Fly You To The Moon (4 page)

7
.

In the days following her unintentional voyeurism, Ava tried to avoid Clea as much as possible. The woman seemed to be hanging around Nicolas all the time. Clearly, Clea had no life. Then again, neither did she. After only a few days of bumming around and exploring the house, she was bored out of her mind.

“Please let me help you,” she begged the groundskeeper when she decided to visit the vegetable gardens
one afternoon and bumped into Alen Novak. “I’m going nuts here.”

Alen
laughed. “Not used to an idle lifestyle, are you? You want to work.”

“Yeah.”
Ava grabbed a shovel. “In fact, maybe I can be your trainee. Somehow has to take care of the grounds after you leave for the Desida Two space station, right? Might as well be me. I used to do a lot of gardening with my dad.”

The groundskeeper shook his head. “I doubt Nicolas will let his own niece work the fields. He’s open-minded, but
he still has a reputation to uphold, you know. Most of his compatriots are already looking down on him as if he’s some kind of hillbilly for running a farm.”

“I don’t give a hoot,” Ava snapped. “I have
no
reputation to uphold, and I’ll be out of here the minute I get my inheritance money.”

Alen gave her a puzzled look. “I thought you
liked this place.”

Ava’s shoulders slumped. “I do,” she admitted. “I just don’t like it as much with that terrible woman constantly flitting around Nicolas.
I mean, does she live here or something?”

He
started to laugh, his blue eyes crinkling up. “She’d wish. Nicolas tolerates her, nothing more. Keeps his father happy. Clea’s one of Alistair’s favorites. Old Mr. Carter would
love
to see them get married.”

“Then why doesn’t he just tell her to piss off?” Ava exploded. “How can you be with a woman you can hardly stand?”

Alen shrugged. “She must be a good fuck.”

Ava stared at him in horror. “Jesus! Are you always
this explicit?”

“Sorry.” He
flashed her a devil-may-care grin. “I just call things by their name. Good manners didn’t feature high on the priority list where I come from.”

“Hmm.
So where do you come from?”

“Originally?
Croatia. But I spent six years in prison, hence my bad manners.”

“Oh.” Ava made big eyes at him. “You did?”

“Yes. Which is the reason I had such a hard time finding a good job with four college degrees under my belt.”

“I see. You – w
anna talk about it?” she hesitated.

He sighed. “Not really.
Unless you do.”

“No,
Let’s just shovel,” Ava decided. Part of her wanted to know how an intelligent guy like Alen had ended up in jail, but she didn’t want to pry. He didn’t seem dangerous, so she didn’t need to know.

That evening at dinner, Tom and Patty were questioning Ava relentlessly about her life on Earth.

“Is it true that the commoners always fight amongst each other?” Tom wanted to know.

Ava frowned. “Of course not. There’s still war in some places, especially in countries where people don’t have a lot, but we mostly work together. Like you.”

Clea snorted almost inaudibly. “We?” she mumbled, rolling her eyes at Nicolas.

Ava shot the woman a death glare across the table. “Yes. We, the people of Earth. Commoners and Elite, working together. Horrible, isn’t it?”

“That’s
exactly the word I was thinking of,” Clea nodded, her sweet smile challenging Ava.

“
Then what are you doing sitting at this table? Having dinner with
servants
?”

Clea opened and closed her mouth like a fish. Beside her, Nicolas stifled a laugh and
lazily winked at Ava.

“Anyway,” Ava turned back to Tom, ignoring Clea, “who told you that nonsense?”

“The kids at school,” Patty said softly, patting her brother’s hand. “It’s been bothering him.”

“Well, don’t let them get to you. They don’t have a clue. Here, let me
show you some pictures of the projects my dad and I did in Sutton one summer ago.”

“Summer,” Patty repeated, staring at the photos on Ava’s pad with a tiny smile. “Does it really get so hot that people can’t leave their houses sometimes?”

“It does.” Ava smiled. “And in wintertime, the snow falls so thickly that all the roads get blocked. I know it’s not like that here on Luna. The seasons are regulated. Never too hot, never too cold. But Earth can regulate itself. It’s a living, wild, and generous world. It’s not made for just humans, so it can be dangerous, too.”

