BETWEEN CLOUDS AND STARS: A Sexy Standalone Romance

by Sharlyn G. Branson

  But it shouldn’t have.

  Because the love he gave me wasn’t real.

  Still, that couldn’t stop me from liking him. Dressed in black jeans and a black V-neck T-shirt, Nick was simply gorgeous. His masculinity was so highly palpable that he overshadowed all other men I’d met in my life.

  I adored putting my palm on his biceps and sliding my fingers down the smooth golden skin of his arm. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered whenever he glanced at me. His eyes, brown with a smattering of yellow specks, had a slightly feline shape, and his eyelashes were long and curved. His hairstyle was modern—short sides with longer backcombed hair on top.

  I couldn’t resist the temptation and ran my fingers along his silky locks. April teased us that we were stuck like two pieces of Velcro. But we just laughed off her comment and continued to be tactile with each other.

  At ten, we went back to the house of Nick’s parents. It was built on one of the hills around the lake and had a stunning view of the city, which shone brightly in the dark, as if covered in millions of crystals.

  We said goodnight to his father and sister and retired to Nick’s one-time bedroom.

  With every step I took, it was like I absorbed more and more of Nicholas Frey’s childhood world—filled with pictures and model aircraft scattered all over the room.

  “My mother won’t let me change a thing about the room. Since I left home thirteen years ago, only the walls have been repainted. The only thing I managed to negotiate was a bigger bed.” Nick smiled and came over to me.

  I thought about how different his childhood must’ve been from mine. While he’d grown up in a family that had surrounded him with love, I’d lived a life full of fear and deprivation.

  “Well, I like the room. It’s big, light, welcoming, and typically boyish. I wish I had one like it.”

  “What? A boyish room?” Nick asked, making a face. I laughed and gently elbowed him in the ribs.

  “Don’t be silly. I meant such a spacious one.”

  Our eyes met, and it was like the air had been sucked out of the room.

  Driven by instinct, our bodies pressed against each other. He dug his hands into my hair and pressed his lips against mine. We began to kiss passionately, banging our teeth together until we found the right fit. Our tongues met each other and started to dance, making my loins contract painfully in desire. We moaned simultaneously.

  Nick pulled away from our kiss, and it was like I’d lost a part of my own body. I felt pain and, at the same time, passion of an intensity I’d never experienced before.

  This man had lit a fire inside me.

  He made me want to give myself to him, merge with him and forget about everything else, if only for a short while.

  “I won’t lie to you, Estelle—I’m so attracted to you, it’s scary,” he said in a deep and hoarse voice. “I want you so fucking bad, but I won’t press on unless you want it too.” Painfully slow, his thumb traced the outline of my lower lip.

  All I had to say were three simple words—I want you—and he’d be mine. Even if only for tonight.

  There was a risk I’d fall in love with him, and that would destroy me. But I had to take the chance. I had to find out what it meant to spend a night rolling between the sheets with a man like Nicholas Frey.

  A fraction of a second after I heard myself whisper those words, his powerful arms embraced me again, and his lips slid along my neck. I threw my head back to give him better access while my hands pawed at his T-shirt, trying to pull it off. He helped me take it off. A wonderful view appeared before me—wide shoulders, bulging pecs and biceps, and a six-pack to boot…

  Good heavens. This man was sheer perfection.

  Nick tilted his head and smiled. “Now it’s my turn to enjoy the view. Turn around,” he ordered, and I obeyed.

  The zip of the blouse I was wearing came undone painfully slowly. I had the feeling he was doing it on purpose to stoke my desire.

  His hot breath washed over me in waves when he uttered, “You’re divine, Estelle.”

  The next second, my blouse landed on the chair by his desk. It was quickly followed by my bra. His big and wide hands cupped my breasts and began to massage them skillfully. His teeth dug into my earlobe, making me let out a loud moan.

  “You need to be quiet. Do you think you can do that?” I nodded slightly in reply. I couldn’t see his face, but knew he was smiling. Nicholas Frey knew full well what kind of effect he had on women.

