AUTHORS NOTE: I just want to make it clear, that I have no idea of the US Military, it's ranks or disciplinary procedure and what I have written purely comes from information I found in Google searches.

CHAPTER 16

The Next Day…

(CHRISTIAN)

I open my eyes and look down, still fast asleep beside me is Ana, she is cuddled close to me and her head is resting on my chest. Her small arm is wrapped around me and our legs are entangled. This is how we always wake up in a morning and I honestly cannot think of a better way to do so. I think about all the years I spent alone, barely sleeping at all and always up before my alarm went off, now I sleep well and always get at least six hours sleep and it is all down to the beautiful woman curled up next to me.

I lean forward carefully and press a small kiss to her head, then I bury my nose in her hair and inhale deeply. Ana asks me why I do this and I honestly have no idea. All I know is the scent of her shampoo is comforting and if I am stressed and anxious it relaxes me; it makes me feel safe. Her hair smells of apples and logically I know it is the scent of her shampoo, which is a cheap budget shampoo which Ana used before she met me. But I like the smell of it so much, and it has such a positive effect on me and my wellbeing I insisted she never change it and while I ensure she has the very best of everything, this is one thing I don't want her to change.

My Ana, I am a lucky bastard. I still have no idea what I did to deserve this woman but by some miracle she came into my life and changed me completely with her gentle love… she loves me, I feel the emotion swelling and I swallow hard. I sometimes still have the odd moment where I find it very difficult to understand why this wonderful woman loves me, but I am now secure in the knowledge that she does and with that knowledge I am also confident that she won't leave me and our lives have become much easier as a result.

I know I put her through hell when we first met, I was so needy and my insecurities and jealousy drove her insane. She had sat me down and told me straight that the way I was behaving would have the effect I feared most, that she was fed up with my unreasonable behaviour and that although she loved me dearly she couldn't live the way she was doing anymore and that I needed to stop it or she would have to walk away. That talk had been the wake-up call I needed. I realised that my unreasonable behaviour was driving a wedge between us and that I had to trust my wife. Trust that she would do the right thing and that she would stay with me, even though I was convinced that I didn't deserve it. When I had learnt to accept that fact and eased up on her, our relationship went from strength to strength. Ana has always taken into consideration my issues and she always lets me know if she is going somewhere or if she is going to be delayed and because I am no longer the asshole I was, she doesn't go out of her way to openly defy me as she has no need to do so. As a result, I have learnt to let her go and we have a fantastic relationship now. There is nothing I wouldn't do for her. I would even have kids with her, if that was what she wanted. I am surprised at that thought, that it had even entered my head as I was always totally against the idea of children with my background and issues, but if I was to father children, I would want nobody but Ana to be their mother. I shuffle slightly, as I am a bit uncomfortable with where these thoughts are going.

I look down at her again, she has never really mentioned the concept of parenthood. I wonder if she wants kids? She is very career minded and yet she is so modest about her achievements and I believe she is quietly ambitious and is looking for even greater success in her career. The way she has transformed and moulded Grey Publishing to be the massive success it has become was astounding and even I was amazed at just how well she did and how astute she is. We work well together, we are happy and content, we trust each other implicitly… and life is good!

As I lie there thinking how good my life is I hear my phone buzzing quietly. I stretch my arm out to pick it up and as I look at the screen, I see it is Gideon calling me and I quickly answer.

"Good morning" I whisper as I don't want to wake Ana.

"Christian, good morning! I was hoping we could meet for breakfast before Arnie shows up?" Gideon says.

"No problem, but give us some time as I have only just woken up and Ana is still sleeping" I say.

This provokes a chuckle and I smile, "What?" I ask a little defensively.

"Lazy! I've been up for hours" he says and while I know he is only teasing me, my good mood evaporates as I know the reason why he has been up for hours.

"You had a nightmare?" I ask carefully and there is a short silence.

"I did" is the subdued response after a few moments.

I sigh, "You really need to do something about that you know" I begin.

