A/N
I'm sorry for the delay in posting. My father passed away last week, and I haven't felt up to finishing the chapter. He had been sick for a few months and had entered into hospice care a few weeks ago. He didn't die of Covid; though I am surprised he didn't get it as much as he was in and out of the hospital and rehab. As I mentioned in the last A/N, this chapter will have some drama. But never fear, I don't drag it out. This will be a happy ending, as are all my stories. I hope you enjoy the update!
Chapter 7 Is This Love (Whitesnake)
CPOV
I pocket my phone and take the stairs down to the kitchen. I hear Elliott and mom talking about Kate. They have moved in together and are talking about a long-term commitment. My brother tied to one woman forever. Who would have thought!
"Bro! I figured you would have a sleep over at the Steele's. Where's the girlfriend?" I glare at Elliott and try to bite my tongue, since mom is in the same room.
"I came back home and slept in my own bed, thank you very much. So, fuck off." I show him my middle finger as I reach for a cup of coffee.
"Oh, come on! Give me the deets! I have to know about your first girlfriend experience!" I continue to ignore him as I search the refrigerator for breakfast.
"Christian, you need to watch your language! And Elliott, you need to quit harassing your brother." Mom tries to chastise us both, but it's no use.
"I will not tell you what happens between Ana and me. It doesn't concern you."
"You wound me, Christian." Elliott holds his hand over his heart as if he were hurt. "I thought I meant something to you?" I raise my brows at his comment.
"Where did that come from? I think having a girlfriend has softened you up." I spy some bacon on the stove and reach for a piece.
Elliott's expression softens when he starts to speak about Kate. "Christian, she's the one, man. I love her with everything in me. If only her asshole father would change is mind about me. He keeps telling Kate I won't stop my man whore ways." Elliott shakes his head and drinks more of his coffee.
"Her father wants the best for his daughter. Can't really blame him." I shrug my shoulders. Ray wants the same for his daughter and I don't see how that would be me. I'm a fucked-up asshole.
"What do you have planned for this morning? Want to go to the river fishing?" I think fishing would be a great idea this morning.
"I have no plans, fishing sounds good. Let me get changed and we can go." I finish my coffee and go back to my room to get ready. I check my phone for any messages from Ana and there are none. I will catch up with her after I spend some time with Elliott.
The walk to the river is a quiet one. I'm thinking about Ana and how much I want her to touch me. I have no idea what Elliott is thinking. Maybe he has his mind on Kate.
"This here looks like a good spot," Elliott says bringing me back to the present.
"Yeah, looks good. Ana and I have been down here a few times trail riding, but I haven't been fishing yet. We talked about doing it but never did."
"What else have you talked about doing?" Elliott winks at me and I roll my eyes.
"That is none of your fucking business," I spit out and Elliott laughs.
"How do you think Ana will handle your status?" Elliott asks and I give him a questioning look.
"What do you mean?"
"You are the prince of Seattle. Women throw themselves at you, businessmen either worship the ground you walk on or want you dead. How is she going to handle being followed by the press and have nasty comments written on a daily basis?" I throw my line out into the water and consider my answer.
"I think she will handle it okay. We haven't discussed any of that yet."
"She will flip out when she has to have a CPO." I shake my head.
"I don't think so. Her father is ex-military and takes safety seriously. Especially when dealing with PTSD clients." I reel my line in and recast.
"Alright, man. If you say so." Elliott half shrugs and throws his line in. After a few minutes, he has a bite. I watch as he brings in a nice size native rainbow trout.
"That's a nice one, E." I watch as he carefully removes the hook from the fish's mouth, then releases it back into the water.
"I've missed spending time with you, Christian. I know our lives have taken different turns, but there shouldn't be any reason why we don't hang out every now and then." Elliott casts back out into the water and I sit in silence.
He is right on so many levels. I allowed a pedophile to dictate my entire life, and I have been doing the exact same thing as a dom. I am thankful to have finally seen the light when it comes to Elena.
"You are right, Elliott. Elena had complete control over me for so long. You know, I thought I loved her at one point. When I told her how I felt, she told me love didn't exist and I was a fool if I thought it did. From that day on, I vowed to never get close enough to a person to get hurt. I'm sorry that I pushed you and everyone else away. I should have been focusing on you all instead of her and the toxic things she was doing to me." I feel a bite on my line and set the hook.
