1/18/18

A/N: This is the new story I mentioned in my author's note for the last chapter of A Steele Love. I needed to get this down and out there. It's a story that won't stop swimming around in my head. I don't know when or how often I will update this story but here it is. It's going to be a different Christian and Ana. Some of Christian's back story will be the same, but the haphephobia will have been dealt with. There will be no history with Elena, other than her being a snotty bitch when Grace isn't around. Ana's parents are Ray and Carla Steele. They are still married. Ray's parents are alive and Ana has a special connection with her grandfather, who owns Seattle Independent Publishing. Christian still dropped out of college to start GEH, but he got the money from his grandfather when he showed him a solid business plan. Ana and Christian are the same age and Ana has just graduated college. They are both 21 at the start of this story.

This is a prologue and the first few chapters will have a lot of flashbacks and backstory. Just hang with me and let me know what you think. I hope that you enjoy it.

I don't own FSoG. I appreciate playing around with the characters and the inspiration that they provide for me. This has not been beta-ed. All mistakes are completely my own.

Laters

Unavowed

May 18, 2018

"What are you doing here, Christian?" Ana looked at the first boy she ever loved with barely contained rage. "You need to leave before someone sees you. That means you go back out that window and down the tree and you never look back." Stood firmly with one arm stretched out toward her now open bedroom window pointing in the direction of his required exit.

"You know I can't do that Anastasia. You can't do this. You're making a mistake you'll regret for the rest of your life." Christian's grey eyes grew hard as he implored the only girl he's ever loved to rethink what she's about to do.

"The only thing I'm regretting is ever falling in love with you. Ever since that first day of kindergarten, you were my best friend. We knew at ten years old that we'd grow old together surrounded by our grandchildren. You were supposed to be my first everything, but you ruined it." Ana was standing in her pale pink robe having just stepped from the shower when Christian climbed through her window under the cover of darkness. Her arms crossed over her chest, Ana tried to maintain her steely resolve. "You told me you loved me and gave me a promise ring and when I wouldn't have sex with you, you left me at the lake. You didn't talk to me for two weeks and the next time I saw you Leila Williams was draped over you like a bad fungus. She didn't hesitate to tell everyone that she took your virginity. I had to move on. You did."

Christian is near tears seeing Ana's eyes glisten with the hurt even three years after the fact. "I know I hurt you. I was dumb and made a mistake. I was sixteen and didn't know what I was doing. Please don't do this Ana. I never stopped loving you. My life is shit without you. I've been miserable watching you these last three years with him. I couldn't watch it anymore. It's why I dropped out when I did. I threw myself into starting GEH. I needed to become something for you."

Ana's tears started to fall at this. "Christian, I never stopped wanting you, but what am I supposed to do? I've got 200 people expecting to see me walk down the aisle tomorrow. What do I do about him?"

Ana knew she didn't love her fiancé like she loved Christian, but she had been afraid of being alone in life. Truth was she was just afraid of him. She was surprised when he proposed on New Year's. Here it is was, a week after her graduation and she was supposed to marry the man she had fooled herself into loving. Nearly three years they dated, and she never had sex with him. Never stayed the night with each other, and she always sent him home at midnight.

"Leave him a note and pack a bag. I'll have us on a plane to Vegas before the sun rises." Christian looks hopeful and stands tall wiping the tears from his eyes. Walking toward Ana, Christian projects an air of confidence. Brushing the tears from Ana's cheeks he tilts her jaw toward his. "Come with me and I can make you my wife before the sun sets tomorrow. I know he's demanding you not take the editor position at your grandfather's publishing house. I'd never hold you back from your dreams, Ana. We could create a home and family together. Support each other in our pursuit of our dreams. Please, I need you."

Christian was pleading now. He wanted Ana to say yes. He couldn't bear the thought of her going through with the wedding tomorrow. He spent an hour beating a heavy bag in the gym of his apartment building when Mia told him that Ana had spent the day crying on her shoulder because Ana's fiancé demanded she stay at home and become a lady who lunches. He wanted a trophy wife to help him climb the corporate ladder. He also wanted access to Ana's trust fund. He knew about the fight they had because she agreed to let her dad push a prenup on him. What Christian, and no one else for that matter, knew was the Ana's fiancé expected Ana to participate in a domestic discipline relationship. Her back and ass bared the marks of his expectations. He gave her a demonstration just before their rehearsal dinner when she wouldn't wear the dress he picked out. It was too revealing in the cleavage department and Ana refused to dress like that.

