Fly You To The Moon (6 page)

And then
it happened. He took that last step forward and crushed her lips with his mouth, his strong body pinning her to the wall. His warm hand slid into her neck, his thumb stroking her ear. Nic’s tongue darted between her trembling lips, taking possession of her just like she’d dreamed of being claimed. He tasted dark and earthy, and so unlike the boys she’d kissed before. His kiss made her tremble with anticipation and weak with searing, pulsing lust.

At first,
Nic held back, but when Ava pushed up into his arms and responded to his caress with wild abandon, he kissed her more hungrily, plunging his tongue deep inside her mouth, his hands eagerly roaming over every little bit of her body. Ava leaned her head back against the wall, feeling woozy from the wine and the fight and this sizzling, all-consuming kiss.

When
Nicolas slowed down and languidly grazed her bottom lip with his teeth, Ava shivered violently. He was even better at this than she’d thought. His kisses made her insides hot and tight. Her hands drifted down to his butt, cupping the taut swell of his finely-toned ass before reeling him in. She wanted to feel his hard cock pressed against her abdomen, so close to her slick, wet heat. Feeling his raging erection was enough to make her even more soaked.

“
Take me,” she mumbled helplessly. “Please. Just…” She’d never been hotter for anyone in her entire life.

Somehow, her
incoherent plea made him snap back to reality. Nicolas froze, then stumbled back as if she’d forcefully pushed him off, staring at her with wide eyes. “Oh, God,” he groaned, touching his mouth with trembling fingers as though it had done unspeakable things without his consent. “Ava. Please – don’t. Don’t you
ever
do that again.”

It felt like he
’d slapped her in the face. “Me?” she threw back. “What about you?”

“I’m – sorry.” Nicolas’
s face twitched. He looked appalled with himself.

“But this is what you wanted. I
know
you did,” Ava insisted, her eyes slowly filling up with tears.

Nic let out a short, brittle laugh.
“I don’t want this. I
can’t
want this.” He raised his hands as if to ward her off. “I care about you as your guardian, Ava. I loved your father, and I’m not about to turn my custody of you into something sordid and cheap.”

Before she could object, Nicolas swiveled around and barged out of the shed, slamming the door on his way out. Ava
gasped for breath before crumpling to the floor and bursting into hot tears of shame.

She’d thought she could win
Nic’s heart. Maybe she’d been wrong if their kiss had felt distasteful and shameful to him. To her, it had felt sweet. Hot, sizzling, but also gentle. It had felt real.

Alen’s words came back to her.
Your chances of ever having him the way you want are minimal.
Should she let it go?

If so, she couldn’t stay here.
Being around Nicolas would drive her insane. It was time to get out of this place for a while.

10.

“You
really want to stay in Luna Six?”

Ava nodded with flinty determination.
“Yeah. All three weeks. It’s a lot easier to show Georgie around like that. You know. We’ll be close to all the public transport systems.”

After last night’s disaster, she’d decided to invite her best friend from Sutton over to keep her company on the moon for a while. Since Nicolas kept insisting she should want for nothing, she’d asked him to pay for her friend’s ticket, and he’d happily obliged.
He just couldn’t understand why she didn’t want Georgie to stay at Carter Manor – or maybe he didn’t
want
to understand.

“So, shall I book you girls a hotel, then?” he went on, a distraught look in his green eyes.
“Something classic?”

“We were thinking of the Neil Armstrong Lodge.” Ava held up a brochure. “They have these themed rooms, so Georgie might like that. Plus, they organize trips to the original
1969 moon landing site every three hours. We should probably check that out.”

“If you want,” Nicolas
conceded. “I hope your friend won’t think I’m unwelcoming toward her. We have plenty of room for guests.”

Ava shook her head. “She won’t think that. It’s me. I just need to be away from this place for a while.”

Nicolas looked at her with such wounded eyes that her heart slightly cracked. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t take it personal,” she mumbled.

Nic fell silent, blindly staring at the brochure on the table. When he glanced up again, he unexpectedly grabbed her hand. “Did I drive you away?” he inquired softly.

“Yes,” she replied earnestly. “You
did.”

He cringed. “How can I not take that personally?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to figure that one out for yourself.” Ava pushed back her chair and got up. “It’s just for a few weeks, Nic. I’ll be back.”

“Do you still want to visit Uncle Gerald
with me?”

“Sure.
Why not?” She smiled wanly. “But you have to promise me he’ll be nice to me. Nicer than your parents.”

“Well, that’s not really a challenge,” Nic muttered sourly.

Ava couldn’t help laughing. “True.” A pang went through her heart when she saw him crack a genuine smile, too. This man was everything she wanted. He was so beautiful – but she had to get him out of her system. If she didn’t, she’d be setting herself up for a broken heart down the road.