"You know it doesn't matter what happened back then. You are my brother and I love you no matter what," Elliott voice gets choked up and I look over at him. His eyes are wet, but tears haven't spilled over yet.
I bring the fish in and it's another rainbow trout. It's not as big as Elliott's but still a nice one. I remove the hook from its mouth and place it back into the water.
"Do you love Ana?" His question catches me slightly off guard, and I don't know how to answer.
"I don't know what love is, Elliott. I have never had this type of relationship before. I do like her, though. What's not to like? She's beautiful with a great personality. She doesn't care that I have lots of money because she has her own. Ray and Carla remind me of our parents, and I get along with them great." I cast my line back out and wait for another bite.
Elliott sighs heavily. "This is something you should have experienced as a teenager. Instead, your first crush, losing your virginity, and falling in love came at the hands of the wicked one. I didn't like her before and I sure as hell don't like her now. I can't wait to see the cat fight that ensues when she and mom are in the same room." Elliott's eyes dance with laughter and I chuckle to myself.
"She won't be the only one. Ana is disgusted with her and I'm sure Mia will go off the deep end once I tell her about it. Speaking of Mia, who is she dating now? The CPO I have on her will not say anything, no matter how much I threaten his job."
Elliott shakes his head and tells me he has no idea who Mia is seeing. Mom told me they will be in town in a few weeks for the hospital fundraiser. I will need to do some digging before then. I don't want to be blindsided if the guy is a piece of crap.
I pull my buzzing phone from my pocket and see Taylor on the caller ID. I hope nothing is going wrong in Seattle. "Taylor?" I question once I accept the call.
"Sir, some pictures of you and a brunette are in the papers here. Is everything alright in Billings? Do I need to send another security officer?" Taylor's voice sounds urgent. Fuck. Who the hell was taking pictures of us last night?
"Everything is fine here, Taylor. What were the pictures of?" I start to panic, realizing I haven't talked to Ana yet this morning. Maybe she hasn't seen them yet and I will have a chance to tell her beforehand.
"There are three pictures total. One of you two at a table feeding each other, another while you were on the dancefloor, and the last is a passionate kiss in the parking lot near the SUV. Was security present when you were at dinner?" I pinch the bridge of my nose, then grab my hair. This is all I need right now. I hope Ana isn't upset about our privacy being spread out in the newspaper.
"No, we went to dinner alone. No one knows I'm here, but I guess that's about to change. What was written in the article?" I ask Taylor, hoping it didn't say much.
"It mentioned where you dined, what food you ate, and how intimate the setting was. The article is asking for anyone that knows who the brunette is to contact the newspaper. They are looking for any information about her, including her name and what she does for a living." I sigh, knowing our bubble here is about to burst.
"Her name is Anastasia Steele. She is a therapist from Seattle. She works with veterans and people that suffer from different forms of PTSD. Her mother and father have a small ranch that is next door to mom and dad."
"Do I need to come there, Sir?" I shake my head.
"No, I will talk to Ana about the pictures and we will take precautions here. I will return to Seattle sometime next week and we can reevaluate the security situation then."
"Sir, I am not comfortable with you only have one security officer there."
"Taylor, Ana's father is prior military and very cautious. We will be fine here for a few days. I will be in touch if anything changes. On a different note, have you or Welch been able to nail down any evidence against Elena? I know once she sees the pictures of Ana and me, she will become more aggressive to reach me."
"We have obtained some pictures and a few statements from parents that are concerned with her interests in their children. I will go over everything with you when you get back, Sir."
"Okay, Taylor. Keep me posted." I end the call and shove my phone in my pocket.
"Bad news?" Elliott asks, bringing me back to the present.
"Yeah. Some restaurant employee took pictures of Ana and me last night and sold them to the Nooz. I bet it was the waitress. She ignored Ana the entire time, not taking her eyes off of me. When I called her out on her actions, she became sullen and pouty. I will have Barney see if he can trace where the pictures came from."
"Have you talked to Ana about it yet?"
"No, I haven't spoke to her yet this morning. This is something I would rather tell her person instead of over the phone. Do you mind if I cut this trip short? I need to get to her parent's place and let them know what is going on." I bring in my line and pack away the supplies I have spread out on the ground.
"Sure, no problem. I enjoyed it. We will need to do more of it when we are back in Seattle." Elliott pats me on the shoulder, and I agree with him.