  A wide palm slid across my belly and undid my jeans’ button and zip. His playful fingers entered my panties, and before I knew it, his middle finger was inside me.

  “You’re so wet…for me.” He started to move it in and out, sending tingles throughout my body.

  I couldn’t take it any longer. I wanted him madly, deeply, and immediately. My skin was moist in yearning for him. “Please. I want you.”

  Nick pulled his finger out of me and licked it. “I knew you’d taste incredible.” He squatted and dug his face between my legs, inhaling deeply. “Your scent is divine, Estelle.”

  Slowly and painfully, he took off my jeans and panties and then flung them on the chair. He stood up and leaned over my breasts. His teeth sank into my hard right nipple, his lips sucking on it at the same time. I dug my hands into his hair and threw my head back, savoring the sensation.

  He did the same to my left breast; nibbled my soft flesh to tease me. My nipples became erect and pointy.

  He picked me up and carried me to the bed. Gently, he laid me on the mattress and positioned himself over me, his hands and thighs on both sides of my body. His lips found mine and he began to kiss me impatiently. My fingers quickly found the buttons of his jeans. I undid them and pulled his boxers down. My hands grasped his rock-hard cock.

  Pulling away from our kiss, I looked down. My pupils dilated in fear and desire. “God… You’re huge.”

  He smiled smugly and replied, “I promise to leave you very satisfied.”

  Bending down over my belly, he swirled the tip of his tongue around my navel and then continued down to my labia. “You’re gorgeous, Estelle. So soft and pink.”

  At the wish of my ex-husband, I’d undergone laser hair removal. The procedure had been painful, but I was glad I’d had it done, because I hadn’t needed to wax or shave down there for the last five years. One less grooming routine to worry about.

  Nick placed his lips over my swollen clitoris, and I cried out loudly. As he pulled it gently, shivers radiated across my entire body. I was too aroused. I’d never felt so turned on before.

  “Hush, babe. We’re not alone in the house.”

  “Sorry,” I whispered, blushing in embarrassment.

  “Don’t be sorry. When I take you to my house, you may scream to your heart’s content.” He winked at me and unexpectedly inserted two fingers inside me, which expertly found my most sensitive spot. I gripped the bedcover so tight that my knuckles whitened.

  Nick moved his fingers in and out of me, simultaneously stroking my sex with his tongue. He sucked hard on my clitoris, and I surrendered. With ease, he took me to the peak of sensation, where ecstasy engulfed me, spun me like a twister, and flung me beyond the limits of the Earth.

  When the contractions abated, I tried to calm my breathing. I heard him take off his jeans. I opened my eyes to enjoy the wonderful view of his naked body—long legs, narrow waist, and well-defined muscles that enticed my fingers to feel them. His body was like a Greek sculpture. I ran my hand along his chest muscles, across his belly, and then down to his hard-as-steel dick. I wrapped my hand around it and started to stroke and squeeze it.

  Nick briefly shut his eyes and moaned. “Your hands are magical, babe, but right now, I’m dying to be inside you.” He pulled away from me to put on a condom. His deftness showed he’d probably done that thousands of times.

  He grabbed his dick and pointed it at my sex, which tingled in anticipation. “You want my cock deep inside you, babe?”

  God,
why did I like it when he spoke to me like that? His words made me even more aroused. I was ready to give myself to him shamelessly, without a thought about the consequences. However, I must’ve had at least some sense left in me, because I replied, “Yes, but please be gentle.”

  He had no way of knowing what pain and suffering my ex-husband had subjected me to. How hard it was for me to trust a man and how broken I felt.

  He kissed me on the nose and murmured, “I won’t hurt you. You can trust me.”

  Nicholas Frey couldn’t be more different from John Chan. He was attentive and caring, didn’t only think about his own satisfaction.

  He started to fill me up slowly and passionately.

  It was so nice.

  Too nice.

  He lifted my thigh to penetrate me deeper. His hot breath burned the sensitive skin on my neck. His tongue slid along my collarbone until it reached my shoulder. He gently bit it while continuing to thrust inside me. In and out, slowly at first, but then the speed of his movements gradually increased.