"What do you suggest?" he snaps. I ignore the sharp tone as I know that is his fear talking and also his guilt as he knows I am right but I also know there is no way he will sit in a room with a psychiatrist after what happened to him when he was a child.

"Now before you say anything just hear me out" I begin and wait for a moment.

"Go on" he says quietly and I know he will listen to what I have to say.

"Have you thought about a female therapist, or video sessions or a combination of both?" I say and there is another silence.

"No, I hadn't considered that" he says warily.

"Well… I could ask my therapist if he could recommend someone?" I offer.

"Who do you see?" Gideon asks curiously.

"John Flynn" I say, "he's good" I add after another lengthy silence.

"He is reputable?" he asks.

"He is, he wouldn't hurt you Gideon, but I think that would be a step too far for you… but a female therapist might be the answer as I wouldn't have thought you'd feel so threatened". I pause again and there is another long silence.

Eventually I hear a long sigh, before he finally answers me, "Let me think about it, I know something needs to be done. I can't sleep beside my wife at night and it kills me that I can't give her that fundamentally simple thing in our marriage" he says in an almost resigned tone of voice.

I can't ask for any more than that, and I know when he says he will think about it, I know he will give it careful consideration.

"I know, I suppose I was lucky that my cure came when I met Ana, she made me feel safe and it had the knock-on effect of making the nightmares go away" I say carefully.

"Do you still get them?" Gideon asks.

I sigh as the memory of the last time I was away from Ana when I went on a business trip to New York fills my mind. I had called Ana in the middle of the night in a complete panic just to check she was ok, because I'd woken up in a cold sweat after suffering a vivid nightmare.

"Yes, if I'm away on business and Ana isn't with me. I can't sleep without her… well I can, but it's not a full uninterrupted night. If Ana isn't there the nightmares always return" I say sadly. "They are different now though, since I became settled with Ana I no longer have the nightmares about him, but if I am separated from Ana I will have the nightmare where I relived the time where I was trapped with my mother's dead body after she had died from the overdose, but when I see the body… it's not my mother on the floor, its Ana".

I look down at Ana and see she is starting to wake up so I bring my call to an end.

"Listen, Ana is just waking up… we'll meet you down in the restaurant for breakfast in say an hour?" I ask and I hear a laugh.

"It takes you that long to have a shower and get dressed? Or is it the fact that there are other things involved in your morning routine?" he says facetiously.

"Of course there are" I say brazenly and I smirk as another silence spreads out between us.

I decide to push my luck, "I would've thought it's obvious that I want to make love to my wife. Best way to start every day".

Instead of embarrassment I hear another laugh, "I can't fault you Christian, as I do exactly the same thing and I couldn't agree more" he responds.

I smile, and I know that there are probably deeper reasons behind his morning routine after the enforced separation during the night, but I don't say anything. We say our goodbyes and I switch off my phone so I am not interrupted while I am giving my wife my full attention. I put my phone down before turning to face Ana who is now smiling up at me.

"Good morning beautiful" I say as I carefully roll on top of her.

oooOOOooo

(GIDEON)

I hang up chuckling and shaking my head. I am surprised at how close how quickly Christian and I have become, that we are secure and confident enough to tease each other about our sex lives, a subject which given our histories could be a touchy subject for both of us.

"You sound ridiculously pleased with yourself".

I turn towards the voice and see Eva leaning against the doorway and I feel myself going hard. I quickly switch off my phone and throw it down on to the table.

"Come here Angel" I growl and Eva saunters towards me, taking her sweet time and provoking me. She knows doing this is making me want her even more.

When she reaches me, I grab her and plant my lips on hers and I feel her fingers move to my hair and grab it. I pull her against me and hold her against my throbbing erection so she can feel just how much I want her, how much I need her. I kiss her again and I'm not gentle, I need her and I need her now.