Abruptly,
Ava could feel Nicolas’s eyes on her. When she looked up, he thoughtfully observed her, a quiet melancholy in his eyes. Why did he look at her so longingly? Was it because he somehow missed Earth – or because he wanted more of her but didn’t know how?

“I’m going to Earth in a few weeks,” he suddenly said.
“Visiting family in Birmingham. You want to come?”

She eagerly nodded. “Yes, I’d love to. Thanks for asking.
Uhm – what’s your uncle in Birmingham like?”

“Not
nearly as stern as my parents,” he replied with a faint smile. “Don’t worry.”

“Can I come, too?” Clea pleaded, pouting her lip like a little girl.

“It’s strictly a family visit,” Nicolas said, giving her a dismissive pat on the arm. “So it’s just gonna be me and Ava.” He was still looking at her with an unfathomable expression on his face, as though he was trying to gauge her thoughts.

Ava bit her lip and looked away. She’d heard him barge down the hallways with a giggling, horny Clea way too many times
in the past week to allow herself to read anything into his look. Nic wasn’t ready to settle down, so he was just fucking girls for fun like a typical Elite playboy.

And yet, deep down, she couldn’t really believe he was like that. She’d seen him play games with Tom and Patty in the yard. He
truly enjoyed having a surrogate family by being a sort of father to the twins whenever Danny and Margaret were too busy to entertain them. Plus, he was taking the guardian thing seriously – she felt protected under his care. No matter how nasty the Carters or his mistress were to her, it was always clear Nic was on her side. It just wasn’t clear to her whether he had her back because she was his half-niece or because he liked her in a different way.

One afternoon, just as Alen and Ava were done harvesting some pumpkins, Nicolas walked up to the vegetable garden. “Ava,” he called out to her. “Your books have arrived.”

“Oh,
finally! That’s great,” she enthused, setting down the wheelbarrow she’d been rolling to the pick-up truck. “I really missed my books.”

“Great,” Alen echoed, mock-sulking at her.
“I guess this means you’re giving up your gardening internship, now that you have better things to do with your time?”

Ava laughed.
“Of course not. I’ll help you till the bitter end.”

“Which is in two days’ time,” Nicolas added, smiling at Alen. “I
just got word from Commander Kelso. They’re expecting you at the station by the end of the week.”

Alen’s face lit up. “I can’
t believe I’m really going.” He grabbed Nic’s hand and shook it sincerely. “Thank you so much for your confidence in me.”

“You’re welcome. You’ve earned it,” Nicolas replied.

Ava patted Alen on the back, then spontaneously hugged him. “You’re gonna do great,” she mumbled.

As she and
Nicolas walked back to the house, Ava looked back at Alen a few times. They’d grown quite close, and now their time together would end. “I’ll miss him when he’s gone,” she mused.

“You and him have become
good friends, huh?” Nic said.

“Yup.
Friends and colleagues.”

“Just friends?” he asked
after a few beats of silence.

Ava slowed down
. “Why do you ask?” she evaded the question.

Nicolas came to a stop an
d narrowed his green eyes as they flashed with something that looked like envy. “Well, I – I’m your guardian,” he faltered. “If the two of you are involved, I should know.”

Oh, this was
interesting. Ava chewed her bottom lip, trying not to smile with satisfaction. Nic was playing the warden card, but unfortunately, he wasn’t doing it very convincingly. She could swear he was jealous – it stung him that she’d been spending this much time with Alen. “Well, he’s leaving,” she replied vaguely, enjoying her little game.

“What does that mean?”

“Does it have to mean anything?”

He clenched his jaw and stared down at her with a dark look in his eyes. “Why can’t you just
answer my question?”

“Because I don’t know what you even mean by ‘just friends’,” she snapped back, suddenly losing it. “
I mean, you introduced Clea to me as a
friend
. Is that the kind of friendship we’re talking about here?”

