AN: As always…..I do not own these characters. All rights go to E.L. James

"Saving You, Saving Me"

Chapter 13

I'd have to kiss you.

Kiss me indeed, Ana thought, tightening her hold on the tiller.

She slanted a glance toward Christian as his words reverberated around her head in time with the vibration of the boat motor as she maneuvered The Eclipse out of Smith Cove and through the rougher waters of Elliott Bay.

He sat with his legs stretched out in front of him on the starboard side, his back leaning against the railing. He didn't seem to mind the spray of water or the wind tousling his hair. He looked relaxed, causal even.

Not like a man who'd just been zapped by a Taser.

Her stomach clenched at the memory of the red, angry sites where the Taser's prongs had dug into his flesh.

When she'd been inspecting the wounds, she'd noticed two harrowing looking scars. The round puckering of healed bullet wound and the jagged slash of raised skin that could have come only from a blade.

Empathy tightened her chest. She'd wanted to ask about the scars, but she knew him well enough now to know he'd only deflect with some smart remark. Or accuse her of flirting.

She didn't flirt. Or rather she never had before. But with him…

As if feeling her gaze, his head turned her way. His gray eyes collided with hers.

I'd have to kiss you.

She couldn't help the tingle of excitement the very idea sent sliding through her. It had been a long time since she'd been kissed. Since she'd even wanted to be kissed. And now that he'd planted the idea in her head, it was all she could think about.

Like a girl not ready for the grown up challenges she'd impulsively taken on, she panicked and looked away, pretending to check the rigging above his head.

What would it be like to be kissed by him? Would he be tender and giving, or passionate and demanding? The thought made her feel reckless and wild.

Just as being out on the water made her feel free. And safe. She planned to drop anchor about three miles offshore. Close enough to make land quickly if needed. But far enough out to have a buffer of water between her and danger. In the distance, dark gray clouds brought the threat of the first fall storm, but that didn't deter her from her goal. After the past few days, a little weather wasn't going to keep her trapped on land with a madman waiting to kill her.

She forced her gaze forward. They sailed out of the bay area. Heading the bow into the wind. Normally her father captained the boat. Would she ever sail with him again? Sadness washed over her. But she refused to give in to the pain. She needed to believe her father had time left. Time enough for them to take the boat out on the water again.

A sense of freedom wrapped around Ana. Out here she could just be. No pressure to perform. Bad men with guns were far away. Out here she was safe. She caught the grin on Christian's face, the joy in his Gray eyes. He felt it, too. He met her gaze. She smiled. He was a kindred spirit.

Time seemed to stand still and speed up all at once.

Aware of something happening between them, of the connection being forged, Ana breathed deep, filling her lungs with fresh air and letting herself admit to the attraction, the affection she felt for her bodyguard.

Christian Grey had caught her off guard. She'd never expected to like, let alone care for, her bodyguard. She respected and admired him. Trusted him with her life. Wanted to be more to him than a client.

But admitting the emotions didn't mean she would do anything about the feelings bouncing around her head and her heart.

Out of self-preservation, she broke eye contact and shifted her gaze to the shoreline. Gauging they were at the point she'd charted on the nautical map, she cut the engine. The boat bounced slightly on the gentle swells. Christian lowered the anchor from the bow and fed out the anchor line, expertly snubbing it to the bollard along the craft.

Only the sound of waves lapping at the hull and the occasional squawk of a seagull broke the silence.

"We did it," Christian said, making his way aft and resuming his seat.

She leaned against the wheel. "I didn't know you knew anything about yachts."

His grin was cheeky and made her toes curl inside her canvas deck shoes. "There's a great deal you don't know about me."

But she wanted to know. She wanted to know everything there was to know about this man who'd sliced through her well-constructed reserve and found the tender underbelly of her heart, making her want things in life she hadn't allowed herself to want in such a very long time.

He leaned back and shut his eyes. "It's so peaceful."

"I love it out here," she admitted. Loved looking at him, too.

His eyes opened the gray seeming even grayer. "It's a nice yacht."

Another stab of sorrow shot through her. "Dad's baby."

Tilting his head, he asked, "Did you learn on this craft?"

"No." She moved to sit on the bench opposite him. It felt good to sit, to relax. "He had a different boat then. A small sloop."

"Easier to learn on, I'd imagine."

"Yes." She yawned, realizing how tired she was. She hadn't slept well the past few nights because of the fear, the worry and the man only a few feet away. Covering her mouth with her hand in embarrassment, she said, "Excuse me."

"No need for excuses. You've had a rough few days," Christian said as he reached across the space between them to put his hands over hers. "You go below and rest."

His touch sent an electric current running up her arm. She held on tight. Yearnings flooded her senses. She wanted him to pull her into his arms. She wanted to feel the beat of his heart against her cheek as she lay her head against the solid strength of his chest. She wanted to lift her mouth to his…

Shaken by her longings, she forced herself to breathe and extracted her hands. Needing some space, she nodded. "Thanks."

She quickly made her way below deck. Though everything inside of her wanted to go back to him, to ask him to hold her, to kiss her. She halted in the main cabin and pushed aside thoughts of Christian. Instead, she focused on her surroundings. The gleaming teak and soothing blue crushed velvet cushions made her smile. She remembered the first time she'd seen the boat after her father refurbished it. She'd teased him that it looked like a bachelor pad. He'd laughed, claiming her mom picked out the interior.

Ana headed to the forward berth, her parents' space, and lay on the bed, snuggling beneath the down comforter. The scent of her father's aftershave lingered on the pillow. The comfort cocooning her in warmth was tempered with fear and worry.

When would this nightmare end?

And when it did and if she survived, what then?

She'd go back to her life. And Christian would go back to his. That was the way it was, the way it had to be.

But the future never before looked so bleak.