BETWEEN CLOUDS AND STARS: A Sexy Standalone Romance (10 page)

“I’ve got you, babe,” I murmured and kissed her forehead, holding her tight against me.

I wanted to fuck her, but after everything that had happened, I didn’t want to do it in the elevator. I wanted to take her home, to my bed, the place where she belonged. She was no Cassandra, nothing like the easy women I’d slept with. Estelle deserved much more. And I was ready to give her everything she needed, give her the peace, security and love she’d wanted to receive her entire life.

The only problem was my painfully hard, throbbing cock, which desperately wanted to spill its seed and didn’t share my good intentions at all.

Estelle

T
he next morning,
we climbed into one of Nicholas Frey’s flying cars and sped off to his summer residence in the Hamptons, Long Island. For now, only the richest of the rich could afford such vehicles. Thirty years ago, the elite had shown off their wealth with Ferrari and Lamborghini sports cars. Today, flying vehicles were all the rage.

Having grown up in a poor family, I’d never travelled in such a contraption and was now trying to hide how excited I felt flying over New York’s skyscrapers, which were visible through the car’s transparent front.

Even though my ex-husband had been rich, he’d been addicted to classic cars and had no interest in technological advances.

Nicholas Frey’s summer house was huge. Built a stone’s throw from the snow-white sandy shore, from above it looked no less magnificent than its owner. I turned to Nick and watched him skillfully land the car on the purpose-built pad in his estate, and my heart filled with pride. How could he be so perfect?

Nick reached over to unbuckle my seatbelt.

“Do you think I can’t manage on my own?” I grinned provocatively at him and he leaned in to kiss me on the nose.

“You can’t even begin to imagine how much pleasure it gives me to tie and untie you, darling.” His words made me blush, having prompted a memory of how he’d tied my hands to the bed’s headboard with my robe’s belt.

Nick smiled, got out of the car, walked around to my side and, like a real gentleman, opened the door, stretching out his hand to help me alight.

“Welcome to the Hamptons, Miss Klide. I’m glad to have this opportunity to show you one of my favorite properties.”

I looked around the impressive Victorian-style house in admiration. My eyes explored the garden sofas scattered around the patio, the extensive, seemingly endless lawn, and the beautiful, perfectly arranged flower beds. A swimming pool had been built next to an artificial rock, with a waterfall cascading from its top. The estate was stunning.

“I can tell you like it from the look in your eyes.” Nick chuckled and put his arm low around my waist. “Come, I want to introduce you to the caretakers.”

We entered the house, where we were met by a short, sixty-something woman wearing a gray uniform. She had Latina features and such a wide and beaming smile that I immediately took a liking to her.

“Estelle, meet Conchita. She and her husband look after the estate.”

We shook hands and Conchita said, “I’ve really been looking forward to meeting you, Miss Klide.”

I took some time to examine the house’s interior decoration. It was very modern and, at the same time, cozy. There were two white couches in front of a beautiful fireplace, with stylish blue cushions carefully arranged on them. A huge, gorgeous mirror with a thick gold frame hung from one of the walls. Opposite the mirror was a glass dining table with twelve chairs. Pictures of sea landscapes adorned the walls, while the numerous windows brought light and a certain softness to the room. It was all tastefully and lovingly furnished.

I put my arm around Nick’s waist and turned to him, meeting his gaze. “It’s all so new, as if nobody lives here.”

“To be honest, I bought this mansion a year ago, but I hardly ever find the time to come. My longest stay was the three days I spent with my parents and sister.”

I was glad he hadn’t brought other women here. Still, I decided not to read too much into it, because even if I were the first woman to see this place, I probably wouldn’t be the last.

Don’t think about that; just enjoy the moment.
After all, my life wasn’t exactly filled with pleasant experiences.

Nick turned to Conchita and asked, “Where’s John? I want to introduce him to Estelle.”

On hearing the name John, I felt the blood drain from my head. Panic engulfed me. It was as if invisible tentacles were wrapped around my neck, pressing against my windpipe and not letting me breathe.

My ex-husband’s words rang in my ears:
“You’ll never get rid of me. Never!”

