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A/N: So, again a wait. I hate it! But, I have a valid excuse. Fanfiction has to take a step back whilst I get my first book ready for release! Bear with me but, I hope you enjoy this! Ifyou love my work my first book is readying to be published on June 28th. Check out 'A Fire That Burns by Kirsty-Anne Still' on Goodreads =) Or find me on Facebook as either 'Klcm Fanfiction' or 'Author Kirsty-Anne Still'
Thank you as always! Your support is appreciated beyond words.
Slightly increased rating ;) Hehe!
Beauty and the Beast – Chapter Thirty-Eight
It had been hours since Ana had made an appearance and he knew how to unlock the door from the outside. It wasn't something hard for him to do and instead of giving her more space, he went unlocked the door.
Pushing the door opened he stood just before the door frame and looked in. Immediately he saw her hunched over her drawing table, newly fitted lamp on, clothes changed into pyjamas, the light shining down on her scarred cheek, her concentration weighing heavily on the muscles of her face.
"I was waiting on how long it'd take for you to pick the lock," she commented without even so much as looking at him. She continued what she was doing and didn't show signs of stopping for even him.
Stepping in, he took her words as a reason to enter, he continued to watch her, "I thought you needed some space."
"How very unlike you," she spoke with a mirthful tone, the sarcasm lacing her tone so vehemently it hit him hard. Usually if they argued he would give her a few minutes to cool off, allow himself those minutes of peace before kissing and making up. "Seems we're both changing on one another now and there's only one person to thank for that." This time Ana paused and twisted her body to look up at him, "Kaitlyn Brown has once again caused a rift between us."
"Now that's not true," he admonished at her. "We're stronger than she is."
"Oh no, you are remember?" she asked him disbelievingly, "You're the strong one here. I'm the volatile one."
"For Christ sakes, Ana, don't be so petty," Christian attacked her, not liking where this was going one bit. "Can't you just understand I was worried about you? That's the only reason I lashed out was because I was worried about you."
"You don't have to worry about me doing something stupid or something I'll regret though!" Ana lashed out, and quickly grabbed her pencil again and began to sketch away like crazy.
"I have a right to when you when you get worked up like this!" He shouted back, his voice straining at his bellowing tone. "Look at you, this isn't healthy! You're drawing like a mad woman, Ana. You were never like that."
"Yes, Christian, every time I feel myself getting worked up I come and sit here and I sketch," Ana began to tell him, drawing away at a new design. "When I feel weak or vulnerable to the thoughts in my heads I come here and I make a new design. When I'm stressed or scared or wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare or a noise, I come and draw until I feel safe again." She put the pencil down, looked up at him from the corner of her eye and then let her shoulders drop, "I channel it because it gives me sanity. I don't think about pushing a knife into my neck or self harming myself. I don't think about ending it all. I think about my future and the promise it holds."
Christian remained silent, watching the epitome of strength before him.
"So don't worry, you won't need to watch me try and kill myself because I have been able to overcome a lot in the last few weeks and I've managed to find something that satisfies me the same, if not more, than what holding that knife to my neck did."
Still unmoved, Christian couldn't believe he had missed this. He couldn't believe that she had channelled her emotions into a positive and he had completely been oblivious to it. Thinking about it now, right here after her admittance, he had noticed her scribbling a lot and now it made sense. When she was tense she would design a new sketch.
"Is there anything else you want to say or are you done now?" she asked, not relenting on her cold tone, "I'm kinder busy."
Christian shook his head, unable to admit his own faults right now, "No, I'll go and start dinner for us."
As he turned to make his exit, she spoke up. "The pills are on the floor by the way. In case you're wondering," Ana muttered as he went to leave. "I was going to listen to you and start taking them but, then I thought to myself, no that's me admitting defeat."
"You're just blowing this all out of proportion now," Christian said as he looked at the little white pills littering the wooden flooring, scattered across various parts of the room like little white polka dots.
"No!" Ana's voice suddenly thundered out at him. "You'll fucking listen to me! I am not blowing anything out of proportion, I am sticking up for myself and I hope you're happy with bringing a whole new strength to me because what you did earlier did that to me. It gave me more spirit to fight, Christian."
The eyes that met his scared him. The usually tame blue of Ana's orbs were now heated and almost dangerous and he couldn't deny that he loved the power his woman could exude when she was riled up. It was one of the things he loved most about her – that tenacity.
"I remember lying in that alley way and all I could think of was losing you more than ever. All I saw was you never coming near me and never wanting me and I felt that every moment I woke up in the hospital alone I felt it was verification." She looked at him, "Then I saw you and it scared me. I tried to push you away to save myself the hurt but, you fought for me, Christian. In that doorway you stood there and told me to stop pushing and putting words in your mouth. I did. I let you in and let you save me and the person that came back isn't the Ana you knew. She's stronger and feistier and she won't let the likes of Kaitlyn Brown walk all over me."
Christian felt the smile begin to twitch at the corner of his lips.
"When I started taking those drugs at the hospital, when they were forced into my system, I could feel them changing my way of thinking. I felt like I was losing control. Everyone was telling they were to help me and I wanted to believe it but, I couldn't. I just couldn't keep it going and when I was given the pills I found it a chance to prove I could do this. I could survive this." She looked up at him, "I am handling this, believe it or not, so I don't want to fight over this anymore."
That was it for Ana. She had shut down all feasible routes to keep this argument going on now
Christian sighed, "All said and done, I now realise how proud I am of you. I acted out because I was shocked and scared but, now I find myself extremely proud of how you are dealing with this now. You deserve praise, not anger. I regret everything I said and I am sorry for it all."
