BETWEEN CLOUDS AND STARS: A Sexy Standalone Romance Read online

  “Your brother’s amazing. He’s nice, attentive, and makes me go weak at the knees with just one kiss.”

  Her words made me feel much better, but not for long, because my sweet, talkative sister blurted out, “I’m not surprised at all. Nick has a lot of experience. He’s gone out with thousands of women. If you go online, you’ll find thousands of pictures of him with…”

  This conversation had to end right now!

  Striding quickly, I burst into the living room and interrupted April. “Where’s Dad?”

  She stopped talking about my exploits—thank God—and replied, “He went to buy croissants and baguettes for breakfast. Why do you look so nervous?”

  Because you don’t know how to keep your trap shut, I would’ve said to her if we were alone. Didn’t she realize that her mentioning my countless relationships was not helping me at all? Obviously, she was too young to understand that the knowledge of my past would only distance Estelle from me. But after our amazing night and incredible morning together, I intended to keep Miss Klide only for myself.

  I couldn’t let any other man set foot near what was already mine.

  The front-door bell rang, and April went to see who it was. I walked over to sweet Miss Temptation and sat next to her on the sofa. Putting my arm around her, I pulled her to me. She laid her head on my shoulder. I leaned in and kissed her sinfully soft lips.

  “How are you?” I whispered between kisses.

  She smiled, opened her beautiful violet-blue eyes, and met my gaze. “Very well. Your sister’s great. We had a very nice chat.” Her warm breath pleasantly caressed my skin.

  My thumb slowly traced the outline of her jaw. She put her small hand on my thigh, sending familiar tingles directly to my dick.

  She was such a tease.

  “You’re making me think about you all the time. While I was in the bathroom, I couldn’t get rid of my erection,” I quietly whispered in her ear and rubbed my cheek against hers.

  “Is that so?” Her teeth gently sank into her lower lip, and all the blood rushed to my groin.

  “I should invite Florian to come over while you’re still here so he can learn how to make out with me,” my sister’s voice rang out, making us turn around to face her.

  “Who’s Florian? And weren’t you supposed to check who was at the door?” I asked her, and she rolled her eyes. Even though she’d inherited our father’s blond hair, her character was an exact copy of our mother’s.

  “Florian’s my boyfriend. And I already checked—it was the postman,” she explained and, after a brief pause, added, “I don’t want to be on my own just because you two want to make out.”

  April picked up a magazine from the nearby coffee table, and as she was sitting down next to Estelle, read out loud, “Ten tips on how to become even more beautiful. Oooh, this magazine’s amazing. I love it.”

  I barely contained my smile. This sister of mine was going to be the death of me.

  6

  The week we spent in Switzerland was definitely the best time of my life. Estelle and I managed to get to know each other pretty well, and I got so used to being with her, it was like she’d always been by my side. It dawned on me that my life before her had been missing something important.

  She gave me happiness, peace and, of course, amazing sex. My parents and sister also got completely used to being around Estelle and unsurprisingly grew quite fond of her. At the end, on the day of our departure, April started crying while my mother barely managed to hold back her tears.

  One week that completely changed my life.

  A week in which I realized I no longer wanted to lead the life of a playboy. I wanted to live quietly and enjoy each day with little Miss Klide.

  I had no idea if I’d eventually get bored of her. But the feeling of not being able to get enough of her made me think that boredom would never enter the equation.

  To my great regret, I had to go to Japan on business for a whole five days.

  Five fucking days without seeing Estelle.

  Five days since I’d last been inside her, kissed her, and held her in my arms.

  Five days of constantly thinking about her.

  Fuck.

  I missed her.

  I missed her so badly it hurt. I missed her like I hadn’t missed any other woman before her.

  I had turned into a pussy.

  What really depressed and worried me was that she hadn’t answered my phone calls. I must’ve rung her cell and house phone a hundred times, but they were both off. I rang her work number twice, but both times some Ashley Hoffman or other—probably her coworker—picked up instead. So, after I finished my morning meetings, I headed to the department where Miss Klide worked to talk with her.

