Chapter Seven
Ana wakes alone in the bed. She can hear conversation coming from the living room, and soon identifies the voices of Christian and Cynthia. After a visit to the bathroom, she dons the toweling robe before joining them and is almost shocked to see her husband helping with breakfast. As usual, Christian somehow senses her approach and smiles like the sunrise on seeing her, then says, "Morning, wife."
Wondering if her smile is as revealing of her feelings for him, Ana sits at the breakfast counter and says, "Morning, husband. You cook, now?"
With a proud smile, Christian says, "Yes. Miss Cynthia is teaching me."
"Good morning, Mrs. Grey."
"Morning, Cynthia. And, thank you. He certainly could do with a few lessons."
Smiling kindly at her "student", Cynthia says, "Oh, he's doing fine. What would you like this morning, Mrs. Grey?"
"Uh, perhaps an omelet? And please call me Ana."
"Yes, Mrs.…Ana."
Seconds later, Christian puts a cup of tea in front of Ana and leans across the counter to kiss her before saying, "Weak as dishwater, just how you like it."
Laughing, Ana says, "Thank you."
Breakfast is soon ready, and Cynthia stays only long enough to serve it on the balcony dining table before bidding them goodbye. As Ana sits down, her gaze travels over the stunning view and she notices a spectacular catamaran in the water below them, sails furled as if they're staying put for a while. When she points it out to Christian, he says, "I'm glad you like it, because it's ours for the day."
Surprised and pleased, Ana asks, "Where are we going?"
"Anywhere we like. That's kind of the point. There are several smaller islands with secluded beaches nearby."
"Is this some overreaction to the lucky fucker? Not that I'd mind. I just want to know where your head is at."
Quickly kissing her before taking his seat, Christian says, "Fair question, though I fail to see how that would help, given that he has access to a yacht. No. I booked this when I rented the villas. The cat has bedrooms, bathroom, bar and kitchenette, plus an experienced skipper who knows these waters very well, and a lackey to wait on us. And Cynthia has already put probably far too much food on board for our lunch, so we can stay out all day, if you wish. Oh, and my head is squarely on my shoulders this morning, thanks to you."
"Thanks to me?"
With a smile, Christian explains, "Yes, sweetheart. Reminding me to trust you last night was exactly what I needed to help me stay in control. And then you soothed my fears last night in the most delicious way. I slept very well after that."
Not genuinely upset, Ana chides, "And yet, I again woke up alone."
Christian isn't falling for her act, and his smile widens as he says, "Well, I had to make your breakfast."
"A nasty precedence to set, Mr. Grey; a girl could easily get used to this kind of treatment."
Still smiling, Christian says only, "I hope so."
Idly wondering how much happiness a human can take, Ana eats her breakfast with a permanent, quiet smile on her face. By the time they're ready to go, the catamaran's mainsail is unfurled, flapping slightly in the breeze as if keen to be underway. As they descend the stairs to Pebble Beach, Ana once again forbidden to carry anything, she can see an inflatable dinghy and kind-looking young man waiting for them. He introduces himself as Kevin and helps load their gear into the boat. Christian then looks at Taylor and Prescott as he says, "So, who got the short straw?"
When Taylor says nothing, Prescott sheepishly volunteers, "I get seasick on anything smaller than a cruise ship."
Obviously fighting a smile, Christian says, "Is that how we acquired your services?"
"No. I don't like politics." With a grin, Prescott continues, "And you pay better than the President does."
Christian laughs and helps Ana into the dinghy as he says, "Well, that's because I make more than he does. Enjoy your day off."
"Thank you, sir."
As the inflatable dances across the water to the yacht, Ana asks, "We only need one minder, today?"
With a pointed glance at Taylor, Christian says, "I doubt we even need one, as we won't be hitting any towns."
Deadpan, Taylor drawls, "I'll just keep an eye out for gigolos, then."
Ana chokes on her laugh, a little worried how Christian will react, but he only salutes the man who's protected him for years, and receives a nod in reply.
As they gently come to a rest against the catamaran, Christian helps Ana board and follows her as Taylor and Kevin load their few supplies. Their skipper is Alphonse, and he waits until the inflatable is safely stowed at the stern before setting sail. After helping with the process, Kevin makes sure everyone has a drink, and then hovers out of earshot. Leaning back in the snug, u-shaped sofa in the middle of the deck, champagne in her hand, sky and water zipping by, Ana says, "Yes, I'm definitely getting used to the billionaire lifestyle."
Christian smiles and says, "You know very well that this vacation is only possible because I've been working instead of living all these years; not much of a lifestyle."
With a shrug, Ana says, "No reason why I shouldn't reap the benefits."
With a delighted laugh, Christian says, "True. It's as good a reason as any for all my hard work." Offering his champagne flute in toast, Christian then says, "To you, Anastasia."