Nicolas
took a step closer, his face now very close to hers. “That’s none of your business, Ava,” he said, an exasperated edge to his voice. “Stay out of it.”

“Well, how can I
, if it’s staring me right in the face every day?” Tears welled up in her eyes, and she shrunk away from him before he could see.

“Look…” He
sighed. “I don’t expect you to understand. The Elite world is a place very different from yours.”

“Yeah?
Well, in
my world
, I don’t have sex with guys I have no feelings for. And a friend is just a friend, nothing more.”

Nic stared at her, his gaze sweeping her face. “
I upset you,” he said hoarsely. “I’m sorry. I was out of order.”

Ava shook her head
, wiping at her eyes. “Look, just forget about it. I was rattling your cage because I thought you had no right to ask me those questions.”

“You’re right.” Nicolas closed his eyes for a second and rubbed his face. “I have no right. You can pick
who you want.”

“Well –
once I’ve chosen, I’ll let you know,” Ava said, her voice cracking on the last word. She turned away from him and ran back to the house.

Nicolas was lying to her without even knowing it. She sure as hell couldn’t pick who she wanted. Because
the person she wanted was him.

8
.

That evening, Ava left the dinner table early. She had no idea whether Clea would show up tonight for a friendly visit, but she wasn’t sticking around to find out.

“No dessert?” Mrs. Pipps
inquired her when Ava got up.

“No, I’m full.”
She smiled wanly. “I’ll be in my room. Probably going to phone some friends.”

Just a
s she started up the stairs to the second floor, she heard someone call out her name. Alen caught up with her on the landing, looking at her with a worried frown. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” she replied sullenly.

He cocked his head and shot her a look punched with ‘really now?’

“Okay, everything,” she admitted, sitting down on the floor at the top of the stairs. Alen joined her. “
It’s becoming very hard to be around Nicolas. I just – can’t seem to figure him out. He’s banging Clea, but he doesn’t like her. And sometimes, I get the feeling that he likes
me
.” She blushed as she said the words.

The Croatian
groundskeeper sighed deeply. “I’m pretty sure he does.”

Ava gave him a bug-eyed stare.
“What?!”

“This is why I warned you and told you to
be careful. Because you’re going to get hurt, Ava.” He raked a hand through his hair. “See, Nicolas has been waiting for a girl like you for a long time. You’re smart, gentle, you share his crazy ideals, you’re beautiful – but he can’t have you, because he’s your guardian.”

Ava blinked away some tears. “But he won’t be my guardian forever,” she pointed out.

“He’s still your half-uncle.”

“
So? I only met him once before in my life. He doesn’t feel like family.”

“But he is.”

She scowled at her friend. “What are you trying to say?”

Alen thought for a minute. “That your chances of ever having him the way you want are minimal,” he finally replied. “
His own principles won’t allow it, and his family
certainly
won’t allow it.”

When h
e hugged her gently, Ava started crying. She slumped against his chest, letting her tears run free. Life was so unfair it made her sick, and she had to let all her frustration out. When she finally calmed down, Alen brushed the hair out of her face and smiled. “You’ll survive,” he simply said.

“I hope so.” She smiled back
feebly. “Hey, once I get my inheritance, I’ll book a ticket to Saturn so I can visit you at your new workplace.”

Alen chuckled. “Yeah, I’d like that. Bring a pumpkin for old time’s sake, will you?”

They got up and Ava thanked him once again before disappearing into her room. She was happy for Alen he was making a career move, but she dreaded being without his counsel. For a moment, she wished she
had
fallen in love with Alen – it would be so much easier, but that wasn’t how things worked, unfortunately. She couldn’t control her heart.

By the time the clock struck eleven, Ava was still up. She’d been talking to Georgie, reading one of her favorite books, listening to music, but now that it was time for bed she was getting hungry again. Maybe Mrs. Pipps had left her some dessert in the fridge. Since she hadn’t heard Clea’s annoying voice downstairs yet, Ava assumed it was safe to venture outside.