She pulls away and gasps for breath as she looks at me carefully, and as always it seems as though she can see straight through me and into my soul. "And what has got you so horny this morning Ace?" she asks me warily as she runs her hands over me. She knows exactly what has caused this, as I can tell by the way she asked that and I can also see the worry in her eyes. She knows that I am still on edge after my nightmare and that claiming her and feeling her love me back will ground and centre me once more.

"You Angel, always you" I murmur as I busy myself unfastening her dress.

"Right answer!" she replies and I smile at her flippant response.

Before I know it, we are both naked and tangled around each other on the bed. Eva reaches for me and bending over me she torments me with her mouth. She presses sweet little kisses to the head of my penis and runs her tongue along the underside of it. I moan and thrust my hips towards her, desperate for her to take me as I know she loves to do.

"Eva" I gasp as she continues and then eventually, she looks up at me and grins before she wraps her hand around me, she lowers her head and takes me into her mouth and swallows me. I let out a loud groan and nearly come there and then.

"Fuck… Oh Angel that feels so good. Just keep doing that, take all of me… oh yeah…" I moan as she starts to move with purpose now. The teasing has stopped and she wants me to come, she wants to feel me blow my load down her throat. She told me once that it gave her a huge sense of satisfaction knowing she could do that to me.

She is relentless and I grip her head and thrust gently into her mouth as she continues. I am chasing my own release now and I thrust harder, I hear myself moaning louder and telling her how much I am enjoying this. I was never a noisy lover. With all my previous sexual partners, I never made a sound. Women used to comment as to how quiet I was. The most I gave them was a grunt when I eventually came. But with Eva I let go and I tell her just how good she is and how wonderful she makes me feel.

"Fuck…Oh God Angel, I'm going to come" I gasp as I feel my balls draw up and I swell inside her mouth. I grip her hair and then hold myself still as I explode in her mouth.

"Fuck… god damn it" I hiss. I throw my head back and my eyes roll back into my head at the feelings of complete bliss. I continue to come hard as Eva swallows every drop.

I grab her and pull her off me and rolling us I hover over her. "My turn" I growl and with that my head disappears between her legs and my mouth finds its goal. I tease her with my tongue just as she did to me and I feel her shiver. I plant sweet little kisses on the insides of her thighs and she moans and parts her legs wider giving me easier access to her.

I take the open invitation and my tongue probes her. I taste her arousal and I feel myself turn to stone once more. Getting aroused and having multiple orgasms is something only Eva has managed to do to me. Previously, I only fucked when I was feeling horny and I could go weeks without it without any concern whatsoever and when I did come with my previous sexual partners, it was once and once only. But with Eva I'm like an animal, I can't get enough of her and I can go all night. My tongue runs over her clit and she gasps. I push two fingers inside her and feel she is totally drenched. This is what I needed to feel as I would never take her body before she was completely ready for me to do so. Sometimes she complains that I take too long preparing her with foreplay but I cannot and will not be responsible for hurting her in any way at all. I continue to suck on her clit and I feel her stiffen and then shake as she comes.

"Gideon!" she cries out and her nails dig into my head.

I grin as I feel this and then I carefully remove my head and wipe my mouth before I crawl up her body. Taking myself in hand I push myself into her watching her reaction as I do so. She is still coming and I feel her pulsing against me, I carefully push inside her and I know it won't take much from me for her to reach another orgasm. As she opens for me and grips me pulling me in I push harder and she lifts her hips meeting my thrusts.

"Gideon" she moans.

"That's it Angel, let me in… take all of me" I whisper in her ear and I lift her hips a little getting her at exactly the right angle so she can accept all of me. Once I am totally buried inside her I start to move. I start slowly and as I thrust deeply, Eva's moans get louder.

"That's it Angel, grip me and milk me dry" I gasp as I pick up my pace.

Eva wraps her legs around me and pulls me closer pushing me in even deeper and her hands run restlessly over my back. I shiver as I feel it as I know her nails will be digging in my back shortly the more excited she gets. I feel her building again and getting closer to another release and her pace picks up as she meets my thrusts, this excites me even more and I start chasing my own orgasm once more.

"Oh fuck… Eva" I moan as I continue to pound into her.