"Yes, we most certainly do. Thanks for talking with me."
"Of course. Anytime you need it, I'm just a phone call away." Elliott packs up his supplies and we walk back to the house together.
Elliott takes my gear to mom and dad's while I walk the short distance to Ana's. I hope she isn't upset about our perfect night showing up in a Seattle gossip rag.
I get to the barn expecting to hear music playing and see Ana dancing. Instead, what I see has me stopping in my tracks. Ana has her back to me, and some guy is running his finger along her cheek.
What the actual fuck! Who is this prick and why does he have his hands on my girlfriend!
The asshole looks at me and continues to talk to her. What upsets me the most is she is letting him touch her. She told me she wanted to see where things would go between us. I guess she wants to see me in Seattle and this asshole when she comes to her parent's place? Well, fuck that. I'm out of here.
Without saying a word, I walk away from the barn and back to mom and dad's place. This is why Elena told me love is for fools. I guess I am the fool now because I fell in love and look where it got me. Love? Is that what I am feeling for Ana? I reach for my phone to text Stephan. I want the plane ready within the hour to fly back to Seattle. I can't stay here and watch Ana with another man.
I walk into the house and go straight upstairs to pack my bag. I hope Elliott is ready to go back now. Otherwise, he can wait until the plane can return here or take a commercial flight.
"Well, how did she take the news?" I hear Elliott ask from the doorway.
"I don't know, I didn't talk to her." If this is what love feels like, I don't want any part of it.
"Why?" I turn around to face him and he holds up his hands when he sees the anger on my face.
"I don't want to talk about it right now. The jet will be ready to take off in an hour. You can either go back to Seattle with me or take a commercial flight to Seattle. Your choice."
"Damn, bro. What's gotten into you? Not too long ago you were smiling and talking about spending time with Ana. Now your pissed off about something. Tell me what is going on." Elliott puts his hands on his hips, and I roll my eyes.
"I said I don't want to talk about it now. If you are going with me, pack your bags." I shove clothes in my suitcase and grab a few things from the bathroom.
"Fine, give me few minutes and I will go back with you." I nod my head and he leaves.
I finish packing and go downstairs to say goodbye to mom and dad. "Why are you leaving so suddenly? Did something happen in Seattle?" Mom looks at me with concern and I almost cave and tell her what happened.
"Yeah, something has come up with GEH and I need to return ASAP to handle it. I'm sorry to leave in a rush. Let me know when you two get back into town." I kiss my mother's cheek and she takes my hand.
"Are you sure everything is okay? You seem out of sorts." Just when I was going to say something Elliott comes into the room and I decide to keep quiet.
"We both are flying back to Seattle. I promise everything is okay." I shake dad's hand and walk to the front door. Elliott follows me after telling mom he will start on the renovations in a few weeks.
The ride to the airport is quiet, not even the radio is playing. I know Elliott is chomping at the bit to find out what happened between Ana and me. Maybe after I have a few drinks, I will be willing to talk about it.
After we board the plane, I go into my office and reach for the whiskey. "Pour me one as well. Whatever is on your mind can't be good." Elliott sits in the chair in front of my desk.
I sit silent for a few minutes and let the whiskey burn my throat. I tell him exactly what I saw, and Elliott stares back at me.
"You mean you left without saying anything at all? For someone so smart in business, you sure are a dumb shit." I give him a stare I reserve for the boardroom and he throws back the rest of his whiskey.
"Do you realize what you saw could turn out to be nothing? You didn't see Ana's face nor ask her what was going on. I would have busted in there and told the fucker to back off and keep his hands off my woman. Instead, you run like a little girl." I roll my eyes at him calling me a girl.
"Maybe the guy is throwing unwanted attention her way. Did you think of that? You come in and stake your claim is probably what she needed to get the guy to stop. Instead, he saw you retreat and now thinks he has a chance with her. Elena really did a number on you, man. I know you are the jealous type. I saw it when I talked to Ana yesterday. How come you didn't bring that side out? It would have been one hell of a fight to see. Anyway, guess that won't happen now since you have given up your chance at love." Elliott pours himself another drink and holds it tightly in his hand.
"If I saw some guy touching Kate, he wouldn't be able to use his hands to do anything. I would break every single one of his fingers. You need to figure out who the guy is and find a way to make things right. Hell, I bet Ana doesn't even know you were there." Elliott finishes his whiskey and stands. "I'm going to stretch out on the couch and take a nap. Good luck fixing this cluster fuck." He leaves my office, and I don't say a word back to him.