Whe
n she stepped into the kitchen, her eye fell on a big piece of apple pie waiting for her on the kitchen counter. At least, she hoped Margaret had left it out for her, because she couldn’t resist. Picking up the plate, she rooted around in the drawer to find a fork, then pushed open the connecting door between the kitchen and the living room.

Ava
stopped mid-stride. Nicolas was there, all by himself. He looked up in surprise when she entered. “Hey,” he said, his face lighting up. “Couldn’t sleep?”

She shrugged. “I was hungry,” she said, holding up the apple pie by way of explanation.

Nicolas grinned. “I see you found my food.”

“Oh!” She bit her lip. “I thought Margaret had left it out for me.”

“Well, you said you were full, so…”

“Yeah.
I changed my mind.” Ava gave him an innocent smile, and Nicolas rolled his eyes.

“Fine.
It’s yours. I’ll get another piece later.”

She sat down next to him on the couch. “So, what are you doing here?”

“Thinking.” He put down his empty wine glass. “About you.”

“R-really?” she stuttered, her heart suddenly beating in her throat. “Why?”

“I was thinking – if you want to follow Alen to Desida Two, maybe you should. If it makes you happy. There’s got to be a way to work around the provisions in your father’s will.”

Ava’s mouth dropped open. “What are you talking about? Why would I want to do that?”

“I saw you two,” Nic replied tersely. “After dinner. Sitting together on the landing.”

Oh, God. “Did
– did you hear us talk?”

He shook his head.
“You were crying in his arms. You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

Ava let out a deep sigh. “No, I’m not.
Like I said, we’re just friends. And he was comforting me, as a
friend
.”

For a moment, Nic looked completely flabbergasted.
She couldn’t quite make out whether his eyes reflected a sense of surprise or relief. “Then – why were you crying?” he asked, gently putting a hand on her arm. “Are you still unhappy here?”

It was a more difficult question than he could possibly know. “It’s not this place. I just miss my father,” she stammered. “And I miss life on Earth. I never wanted to fly to the moon to begin with.”

Nicolas smiled. “Reminds me of that old Sinatra song.”

She frowned. “Sinatra?”

“Yes.
Fly Me To The Moon
?”

“Sorry, I have no idea who or what Sinatra is.”

“You can’t be serious.” Nicolas started to grin. “We have to fix that ASAP. Really, how could your dad not have made you listen to Sinatra’s songs?”

“We didn’t have a lot of CDs,” Ava mumbled. “Or access to music networks. I know CDs are horribly old-fashioned, anyway.”

Nic jumped up from the couch. “Hang on. Let me play you that song.” He walked over to the wall and flipped open the panel giving access to the manor’s database. Ava followed him with her eyes, her face slowly heating up as her gaze devoured the look of his strong arms and taut ass, the way the fabric of his shirt pulled at his broad shoulders. Being in the same room with him without other people surrounding them made her aware once more how incredibly hot she was for him.

When he turned away from the panel
, Ava quickly looked away, afraid he’d see the burning look in her eyes.

Nicolas slowly strolled toward her, whistling along to the song pouring from the hidden speakers in the room. He extended a hand to her. “Come on, let’s dance,” he invited her with a playful smile around his lips. “Dance your worries away
with me.”

His invitation was so sweet and heartfelt that she didn’t
have to think twice. Ava got to her feet and took his hand, relishing the tingle down her spine when his skin brushed hers.

Nic pulled her in, putting his other hand in her waist. He made her blush a little when he dipped down his head to sing the fir
st few lines of the song to her, looking into her eyes.

“Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars,” he sang. He had a surprisingly good singing voice. “Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.”

His voice trailed off when Sinatra continued singing his song.“
In other words – hold my hand. In other words – darling, kiss me.”
Nic didn’t sing or speak anymore. All he did was hold her close and spin her across the room in a dance so intimate it made her heart race.

“
You are all I long for, all I worship and adore
.” Sinatra couldn’t have sung truer words, and all of a sudden it was too much. Ava couldn’t listen to his optimistic voice anymore without tearing up again. If only Nicolas could speak these words to her, but he wouldn’t. Stifling a sob, she abruptly tore herself from his embrace and stepped back, sagging onto the couch.

