BETWEEN CLOUDS AND STARS: A Sexy Standalone Romance (7 page)

A silence fell in the room. Nick patiently waited for my reply, but I couldn’t summon the strength to do so. It was as if I were afraid that if I started talking about my marriage to John Chan, he’d appear before me and finish what he’d started. That is, he’d definitely manage to kill me. He’d shoot me in the head, as he’d done to Pamela, to make sure I joined the ranks of the dead.

Nick intertwined his fingers with mine and kissed them. His touch was so tender that it reached the very depths of my soul.

Nick’s voice was quiet when he asked me, “Did he hit you? You have to trust me, babe, and tell me about it.”

My life flashed before my eyes like a film reel. Everything was gray, without color. There was only sadness, pain, and powerlessness. I didn’t want to cry. But tears began to stream down my temples anyway.

“Shush, calm down, please. I didn’t mean to make you sad.” His fingers gently wiped the salty drops. “I won’t let anyone cause you pain again.”

Even if I hadn’t realized that I loved him yet, I was completely certain of my feelings after those words.

I’d known the definition of “care,” but hadn’t truly comprehended what it meant. Nobody had ever cared for me. All my life, I’d tried to be good. My parents, or to be exact, the people who’d adopted me, had pressured me into marrying John. I’d striven to satisfy their wishes, hoping to receive love in return. But no matter how hard I’d tried, they’d always been unsatisfied with me.

So often I’d seen the parents of my schoolmates hug them, smile at them, and encourage them. They hadn’t been punished even when they’d made mistakes. Nobody had locked them in their rooms or deprived them of supper. They hadn’t known what hunger was.

I’d forgotten what it was like to be hungry.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“For what, honey?”

“For being unable to find the strength to tell you about my past. But I promise you that I will. One day, I’ll tell you everything, my entire life story. But believe me, it’s extremely gray and boring.” I slid my fingers across his stubble.

“I want to see you happy and smiling, Estelle.” His lips gently brushed against mine. Closing my eyes, I inhaled his wonderful scent while he showered my face with feather-light kisses. “These beautiful eyes of yours, which I adore, are too sad. I want to take away your sadness. I don’t want you to be afraid of anything.”

I was grateful for everything Nick did for me, for the strength he inspired in me, for the attention he gave me. The week we’d spent with his parents in Switzerland had been the greatest time in my life.

With Nick, I’d found out what the word “pleasure” actually meant. With him, I could drift among the clouds and stars and dream of a better tomorrow.

“I want you,” I murmured and pulled his head down to my level to kiss him. Our lips merged, and we savored every touch, in no hurry to end the clinch.

Just when I thought I could finally relax and put my past and fears behind me, Nick’s cell phone rang.

He pulled away from our kiss, visibly annoyed.

“Who could it be at this time of night?” He pushed himself up from the sofa, reached to the floor where he’d kicked off his trousers, and took out his cell.

“Frey,” he replied coldly and listened. “What’s happened? Are you sure it was one of our airplanes? How could something like that happen? For fuck’s sake… I’ll be right over.” Ending the call, he turned to me. “One of my private planes has crashed.”

I felt like a cold shower had drenched my entire body. I put my hands behind my neck to stop them from shaking. “Dear God, was anyone hurt?”

“I don’t know if there are any survivors,” he responded and gazed at me thoughtfully. “I was supposed to fly to Germany on that plane tonight. I had an important business meeting, but decided against going at the last minute and sent Richard Carroll in my place.”

Richard Carroll was my immediate supervisor. He was very good at his job, but also a complete asshole. For the nearly two months I’d worked with him, he’d made advances at me numerous times. The fact that he was married and had three small kids didn’t seem to deter him.

Nick was looking me in the eyes, but I had the feeling he was thousands of miles away from me.

What if the crash was deliberate? What if someone was trying to kill him?
I shuddered at the thought. Intense pain pierced my chest.

“God… Nick.” He might have died.

I didn’t even register how my eyes welled up again and tears started running down my cheeks. We’d known each other for such a short time, but he’d managed to occupy my soul and capture my heart. I needed him. Nick helped me forget the past and the pain. He made me feel desired and beautiful. He gave me happiness, something I’d never imagined I’d be lucky enough to experience.