  We needed to clear things up between us. I couldn’t let someone else take her away from me, not after I’d marked her with my seed.

  She was mine. Mine!

  The glass door to the room where she worked was ajar. I peered through the crack, and the scene that played out in front of my eyes made me feel like I was being burned alive.

  That little fucker, the one who’d dared to be chummy with her on the day we’d met, had pulled up his fucking chair next to Estelle. With his face close to hers, he was saying something while she couldn’t stop laughing.

  If he’d dared to stick his pathetic dick in her, I’d break every last bone in his body.

  “Miss Klide,” I said in a voice that was several degrees below freezing. “Will you please come into my office?” That was not a request, but an order.

  My words startling them, they turned their heads to me.

  “Mr. Frey,” the pissant greeted me. He couldn’t be more than twenty years old. Probably an intern.

  “Of course,” Estelle replied, and together we headed down the corridor to my office.

  We didn’t say a single word to each other while we walked. The air was dripping with tension, and electricity almost crackled between us. What direction would the conversation take? Would she want to be with me, or had everything between us been just sex and playacting for the benefit of my parents?

  I had a burning desire to be with her again.

  I wanted to dig my head between her legs and make her agree to every wish of mine.

  We went into the office, and I locked the door behind me. I wanted to ensure that nobody would bother us.

  “Nick, why are you so angry? Has something happened?” Estelle asked, trying to look into my eyes.

  She was wearing a tight black skirt, which nicely outlined the shape of her ass, and a violet silk blouse that was very close to the divine color of her eyes. She was hot, too hot, because despite my rage, my dick was semi-hard. My inability to control my response to her made me even madder.

  Nervously, I ran my fingers across my stubble. “Why haven’t you answered my calls, Estelle? Does what happened between us at my parents’ house mean nothing to you?”

  Fuck, I was so afraid of what her answer might be. For the first time in my life, a woman had got really deep under my skin.

  “Calls?”

  “Yes. I must’ve rung your fucking house phone and cell a hundred times, but they were off. I called your work number as well. Miss Hoffman said she’d tell you that I’d tried to reach you.” Her surprise made me feel even more nervous.

  I grabbed her and pushed her lightly against the wall, pressing my body against hers. “Did my kisses mean nothing to you? Were you pretending when you screamed and moaned every time I fucked you? Tell me, Estelle.”

  Running my lips along her neck, I inhaled deeply. My body was burning, as if I were engulfed in flames. The possibility that she’d lied to me and faked every orgasm manifested itself as a stabbing pain, and it was killing me.

  She inserted her delicate hands under my jacket and wrapped her arms around me. Her touch was like sweet torture to my pained soul.

  I looked up—her eyes were watching me in confusion. “I never got a message about your calls… I’m sorry
, Nick. Where did you get my personal phone numbers?”

  “I’m your boss, Estelle. I know where you live. Your birthday, bank account number…everything.” Not that a boss had the right to know how much money his subordinates had, but I’d had someone check Estelle’s balance. She was mine and I wanted to take care of her. I wanted to make sure she had enough to live comfortably.

  I’d been very surprised—in fact, I’d go as far as to say I’d been completely stunned—when I’d been told that she had $10,600,000 in her account. There was something fishy behind that money, and I had many questions about it, but no time to ask them right now. For example, why was she renting a one-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of the city when she could afford to live in Manhattan?

  I’d been wrong to think I knew everything about her. In fact, I was still in a state of ignorance. The dark side of her past was still deeply hidden from me.