  “Fuck. You’re so fucking tight, Estelle. I can tell I’m about to come harder than ever before,” he hissed through gritted teeth and then sucked on my earlobe. He began to thrust deeper and deeper inside me. I barely managed to contain my screams.

  The sensation was fantastic.

  Nick put his hands under my butt and changed the angle of entry. He bent his head toward my breasts and again placed his lips over my nipple, gently squeezing it between his teeth and caressing it with his tongue. I arched my back in response to the passionate touch of his lips and hands. Nick moved in and out of me, trying to fill me up completely.

  “God, it feels soooo good,” I moaned.

  I was in paradise, somewhere high in the sky, drifting through clouds of pleasure. I couldn’t think about anything else other than the sublime sensation of our bodies merging together.

  “Take me all in, Estelle,” he said through tightly gritted teeth.

  I opened my hips as wide as I could and felt him fill me up completely.

  He penetrated me to the end and continued to move rhythmically inside me. My breath faded. The head of his cock started to rub against my sensitive G-spot. I pressed myself against him and hungrily sank my nails into his back muscles. Blood powerfully throbbed in my veins while he intensely moved in and out of me, touching every nerve ending of my already as-aroused-as-can-be vagina. Having noticed the onset of my orgasm, he rested on his elbow and began to stimulate my clitoris.

  Waves of ecstasy poured over me, leaving me breathless, and I came long and hard. After a few more thrusts, he followed me to the sweet end.

  Never in my wretched life had I felt so good.

  Peaceful, relaxed, satisfied.

  * * *

  Sunbeams were sneaking through the bedroom window, gently caressing my face. Sleepily, I rubbed my eyes.

  “Good morning, gorgeous,” a quiet, slightly hoarse, male voice said behind me, bringing me back to reality. I turned on my back. Nick was propping his head on his hand, his eyes soft and sensual.

  “Have you been watching me for a long time?”

  Mr. Perfection considered my question and replied, “Around fifteen minutes.”

  His fingers slid along the curve between my shoulder and neck and then up behind my ear, leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

  “How did you get this scar?” The soft part of his index finger stroked my old wound.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  What was I supposed to say? My ex-husband beat the shit out of me and I had to get stitches in the hospital? That I often wondered, given everything I’d gone through, how I’d gotten away with just one scar, which I was fortunate enough to be able to hide with my hair?

  I couldn’t talk about that. It had to stay in the past. It had to be forgotten.

  Forever!

  He leaned in and kissed my scar. He was so gentle and attentive to me, making my heart beat faster. His kisses continued on a path down my neck.

  “I won’t lie to you, Estelle. I want to know everything about you, every last fucking detail, but I won’t pressure you. The time will come when you’ll reveal your secrets to me.” Nick gazed at me as if he was just about to press his lips against mine. His oh-so-hot breath sent shivers of desire through my body, warming every fiber of my being.

  “Fine then. If you don’t want to talk, I’ll make you scream.” A faint smile brightened his face. “In pleasure. I’m sure your small pink pussy is dying to meet my insatiable dick again.”

  God, his dirty talk made me even wetter, and I didn’t think that was possible. I was damp with arousal just from hearing his deep, masculine voice. And knowing what wonders his lips, skillful hands, and well-endowed manhood were capable of… I wanted to surrender myself to him again, to enjoy this wonderful man without thinking about the future.

  He sucked the skin on my neck, and I moaned loudly. “You respond so easily to my caresses, baby.” His hand slid up the inside of my thigh and seconds later was between my legs.

  “And you’re always ready for me.” His finger sank inside me, and I closed my eyes, sliding my hands across his well-defined six-pack.

  The finger came out of me. The wide head of his cock rubbed itself against my clitoris, wetting me with its pre-cum. Then he slid inside me with ease. We moaned in unison, our breathing quickened and our blood boiled.

  My only wish was to remain in heaven with Mr. Hot—forever.