I lean my head back on the chair and close my eyes. Maybe Elena is right. There is no room for love in my life. It only hurts in the end anyway. I finish the whiskey in my glass and pour another two fingers. On the other hand, by not sticking around to see what exactly was going on, I may have missed out on true love-something I want desperately. Especially with Ana. I am such an idiot.
The jet lands in Seattle and I power on my phone to check for messages. I see one from Ana asking if I'm still coming over to watch the meteor shower. I don't answer her. I have no idea what I will say anyway. Maybe it's best this happened now before we are in too deep.
Taylor drops Elliott off at his place without another word exchanged between us. There isn't much more he can say on the matter the way I see it.
I drop my bag in the foyer and go straight into my office. I need to bury myself in work to keep my mind off Ana. Gail brings a plate with a sandwich on it, placing it on the edge of my desk.
"Jason said you would be working in here for a while. I assume you didn't eat on the plane." I nod my thanks and she leaves without another word.
Before I know it, the sun has set, and my office is dark. I pace to the window and look out over Seattle. The view here is great, one of the reasons why I bought the place. But after seeing the picturesque landscape in Montana, this view is just ordinary.
Ana POV
The sun is setting, and I haven't heard from Christian today. He usually sends me text first thing in the morning or at least calls. I hope he is okay. I walk into the house and see dad sitting at the table drinking coffee.
"Hello, daddy." I kiss his cheek and reach for a coffee cup.
"Hello, Annie. How's it going?" He eyes me over his cup, and I shrug.
"Okay, I guess. Jack Hyde showed up earlier, begging for a date. I told him no and to not come out here again. He also asked me to come to work at the VA Hospital with him. I told him no and to not ask me anymore. I may need you to call him and tell him to back off. Jack doesn't seem to take no for answer on anything." I sit down at the table and wrap my hands around the warm coffee cup.
"I'll talk to him, Annie. He usually sends over potential clients by email. Did he bring anything with him?" I shake my head.
"No, he did not. I feel like this visit was personal. Have you seen Christian today?"
"No. Don't you two have plans this evening?"
"We are supposed to watch the meteor shower from the hay loft, but I haven't heard back from him. I called him earlier to ask if he was still coming and he hasn't responded."
"He may be busy with work. It seems like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders."
"He employees over forty thousand people. He has offices in New York, London, and eventually South East Asia." Mom rushes into the room holding out her cell phone.
"Have you seen this, Ana?" Mom asks, showing me an online article with pictures of Christian and me from our date last night.
"No, I haven't." I reach for the phone and scan the article. Maybe this is why I haven't heard from him? He mentioned keeping his life private. Maybe going out last night wasn't a good idea. I hope he isn't mad at me.
"You guys look fabulous," mom cheers. I roll my eyes and hand her phone back.
"This is something Christian tries to avoid. He keeps himself out from under the press microscope, or he tries to. I didn't help matters, I guess." I lean my head on my chin and look out the window.
"I think it's great. It makes a statement to everyone out there he has a girlfriend." Mom giggles, placing emphasis on girlfriend. I turn to look at her.
"I believe it will create the opposite, mom. Women will come out of the woodwork for the chance to get their hands on him." I stand from the table and head for the back door. "I'm going to work in the barn." I leave the house without waiting for a response from her or dad.
Once I'm in the pottery room, I get to work on the vase I made for Grace. It only needs to be painted and fired, then I can give it to her before I go back to Seattle.
I eat a quiet dinner with mom and dad, neither one saying anything about Christian. "I'm going to fly back to Seattle tomorrow," I say as I clean up the dishes. "I have a two-day conference that starts on Monday."
"I wish you would stay longer, sweetheart." Mom places her hand on my shoulder, and I fight back tears.
"I need to wrap up a few things before I come back here. I promise I will stay longer next time." I try to smile at mom, but it probably looks more like a grimace.
"Okay, honey." She kisses my cheek and helps me to clear the table.
I take a thermos of hot chocolate and a few blankets to the barn in case Christian shows up. I can't for the life of me figure out what I did wrong. I thought things were going great. Hell, we would have had sex last night if it wasn't for us staying with our parents. Maybe that's it. He's mad because I didn't have sex with him. No, that's not true.