  Her snow-white teeth bit her lower lip, and her face fell. She took a deep breath and replied, “My house phone’s out of order, and the cell… The truth is, nobody ever calls me on my cell. Nobody tries to reach me. So I don’t bother charging it. The only friends I have are my work colleagues. And whenever we decide to go out after work, we make all the arrangements at the office. I’m truly sorry. When you told me—before you left for Japan—that you’d call me, I assumed you’d do it on my work number. I—”

  I put my finger on her lips to silence her. “Shush, I don’t need to know any more.” My mouth covered hers, and my tongue recaptured its territory. A territory reserved just for me. Only Nick Frey had the right to savor the sweet taste of Miss Klide.

  She put her hands around my neck and pulled me down to her. She kissed me with a thirst that was no less intense than mine. She wanted me. Her flat, soft belly pressed against my rock-hard cock, making me growl in arousal.

  I pulled away from the kiss and with my forehead touching hers, whispered, “You’re coming with me to my house.” I wanted to have her in my bed. To tear off her panties and lose myself in her.

  Her hands took hold of my face and pointed it to her eyes. “Do I have to keep faking I’m your girlfriend?”

  No, goddammit.

  “There’s nothing fake about our connection, babe. I want you to be just mine. Tell me that no one has dared to come near what’s mine.” The thought that she might’ve cheated on me, thinking that our relationship was simply a farce, was tearing me apart.

  Why hadn’t I made clear how things stood between us on Sunday, before we’d parted, before I’d left for Japan? Why hadn’t I told her how much she meant to me? Why had I left her in the dark? Those stupid questions bounced around my head, but I had no good answer to them. Perhaps because I’d thought that words were unnecessary, that she’d felt the powerful connection between us.

  “Jeremy is my only real friend,” she said, stressing the word “real,” and I remembered how difficult it’d been for me to move to another country, how lonely I’d felt at first when I didn’t have any friends. But I was sociable and that quickly changed, whereas Estelle was a bit more introverted.

  She continued, “And believe me, our relationship can’t be sexual, because first, he’s gay, and second, there’s no sexual attraction between us at all. For some inexplicable reason, I feel very close to him, as if we’re from the same family.”

  My lips touched her chin. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

  She inhaled deeply, as if she had a great need to take in my scent, and slid her hands along my neck. “I missed you,” she murmured quietly.

  Three simple words that warmed my fucking soul.

  7

  Estelle

  Nick lived in Manhattan, in a huge maisonette with a stunning view of Central Park. Having grown up in Switzerland, a country famous for its breathtaking natural landscapes, he’d become accustomed to its greenery and peaceful environment and needed a close approximation to wind down from his busy everyday life.

  The apartment’s interior design was amazing, from the majestic chandeliers, through the numerous pictures and graphic prints on the walls, to the night lamps, pieces of furniture, and Persian rugs. The atmosphere was steeped in elegance, luxury, and perfect taste.

  “Madam, how can I be of service to you?” a strange male voice said, startling me so much that I recoiled in fear. I’d thought I was alone in Nick’s huge lounge. He’d gone to the kitchen to pour us some wine.

  “I’m sorry for disturbing you. My name is Ben Asomo, and I perform the duties of…” The man paused briefly to consider his words and continued, “Of a butler.”

  I looked at him more closely and realized he wasn’t human, but a robot. He was around 6’ 3” tall, very muscular and, if you only looked at his body, somewhat intimidating. However, his facial features were handsome. If I had to describe him, I’d say he was attractive.

  “Ben, meet Miss Estelle Klide.” I turned my head and saw Nick was coming over to us, carrying two glasses of red wine.

  Ben leaned toward me, hugged me with his powerful arms, and lifted me with ease off the floor.

  What the hell was this?

  “Ben, you don’t have to hug her. You can simply hold your hand out to greet her.”

  The male robot put me down and took a step back, examining me from head to toe.

  Nick leaned toward me and whispered in my ear, “Ben really loves watching romantic movies on TV.” Hearing his words, I barely stopped myself from bursting into laughter. Fortunately, I managed to control myself.

  “What’s wrong with that?” Ben asked in confusion. There was something sweet about his behavior, which made me take an instant liking to him.

