Chapter 12

They rode the lift in silence. Ana thought Christians behaviour was wrong. She understood he mistook Greyson for a date. However, he should have asked. Jealousy was not an emotion she experienced. Roger cared little about who she was around which in hindsight was a red flag, except she was in love.

"Christian. Why did you jump to a conclusion? What if Greyson was my friendly cousin?" she asked. "You acted like an ass" she continued.

"I felt jealous." he defended. "I have been anticipating our dinner to tell you I liked you. Then propose dating each other. But I didn't get the chance." She could hear sincerity in his voice. "Suddenly I see you looking breathtaking. I figured, my chance was gone." he finished.

"Christian, please promise this won't occur again. I want us to date. However, I won't tolerate certain behaviour."

Once again disarmed he responded, "You have my word." sealed with a kiss.

After their talk, Ana excused herself to change into something more comfortable. Christian sat on the coach thanking the lucky stars that Ana decided to give them a chance. After his moronic display. He gawked as Ana entered the room dressed in a laced t-shirt dress. Looking breathtaking as ever. He walked over to her, then pulled her int his arms. "You are beautiful," he whispered. Placing a kiss on her lips; while pulling away Ana grabbed him. Prompting him not to stop. Her lips were soft. He could kiss her all night. Too soon she pulled away for air and stared into his eyes. "That was..."

"Wonderful" he finished.

"Tell me about your family," she whispered.

"What would you like to know?"

"Anything you're willing to tell." she smiled.

"Okay. Did you know my siblings and I were adopted?"

"No. I did not. Were you adopted as a baby?"

"No, at age four I was brought to the hospital that my mother worked in Detriot. I was suffering from malnutrition. She was the doctor assigned to me. I guess one could say she fell in love with the lost child I was." He continued to tell Ana about his troubled childhood. Talking about his past with her was easy. She listened. Not once did he see a look of pity on her face, instead he saw care.

He told Ana everything about his post-adoption years. His birth mother's drug problems and pimp. He even spoked on his touch issues. She got angry when Christian spoke of his teenage years with Elena.

"What a bitch! You were just a child Christian." Ana shrieked.

"I know. I thought the submission was helping with my touch issues. My school work improved, I graduated top of my class. It felt right." Just as she thought that was the worse he continued. She did not know what bothered her more. Christian beating woman to submission or women desiring dominance. His sexual upbringing was different from the average. He didn't have crushes in high school, kiss behind the bleachers or made out on the dance floor at prom. All thanks to that wretched woman. Ana watched as Christian faced morphed into a million expressions until tears started streaming down his face. Talking about his past was cleansing, something she knew all too well.

"Christian are you okay? We can stop talking if this is too much." she wiped the tears from his cheeks. Tears he had not realised were falling. He held her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. "No. I'm good. I should have eased you into this." Ana laughed at his comment. He was right. She now understood what Elliot meant when he said Christian had been through a lot. "Maybe you should have," she remarked snuggling closer into his body. Christian had discarded his jacked. She could feel his toned chest against her body. Being this close to him elicited the sexual desires she was suppressing. As if he could sense her arousal he planted a kiss behind her ear. "Why aren't you chasing me out of your hotel room? I just unloaded the worse parts of my life to you, and here you sit snuggling further into me. Wiping tear stains from my cheek."

She kissed him on his biceps then answered "If your family understood. So can I. Christian you went out and sought help. Maybe it was not necessary, but you did. You fell in love shortly after. I must say, had you still practised the BDSM lifestyle I would have been both scared and intrigued. I also may have needed some time to process."

She straightened herself in his lap. "I hate that you went through all you did. Both past and present."

Christian thought back to his life with his submissives. In retrospect, that life turned him into a recluse. He was not so much better as he was tolerable. A principal issue of his gave him a lifestyle he could have bypassed. Becoming a dominant gave him sex without attachment. These women spent their weekend satisfying his every whim. What demented person dedicate a room to whipping women? Because of control. He remembered telling Diana about her past. She looked at him as if he was a monster. They did not speak for days. Despite it being his past she was still cautious. It had changed her impression of him. They visited Dr Flynn together who helped to address some of her doubts. With Ana, he was waiting for the other shoe to drop but it didn't. Ana assured him she was not going to dwell on his past. It happened post-Ana and in no way affected their relationship.

It was now her time to tell him about her family. Her life was not as daunting as his. He listened eagerly to her every word.

"I have a sister. Her name is Caitlyn. We live in Montesano for a while. My father was a college professor. When I turned three he a job at WSU, moving us to Portland. My parents argued a lot because dad was regularly inebriated and would say hurtful words to mom. He would storm out leaving mom crying in the kitchen. My sister would call me in her room, turn the stereo up, and we'd have a 'Disco'. We'd dance all night and braid our hair. Whenever I asked why our parents were fighting she'd say, it's because they love each other too much."

"You have a good sister. Are your parents still together?"

"No. Dad died when I was five from chronic hepatitis with liver fibrosis. He loved the bottle."

"I am sorry for your lost" Christian replied with remorse, regretting he had asked about her parents. It was not his intention to raise any buried feelings.

"That's okay. My mother married Ray Steele two years after his death. He adopted Caitlyn and I giving us his surname."

Their talk continued for hours. They spoke about everything. From high school to college, to first jobs and loves lost. He told her about Diana and her untimely passing in return she told him about her break up with Roger and the many blind dates that her mom and sister sent her on. They were so comfortable with each other. As the night progress, they got a bottle of wine and pasta.

Christian was curious about how Ana and Lily met.

She told him the story about Lily rescuing her in the bathroom because a bitchy sorority girl had taken her towel as a joke.

They became friends shortly after and has been inseparable since. Lily has been her sounding board on most decisions. They meant everything to each other.

"You know she caught me looking at you at the Gala. She told me to treat you well?"

Ana smiled. "That sound like her."

"You must be exhausted. We have finished a bottle of wine." Christian asked. Ana gazed into his intense grey eyes shaking her head no. His lips met hers for another intense kiss while his tongue fought for dominance. The heat between them was scorching. He placed one hand on the smalls of her back as he brought her down to the couch; while the other was pulling down the zipper of her dress. Ana was about to unbutton his shirt when the door burst open with a shocked Lily.

"Oh shit! Sorry to interrupt. Continue." She stammered leaving.

"Don't leave. I'll go." Christian returned.

He kissed Ana's forehead, "I will call you later. Get some rest. Goodnight Ms Marcus."

"Goodnight" Lily responded.

Christian walked to the door let himself out. The door closed; Lily looked towards her friend.

"Oh no! Get back here," Lily shouted.

"I'm tired. It has been a long evening. Ask your questions tomorrow."

Lily pouted. "Okay." Ana sighed.

"We talked about our families, past and lost loves."

"That sounds intense," Lily responded. "It was. He has been through so much. Lost even more." Ana yawned.

"I can see you're tired. We'll finish in the morning. Good night"

Ana closed her bedroom door and changed into a silk teddy. She was happy that she and Christian addressed everything that could potentially destroy their relationship. That thought sent her into a sound slumber.