I couldn’t picture losing him. There was no need to mention my fears—he’d understood me without words. He gave me a peck on the lips and said, “Don’t think about that. I’ll find out the reason for the crash, and if it wasn’t a malfunction but intentional, I’ll have the culprits hunted down.”

He stood up from the couch and started to dress quickly. Great concern was written on his face. “I have to leave.”

I wanted to console him, to help him somehow.

I wanted to come along with him, but he didn’t ask me. And I didn’t want to impose on him. So I decided to go home. I couldn’t stay in his apartment. I also started putting on my clothes.

As he pulled up the zip of his trousers, Nick said, “Don’t tell me you’re getting ready to leave.” His face twisted into a scowl. The anger in his words confused me. Was he mad at me?

I slipped on my blouse and started to button it up. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll get a taxi.”

“At this time of night? I don’t want you to go, Estelle. I want you to stay here and wait for me to return.”

“But you might be out all night. I’ll go home and when—”

A stormy cloud flashed across his face. “Will you do what you’re told or will you continue to be stubborn? Since I’m telling you that I want you to stay, then you’ll stay. What’s the problem? Ben won’t bother you. On the contrary, he’ll actually protect you.”

The last worry on mind was Ben. He was like a big child, after all.

“I don’t feel unsafe. I can take care of myself.”
I have many years of experience in that.
That thought saddened me, so I decided to quickly push it out of my mind. This wasn’t the time for self-pity.

Nick stopped getting dressed and ran the fingers of both his hands through his hair. “Dammit, Estelle. I’m not in the mood for arguments. You’re staying here. Period. I want to find you in my bed when I come back. Don’t make me worry about you too.”

His eyes showed a mixture of anger and sadness. I’d never seen him like this, so angry, but his behavior didn’t scare me because I could tell he was concerned about me.

I made a quick decision and replied, “Fine. I’ll stay here and wait for you to come back. Calm down.”

Surprisingly, Nick came over to me and hugged me tight. He wrapped one of his arms around my waist and dug his other hand into my hair. His mouth covered mine in a brief kiss. “You’re my greatest treasure.”

Nick

T
he police informed
me that the entire air crew, along with Richard Carroll, had died in the crash. The only survivor was Jeremy West.

I found out the name of the hospital he’d been taken to and immediately went there to see his condition for myself. Jeremy was in very bad shape. He had numerous burns and broken bones, and there was no hope of saving his leg. Fortunately, recent medical advances meant it’d be possible to eliminate most of his burn scars. There had also been significant progress in the transplantation of legs and arms. Most likely, he wouldn’t remain disabled, but the operations he’d have to undergo were very serious.

I felt sorry for the boy. He was young, in the beginning of his prime, and should have been out enjoying life with his friends instead of lying in a hospital bed. But everyone had their own fate, and nobody had the power to change it.

When I came back home, I found Estelle asleep in my bed. With her silky brown hair spilled across the pillow, she looked very peaceful in her sleep, and I didn’t have the heart to wake her up. I could watch her for hours on end, admiring her smooth skin, long black eyelashes and soft lips, which I yearned to kiss. But I had to tell her about Jeremy. After all, he was her friend. She’d definitely want to know what had happened to him.

Leaning toward her, I inhaled her aroma. She smelled divinely of strawberries and flowers. I rubbed my nose against her cheek and whispered, “It’s me, honey.” I didn’t want to startle her.

She opened her beautiful violet-blue eyes, and my soul filled with feelings hitherto unknown to me. The feeling that something precious and dear was mine. I didn’t want to be apart from her anymore. I wanted to shield her from trouble, protect her from the evils of the world, and keep her just for me.

Her delicate hands covered my face. As my lips touched hers, my heartbeat quickened. How could she have such a powerful effect on me? I couldn’t explain why, but with Estelle, I felt better than with any other woman before her. With her, I felt my life was complete.

She interrupted our kiss and asked, “Say something, Nick. Tell me everything, please. Are there any survivors?” I knew she meant the crew and passengers of the crashed airplane.