Nic
momentarily stood as if frozen in the middle of the room. Then, he rushed over and sat down next to her, his eyes brimming with anxiety. “What’s the matter, Ava?” He gingerly touched her face. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No.” She choked on the word. Everything had felt so right – that was the whole problem. “I’m just thinking of my dad. He would have loved this song.
It’s so full of hope and love.” Which was as good as an excuse to burst into tears while dancing as any other.

Nicolas let out a
sympathetic sigh. “Come here, you,” he said roughly, cradling her in his arms, drawing her so close to his chest that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. His hands gently rubbed her back, and her heart skipped a beat. God, he smelled so
good
.

Still sniffling slightly,
Ava leaned her head against his shoulder and wholeheartedly crawled into his embrace. She could feel Nicolas’s heartbeat when she pressed her hand to his chest. He was so alive and full of passion it made her tremble with yearning.

After
the song ended, the room filled with a deep silence. Yet he didn’t let go, and neither did she. Sitting quietly, they kept clinging to each other until there was no longer any reason for it. Suddenly, the stillness became pregnant with meaning. The mood in the room shifted, the tension between them suddenly all too palpable.

Ava’s
breathing turned shallower when Nic’s hands slowly started to rub up and down her sides. She swallowed hard. Was he doing what she thought he was doing?

She
slowly inched closer, timidly putting one hand on his thigh. Neither of them spoke while Nic’s hands kept caressing her, sliding further up to her ribcage so his thumbs lightly brushed the sides of her breasts. His breathing was uneven against her forehead when he slowly leaned into her, making her hand ride up his thigh. Her fingers trembled as she inadvertently touched the slight bulge in his groin. Oh God – he was turned on just by being
close
to her. It made her feel strong and powerful.

Nic’s
strong hands hesitated for a few beats before they gently palmed her boobs, making her quiver under his touch. There was no doubt now what he was doing. Ava didn’t dare look up at him, afraid she would break the spell if she did. She just exhaled shakily, her breath ragged as she arched her back to push her breasts into his hands and feel him closer. Her mouth landed in his neck, trailing soft kisses up his throat.

At that instant
, the doorbell rang.

Nicolas froze in her arms.
He sucked in a breath, scooting back, scrambling to sit up straight and look her in the eye. Speechlessly, she stared at him. He blinked and swallowed hard. “Ava,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I didn’t mean to. I just – wanted…” Helplessly, he turned away from her.

“I’m sorry,” she babbled.
“I just thought that – I mean, what were you…”

“I have to leave,” he said, abruptly getting up and stalking off into the hallway. Ava cursed under her breath. Whoever was standing on that doorstep would be
her sworn enemy forever. God knows what would have happened if they hadn’t been interrupted.

She tried to bite back tears when she heard Clea’s v
oice drifting down the hallway. Oh, brilliant – her misery was complete now. Nicolas was going to take the passion she’d stirred in him upstairs and let it play out with Clea in his arms. She
hated
him for letting her in, and she hated the Elite woman who seemed to have such a hold on Nic. When she heard the two of them walking away from the sitting room, Ava crossed the room and kicked open the door leading to the kitchen, her fists clenched in rage.

“Oh my God,” she
gasped when she turned around and suddenly spotted Mrs. Pipps sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of hot tea. “I’m sorry to disturb you.”

Margaret shrugged. “That’s all right,” she replied. “I think Clea disturbs me more.”

Ava bit her lip, giving a little eye roll. “Yeah, I hear you.”

“Come.” The housekeeper pointed at the chair
nearest to Ava. “Have some tea with me.”

How long had she been here
, sitting at the table and listening in? Had she heard their voices from the living room? Ava awkwardly poured herself a mug, not looking at Margaret observing her from across the table.

“
He doesn’t love her, you know,” Mrs. Pipps mumbled softly.

Ava
tried to control her trembling hands. Stubbornly, she stared into her mug. “What does it matter?” she said dejectedly.

“A lot.”
Margaret poured herself more tea. “He doesn’t sing for her. He doesn’t dance with her. She doesn’t bring him joy.”