Suddenly, strong arms were holding me against a powerful body, and a soothing voice was repeating over and over again, “Breathe deeply, baby. It’s okay. I’m here.”

“Nick.” I started to gradually recover. His embrace gave me strength. The panic inside me started to abate.

“I’m here. Everything’s fine.”

“God, you gave me such a scare, Miss Klide. You were as white as a sheet. I’m guessing you skipped breakfast. These days, young women are always on a diet. Starving more than the homeless dogs in Mexico,” Conchita blabbered on, her words feeling like hammer blows to my brain. “Looking at your skinny legs, I’m most likely right. I’m always right.”

“Conchita!” Fortunately, Nick’s ears must’ve also started to hurt.

But Conchita had no intention of stopping there. “See how thin she is? If the wind blows, this sweet girl will snap like a twig. It’s all the fault of those damn magazines and TV shows. They fill the heads of poor girls with all sorts of fad diets and beauty tips, making them fast until they faint. Thank God it wasn’t so in my day. Men liked curvier women, not just bags of skin and bones—”

“Conchita! That’s enough,” Nick said in a raised voice.

I’d never been only skin and bones, but clearly her view of what constituted feminine beauty didn’t match mine at all.

“Fine, I’ll say no more. But make sure the little lady eats more. If you want, Mr. Frey, I can call a doctor.”

“That won’t be necessary, Conchita. Thank you. I think Miss Klide simply needs some rest.” Nick picked me up and carried me to his bedroom. He kicked the door shut and carefully put me down on the soft mattress. Then he opened a small bottle of water, poured some in a glass, and let me drink.

I propped myself up on my elbows, took a few thirsty sips, and then slumped back down on the soft pillows.

“I’m sorry. My blood sugar’s probably low,” I said, trying to explain away what had happened.

What an absurd situation! Having a panic attack from simply hearing my ex-husband’s name. It was clear I was more afraid of him than I wanted to admit to myself.

“Don’t try to lie to me, Estelle. Never!” Nick stared at me, his eyes filled with pain and disappointment. “Don’t you trust me?” He covered my hand with his, and the heat of this light touch radiated across my entire body.

Even though his anger had contorted his facial features into a scowl, he still looked very handsome. In fact, the grimace made him seem more masculine than usual. My gaze slid across the prominent muscles on his arms and chest, down to his strong thighs… Yes, our being in his bedroom wasn’t helping me regain my senses.

However, right now he wasn’t in the mood for such things, and I, having given myself away, had no choice but to reveal my past to him. I didn’t like that one bit, but what other option was there?

Nick was the kind of man I’d thought only existed in romantic novels. I hadn’t imagined that someone would ever love me so much. He gave all of himself to me, so I didn’t want to keep secrets from him any longer. We loved each other, and our future together depended on my honesty.

I pushed myself up to sit and leaned against the bed’s headboard. I exhaled the breath I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding in and said, “I trust you completely and admit I feel much weaker than I’d like.”

Trying to stem the tears threatening to pour from my eyes, I continued. “My marriage to John, my ex-husband, was a complete nightmare. I lived in constant fear for three years. He treated me like a piece of garbage. He’d hit me and then threaten to kill me if I told anyone about it. And I believed him.” Bitter tears streamed down my cheeks. God, why did I have to go through so much suffering?

Nick came close to me. The pain I saw in his eyes must’ve been unbearable. He embraced me, and I started crying even harder on his shoulder.

“Why didn’t you divorce him earlier?”

“Because I was afraid he’d find me and kill me. And I wasn’t wrong. When I finally ran away, I went back home. I wanted to pick up my childhood bracelet—”

“The one your parents left you?”

“Yes. I was just about to go when John appeared at the front door. He was furious. He shot Mason through the heart and Pamela in the head without batting an eyelid. It was horrible…just horrible. But that wasn’t enough for him. He kicked the shit out of me and then threw me at the wall. I fell down the stairs, hit my head on the landing, and lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was told I’d been in a coma for five days. The doctors had begun to think I’d never wake up… But I proved them wrong. My arm and leg were broken. I had bruises and scrapes all over my body and stitches behind my ear. But I survived.”

Nick’s hands were sliding soothingly along my back and hair when he said, “John’s in prison and will never be able to hurt you again.”