  “Nothing wrong with it at all,” I replied to him with a smile. “I like them too.”

  “So we’ll watch movies together while Mr. Frey’s at work. Now I won’t have to be alone at home all day long.”

  It’s not possible that he’s feeling lonely like April, right? After all, he was a robot, and robots had no feelings.

  “I’m sorry, Ben, but I also go to work,” I informed him, and he looked down. His face didn’t show any emotions, but I seemed to detect a note of disappointment in him. What else had they programmed him to do?

  Nick patted him on the shoulder. “I told you I’d buy you a fembot. I’m working on it. She should be with us sometime next week.”

  “Cool,” Ben exclaimed. “Will I be able to hug and kiss her, like they do in the movies?”

  “I told the supplier we were looking for Miss Romantic, with black hair and big blue eyes. Just how you like them.” He winked at him, and I smiled at the funny exchange between them. “Have you finished the work I ordered you to do?”

  “Yes, I cleaned all the rooms and changed the sheets—”

  “Okay, okay,” Nick interrupted him and patted him on the back again. “You don’t have to tell me your life story. Now, please leave me and Miss Klide, so we can talk alone.”

  “Of course, sir,” Ben replied and started walking away from us, but stopped and turned briefly to say, “I’m really glad we met, Estelle.”

  “Me too, Ben.” I smiled at him, and he disappeared from our sight.

  I would’ve never guessed that I might like some robot, but it’d be putting it mildly to say I was hugely impressed by Ben Asomo. He was funny.

  “He’s incredible,” I said without even realizing I’d spoken the words out loud.

  “Keep talking like that about him and I’ll exchange him for an uglier model,” Nick stated. He passed me a glass of wine and motioned for me to sit on the sofa.

  I laughed at his comment. “You’re kidding, right?” But my smile froze when I realized he was dead serious. I took a healthy sip of wine for Dutch courage. Then I put the glass down on the coffee table and sat on the extremely comfy pastel cream sofa.

  “You look tense. Let me give you a massage. Take off your shirt,” I ordered softly.

  His confused expression was simply precious. Didn’t he trust me?

  �
�I have golden hands. You won’t regret this,” I said, trying to convince him. I deserved a diploma in the art of massage. I’d gained a lot of experience in the field, because my parents had often asked me for rub. When I’d been little, my father would ask me to stand on his back and press down with my feet, putting my entire weight on him.

  Mr. Hot smiled and his eyes gleamed. “I don’t doubt it, babe. But if you did, you’d make me want to stick my dick in your little mouth right away and then fuck you nice and good. And I was planning on pretending to be a real gentleman.”

  My cheeks burned with embarrassment. My body didn’t fail to notice his dirty talk. I hungrily watched him take off his shirt and, seeing the bulge in the front of his trousers, realized he’d definitely made an effort to impress me. He could’ve started fucking me right in the anteroom at the very moment we’d entered his apartment, but he hadn’t. Not that I would’ve objected, but I preferred to be seen by him as more than just a sexual object.

  He threw his shirt on the floor and lay prone on the wide sofa. I kicked off my shoes and positioned myself behind him, with my hips around him. I licked my lips—my tongue desperately needed to intertwine with his. I wanted to shower his incredible body with kisses, but knew that if I went down that road, the massage would go out the window. And Nick was tired and needed to relax.

  Not that sex wouldn’t relax him either…

  “Close your eyes and think of something nice.” I started to skillfully knead his back muscles, warming and releasing the tension inside them.

  “Oh, God, this is so good,” Nick groaned, his deep timbre reverberating through my loins.

  Touching him filled me with pleasure. I began thinking about how nice it’d be to take care of another part of his body… My heart rate skyrocketed. I quickly pushed this naughty thought out of my mind and dug my fingers into the tense, rock-hard muscles of his back.

  Concentrate, Estelle!

  “Imagine you’re on a beach somewhere, the waves crashing on the shore…”