Read Online BETWEEN CLOUDS AND STARS: A Sexy Standalone Romance by Sharlyn G. Branson - Free Book Online Page A

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