CHAPTER 28

It's funny, because after sharing those three little but significant words, the atmosphere seems to change around us. Somehow, it becomes lighter, more relaxed; like an invisible load was taken off each of us after having confessed those three meaningful words.

Maybe he'd been waiting a long time to say it, but he'd been holding himself back. Due to what? Maybe fear I'd never feel the same way? That maybe, me being younger than him, I'd be frightened off such an intense declaration? If anything, it makes me feel overwhelmed with joy. Joy and happiness. And I think maybe, although his way of showing it may be different, Christian feels exactly the same way too.

We spend an endless amount of time together, just lying in the bathtub; Christian's arms around my breasts, my back leaning into his bare chest, his knees bent, larger feet over mine in the water. It's heavenly. Not just the mildly warm temperature of the water, but... him. Lying, relaxing in his arms, it's heavenly. His chin rests on one of my shoulders, his warm steady breaths tickling my ear.

After a while, he must get restless with just sitting there, holding me. He unwraps one arm around me, reaching for the complimentary bottle of body wash they have given us for staying in the hotel room. He uncaps it, then squirts a decent amount in a hand. Then he rubs both hands together, and I become fixated on the pair of them, the strength in them, their masculinity. Like everything seemingly about him, I find his hands sexy. Even just watching them now... as he lathers up the body wash in between them. He plops the opened bottle back on its small shelf above the bath, and then, without even warning me, he's touching me, washing me.

He reaches up, closing his hands over my forearms, then slowly glides them down, soaping me up all over. Then he brings them up to my shoulder blades and starts squeezing, massaging them. He's really lucky I don't end up smacking into his nose with my head as it lolls back uncontrollably in pleasure. Who knew a massage could feel this good?

"Feels nice," I murmur breathlessly.

Christian's mouth moves closer to my ear. "Yeah?"

"Mm." But because I don't want to be greedy and make him miss out, I reach over myself, grabbing the bottle, squirting some of the body wash messily into my hand. I realize my hands are shaking as he keeps rubbing around my shoulders, squeezing with his fingertips, applying pressure in a really nice way. His mouth is still inches from my ear as I blindly reach down, my soapy hands finding both of his kneecaps that are out of the water, around me. I start moving my fingers down a little towards his muscular thighs, soaping him up. It's then I notice it. His breathing has changed, as he rests it inches from my ear. And so has mine.

He presses one quick, warm, open-mouthed kiss over the shell of my ear, his breathing ragged, hands still stroking and massaging around my shoulders while I stroke his thighs, and then... I feel him, pressing up against my backside, that organ, that erection. He's aroused by it. And, belatedly, I realize that I am too.

I don't know what makes me so bold, so unhesitating even, but I pretty much do it without thought, on impulse.

Slithering forward a little in the water, I reach around behind me towards him with my hand, submerging it under the water behind my back. It isn't too hard to find him, and when I do, clasping my hand over the length of it carefully, gently, his hands still from their glorious movement over my shoulder blades.

His breath hitches in his throat at the realization of what I'm doing, his chin resting in my hair.

I slide up and down his length slowly, listening to the noises he makes. They're very encouraging. I can tell he's enjoying it. And maybe I am too, weirdly enough?

"Keep going?" I whisper, uncertain, as I trace his length, alternating between tight and gentle grasps with my fingers. "Or... stop?"

"Don't you dare..." Surprising me, he thrusts a little with his hips, pushing himself into my hand under the water; a low, deep sexy groan coming from the base of his throat. His chin is resting beneath my earlobe, scratchy with a light graze of stubble. "Don't stop, Ana, not now." There's a hint of husky desperation in his voice, of sheer need. It makes me feel empowered.

The fact that he's clearly so aroused, that he's enjoying what I'm doing to him... I feel my heart beating in my chest, somewhere down there pulsing madly in reaction. His arousal makes me feel aroused in return. The way he flexes and bucks his hips, his hisses and little grunts... it's such a turn on within itself.

