I look around my bedroom, going through my mental checklist. Have I packed everything I need? Shoot, what do I even need? Mika won’t even tell me where we are going. Am I crazy for doing this? I wouldn’t even be doing this if Jill hadn’t grabbed my phone and replied for me. I’m just not that girl. I’m very apprehensive, it’s just my personality. I don’t do crazy or spontaneous things. I need time to plan, time to consider every angle of a situation. Mika told me to pack my passport. Where the hell is he taking me? He told me that it’s a surprise. I am not the kind of girl that likes surprises. I need to know what is coming. I don’t just have a plan A; I have an entire alphabet of plans, just in case. Without a doubt, I am the poster girl for type A personality. As always, my perturbation wouldn’t be apparent to anybody but my Jillybean. She looks at me, grinning widely.
“Baby girl, just go for it. What have you got to lose? If anything, you’re getting some great sex and a few days of vacation out of this.”
I roll my eyes and can’t help but smile at my best friend’s assessment. Still, I can’t seem to squash this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. Sometimes I wish that I could be a little more like her. I admire her carefree spirit and the way she just goes after whatever she wants and, more often than not, gets it.
“Stop it, Rae,” Jill tells me sternly.
I look up and meet her gaze.
“I know you are scared, baby girl. And I know you’ve been hurt because you are so caring. You care too much but honey, when you meet the right person then caring too much…it’ll become just enough. But you will never find it unless you give someone a chance to show you that they are that person for you.”
Jill puts her arm around my shoulders and leans her head against mine.
“Go and have a good time, Rae. You deserve a break.”
I smile at my best friend, thankful for her guidance.
“I love you Jillybean,” I tell her.
“I love you more Rae, even more than Oreos.”
She pulls me into a hug and just like that, my anxiety level has dropped dramatically. I look at the clock. Oh crap!
“We better hurry; he’ll be here in less than an hour!” I call out. Jill winks at me and smiles.
“We’ve got this baby girl, we’ve got this.”
* * *
I literally have butterflies in my belly as I see the car pull up. We both are standing at the window in my living room. I look at my best friend.
“Do I look okay, Jillybean?”
Jill gives me a once-over. I’ve chosen to wear a cute little multi-pattern belted sundress that hugs me in just the right places. It’s a little flowy, which makes it playful. I’ve paired it with some white sandals with a four-inch heel. I’ve kept my makeup to a minimum, sticking to just some blush, eyeliner, and a little lip balm.
“Honey, you look smoking hot. Do you really think I would let you leave here looking anything less than molten lava hot?” she asks in a mock angry tone.
Jill whistles as she observes Mika getting out of the car.
“Sweet holy mother of god!” she exclaims. “Baby girl, that man is quite literally god’s gift to women. Holy fuck,” she says while she fans herself.
I shake my head as a girlish giggle escapes my lips. I love the crap that comes out of this woman’s mouth. We watch Mika stride to my front door, closely followed by Sean. Jill grabs my arm and quite dramatically cries out.
"I FLOVE you Rae, more than I love Oreos, more than I love to bump uglies—and girl you know I love to get me some—but right now, at this moment in time, I hate your guts."
She throws me an exaggerated look of exasperation and I lose it. I’m laughing so hard tears start rolling down my face. We are both laughing heartily as we make our way to the front door. I open the door and my eyes meet Mika’s. Oh sweet lord have mercy, those eyes. A warmth spreads through my belly and I don’t think that I can smile any wider. For just a moment everything and everybody else disappears. It’s just him and me. He steps toward me and instantly I instinctively gravitate toward him immediately, as if I’m being pulled by invisible strings.
“Raeva,” he breathes.
“Hi,” I whisper.
I’m not exactly sure how long we stand there, not saying a word, lost in each other’s eyes. I seem unable to tear my eyes away from his. For several long minutes, we don’t break eye contact, until I hear Jill clear her throat. A feeling of annoyance washes over me but I quickly squash my irritation when I realize that I am the one being rude here.