I feel the moment she reaches her climax and it pushes me over the edge and with a loud groan I explode inside her. It never fails to amaze me just how much I manage to come with Eva. We are both panting and sweating with the exertion. She looks into my eyes with such love it makes my heart lurch. I rest my forehead against hers for a moment as I catch my breath.

"Angel" I whisper.

Eva's arms go around me and she pulls me close, my lips search for hers and when they meet I kiss her tenderly. Easing myself out of her I move to her side and pull her back into my arms. I love this, the moments afterwards when we just lie in each other's arms and hold each other, neither of us caring that we are a sweaty, sticky mess.

After a few moments Eva pats my chest, "We should think about going and getting cleaned up" she says and reluctantly I have to agree and with a sigh we both leave the comfort of the bed and head into the shower.

oooOOOooo

I look around the restaurant as I stride in with Eva at my side and I spot Christian and Ana immediately and head straight for them.

"Good morning" I say as I hold out my hand to Christian which he accepts. I lean down and press a friendly kiss to Ana's cheek, and watch as Christian greets Eva in a similar manner.

"So… what's the plan?" I ask as I take a gulp of coffee.

Ana looks up at me, "Uncle Arnie called me this morning, he said he should be arriving about 10am and will meet us here. Christian has asked for one of the hotel conference rooms to be set aside for us so we can talk privately".

I nod in agreement; I was going to suggest the same thing. This is one of my hotels and as such I'm confident the staff will have arranged something suitable for us. As I am thinking this, I look up to see Ray approaching. He greets everyone warmly and then sits down beside Ana.

"Good morning Ray, did you sleep well?" I ask politely and he nods.

"I did thank you Gideon, I slept like a baby as it was one of the nicest beds I've ever slept in" he says.

"I'm glad to hear it" I say with a smug sense of satisfaction.

"I read that you owned a number of hotels… is this one of yours?" he asks warily.

I nod, "Indeed it is" I confirm with a smile.

Ray lets out a small chuckle, "You know, before Annie married Christian I had no idea that hotel rooms could be the size of an apartment and have multiple rooms".

Ana reaches for Ray and squeezes his hand affectionately. I hadn't thought about it when I had automatically arranged a suite for everyone, for a moment I am concerned that I have made him feel uncomfortable and that I am once again behaving like an asshole. This must show on my face as Ray smiles at me kindly.

"Relax Gideon, you did nothing wrong. While I admit that I am a simple man and I wouldn't want that kind of luxury on an everyday basis it is nice to be spoilt on occasions".

I immediately relax and take another gulp of my coffee.

Breakfast is a relaxed and comfortable experience. I am surprised how much I enjoyed just sitting and chatting. I have always been such a solitary man. I have a circle of friends, admittedly there aren't many of them and while I have known them all for years, and consider them as friends not one of them really knows me and it is superficial compared to the relationship I have so quickly developed with the people currently surrounding me. I look at Christian and wonder about his circle of friends, if he has one.

As our breakfast comes to an end, I see the hotel manager making his way towards us.

"Mr Cross, please accept my apologies for disturbing your breakfast, but I have a man in reception asking for you and Mrs Cross".

I frown as I'm certain it cannot be Arnie as he wouldn't ask for me or Eva. "Do you have a name?" I ask and the manager nods.

"Yes sir, he called himself Mr Victor Reyes".

I am now on my feet, "That is my father in law, please show him through immediately" I snap and with a muttered apology the Hotel Manager vanishes. A moment later he reappears escorting Victor to our table and I stride towards him my hand outstretched.

"Victor, please accept my apologies… I had no idea… I thought…" I am rambling and I know it but after our progress yesterday the last thing I want is for Victor to see me as an asshole again.

Victor smiles at me kindly, "Relax son, it's my fault as you didn't know I was coming, as far as you were aware I was at work this morning. But I had a change of heart about that and organised another days leave as I would like to meet Ray's friend. I came by in person as I tried to phone you and Christian earlier but it went to your voicemail. I immediately pull out my phone and I see Christian do the same. Realisation hits me that he called when I was with Eva, I always switch off my phone so I don't get disturbed when I am enjoying my wife. I glance at Christian and by the look on his face it appears he does something similar.

