Chapter Thirty-four Estera Roberts’ POV (Ten Years Before)

Then he stopped and slowly rose to his feet, straightening his spine with one of his hands moving up my side to rest on my waist. I opened my eyes and stared at the wall of his chest, realizing he was very close to me now. Our bodies were barely two inches apart. He used his other hand to nudge my chin so I could tilt my face up to meet his gaze, then he rubbed my cheek with his knuckle, looking into my eyes in that intent manner that I was beginning to get used to.
“Eat, and get some rest,” he said, then pulled back and rushed down the flight of stairs. It was still raining but it didn’t seem to bother him. He took long strides to the driver's side as if he was suddenly in quite a hurry
He got inside the car and drove off almost immediately. I let out a sigh and dazedly closed the door to rest my back on it.
My heart was going a mile per minute and I slowly slipped to the floor to sit on the doormat. I shut my eyes feeling the urge to touch myself as his scent still lingered in the air and his touch still tingled my skin. How does he do that? How does he turn me into a puddle of nerves each time he is close? I slowly raised my hand to slip it under his jacket to touch my nipples and felt they had beaded. The thought of his mouth closing over them assailed me and I let out a low moan. I allowed my hands to stroke the hardened buds, breathing heavily, imagining it was his strong hands on me. My pussy ached and a shudder passed through me. I parted my legs, thinking of touching myself down there, and then my thigh touched the side of the paper bag and the hot feel of the food scalded my skin, jolting me back to reality. I cursed and stood up, carrying the food to the kitchen. ‘Evan Sterling is dangerous. I should keep my distance from him,’ I thought to myself.
I woke up to a gentle knock on the door and sat up feeling a bit disoriented. Then the event of the previous night played in my head and I let out a sigh. After I had eaten the delicious meal Evan Sterling brought for me, I had literally crawled to bed to crash. The ache in my knee was a reminder of the previous night's adventure.
I left the bed, wondering if Aunt Sophia had forgotten her keys again. My gaze settled on the jacket I was wearing, I couldn’t believe I had slept in it. In my defense, it felt too damn comfortable, or perhaps I had left it on because it carried Evan’s heavily musky scent. I quickly removed it and changed into my pajamas, a crop top that showed off my midsection, over a fitted bum short.
I'm one of those who loves to go to bed in the nude and only have my supposed pajamas for when I need to raid the fridge in the middle of the night. I quickly wore my bunny slippers and hurried to the living room.
"Coming, Aunt Sophia," I mumbled when the knock sounded again, unlocking it to pull it open without checking who it was through the peephole. My gaze settled on outlined pectorals under a gray clinging shirt, and then I slowly lifted my eyes up to meet a pair of blue gazes that were observing me coolly.
"Mr. Sterling?" I stuttered, completely befuddled as to why Evan Sterling was back here so early on Saturday morning.
"Evan… please call me Evan. I came to drop off your clothes. I am going to be fully engaged this weekend and may not have the time again, and since I didn't want any of the servants finding this in my car. I thought to get it clean and bring it myself," he explained my unspoken query.
"Oh! You didn't have to do that. You could have just…"
"You left your undies in the pile."
"Oh!" I said and felt heat rush to my face. I wanted so much for the ground to open and swallow me whole. Evan Sterling saw and washed my undies. My God! "You didn't have to do that," I added, sounding distressed.
"By the time I found out it was too late. But it's done. Please…" he said, offering me a white paper bag. I accepted it and swallowed a moan when his fingers touched mine in the process. His skin was warm, and he smelled incredibly good.
"Thank you. I'm afraid I haven’t gotten to cleaning the jacket you lent me," I said, holding his gaze. He nodded.
"Keep it. You don't have to return it."
"But it looks new and I swear I didn't get blood on it…"
"It's okay, Estera, you don't have to return it."
"Thanks…"
"How is your leg?"
"I will live," I said and attempted a smile. He didn't smile back. He just stared intensely into my eyes.
"I will take that as a doctor's observation."
I chuckled feeling sheepish. "Ah. My aunt told you."
"Yes. You also don't need to worry about her not being here yet. I told her she could stay in the guestroom in the main house instead of braving the storm. She should join you soon."
"That is considerate of you. Thank you," I said, not breaking eye contact with him. We both stood there for a second just staring into each other's eyes and not saying a word.
"You want to come in for a cup of coffee?"
"I shouldn't, Estera. Enjoy your weekend," he said, turned around, and rushed down the porch stairs.
I felt the sting of rejection again. His refusal carried weight as if he was not only refusing my polite invitation but everything that I may think of to come with it.
I shut the door slowly watching him leave. When he got to the driver's side of his car he darted a glance my way and our eyes met before I closed the door. "Well, that was embarrassing on every level. Let's not do that again," I said to myself.
I suppose in Charlestown, I have to learn my place and not just throw out invitations to trillionaires. I walked back to my room and sat with my legs folded under me as I rummaged through the paper bag and saw he had washed and even ironed my cotton shirt. My clothes smelled of detergent and had his cologne stuck to them too. I couldn't help giggling at the thought of him discovering my g-string and half cup lace bra in my wet pile of clothes. My laughter died when I saw he had tucked a fresh rose in the bag with a note attached to the stem:
"To the rose thief, a rose to replace the one you lost."
My heart constricted.