"Good," she said and turned back to her newest creation.
Keeping quiet and watching her, Christian chose his time wisely to speak up. "Can I take a breath and declare this fight over?" Christian asked, exasperated after fighting with the one person that gave him life and took it all at once. "Please?"
Ana looked up, put the pencil to her lip, toying with him for a moment longer with her thoughtfulness, before breaking into a smile, "Yes."
"Then give me a kiss," he challenged her lightly, covering the gap between their bodies, putting his hand out for her to take. "I like when we kiss and make up."
"So do I," Ana whispered at him and took his hand and allowed him to pull her from her perch and up to his body. He encircled her body with his arms and held her close. She placed her arms around his neck, grabbing onto her elbows as she did so and kept him close. "I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry," Christian countered and smirked. "So let's agree to disagree, Miss Steele," he murmured and crooned his neck lower so he could meet her lips and really move on from their argument. The moment they touched he knew all was forgiven.
It seemed that the kiss ignited more than an apology between the pair as their bodies cried in unison for the other and Ana couldn't stop herself from releasing her hold around his neck and grabbing the hem of his shirt, quickly Christian helped him remove it, tossing it aside the moment it was free of his body. The moment she did, he undid his belt, loosened the buttons and stripped them of his body. Ana pushed her pyjama bottoms down, stepping out of them to rekindle the kiss.
As he got her closer to the bed, Ana pushed away his boxers leaving her in only her pyjama top. Pushing her to the mattress, Christian climbed on top of her, hovering over her, staring at her vixen eyes.
"Are you sure you're ready?" he asked, panicked it was too soon after the attack to just get back into this part of their relationship.
"There's nothing I want more right now," Ana told him honestly, running a hand up his arm and over his shoulder. "This is the longest we've ever gone, baby. I can't wait any longer."
"Same," he told her, his tone lowering to a new heat as he leaned in to kiss her.
Slowly he began running his hands up Ana's arms, Christian forced them above her head and caught her hands in his. Interlinking their fingers, he allowed the moment to be devoured in a kiss, one of longing and one of need. Their bodies hadn't been united as one for so long and now it was happening both seemed unable to keep the moment slow.
They were greedy, their bodies fighting a hungry war longing for the other.
Without breaking their connection, Christian looked at Ana as he reached between them, his hand nearing her groin, ready to see how wet and ready she was. He knew from past experience he was always ready for him and today he knew would be no different.
Ana released a pleasured moan as she felt his fingers glide over her, his index finger hitting her clitoris before feeling how wet she was it. Slowing, he teased her slit, tantalised her clitoris more before he sliding his fingers in and making her moan harder.
Unable to take her moans and groans of pleasure, Christian knew after so long he wouldn't be able to last long and tease her and really enjoy the. Today was about finding them again and getting life back onto an even level gain. As he pulled his fingers out, he plunged into her, penetrating her sweet centre, indulging upon the feel of it around his hard penis.
Feeling the sweet joining of their bodies with his first thrust, Ana realised just how needy she had become. She gasped as he filled her with his entire length and she missed this, feeling complete for that blissful moment before he pulled out only to slam back into her and push her higher to that heavenly state.
With her hands wrapped around Christian, all Ana could do was take what he was giving as if it were the only thing that could keep her alive. The longer she held off on feeling his desirable fullness the longer she could revel in the moment of a normal life because right now, the attack never happened.
As she felt her orgasm climbing, readying to take her victim of its glory she enjoyed how much more intense this felt. After everything, after all Christian's attempt to show how much he loved her, this one was by far the best. Knowing she was safe at his hands, she let herself go, feeling herself tense and release around his hard erection as the rapture took her to its glorious paradise.
Midst the rapture of her orgasm, Christian's breathing shuddering as he came hitting her skin, Ana felt beautiful and wanted and loved. It didn't matter about the scars still healing on her face and neck, the way Christian made love to her proved to her that nothing changed. He still worshipped her and cared for her and readied to please her like he always had.
The moment they both finished, he withdrew from her, already feeling empty in comparison to how they felt moments ago and crawled into bed with one another. This was how the day should have been played. There should never have been animosity or hatred. Only love and now they had it, lying in bed together felt the perfect end to it. Even the argument felt a perfect part of getting them here
As her body continued its comeback, she rolled over so she could curl up into Christian's side and she honestly felt like everything was back to normal. Pushing a hand across his chest, she kissed one of his own scars and nuzzled into the warmth of his bareness. As his arm came around her she was transported back to their time together when they would just lay here in the afterglow feeling and just not speak.
Words weren't needed when in the arms of the love of your life.
"I love you," Christian exhaled at her, his tone husky and raw.
Ana kissed his chest again, "I know. I love you too."
The peace settled between them, apart from Christian's phone ringing out. Hearing his phone receive a text Christian groaned. He didn't want interruptions right now. He wanted a moment's peace to just revel in this make up with his girlfriend. He kissed Ana's head, flexed a little and remained comfortable. He was ignoring everyone outside of the room right now.
"Go answer it," she whispered, nudging him to grab his phone.
Christian listened and reached for his jeans as they lay crumpled on the floor. He found his phone and looked at it, growling exactly after the screen illuminated. "Fuck," Christian said as he read his phone.
Without another word, Ana jumped up and grabbed his hand and turned it to face her. Instead of getting scared or letting the news wrap her up and strangle her, she smirked at seeing an end to this nightmare.
The bitch had landed.