Ana accepts the gesture, but only as she corrects him, "To us."
Christian takes a sip of his drink and then lovingly comments "Always defiant," before rewarding her with a lingering, gentle kiss.
They're quiet for a while, just soaking up the sun and the champagne, when Ana puts her glass aside and quietly says, "I have fears, too."
Tensing, Christian says only, "Oh?"
Kicking off her sandals and swinging her legs up onto his lap, wondering if it's for comfort, Ana says, "Yes, and I've been thinking…"
"Uh, oh."
Glaring at him, Ana continues, "I've been thinking that you need a publicist."
"No fucking way, Ana. Just ignore the press. It's worked fine for me so far."
Desperate for him to understand, Ana forges ahead, saying, "Except that it hasn't." With a nod at Taylor, languidly watching over them from a discreet distance, she continues, "He's proof of that. But if you had a professional, an expert managing your image, there might be fewer attacks. You said yourself that spending less time at the office is creating problems, and I know that you get death threats…probably a lot more than I'll ever know about."
Sympathetic to her obvious distress, Christian puts his glass in a holder and leans towards Ana, covering her nervously clasped hands with one of his and the other gently caressing her hair as he says, "Hey, it'll be okay. Things will settle down. They always do."
"Like the last time you were married?"
She can see that he's understood and is grateful when he eventually nods and says, "You're right. I have no idea what's going to happen next."
And then Ana watches, fascinated, as that almost telepathic communication between Christian and Taylor brings the big man closer and he asks, "Sir?"
"Ana thinks that a publicist is a good idea. But you know how I feel about the press. So we're at an impasse, and I've promised to let you decide such matters."
Ana has to then fight the urge to giggle when Taylor's eyebrows comically shoot up in surprise. She counts a full three seconds before he recovers enough to say, "Uh, I think the idea has merit. But I'd want to look into it before making a decision."
Apparently also fighting a smile, Christian says, "Good enough. Let me know." Taylor walks back to his post, shaking his head slightly, and Christian adds, "Well, that's given him something to think about." When Ana's gratitude will only permit a huge smile, he concludes, "Not what you were expecting?"
Shaking her head to banish the happy tears, Ana says, "No. Thank you."
Christian wipes a thumb gently across her cheeks and then kisses her before saying, "I'm not the only one in danger now that we're married, and I'm willing to do anything to ensure your safety." With a grin, he adds, "Anything that you and Taylor consider reasonable, anyway."
Reminded of an earlier conversation about chains, Ana smiles and whispers, "I'm already missing our dungeon."
Christian's eyes widen in surprise and his lips part slightly as her words instantly awaken his desire. He doesn't take his eyes off her as he loudly asks a question in French, of which Ana understands only their skipper's name, and receives a reply in the same language. And then he smiles at his wife and says, "We've got some time before our first stop. Would you care to see the master bedroom, Mrs. Grey?"
"Mr. Grey, I thought you'd never ask."
Not quite sure what she'd been expecting, Ana is surprised to see that the bedroom is actually quite comfortable, even opulent, though obviously a little smaller than she's becoming used to. She's still taking in the details of the room when what feels like cotton toweling suddenly covers her eyes. Unconcerned, she smiles and says, "Hey, I was using those."
Christian kisses her neck, sending a shiver of pleasure down her spine, and huskily whispers, "Too bad." He quickly ties the blindfold and then says, "I'm guessing you don't want everyone on the boat to hear your screams?"
Swallowing past her suddenly dry throat at what he might do to make her scream, Ana says, "I think they know we're not discussing porthole treatments. But, no." A moment of inspiration strikes and, confident that he was going to anyway, she begs, "May I please be gagged, Sir?"
Christian groans and spins her to him for a punishing kiss. Finally ending it, leaving Ana's lips raw and tingling, he again turns her away from him and says, "Good girl."
Ana is stunned to discover that the previously hated term causes her no distress this time, and resolves to tell him…later. When she's blind and dumb, Christian again turns her to him and then he leans by her ear to whisper, "Trust me?"
Ana can't help another reflexive swallow at what he might do to her, but then doesn't hesitate to nod, subconsciously leaning into him as she does so. Despite knowing that he'd have a reason for checking that she's receptive, Ana is taken completely by surprise when she's suddenly falling backwards, pushed by Christian's hands on her shoulders. The feeling of free-fall while blindfolded is terrifying and exhilarating. Of course, only a moment later, she bounces a little on the soft mattress. A giggle bursts from her in reaction, but it's mostly absorbed by the gag.
It sounds like Christian is still standing at the foot of the bed when he says, "Since we're on a boat, I won't bind you. So we won't need any silent safe words. Just remove the gag if you're not having fun, okay?"