"Christ, honey," he groans, and I get a surprise of my own when suddenly he opens his mouth, catching the fleshy part of my earlobe in it, sucking hard,grazing it with his teeth. His mouth is so delicious warm, his tongue pulsing against my lobe. "I'm going to come..." he breathes gently in warning, and then he must do barely a second later, like he said.

He thrusts one last time into my palm, cries out with a throaty groan, and stiffens. I don't notice anything, no come. I guess that's what happens when you're in water.

He takes a while to recover, breathing shakily, his muscular arms tightening over me again, holding me close. I pull my hand out from under me, inspecting it curiously. There's no come, it's just completely saturated with water. Hmm.

"You touch me so good," he murmurs after a while, his breathing still loud, but slower. He voice sounds slower, drugged out somehow. Like it's taken all his energy away right now. We spend a few moments in silence, while I try to control my breathing as well. He rests the side of his face against mine. There's still a delicious tingle down below for me. "Are you a witch?" When he asks it, it sounds like something random, something completely accidental.

But what? Am I a witch? Meaning what?

I don't know whether to laugh or not. Is he teasing?

"What?" I snort. "No, I'm pretty sure I'm not. Why?"

"Sometimes I think that you are. A witch I mean. You've put a spell on me." His voice is softer. Contemplative, even. He holds me even tighten to him, and I reach down, grasping his arms gently, holding him back.

I have no idea what he means though. He thinks I've put a spell on him?

But then he continues a moment later, stroking the tip of his nose against my cheek, "You've completely and utterly... bewitched me."

I feel my pulse scatter, my cheeks reddening at the sweetness of his comment. Yet I have my doubts, too. How could I possibly have bewitched him? Put a spell on him? Plain old me? Shouldn't it be the other way around, with him doing that to me?

He must be able to notice, even with just the side of my face, the fact that I'm beaming and am practically gushing over his words. I can hardly stop myself from grinning broadly. "With that big beautiful smile of yours." He runs his hands down my arms, until he meets my hands. He grasps onto them gently in his. "And... with your little, soft hands."

"I think that should really be the other way around," I manage, giddily.

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Because I'm pretty sure that you are the one that put the spell on me. Ever since the first day I was introduced to you."

...

As the bath water begins to cool dramatically, we decide we've had enough. I'm graced with the sight of him, full-blown naked, as he steps out of the bathtub, dripping wet. He grabs a white towel for me, helping to cover and dry me up as I climb out. He doesn't even bother about himself, even although he appears a little shivery; He focuses on reaches down, helping dry my feet and legs.

I think that's just him though, and it's nice. I think it makes me love him even more.

He puts me first, my comfort, my warmth, before his own. And it makes my heart burst with an aching, painful tenderness as he gets down on his knees, patting my thighs dry with another fluffy towel. His hair is still damp, dark, dripping wet, with beads of water rolling down his forehead, his cheeks. He even looks like he's got faint goose pimples on his arms. Yet he doesn't care at all. It's only me, and its heart warming.

He's taking his time, rubbing my knees down, when I reach down awkwardly, gripping my hands on either side of his wet face, pulling his eyes upward to meet mine. They shine back at me, slightly confused. I bend down, pressing my mouth to his, and just like that, I think he knows not to bother with me anymore. He gets to his knees, and stands, a little unsteadily while still not breaking the kiss. Our lips move, and as I open my mouth slightly, he takes advantage, slipping his tongue into mine as I lose grip of the towel over my shoulders. It falls below us at our feet and yet I can hardly bring myself to care. There's just him... us, this moment.

And then without warning him, I pull away, and move out of the bathroom, ignoring the clothes and towels on the floor. And then, I'm not exactly sure how it happens, but it does. Suddenly, Christian and I are playing this weird game of dashing naked towards the bedroom, only I'm feeling mischievous and cheeky, running away from him, trying to dodge out of his arms as he tries to catch me.

I reach the bed before he does, and I dive onto it headfirst, hardly able to control my laughter. His breathing alerts me that he's reached the room a second later; He sounds ragged, out of breath. As I turn to look over at him, I see he's taking a moment, bracing his hands on this muscular thighs, head down a little. He's winded.