  5

  Nick

  Warm jets of water washed over my body as I thought about little Miss Temptation. Who could’ve expected that this tender creature would be so passionate? Sex with her was the best I’d experienced in my life. And I’d been with thousands of women of all kinds. But none could compare to Estelle. I could almost still sense her sweet scent, hear her sensual moans, and see her puffy-from-kissing lips. It hadn’t even been half an hour since I’d fucked her and yet I wanted to lose myself again in her small, tight pussy. I had to stop thinking about her, because otherwise I risked turning up in front of my father and sister with a hard-on. But that was really difficult, because I couldn’t get sweet Estelle out of my head.

  This morning we did it bareback and it was divine. The feel of our bodies rubbing against each other was sublime. Fortunately, we lived in a time when venereal diseases no longer existed and AIDS had been eradicated. There were now drugs and vaccines for many of the diseases that had caused people great suffering or even death only thirty years ago. We lived in much better times. Nevertheless, I’d never dared to have sex without a condom, because I had no intention of becoming a father any time soon.

  I felt a stab in my heart when Estelle told me she couldn’t have children. Seeing her tearful eyes, it was like an arrow had pierced me. I couldn’t stand seeing her sad, even though I usually wasn’t moved by women’s tears and histrionics. Many women had wept in front of me in their wish to keep me as a lover, but I’d never given a damn about them. But now I felt an unfamiliar tightness in my chest. Estelle deserved to be happy.

  I finished my shower and put on clean clothes in just fifteen minutes and then made my way down the corridor to the living room. Hearing the voices of the girls who’d each managed to capture a piece of my heart—my small, chatty sister and the sweet, passionate Miss Klide—I slowed down to a stop and listened to their conversation. They were sat on the soft sofas on the verandah, enjoying the sunny day.

  Unlike New York, March weather in south Switzerland was quite mild. The scent of flowers drifted over from my mother’s garden. The magnolias were in bloom, spring birds sang from tree branches, and boats sailed across the lake. The temperature was a toasty 65 degrees. The warm weather was having a relaxing effect on me and made me think about sex. Not just with anyone, but with sweet Miss Klide.

  “How serious is your relationship with your boyfriend?” Estelle asked. She had a very soft and pleasant voice, which generated tingles my stomach.

  “You mean, have we k
issed and have we already had sex?” April’s reply made me freeze on the spot. Unconsciously, I clenched my fists so hard that if her so-called boyfriend were to appear in front of me right now, he’d get the beating of his life—well, if he’d actually taken her virginity.

  “Look, at school they must’ve told you about protection—” Estelle started to explain, but couldn’t finish her sentence because my sister giggled and interrupted her.

  “No, no. We haven’t even kissed yet. But I so want to know what it’s like. My heart will probably explode in excitement the moment he touches my lips.”

  It was now Estelle’s turn to laugh. “That’s a highly unlikely scenario, but even so, it’d be better if you waited for a few years. You don’t need to rush into things.”

  I leaned against the wall and continued to eavesdrop on them.

  “When did you have your first kiss?” This kind of question was to be expected from April. She’d always been very inquisitive. Unlike other times, her curiosity didn’t annoy me – on the contrary, I liked the direction their conversation had taken. It was a chance to learn more about the mysterious woman who wouldn’t leave my thoughts.

  “I was eighteen then. The first man I kissed later became my husband. But we split up two years ago.” Estelle’s voice was quiet, as if she were afraid that someone might overhear them. Was she ashamed of that? Why did I get the feeling that her marriage had been a horrible experience?

  “Is Nick a better kisser than the others?” My little sister’s questions could go on forever.

  A long silence fell, which irked me. Was it so hard for Estelle to answer this question?

  “To be honest, I don’t have much of a basis for comparison. I haven’t been on a date with a man for two years. When my parents were still alive, I led a very confined life. They didn’t let me go out to clubs, let alone make out with boys.”

  I didn’t like her answer one bit. Wasn’t she satisfied with my kisses? And I thought I’d done a great job.

  “Come on, just tell me. I won’t tell anyone.” April’s bubbly, still-childish voice reverberated throughout the room.