“Oh I’m so sorry. Mika, meet my best friend Jill Baldwin. Jillybean, meet Mika Kingsley.”
Jill takes the hand that Mika extends.
“Charmed, I’m sure,” she says with a smirk.
He flashes her that sexy as hell lopsided grin of his.
“Pleasure is all mine.”
Oh Mika, you do not play fair, I think to myself.
“Are you ready to go Raeva?” Mika inquires.
I smile, attempting to hide any residual concerns that linger in my mind.
“I think I have everything,” I say, gesturing at the bags in my hallway.
Sean steps forward and Mika steps aside to let him pass.
“Please allow me, Ms. Ray,” Sean says as he collect my luggage.
“We just need a quick moment if you don’t mind,” Jill says in an overly sweet tone as she smiles big and begins to drag me toward my bedroom.
“Take all the time you need. I’ll be in the car.”
Mika winks at me and turns on his heel.
Jill drags me into my bedroom.
“Raeva Lindsey Ray, what in the actual fuck?”
I raise my eyebrow.
“What?”
“Oh no you don’t! Don’t you dare ‘what’ me! You seriously downplayed whatever is going on between you two.”
Her voice sounds annoyed. She assesses me for a moment like only she can.
“Holy crap on a cracker. Baby girl, what I just witnessed, that was…that was something else.”
For some reason, until she stood before me and pointed it out, I thought I was exaggerating this thing in my head. I simply nod at her statement.
“Rae, that man is intense. And the way you react to him…I have never seen you like this. And honestly, I’m not sure if I should be elated or worried as hell. But shit, if you don’t get your ass in the car with that sexy ass man, I will!”
She throws her arms around me and hugs me hard.
“Now go!” she barks. “Before I throw you out.”
I kiss her cheek, grinning widely as I turn to leave.
I take a deep breath before I step out of the front door. Here we go.
* * *
We are enroute to the airport and I cannot deny or hide the fact that I am nervous. Excited…but nervous. But, as Mika’s hand finds mine, I feel better. He pulls me toward him and I rest my head on his shoulder. Mika plants a gentle kiss on my head. My nostrils are tickled by his scent; a combination of his earthy cologne and an incredible smelling laundry detergent. I close my eyes and let the smell of him wash over me.
“I can’t begin to tell you how elated I am that you are joining me on this trip.”
He gently strokes my cheek and guides my head to face him. Our eyes meet and in that instant, every last sliver of doubt vanishes. The tender look in his eyes as he gazes into mine is my undoing. My mouth finds his and takes it in a gentle kiss, shivers running down my spine as his big hands frame my face. He kisses me back with an intensity that leaves my head spinning, preventing me from overthinking. We don’t let up—or come up for air—until we reach the airport. The sound of Sean clearing his throat effectively brings us back to reality.
“We have arrived at the airport, sir,” he says, clearly unable to hide his amusement.
“I’ve taken the liberty to call ahead and everything is ready to go. We are cleared for takeoff.”
I cannot see my face but I can feel myself turning bright red. I can’t help but feel slightly embarrassed about our make out session in front of Sean. Why is it that my inhibitions go straight out the window where Mika is concerned?
“So are you going to tell me where you are taking me?” I ask, trying to change the subject.
Mika’s eyes light up like a Christmas tree and I watch his beautiful mouth curl into that sexy as sin smile. My knees instantly become weak and a blissful sigh escapes my lips.
“I could tell you…but why spoil the fun?”
I can’t help but giggle when he bestows me with a giddy, boyish expression. Somewhere in the back of my mind I slightly start to panic. I’m about to get on a plane with this man—whom I barely know—to an undisclosed location. Am I nuts? What in the heck am I doing? Anxiety washes over me. Mika seems to have an uncanny ability to detect my feelings. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me close.
He kisses my temple sweetly before he whispers, “I promise you, it will be okay. I will take good care of you, Sweet Pea.”
I feel some of my anxiety melt away.