"Poor old guy," I tease, and he finally lifts his head to look at me, a mischievous half-smile there on his face, mirth glinting in his eyes. "You look exhausted. Maybe I shouldn't have expected you to chase me in here after all?" I giggle to show I'm just teasing and, to my relief, it doesn't appear that I've offended him at all. If anything, he seems amused.

"Poor old guy, huh?" he breathes, in a strained rush of air. He breathes in deeply a few times through his nose, catching his breath. Then he straightens up to his full height, staring at me, that mirth in his eyes turning into something else, something... I don't think I've actually seen in him before, as his eyes flicker down my exposed bare back, my buttocks that are probably facing him with the way that I'm carelessly laying. It's playful and teasing, yes, but... a little foreboding too. "Poor old guy?" he repeats again, an edge there, as he steps forward to the bed a few inches.

I'm the one left breathless and shocked next, with what he does.

With that glint there in his eyes, he moves suddenly, catching me unprepared. He crawls onto the bed swiftly with both knees coming around my legs and then...

He brings up a hand and brings it down over my bare buttocks with a resounding slap. It effectively wipes whatever cheeky grin I had on my face. It doesn't hurt, really- it's more so the unexpectedness of it that startles me. My mouth plops open in sheer astonishment as I stare at him where he is, knees on the bed around me, completely naked, hand that he just slapped my butt with raised midway in the air. His breathing goes shallow, his eyes alert and watching me warily. Like he's worried over my reaction, yet he's obviously... aroused as well.

"Did you just, um... spank me?" I manage in a bewildered voice, my eyes wide. "Really?"

"Is that OK?" His expression turns almost apprehensive. "I... I don't know why I... I just did that." He grimaces, breathing heavily.

What surprises me is how I feel over it. After the initial shock, I begin to feel a little sensation of where he spanked me heating up, thrumming with heat. And it actually doesn't feel too bad after all. That same sensation I felt in the bathtub, that tingling, that throbbing... it returns with a vengeance. I can feel my heart pounding in my ears.

"Do it again." It tears out of my mouth without thought. Do I actually want him to do it again? Yes, I realize. I never thought it would be something I'd actually like or find arousing or even weirdly sensual, but... yes. It's Christian doing it to me. And it's hot.

"Do- What?" His voice is quiet with disbelief.

"Spank me, Mr Grey," I urge, my teasing side returning again. I stretch a little, nudging him playfully with my toes. "Or is the poor old man too exhausted to do it again?" I'm teasing him, goading him on playfully. And Christian realizes that a second later.

His eyebrows arch, his mouth falling open slightly incredulously. "Poor old man, did you say?" He murmurs, his voice going playfully stern. Bending down, he plants a quick kiss over where he hit me on my backside consolingly, before he starts again, being very convincing with his eyes, his expression. He's a very good actor, I realize. "Oh, well. Let me show you what happens when you call me a 'poor old man', shall I?"

He brings his hand up, then smacks again on my ass. Just like before, it's... pleasant. And surprisingly oh so fun.

Roughly around five spanks more and a lot of laughter shared between us, my ass cheeks are stinging slightly. Christian leans down, planting several soft, delicate open-mouthed kisses around the areas of my buttocks that he spanked, as though his way of apologize, or at least his attempt at soothing the redness. Once he seems satisfied, he moves up on the bed to lay down beside me, his breathing just as loud as mine is.

"You OK?" he asks, trailing a hand gingerly down my body and around my bottom. "Did you like that?"

"Mm." It takes me a while to regain use of my voice. "Surprisingly, yes."

"Me, too." His voice sounds relieved. "Just remember what will happen if you call me 'poor old man' again."

"Poor old-" I begin teasingly with a laugh, only he cuts me off, rolling me around towards him, his mouth claiming mine and all of my giggles along with it.

Christian has been responsible for teaching me many things, it occurs to me as I kiss him back hungrily, twining my arms around his neck. Good music taste in Frank Sinatra and other classic musicians. Pleasure and the fun of sex and kissing, especially. And now... just how sensual getting spanked and punished can be. Who would have thought that?