I looked up to meet his eyes. He guessed my unspoken question and replied, “I checked his file. Not only is he guilty of murdering your adoptive parents, but he was also involved in gunrunning.”

“How do you know this?”

“I told you I wanted to know everything about you. But I wanted to hear about your past from you personally. I wanted to hear you say it as proof that you trust me. Thank you for telling me.” His thumbs gently caressed my cheeks. “I admire you, Estelle. You’re the strongest woman I know.”

“I love you, Nick.” I loved him more than anything in the world.

Nick

A
fter I calmed
Estelle down and ensured she felt much more relaxed, I took care of her bodily needs. We made slow and passionate love. I gave my girl all the tenderness and attention she deserved. And she responded in kind. The sensation was completely different. I was usually into hard and fast fucking, but with Miss Klide, it was divine. With her, I also enjoyed doing it gentle and slow. It satisfied me to satisfy her. I didn’t feel resentful for not getting mine. This could not be mistaken for anything but love.

The next day, I decided to invite Ted Johnson, the only married friend I had, to come along with his family for lunch. He owned a real estate company. It was with his help that I’d bought the house in the Hamptons. After the incident with Cassandra and Ron in my office, I wanted to mitigate the situation by showing Estelle that my circle of friends didn’t consist only of womanizers and perverts, but serious men like Ted too. I needed to present myself in a better light in front of my girl.

During lunch, I couldn’t stop admiring my woman and how good she was with Ted and Mary’s daughter. Agony gripped my heart at the thought that Estelle couldn’t have her own kids. If things were different, we’d make very beautiful babies. Seeing her swollen belly, with my child inside, would make me infinitely happy.

I decided it wasn’t time yet to think about that. If everything between us continued to go as well as it had so far, I knew I wouldn’t give up on her. I’d go to every private practice, consult with every specialist out there, and if nothing helped, only then would we consider our options. Not now. I wasn’t ready to be a father yet.

Vicky was four years old and, like many kids her age, couldn’t pronounce certain words properly. So she called Estelle Stelly. Dressed in a pink T-shirt and wearing silver clips in her hair, she was a real sweet angel. Like any man, I’d be happy to have a son one day to carry on the family name, but I’d also be glad to have a little princess like her.

Vicky took paints out of her small girly rucksack and asked, “Stelly, are you any good at drawing?”

Estelle stroked her cheek and gave her one of my favorite smiles of hers—tender and bright. “I think I’ll manage just fine. Should I draw you a butterfly? Or perhaps you prefer a horse?” She gently tickled Vicky’s belly, which was showing from her pink T-shirt. The child’s laughter rang out around the garden.

We were sat out on the verandah, enjoying the sun on the garden sofas.

“You can draw on my face with these paints. They’re without harm.” She, of course, meant “harmless.”

“Ask your mum, and if she lets us, I’ll draw something on you.”

Vicky looked at her mother and quickly ran over to her. Mary was lying on one of the loungers, basking in the sun. She seemed to have put some weight on. Or was she pregnant? My friend Ted was clearly in a rush to get a male heir.

Mary gave her permission, and the child, grinning from ear to ear, ran back to Estelle, shouting, “We’re allowed. We’re allowed.”

Estelle began to paint her cheeks with multicolored butterfly wings—pink, light blue, yellow and so on. The final outcome was stunning. It turned out my woman was very talented at drawing. Instead of listening to what Ted was saying, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Miss Klide. I’d fallen hard for her like I never had before. But that didn’t scare me—I felt lucky to have met her. With her, I’d finally found true peace and happiness. My mind was no longer occupied only by work.

“I want my eyes to be the same color as yours. Can you paint them?”

“No, I can’t do that. It’s impossible.”

“But why?” Vicky frowned, the corners of her lips turning down.

Estelle put the paintbrush down on the small table and took the girl’s little hands into hers. “Promise me you’ll never put anything in your eyes. You might hurt them and never be able to see again.”

Vicky looked at her thoughtfully. “Never?”

“Yes, never. It’s very dangerous.”

“Okay. I don’t want to go blind like Uncle Tom’s dog. Have you seen his dog?”

Estelle laughed. “No.”