"I apologise Victor, I was… indisposed and my phone was switched off" Christian says awkwardly.

I nod, "Same" I say nervously and I see Eva and Ana trying to suppress their amusement and I realise they have also worked out when Victor had tried to contact us.

"Never mind" Victor says with a wave of his hand.

As Victor sits down with us Ana quickly outlines the plan for today and lays out when we are expecting Arnie to arrive, I look across at Ray who has sat himself down beside Victor.

"Ray, so who exactly is Arnie? I know you have told us he is an old army buddy of yours and that he is now one of the top brass but who is he?" I ask.

Ray smiles, "Arnie, or Colonel Arnold Hawkins was our Sergeant Major back in the day. When I was discharged, he stayed and rose through the ranks. It was never in any doubt that he would go up the ranks and get a commission as he was just so good at what he did. He came from Fremont, Ohio. That was where his family came from. He's a good man, he was fair and considered the views of the soldiers and you knew if you had an issue Arnie would help if he could. He stood for his men but he wouldn't take any crap and he had a bad side which you really didn't want to get on".

"You talking crap about me Private?"

The voice has us all looking up and we see the Hotel Manager standing with a distinguished looking man in full military uniform who is obviously Colonel Arnold Hawkins. He has an amused grin on his face and he is looking at Ray with raised eyebrows. Ray's face goes from complete shock to amusement as he recognises the man.

"And what if I am" he retorts, which makes Arnie throw his head back and laugh loudly.

"UNCLE ARNIE!" Ana squeals and without any warning she is out of her seat and throwing herself into the man's arms. I watch as the Hotel Manager nods at me and then slips quietly away.

He catches her laughing and hugs her tightly, "Hello Annie" he says with clear affection. He pulls back from her, holding her at arm's length and assesses her.

"Just when did you grow up and become such a beautiful young woman?" he says and Ana slaps his arm as she blushes furiously.

"Oh, shut up" she says with clear embarrassment.

Ray is now on his feet and greeting Arnie with a handshake and Arnie pulls Ray into an affectionate man hug. Ray clearly looks embarrassed by this but to his credit he returns it with a slap on the other man's shoulders.

Ray steps away as Ana grasps Arnie's hand and pulling him closer she introduces him to everyone around the table.

"Uncle Arnie, this is my husband Christian" she begins and I watch as Christian rises to his feet and holds out his hand.

"Pleased to meet you sir" Christian says politely. I look at the two men assessing each other and smile. A titan of industry meeting a titan of military, you couldn't make this up.

"Likewise," Arnie says simply. Ana then turns her attention to us.

"This is my sister Eva and her husband Gideon" she says and it is my turn to rise from my seat and offer my hand in greeting to this formidable looking colonel. He greets me warmly and he gives Eva a warm kind greeting which pleases me. "…and this is Victor Reyes, Eva's father" Ana adds as she waves her hand at Victor.

I watch as Arnie shakes Victors hand, "It's good to meet you, I'm guessing all this crap surrounding Frank hasn't been very welcome?" he asks and Victor nods his head.

"You can say that again, it's been one revelation after another. But what I can't understand is what Lambert hoped to gain from going to the media and broadcasting his biological connection with Eva and Ana. The man faked his own death, surely he realised that by doing what he did would bring him to the attention of the military and his inevitable arrest?"

Arnie nods, "I know, and that is what we are trying to discover. I've spoken to Frank personally and I'm sorry to say it but I don't think he's playing with a full deck. He was always a bit deluded and twisted every situation to suit himself and his needs but at the moment he appears to be well and truly in la-la land".

I stand and look around the table, "Shall we move to the conference room where we can talk in private and a little bit more comfort?"

There is a chorus of agreement and as one everyone stands and we make our way out of the restaurant.