...

Sunday comes, like it always does unfortunately, and after a few kisses and hugs, Christian and I have to go our separate way.

I feel like I'm floating on a perfect cloud of well-being and happiness, as always do after a weekend spent with Christian, I find, as I start making the walk back to the campus apartment with my bag. I feel like I'm weirdly floating as I make my way inside, humming absently. I wonder if Kate will be home or if she's out. I wonder if anything else has happened with the guy that she lost her virginity to while I was away for the weekend. Hopefully he didn't hurt her.

As soon as I unlock the door and get safely inside our apartment, I know Kate's here. The TV's on in the living room and I think she's watching some movie.

"Hey girl," I call loudly. "I'm home." I round around the hallway, finding Kate on the couch, still in her pajamas. Sundays are usually a lazy day for Kate.

She mutes the volume on the TV. "Hey," she whispers, and immediately I realize there's something off. Her voice sounds different. Aloof and cold, almost.

"How are you? How was your weekend?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

"What?" I know my voice is weirdly anxious the instance I turn to look at her. "What do you mean? What's wrong with-"

"-I called your mom's house phone because I couldn't reach you and I really needed to chat," she mutters, and my stomach sinks. Oh, shit. No. "Yeah," she mumbles, obviously seeing something like horror on my face. "Imagine how surprised I was when your mom told me that apparently you haven't even been staying at her house on weekends like you said you were." There's a sharp note of accusation in her face that kills me.

I feel all the color drain from my face as she stares at me, her eyes piercing, filled with silent accusations.

"So, where were you, huh?" She sits up on the couch, slapping a hand brusquely against her satin-trouser clad thigh. "Why the need to say you were at your mom's all weekend when, really, you were somewhere else all that time?"

I'm really not ready for this. I just got in the front door. Why does she have to do this right now?

"Well?" she demands, her voice getting a little hysterical. "Where is it that you've really been these past few weekends, huh?" She watches me with glaring eyes carefully, as if trying to read the answer of where I've truly been on my face and body alone. I hope she can't really see or notice, because... I can't tell her. Not yet. We're not ready yet.

"Kate," I begin weakly with a sad sigh, letting the strap of my bag fall off my shoulder carelessly.

"No, don't, Ana!" she snaps, suddenly getting to her feet. "Don't do that, not again!"

"Do what-"

"-Keep another goddamn thing from me!" She steps tentatively towards where I'm standing, her eyes pleading, begging. "You said that we're still best friends but... best friends don't lie or keep things away from each other?"

The look in her eyes, the desperation... It's too much. This whole entire thing hurts too much. I need it to end.

"Kate, please," I manage, hastily moving away from her towards my bedroom. Somehow not having to meet her eyes, not having to look at her while she fires all her difficult questions at me, it's makes avoiding her that much easier.

I get into my bedroom and shut the door quickly, not even sure she's following me. As I dump my bag on the bed, I hear her outside through the wood as I cover my hands over my face, my fingers trembling.

"You know what, Ana? I feel like I don't even fucking know you anymore! First not telling me that you'd already lost your virginity to some guy and now- now this?" Her voice is shaky and high-pitched, with a mingled mix of hurt and anger. "What changed between us now that you feel like you can't even fucking talk to me anymore or tell me the truth about anything anymore, huh?"

I'm losing her. I really know I am.

"Fine, then! Don't answer and just hide away in there!" she bursts out. "But I meant what I said! I really feel like I don't know you anymore!"

And maybe she's right? Then again, maybe she never even truly knew me at all?

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR LOVELY SUPPORT AND NICENESS, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT! NOT TOO SURE ABOUT THIS CHAPTER AND THE WHOLE SPANKING SCENE, BUT HOPE IT WASN'T TOO BAD. POOR ANA WITH KATE GETTING SUSPICIOUS! WOULD LOVE TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS? THANK YOU!

AND MERRY CHRISTMAS IF I DON'T GET AROUND TO UPDATING BEFORE THEN XX