“I’ll
go make a few calls.” Nic got up and cast her one last, despondent look before he left the room. Ava sighed, whipped out her pad and sent Georgie a message to let her know that they’d be seeing each other soon.

Two days later, Ava met Georgie in front of the Neil Armstrong Lodge. Her friend had used a courtesy Solar van to get to the hotel from the cruiser terminal, despite Ava’s suggestion to get a cab. “I didn’t have to wait very long,” Georgie said as she pulled Ava into a warm embrace. “It’s nonsense to spend all that money on a private taxi.”

“Well, Nicolas is loaded,” Ava replied. “And he wouldn’t have minded paying for the expenses. He’s also paying for the hotel.”

Georgie smirked. “You’re starting to sound like an Elite bitch, Avaleria Windsor. ‘Oh, don’t worry, my half-uncle will pay for everything…’ “

Ava punched her on the shoulder. “Stop it.
I don’t want to be a leech, but I really had to get out of that house for a while.”

“Yeah, tell me
what happened,” Georgie pleaded as they strolled into the lobby. “You’ve been awfully quiet on the subject of your sexy guardian lately.”

Ava pressed the button for the elevator. “Well, what happened is that he stopped seeing Clea.
”

“He did?” Georgie gasped.

“Yeah. Shortly after that night we danced together.”

“Did you ask why he broke up with her?”

“No.” Ava bit her lip. “It’s really not my business.”

“But it is! He realized he likes you better.”

They stepped into the elevator. Ava shook her head. “He rejected me, George. After a workout in his practice room, I – I tried to seduce him. I kissed him, and he – oh, God, that kiss. It was so good he could have taken me against the wall, right there and then, for all I cared.”

“And then?” Georgie gazed at her breathlessly.

“And then he totally freaked out. Said I should never touch him like that again. He broke my heart and trampled all over the pieces.”

Her friend fell silent. “Have you told him you’re in love with him?”
she asked gently.

“Why should I?” Ava scoffed. “You want me to make a complete, utter fool of myself?”

“Maybe he doesn’t know.” Georgie took a deep breath. “Maybe he thinks you’re just playing games with him.”

The elevator dinged. As they got out, Ava shook her head again. “He made it perfectly clear to me why he’s drawing a line. Let’s just forget about it. I came here to get him out of my head, and you have to help me.”

Georgie shrugged. “If you say so.”

In the days that followed, Ava was surprised to discover Luna Six wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. It was true that most of
its British and Great German citizens were haughty Elitists, but the people in the service industry who ran the shops, the restaurants and the tourist agencies were commoners who reminded her of the people back in Sutton – moderately well-off, proud to be what they were, and thankful to be a part of the moon colony. They also took a day to visit the school Tom and Patty attended during the week, which inspired Ava to seriously look at job openings at Moon-6 Elementary. “I’ve always enjoyed teaching people all kinds of things,” she mused. “Maybe I should get a job as a teacher. Find an apartment in the city. Nicolas can pay for it if he wants.”

“It would be a good place for you,” Georgie agreed. “It’s the only school where Elite and commoner kids attend classes together, right?”

By the time Georgie’s vacation was over, Ava felt so much lighter. She hadn’t thought of Nicolas
that
much, and by now she also had a new ambition – applying for jobs in the city. The headmistress of Moon-6 Elementary had expressed interest in receiving her resume, so she might be able to provide for herself and move out of Carter Manor entirely before too long.

“Take care,” Georgie said, hugging her tightly as they said
their goodbyes on the terminal platform. “Drop by Sutton soon, okay?”

“I will.” Ava watched her friend boarding the cruiser back to Earth, then turned around to exit the building and call a cab to bring her back home.

When the taxi floated up to the front gates, Danny and Margaret were waiting for her with beaming faces. “Welcome back,” Mrs. Pipps said, taking her suitcase. “We missed you! The twins told us you visited their school. They were so excited to meet your friend.”

“Tom said he wanted you to be their teacher if you get a job at the school,” Danny added. “I think it would be a golden opportunity for you, Ava.”

She nodded, absently looking around. “Nicolas isn’t home yet?” she inquired.

Margaret smiled. “He’s out in the fields with the farmers. He said he’d be here for tea.”

Ava nodded quietly. She’d tried so hard to forget about Nicolas these past few weeks – in fact, she hadn’t even introduced Georgie to him. It had seemed best to steer clear of Carter Manor for a while, but as Ava went inside and looked around the familiar hallway, she realized she’d truly missed the place. The manor felt like home, despite the heartache she’d suffered in this house.