I climb to the loft and open the doors to the outside. I lay one of the blankets on the hay and sit on top of it. I watch the stars twinkling in the sky like diamonds and I start to softly sing. "When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you…" I sigh and lean back against the pillow of hay. If only it was that easy.
I watch in wonder as stars shoot across the sky. It seems like hundreds at a time, but I don't think it's that many. The wide-open sky makes it seem that way. I sip on hot chocolate and enjoy the show.
The next morning, I walk next door to deliver the completed vase to Grace. She meets me at the door with a smile. "Good morning, Ana. How are you?" I smile as she opens the door wider, inviting me inside.
"I'm good, thank you." I present the vase to her and she gasps, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Oh, Ana! This is beautiful!" The vase is large enough to hold two flower arrangements.
"Thank you. I hope you like the color." It is a mixture of blues and grays, similar to a tie dye pattern on a shirt.
"I love it. I haven't seen anything like it before. Come into the kitchen. Would you like a cup of coffee?" She sets the vase down and reaches for a cup.
"No thank you. Is Christian here?" Grace frowns and leans against the countertop.
"No, honey. He and Elliott left yesterday afternoon. Christian said there was some emergency with GEH. Did he not call you and let you know?" I try to hide my disappointment, but Grace sees it before I can.
"Um, no. He didn't call me. We had plans last night and he didn't show." I hope there is nothing serious going on with his company.
"I'm sure he had a lot on his mind at the time. He seemed distraught before he left. Why don't you try to call him again? I'm sure he will answer this time." I smile half-heartedly and fight tears.
"Thank you, Grace. I need to get going. I am flying back to Seattle this afternoon. I have a conference on Monday, and Tuesday I need to prepare for. It was so nice meeting you and Carrick. I hope to see you again soon." I hug her tightly.
"Ana, no matter what happens; please remember Christian is new to relationships. He is experiencing new feelings and emotions. Be patient with him?" I close my eyes, trying to fight back tears.
"I will, Grace. Talk to you soon." She releases the hug and I walk briskly to the front door. Just as I shut the door, the tears I was trying to hold back flow down my cheeks.
What happened to make Christian leave so suddenly? More importantly, does it involve me?
CPOV
No matter how hard I try or how much work I try to bury myself in, I can't get the image of that fucker and Ana out of my head. Maybe Elliott is right, and I read too much into the situation. I should have stayed and told to guy to fuck off. My ringing phone brings me back to the present.
I see Ana's name on the caller ID and contemplate answering it. What am I supposed to say? She has no idea I left. Or maybe she does and that's why she is calling. To tell me she has moved on with someone else.
I let the call go unanswered but see a voice mail notification. I consider deleting it without listening to what she has to say, but I guess that wouldn't be fair. Since when do I give a fuck about being fair?
"Christian, this is Ana. Well, I guess you already knew that from your caller ID. I talked to your mom and she said you returned to Seattle for an emergency with GEH. I hope everything will be alright. You missed a great meteor shower last night. Please let me know you are okay. I hope to hear from you soon." She pauses, as if she wants to say something else but ends the call instead.
Her voice sounded sad, like she didn't believe the excuse I gave my mother for leaving. I delete the message and reach for a file folder to review the documents inside. I am on the second page of figures when my phone rings again. What now?
I see Ray's name on the caller ID, and I answer it. "Grey," I say in a clipped tone.
"Christian, this is Ray. Have I caught you at a bad time?" No, you haven't. I'm just sitting here trying to concentrate on work when all I can think about is your daughter in the arms of another man.
"No, sir. I'm not busy at the moment." I toss my pen on the desk and lean back in my chair.
"Can you come to my house for a few minutes? There is something I need your help with." He doesn't know I'm back in Seattle.
"I flew back to Seattle yesterday. There was something I needed to take care of in person."
"Oh." I hear him sigh. "I guess that's why Annie is acting strange." My ears perk up when he talks about Ana.
"What do you mean?" Maybe he can shed some light on the fucker from yesterday.
"You leaving wouldn't have anything to do with Jack Hyde showing up here yesterday, would it?" He continues before I have the chance to answer. "Annie said he has been asking her out and not taking no for an answer. Now he is pushing her to take a therapist job with the local Veteran's Care Center here." I grab the glass from my desk and throw it against the wall.
"Fuck." I hear him chuckle and it pisses me off even more.
