…always. My other bestie Heather, sorry for being MIA so much while working on my books! I love how nothing ever changes between us though <3 Adore you. Mostly though, I want to thank everyone that has taken the time to step in to my Kingsley universe and I hope that you have enjoyed reading this book as much as I have enjoyed writing it. There is so much more to come, so if you did love it, more to come SOON!

  Xoxo Haylee Thorne

  I would like to introduce to you all to a few AMAZING new authors that are releasing their debut novels this week as well. They have allowed me to give you all a littl
e taste… So hope you enjoy.

  xoxo

  Something is wrong with me. Who the hell quits their job on a whim? Their successful job at a leading design firm, no less? Apparently that person is me. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m MacIntosh—I swear I’m smarter than this—Layne, and I’m not sure I love my life anymore.

  Although I have, ugh had, a successful career, a healthy social life, and share a gorgeous apartment with my best friend in a trendy downtown neighborhood, the life I’ve built for myself in the windy city feels lacking.

  This glorious epiphany smacked me upside the head while I was at work and everything derailed from there. My day started like any other day and everything was fine... until it wasn’t. For the rest of my life I’ll remember the exact moment my sanity snapped. I was working on a startup company’s branding I had been assigned to revamp when my overbearing manager, Julie, stopped by my desk.

  Color me surprised when she told me I was late on the assignment I was given two days prior. Turns out the the project had originally been assigned to her and she gave it to me last minute. She wasn’t able to give a legitimate reason for doing so but I know it’s because she’s a phony. For two years I’ve worked under her and she habitually takes credit for other people’s work. I thought I could grin and bear it in hopes that she’d promote me or retire, but I belatedly realized that would never happen. She’s a vulture who lets others do the work and then proceeds to hover over their success like it’s a dead carcass, ready to snatch it and claim it as her own. As she rambled on I stood up, told her to go fuck herself, and announced that I was quitting.

  Now I’m back home, overindulging in my favorite bottle of red and contemplating my predicament. When I moved to Chicago six years ago, I was filled with a sense of purpose and felt alive, inspired even. I’ve lost those feelings and don’t know what’s missing that’s causing me to feel so incomplete. Lord knows I need to figure my life out, I’m just not sure how.