Upstairs, in her room, Ava unpacked
her bags and stood in front of her wardrobe to pick out something nice to wear. During her vacation, she’d worn casual, comfortable clothes all the time, but now she suddenly felt the urge to dress in something more elegant. Her fingers ran over the outfits on the hangers before picking out a dark-blue slip dress her dad had given to her one year ago. The Elite-colored outfit would probably come in handy when they visited Uncle Gerald. Maybe she should show it to Nic for approval first.

After changing into the dress, Ava wandered downstairs. She could hear Margaret preparing tea and cakes in the kitchen, but the thought of
walking in there and sampling some of the sweets before teatime was strangely off-putting. Actually, she was too nervous to eat anything right now. Her gaze drifted to the back door, leading to the orangery and the shed where she’d kissed Nicolas for the first – and probably last – time. If he’d been working outside, he should be coming in through the gardens any minute now.

Her heart beat in her throat when she pushed open the door and stepped outside. The crisp, cold air
under the dome tickled her skin, momentarily causing goose bumps to erupt on her arms. As Ava walked down the garden path and past the vegetable patch where she’d worked with Alen until last month, she hummed a tune. Only when she’d reached the edge of the manor grounds and stopped at the big gate leading to the wheat fields did it dawn on her that she was singing
Fly Me To The Moon
. She’d listened to the song several times during her stay in the Neil Armstrong Lodge, because it had been in the room’s playlist. By now, she knew the lyrics by heart.

Ava’s breath hitched when her gaze alighted on a tall
, dark figure stalking through the field bordering on the manor’s yard. With trembling fingers, she lifted the latch on the gate and pushed it open to step outside and greet Nicolas – her handsome, sexy, well-built guardian with his dark-brown hair and endlessly deep emerald eyes.

He spotted her. F
or a second she was afraid he’d veer off and make his way around the house to the front door, just to avoid her. But he didn’t. If anything, he seemed to speed up, purposely striding toward the gate, his eyes intently on her.

When
Nic finally came to a stop in front of Ava, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he scooped her up in his arms and hugged her so tight it knocked the wind out of her.

“You’re back,” he mumbled in her hair.

“Of – of course I’m back,” she whispered, completely flustered by his warm welcome.

Nicolas sighed.
“I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.” And just like that, she knew her mission to get this man out of her system had failed. It had been easy to pretend she didn’t care when she was still in Luna Six having fun with her friend.
Seeing him again made her painfully aware of how much he’d become an inevitable part of her world, though. She bit back tears. Their lives would be two straight lines running parallel to each other, never to touch. He’d be forever next to her, unattainable, and it would be her undoing.

“So, Luna Six agreed with you
after all?” Nicolas said with a playful smile after he’d released her. “The kids told me you’re aiming for a teaching career.”

“I might apply for a job there, yes.” She looked up at him.
“Since you’re not planning on giving me that gardening job.”

Nic chuckled. “I hired a new guy to be groundskeeper.
A friend of Danny’s. You might meet him tonight.”

They walked back to the house, chatting about
Ava’s adventures in Luna Six and beyond. Nicolas had gone back to keeping his distance again – he was careful not to put his hand on her shoulder or to walk too close, but it was hard to miss his eyes eagerly and repeatedly sweeping up and down her body in the beautiful dress. No matter what he might tell her later about his impromptu hug, Ava knew he hadn’t been able to help himself a few minutes ago. Seeing her after all these weeks had apparently pushed him to throw all caution to the wind. He still wanted her, and for a single, optimistic second, she’d allowed her hope to flare up again. Had he changed his mind?

“So, I booked a flight to Old London,” Nicolas announced when they were all sitting down for tea in the kitchen, Tom and Patty still busy
at the counter making dough for more scones. “We’re leaving in two days.”

“That soon?”
Ava cried out. “I thought I’d be able to squeeze in a few job interviews first.”

Nicolas
gave her a lopsided smile. “Well, you thought wrong. Uncle Gerald doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

She glared at him. “You said he was a nice man.”

“Nice men can’t be impatient?”

Ava
grinned. “Were you always being this clever or did I just forget about it while I was away?”

“I have always been this clever,” he replied with a serious face.

“Well, lucky me.”

“
Indeed. Count your blessings, Miss Windsor,” he added even more deadpan.

Ava giggled. Somehow, they’d gone back to the teasing exchanges so common between them
before things had turned ugly. She stared at him, absorbing his green eyes and playful little smile keenly. And suddenly, she realized just how much she was in love with this guy who was supposed to be her uncle. Maybe Georgie was right – maybe she should tell him. As long as she didn’t, she’d never know if he was able to reciprocate her feelings.