"Son, Ana has no interest in Jack, whatsoever. He normally sends potential client information by email but for whatever reason, he decided to show up unannounced yesterday. I believe it has to do with the pictures online of you and Annie. What happened?"
"My head of security called me about the pictures and online article while Elliott and I were fishing. I wanted to tell her in person about it. When I got to the barn, I saw Hyde touching Ana's face and I just walked away without saying anything." Now that I know the fucker has a name, I will do an in-depth background check.
"Annie seemed down in the dumps last night and this morning. She is on a plane headed back to Seattle as we speak. But that's not the reason I need your help." Is something else is going on? Christ.
"What can I do to help?"
"I'm sure Annie has told you about her assault in college. The kid's name is Jose Rodriguez and I believe he has been following Annie for some time. I don't have proof yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if he is." I feel my body breaking out into a cold sweat.
"I will give you unlimited resources to find this asshole. What makes you think he will come after her? It's been five years since it happened."
"He was not happy about being kicked out of college, then put in jail. It took me by surprise when I found out he was the one that did it. He and Annie had been friends since seventh grade. Hell, his father and I served together. I considered him a son and he repaid me by trying to hurt my daughter. I need in depth comings and goings on him. He has to be getting money from somewhere. His father has cut all contact. I'm considering close protection for Annie until Jose is caught. But I don't think she will like it very much." I snort and Ray laughs.
"If she knows her safety is in danger, she may agree to it."
"I don't want her to flip out about it. She struggled for a long time with what happened, and I'm afraid she will close herself off again." I take a deep breath and close my eyes.
"Send me an email with whatever information you have on Jose. While you are at it, do the same for this Jack fucker. If he keeps hounding Ana, I will end him." Ray laughs but I don't think he realizes how serious I am.
"Okay, Christian. I will send what I have as long has you keep me in the loop. If anything happens to Annie-," Ray's voice breaks at the end and I know the feeling.
"It won't come to that. I will get my security guys on it and let you know what they find. Thanks for calling me."
"What are you going to do about Annie?"
"I don't know yet. I will want to talk to her face to face, but I don't know what to say."
"The truth is a start, son. Have a good night." He ends the call and I stare at the phone screen.
I text Taylor to come into my office once I receive the email from Ray. We discuss putting someone on Ana, from a distance. He would intervene if there is immediate danger. Now I need to figure out what to say to her when I see her, if she will want to see me that is.
Ana POV
The conference is finally over, and I decide to go to a sports bar near the conference center for a few drinks and appetizers. The past few days have been long, but I have gained a lot of insight on handling stress and treating PTSD. I've also gained some new contacts to bounce ideas off of.
I walk into The Tap House and take a seat at the bar. I order a beer and some nachos then look around. It's a casual place, with televisions mounted everywhere. I probably should have changed clothes but I most likely wouldn't have come back out.
Just as my nachos are delivered, someone sets down beside me and engages the bartender in conversation.
"Elliott, man how's it going? I haven't seen you in here in ages. The old ball and chain keeping you at home?" I stiffen when I hear the name and side eye the guy. I almost choke on the food when I see its Christian's brother.
"Fancy meeting you here. Why are you so dressed up?" Elliott asks, then orders a beer.
"Hello, Elliott. I just finished a conference up the street and decided to come in here for some beer and advice from the bartender." He snickers and steals a nacho from my plate.
"I wouldn't ask him for any advice. He's been divorced twice. I can give you great advice. What do you want to know?" Oh, I don't know. How about why your brother left town without a word and refuses to return my calls?
"I don't need advice, Elliott. I am just making conversation. How is your brother?"
"He's still a dickhead, but okay, I guess. Have you talked to him since you left Montana?" I shake my head.
"No. I haven't heard a word from him since we went out on a date." Elliott frowns and reaches for his phone. He appears to be sending a text message and places it back on the bar.
"Has the press been hounding you?" He asks while sipping his beer.
"Not yet. I guess since we haven't been seen together in Seattle, it's old news. How is your mom and dad?" Time for a subject change. Elliott's phone vibrates and he reads the message, then types a response.
"You seem busy. I will find a booth and talk to you later." I start to get up and he reaches for my arm.
"No, stay here. I'm sorry, Kate is texting me about picking up dinner. She has a late meeting and asked me to grab something on my way home. Mom and dad are great. She showed me the vase you made her. It's lovely. She has a huge bouquet of wildflowers in it right now. How are your parents?" He seems to be stalling for some reason, but I play along. It's not like I have anyone to go home to.