Ana nods, keen to feel his hands on her body. Instead, it's his lips on the top of her toes. As he continues his delicious torment of her feet, soon moving to her ankles, Ana realizes that, as he has done in the past, Christian intends to pleasure her with his mouth alone. And she groans, because she knows that he'll make it difficult to keep quiet. In the end, she forgets everything except the delights of her husband's caress. And, despite her resolution to keep the noise down, and the added precaution of the gag, an audible scream is torn from her throat as the waves of ecstasy wash through her again and again.
When the lovers finally reemerge on deck, showered and dressed, they're met with furtive grins all round. Surprised to find that she's only a little embarrassed, Ana tolerates it for a while, until she notices that Christian has joined in the smile fest, though his is a good deal more smug than the others'. Finally, she's had enough and puts her hands on her hips to angrily say, "Oh, grow up."
Of course, this does nothing to stop the grins, instead bringing chuckles from the men, but they eventually settle down. Soon after that Alphonse again speaks French to Christian, who then asks Ana, "Ever been swimming with dolphins?"
At first only excited, Ana then warily asks, "Not captive ones?"
With a kind smile, Christian says, "No, baby, they're entirely wild. Alphonse uses nothing to entice them, except their natural curiosity."
Having heard some horror stories of people being attacked by wild dolphins, Ana says, "And you're okay with this?"
With a grin, Christian says, "Yes, we're still in much more danger with you driving the jeep."
Ignoring the jibe, Ana looks towards the horizon as she excitedly asks, "So, we're heading for a pod?"
"We're in it, baby. Alphonse with lead them to a cove and, if we're lucky, they'll hang around for a while."
Leaping to her feet fast enough that Christian has to steady her, Ana races to the front of the boat. Sure enough, there are several dolphins surfing the waves pushed out by the catamaran as it hurtles across the water. Enthralled, Ana almost falls onto the netting trampoline stretched tight between the two hulls, and Christian says "Easy, baby," as he joins her.
The sleek, gray animals easily keep up with the yacht, effortlessly flowing in and out of the water. Ana and Christian lie there for a while, enjoying the spectacle, and then he asks, "So, what do you say?"
"About what?"
"Swimming with them."
Only now realizing that, in her excitement, she'd neglected to answer him, Ana beams at him and says, "I'd love to."
Unusually awkward on the webbing, Christian stands and offers Ana a hand as he says, "Then we need to get ready."
As they prepare for snorkeling, Ana sees that many more dolphins are following the catamaran, these doing flips high up into the air as they play in the wake of the boat, and she can't seem to stop smiling. Soon enough, Alphonse pilots them into a sheltered cove where the swimming will be easier for the humans. Some of the dolphins immediately leave, but several of them stay and Christian asks Ana, "Ready?"
Already heading to the steps at the back of the boat, Ana just laughs. They're met by Kevin, who says, "A few things before you get in the water; please don't touch the dolphins, even if they swim very close. Don't pursue them; instead let them come to you. And, if you really want to attract them, humming and dancing under the water seems to work best…basically, be interesting. Also, these are wild animals, so we can't predict their behavior. If any of them show aggression, get back onboard immediately, okay?"
Ana's eyes fixed on the beautiful animals jetting around the now almost stationary boat, she says "Okay," as Christian nods his assent.
What follows is an exhausting but magical celebration of the marine animal's grace and intelligence. Remembering Kevin's words, Ana spends most of her time underwater, humming "Under the Sea" and trying to channel Ariel. At one point she becomes aware that a dolphin is actually motionless, suspended in the water as it watches her antics. Her heart pounding, she comes to a standstill, buoyed only by small movements of her limbs, and they eyeball each other for several seconds. This close, Ana stares into the creature's eyes and fancies that she can almost read its mind, as if they actually have a connection other than sharing the same stretch of water. And then it seems to wink at her before a flick of its tail takes it in search of something more entertaining.
Finally, she and Christian are alone in the water and she surfaces with him, spitting out the snorkel and lifting the mask off her eyes to babble excitedly at him for a while before exclaiming, in dismay, "Oh, Christian, I totally forgot to take pictures!"
Embracing her as best he can in the water, Christian laughs and says, "Don't worry, baby, I got plenty, including one of you apparently having a chat with a dolphin. What were you saying to each other?"
Grateful that one of them was composed enough to get photos, Ana laughs and says, "Jealous of a dolphin, now?"
Christian summons a frown and jokes, "Yeah, well I didn't like the way he was staring at you."
"And if it was a female?"
Christian pretends to consider it and then says, "Better, but still jealous." And then he releases her and suggests, "Come on. Let's get back."