“How about I text Jill and let her know exactly where we are going to be? Will that make you feel better?”
I nod my head. Mika fishes his phone out of his pocket and punches in a text. Smiling brightly, he says, “Done, feel better now?”
I plant a kiss on his cheek to let him know that I indeed feel much, much better. Mika takes my hand in his and leads the way. I look around and notice that we are not at the main entrance of the airport. It seems to be a private entrance.
“Hey wait, what about our luggage?” I ask.
“Sean will get those, Sweet Pea,” Mika says as he gently pulls me along.
I look back at Sean, who is gathering our luggage onto a cart.
“Wait! My purse…”
“You won’t need it, baby.”
“But it has my…what about my passport?”
Mika gently caresses my face with the back of his hand. “Trust me,” he replies. “Sean has everything under control.”
We go into a separate entrance where we are greeted by a very attractive stewardess. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a tight bun, which brings out her amazing cheekbones and her teeth are pearly white and perfectly straight. Her uniform is almost too tight to be considered professional, and her skirt is very short. I can’t decide if her skirt looks so short because she has amazing legs that go for miles, which only seem longer due to her four-inch heels.
“Hello Mr. Kingsley, welcome,” she greets Mika brightly before turning to me.
She nods her head slightly.
“Hello, welcome Miss... ?” she says, her tone a few degrees from arctic.
It dawns on me then that the reaction women have when I am with Mika is quite astonishing.
“This is my girlfriend, Raeva Ray. Ms. Ray and I are ready to board. Is everything ready for us, Claire?”
Mika releases my hand and places his hand on my waist. He pulls me closer, and kisses my temple.
Whoa! Did he just say girlfriend?
I sheepishly smile at the stewardess, who at this point is blatantly shooting daggers from her eyes.
“Certainly Mr. Kingsley, Ms. Ray. Follow me, please.”
We follow Claire and bypass customs, where I’m surprised nobody asks for my passport. I wonder if I look as out of place as I feel. Did he actually just introduce me as his girlfriend? It’s only minutes later when we board the plane and I’m positive I’ve never set foot on anything as luxurious as this before.
“Oh wow…a private plane…” I breathe.
I look around the impressive vessel, wide-eyed.
I find myself overwhelmed with all the extravagance surrounding me. This is too much. I mean…a private jet?
“Sit, Sweet Pea,” Mika tells me, his tone both gentle and commanding.
How does he do that?
I peek up at Mika, who flashes me a sweet smile. I oblige and lower myself into a beautiful—and comfortable—oversized white leather chair. Mika takes the seat beside me. He studies my face intently.
“What’s wrong, Raeva?”
Without thinking I answer. “You told that woman that I’m your girlfriend.” I can barely look at him so I look down at my feet.
“Raeva, look at me,” he urges. “Did you not like me calling you that?”
I look up and our eyes lock. The flash of hurt I see in his eyes, causes my chest to tighten. “I…I liked it…a lot,” I stammer.
I feel the heat rising in my cheeks. I cannot deny that it felt good. I wanted that stewardess to know that I had some kind of claim on him, even when I wasn’t sure that I did. But of course, I don’t tell him all of that.
“Good. That’s settled then,” he says, smirking.
Wait…what?
My eyebrow raises up. “What is settled?”
He chuckles. “I already told you sweet Raeva, you are mine. I’m not letting you go and I want everyone to know that you belong to me and with me.”
I look at him, dumbfounded. Mika leans in and, just before his lips touch mine, he whispers. “Will you be my girlfriend?”
“Oh, now you ask? Isn’t that point moot now since you’ve already introduced me as such?” I snicker.
The grin that paints his face makes my heart quiver. “Just a formality, Sweet Pea.”
I silence the little voice in my head that tells me to be rational, to get to know this man better, but all logic goes out the window when it comes to Mika. My heart wins out. I return his smile and answer him. “Then yes, Mika. I don’t think I’d love anything more than being your girlfriend.”
Our lips collide and I’m wallowing in what I can only describe as euphoric bliss.