"They are good. Dad said you reached out to him about helping with the remodel of your parent's home. He will like that. I think mom annoys him sometimes and it will do him some good to get out of the house."
The bartender brings me another beer and I take a healthy sip. "Where is your asshole brother, Elliott? I haven't seen you two out together in a long time," The bartender asks.
"He's busy making billions. I've tried to get him out of his penthouse in the sky, but he doesn't want to come and play." Elliott grins, and I shake my head.
"Can I have something stronger, please?" I ask the bartender.
"Sure, beautiful. Whatever you want, it's on the house."
"Whiskey, neat." I push the beer and plate of nachos aside as the bartender sets the drink in front of me.
"Ana, it's obvious to me you have feelings for my brother. I know he has feelings for you as well."
"He has a funny way of showing it."
"Ana, he has never had a relationship before. Cut him some slack." I scoff. "Look, I know he wants to talk to you. He doesn't know what to say."
"I don't know what to say either because I have no idea why he left. I tried to call him twice and he didn't return my call. The silence speaks volumes, Elliott." I take another sip of whiskey.
"I will tell you part of it, only to give you a starting point. He saw Jack Hyde touch you. He thought you were two timing him, so he left. He couldn't face the hurt and rejection of you being with someone else." I stare at Elliott with an incredulous look on my face.
"You mean he saw another man touch me and he didn't step in and claim me as his girlfriend? Wow. This is getting better and better." I finish my drink and signal for another.
"If he would have stayed for another minute, he would have seen me back away from Jack and heard me tell him to leave me alone." I reach for the glass as soon as the bartender sets it in front of me.
"Ana, look at it from Christian's point of view. You two have only known each other for a week. He has never been in a committed relationship that didn't involve contracts and rules. He doesn't know how to express what he's feeling."
"Are you kidding me right now? We almost had sex after our date the other night. Why would he think I had someone else besides him? This is some crazy fucked up shit." I can feel my head start to buzz so I ask the bartender for a glass of water.
"Ana, please listen to me. I have never seen my brother act around another woman like he does with you. We talked the other day about love and relationships. I believe he is in love with you but doesn't know how to let himself feel it. It's foreign to him. Please just talk to him and see what he has to say." I look around the bar, thinking he will pop out from behind a wall or something.
"Where should I talk to him at? You said he stays in his penthouse all the time." Elliott finishes his drink and settles his tab, and mine as well.
"I will take you to him." I shake my head rapidly.
"No. I can't go to his place," I whine as my buzz gets stronger.
"Why not? Don't you love my brother? You said you wanted to help him." I swallow hard.
"Okay."
CPOV
I am sitting at my desk looking over Jack Hyde's background check when I hear the elevator ding with an arrival. It must be someone with a code because Taylor didn't let me know anyone was here.
A few seconds later, Elliott is standing at the door of my office.
"What's up, Bro? Tired of locking yourself away from the world?"
"No, I've been busy. What are you doing here? Don't you have plans with Kate tonight?" I look back to the file, doing my best to ignore my brother.
"She had a late meeting. I'm headed home after I leave here. I went to Tap House for a drink and ran into someone you know." I look up at him but see Ana standing in his place.
I toss the file on my desk and stand. Ana is wearing a blue pant suit the color her eyes, and heels to match. Her hair is down in waves past her shoulders, and I want to run my fingers through it. I round my desk until we are standing a few feet apart.
"You can thank me later, Bro." I hear Elliott say as he gets on the elevator.
"Hi," she says softly, looking into my eyes.
"Hi," I say in return. I feel like such a dork. I want to touch her, but I can't gage her. Is she mad at me for not calling her back? Does she know the truth about why I left?
"Would you like something to eat or drink?" I ask and she shakes her head no.
"I had a few drinks at the bar. I'm not hungry right now. I need answers. Why did you leave without saying goodbye?" Okay, straight for the jugular.
"Can we sit down in the living room? It's more comfortable in there." She nods her head and I lead her to the couch.
I start to speak but nothing comes out. I don't know how to say what is on my mind. How hard can it be to say what I saw and how I felt? Ana takes my hand and squeezes it softly. Before I can say anything, Taylor clears his throat as he enters the room.
"Sir, Mrs. Lincoln is downstairs requesting to come up."