“Jeremy West is the only survivor,” I whispered softly.

I couldn’t escape the dark suspicion that the crash had been intentional. But I couldn’t even begin to guess who could be behind it. My airplanes were new and always in perfect working order, and my pilots were some of the best in the industry. Nothing like that had ever happened before.

Never.

“Jeremy? What was Jeremy doing on the plane?” Her eyes filled with alarm. She pushed herself up, and the bed sheet slid down, revealing her gorgeous bare breasts.

Fuck, I have a hard-on again.
This was a completely inappropriate time to think about sex, but she was so lovely. Estelle was like a goddess whom you could only stare at and admire.

I forced myself to stop thinking about her amazing body and replied, “Richard Carroll brought him along. He must’ve needed his help.”

“I need to see him right away.” She went to get up, but I stopped her. There was no point in our going to the hospital at this time of night. I’d already been there and taken care of everything that had needed doing.

“Let’s get a few hours of sleep first. I’m dead tired. We’ll visit him later. He’s probably sleeping and definitely needs the rest.” I didn’t want to mention his serious condition and worry her needlessly. We couldn’t do anything to help him. His parents were there and they were the only ones who had the right to see him at the moment. I’d assumed the liability for all medical costs related to his operations and recovery. That was the only way I could help him.

*     *     *

I didn’t know
why, but I’d never liked hospitals. Nothing bad had happened to me and left bad memories in me, but it seemed that all those smells of medications, disinfectants, and blood sapped all my positive energy. So now, as I walked down the corridor to Jeremy West’s room, I felt tense.

Estelle intertwined her fingers with mine. Taking hold of the inside of my elbow with her other hand, she softly caressed me. She’d performed the same small gesture when we’d gone to visit my mother in the Swiss clinic. She’d detected the tension inside me and wanted to soothe me. At such times, I felt like I’d known her my whole life.

We knocked on Jeremy’s door and entered. His parents, whom I’d met last night, were inside.

“Dear God… That can’t be true,” Mrs. West squealed and put her hand on her lips. She was looking at Estelle as if she weren’t a person, but some miracle. “Stephen, tell me I’m not losing my mind.” She glanced at her husband in complete astonishment and continued, “Janet’s dead. And this can’t be her daughter. She’s also dead.”

This woman’s words completely threw me. Who the hell was she talking about? Was she going crazy from all the stress caused by her son’s misfortune?

Embracing Estelle, I pressed her against me. “What are you talking about, Mrs. West? Please be more specific.”

Jeremy’s mother took her cell phone out of the pocket of her jacket and started browsing through some photos.

“Here, look at this.” She passed me her cell. “Now tell me, doesn’t this girl look just like her?” she asked, pointing her chin toward Estelle. When I’d first met Mrs. West, she’d seemed very nice and sweet, but her current behavior was definitely starting to get on my nerves.

I apprehensively looked at the picture on the display and felt the blood instantly drain from my face. The woman on the screen bore a striking resemblance to Estelle. Only the color of her eyes was slightly different and her smile wasn’t quite as charming.

Who the hell was that woman?

“That’s my sister Janet,” Mrs. West explained. “She and her family died in a car crash in Australia more than twenty years ago. Their car hit another car head on and burst into flames…” Kimberley West paused to take a breath and stem the torrent of tears that was threatening to erupt from her eyes. After a brief silence, she continued her story. “She and her husband, Scott, together with their daughter, Estelle, who was only six months old, were on holiday—”

“Estelle?” I interrupted her, feeling completely confused. Could the identical names be all down to coincidence? How was it possible for her not to find out that her sister’s baby had survived?

I looked down at my girl, who was struggling to contain her tears. She rooted through her handbag and took out a small gold baby bracelet engraved with the name “Estelle” in a beautiful font.

“All I have left from my real parents is this bracelet,” she explained and handed it to Kimberley. “I was told they’d died in a car crash. But I never found out what they were called, where they were from, or whether I had any relatives. I tried to figure it out by myself, but it was too difficult. The people who raised me refused to help me or give me any information.” She bit her lips to stop them from trembling.