"He'll be so upset with me. He's going to be embarrassed. Half of the people coming tomorrow are his clients or people he wants to invest with his firm. My dream of a small intimate wedding at my grandparents' lake house was turned into a corporate affair at the most exclusive country club in the city." Ana looks despondent thinking of the event her wedding has been turned into. She hates Seattle's elitist society and really, she only put twenty-six names on their guest lists; names that included all the Greys except Christian. "He'll look for me. He'll do whatever he can to find me. He won't just let me go."

"We can go to Tahoe instead of Vegas if you want. Get married at the lake there. I can make it happen Ana. Please say yes. Please forgive me for my teenage mistake. Please forgive me for not fighting harder for you. Please be my wife. I'll love and cherish you. I'll protect you and encourage you in your pursuits in life. I'll support you and enable you to succeed at everything you want to do. If you want children, we'll have them. If you want to wait, we will. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you Anastasia. I love you." Christian wrapped an arm around Ana's waist and dragged her body so that she was pressed flush with him. Christian brought his free hand up to brush her wet hair out of her face and behind her ear. "I'm going to kiss you now. Tell me no if you don't want it."

Ana, just wrapped a hand around Christian's neck and pressed her chest into his. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, her breaths started to come in short pants and she leaned up on her toes toward him and pressed her lips to his. It was a tentative kiss. She hadn't kissed Christian in nearly six years. The minute Christian had his lips on her he was pressing harder. The uncertainty turning to passion that he'd never experienced.

Ana moaned and let his tongue slip into her mouth. She'd never kissed her fiancé so passionately. No man or boy had ever kissed her like this. Ana knew she couldn't go through with her wedding tomorrow. Not when she could have the love of her life back. Not when she could have the happily ever after that she has dreamed of since she was a little girl.

Christian tangled his tongue with Ana's, savoring the flavor that was unique to her. He didn't remember their kisses ever being this amazing. When they finally pulled away to catch their breath, both had tangled their hands in the other's hair. "Say yes Ana. We'll climb through the window together and start our forever after. I promise to give you everything you've ever wanted in this world."

"You know every twenty something woman in our circles will want to kill me for marrying you." Ana couldn't hide her smirk when she thinks of all the events they've attended over the years and the women that have thrown themselves at Christian.

"What are you saying?" Christian had pulled back from Ana completely and was looking at her with wide eyes. He had hope in his heart and he was afraid she was toying with him.

"Let me dress. We need to stop at the ATM because he'll track my cards. I'll buy clothes wherever we go." Ana pulled away and went straight to the dresser of her childhood room. Grabbing a pair of jeans, a light blue short-sleeved sweater and a set of white satin underwear. She dressed quickly not even thinking of the fact that Christian was watching.

When Ana turned back to Christian, she could see the rage building in his eyes. "Anastasia, what the hell happened to you?" Christian had crossed over the room to her and stared at her, afraid to touch her.

"He showed me how he expects our marriage to go. I refused to wear a dress that barely covered my chest to the rehearsal dinner." It was all Ana could say. She would tell him more later but right now she wanted to get out of the house before her fiancé could show up or before her mother found Christian in her room. Her dad would likely help them escape, but her mother, Carla Steele would murder Christian to save face tomorrow at what she wanted to be the Seattle society event of the year.

"Let me write a note." She grabbed a sheet of paper from her desk and quickly wrote a note to her fiancé.

I'm sorry. This isn't right.

It's not what I want.

You're not what I want.

She didn't bother signing her name. She left it with her large ring in the center of her perfectly made bed. Her mother would find it in the morning. She dropped her phone next to it so they couldn't track it.

"Will your security be able to keep him from finding us?" Ana feared what would happen to her and what would happen to Christian if her fiancé found them. She'd seen a side of him that she never wanted to see again today. She was scared for her life during that dinner. She barely spoke and had picked at the food on her dinner plate.

"We'll be safe. I promise you I'll do everything I can to show you that you'll be secure. We can do this. I'll text my guy and he'll get us a private plane. I'll make the arrangements. We'll stay a week. We'll get married and have a short honeymoon and figure everything out. I promise it will be okay." Christian knew there was more going on. He could sense that Ana really was scared, he just wasn't sure what she was afraid of. Walking to the window, Christian extended his hand to his love. "Ladies first."

Out the window they climbed. Ana was with the man she never stopped wanting. Would they be safe from that man she never truly desired, but settled for? The man had blackmailed her into their marriage. Would he follow through on his threats? Ana would have to tell Christian the full truth. He deserved no less. She hoped he understood and could keep his promise to keep her safe. The would have to keep their marriage unavowed to stay safe.