Back on board, Ana sheds her snorkeling gear, but stays in her bikini and collapses on the trampoline to dry. Christian soon joins her in only his swim trunks, lying on his back with one arm draped over his eyes against the midday sun. Ana automatically snuggles against him, idly toying with the vertical line of hair beneath his navel. Looking up at the cabin, she can see none of their shipmates and whispers, "It's as if we're alone."
Peeking out from under his arm, Christian murmurs, "What do you have in mind?"
Giggling at the fact that he's clearly tired, but still ready for anything, Ana says, "Nothing like that. I just like being alone with you." And then she sighs and says, "That was amazing, Christian, thank you."
Sounding a little awed, Christian says only, "Yeah."
Alerted by his tone, Ana says, "You've never done that before?"
"No, baby. All my best firsts are with you."
Ana lifts her gaze to his and says, "Well, those are some beautiful words. Say it again."
Uncovering his face and resting the hand on her shoulder, Christian smiles at her and obliges, "All my best firsts are with you, Anastasia, thank you."
Ana kisses him and then says, "Same here. So, you enjoyed it, too?"
Shaking his head a little, frowns and says, "Yeah, it was…" And then he grins and continues, "I'm afraid that words fail me this time. And you were incredible, like an underwater gymnast. Sexy as hell watching you play with them."
Ana blushes a little to confess, "I was trying to be The Little Mermaid."
Christian tries and fails to conceal his smile, and then says, "Well, I prefer brunettes to redheads, but she is kind of hot."
A shocked laugh erupts from Ana at the thought and she says, "You've watched The Little Mermaid?"
With a grimace, Christian confesses, "Mia's favorite. She must have made me watch it with her a hundred times."
Another, delighted laugh and Ana says, "Did you just pretty much do whatever Mia said when she joined the family?"
Smiling, Christian says, "Do, Ana. She's been bossing me around since she could speak, and I can't seem to refuse her."
Curious now, Ana says, "Do you know why?"
"Yeah, I've thought about it. You'd feel the same way if you'd seen her as a baby; utterly helpless and dependent on everyone around her. One look at her and I knew that I'd do anything to keep her safe and happy." With another grin, Christian reveals, "You think you've got it rough. I've actually followed her on dates, just to make sure she's okay. Oh, but she doesn't need to know that."
Resting her hand over his heart, Ana says, "Your secret is safe with me." And then she kisses his chest and says, "You're going to be a wonderful father."
When Christian immediately tenses at her words, Ana knows that he's still afraid of the idea, so she doesn't push him. After a while, he tightens his embrace and his voice is barely a whisper when he asks, "How can anyone look at a helpless child and then hurt them?"
Her eyes immediately stinging with unshed tears, Ana equally quietly says, "I don't know, darling. But I suspect that the fact you don't have the answer, after everything you've been through, means that you're not that person."
They're quiet for a while after that, silently drawing comfort from each other, and then Christian asks, "Sleepy?"
Given that she was almost asleep, Ana says only, "Mmm, hmm."
Sitting up, Christian says, "We'd better get out of the sun for a while, or you'll look more like Sebastian than Ariel."
Giggling again at the thought of Mia as a toddler bossing Christian around, Ana follows, asking, "What else did she make you watch?"
"Oh, pretty much any movie that an active, young boy would never watch given any other option; Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White…you know."
"Did you ever see the animated version of Anastasia?"
Offering his hand to assist her through the narrow door to the living quarters, Christian says, "Yes."
Annoyed that he's refusing to elaborate, when he must know that she's curious, Ana turns to face him and says, "And?"
Bending his tall frame through the doorway, Christian takes her in his arms and says, "I liked Rasputin. The rest of it was boring as shit."
Ana smiles and says, "Well, at least you're honest."
His smug grin confirming that he knows she'll like his answer, Christian then says, "I much prefer the real thing."
Whatever look Ana then gives him awakens his arousal, and swim trunks aren't nearly enough to keep that fact from her. Smiling, she says, "Christian, I'm exhausted."
Quickly kissing her, Christian jokes "Sorry, babe, just reminiscing about Ariel," and neatly sidesteps her attack on his ticklish ribs.
When they're on the bed, snug in each other's arms, Ana asks, "Did you like any of them?"
After a moment, Christian says only, "One."
When he says nothing else, Ana prompts, "Is it a secret?"
"Not exactly, but you'll laugh at me."
Now very curious, Ana says, "How about you tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine?"
After a few seconds, Christian reveals, "Beauty and the Beast."
Ana smiles against his chest and says, "My favorite."
Christian kisses her forehead and says, "Makes sense."
"How?"
"You're kidding, right? Except for the dancing teapot, we're living it."
Ana giggles and says, "I guess so."
She's almost asleep when Christian says, "Thank you."
Ana's eyelids barely retain the strength to flicker open as she asks, "For loving you back?"
"And for making me human again."
