Chpt. 32 APOV:

I wake up the next morning to Christian's mouth on my very sensitive nipples, sucking and nipping at them as his fingers gently stroke my sex. This man's sex drive is truly amazing, he always seems ready to go no matter how recently we've had sex. Yesterday he managed to keep me on edge almost the entire day before finally letting me find my release just before we went to bed. As surprised as I am at his sex drive, I find my own body quickly responding to Christian. The orgasm last night provided me the much needed release that I was waiting all day for but I don't know if it completely satisfied me. Judging by the gush of excitement I just felt between my legs, I'm going to say that it didn't.

"Don't come…." Christian mumbles as he nips my nipple with his teeth.

"Ahhhhh!" I moan, the slight pain going straight to my sex.

"We still have some work to do, don't we?" he slips a finger inside me.

"Please….I promise….I learned my lesson," I beg as he curls his finger hitting that magical spot deep within me.

"What lesson would that be?" He asks.

"I won't come without permission, I swear" I moan, desperately trying to hold back the orgasm.

"Don't come" he pulls the plug from me suddenly.

"Yes…sir…." I pant feeling both relieved and disappointed that the plug was removed.

"You look so beautiful right now; your cheeks are flushed, your nipples so hard, your pussy dripping with desire " he lays himself between my legs, his erection just at my opening.

"Please…." I beg, desperate with need.

"Remember" he thrusts hard into me, "Don't come."

"UGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH" I scream out as he slams himself into me hard, my body stretching around him.

"God you're so tight…." he says through gritted teeth.

"Yes…." I moan.

"Do you want to come?" he asks.

"Yes sir! Yes sir!" I scream as he thrusts hard into me.

"Oh God!" he screams moments later, slamming deep and hard into me as he finds his release.

I whimper as he continues to move slowly within me, leaving me desperately on the edge yet again. I thought he was going to let me come; I try to calm my body down as I realize this is likely not going to happen. He rolls us over so I am on top of him, our connection still intact as he kisses me passionately. His tongue thrusts into my mouth, mimicking the movements on my sex only moments ago. I moan realizing it's going to be impossible to come down if he continues to keep doing this. Christian gently urges me to sit up; he pushes my hips down against him forcing himself deeper inside of me.

"Ahhhhhhhh" I gasp as he sinks deeper into me.

"Do you want to come?" he asks.

"Please sir….If you think I should" I beg, giving myself completely to him.

"Very good" he sounds pleased and I immediately realize this is what he wanted me to say earlier. As a sub it is not my place to ask for a release, to demand an orgasm; the orgasm remains in the hands of the dominant at all times.

"Ride me" he instructs.

My body immediately tenses knowing that any movement right now will push me closer to the edge, I don't know that I can hold back the orgasm that is quickly threatening to take over. Putting my hands on his chest, I slowly begin moving myself up and down on him, enjoying the exquisite feeling him sliding in and out of me. His hands are firm on my hips but he is letting me control the pace, almost as if he knows that if I start moving too much right now it will push me over the edge. It is only now that I truly realize my transgression yesterday in the playroom; by coming without his permission I essentially took that control away from him. His punishment of keeping me on edge combined with the plug in me yesterday and this morning was a constant reminder of why I first went to the club in Taiwan – I needed to give someone complete control over my body including my orgasms. I desperately try to keep this in mind as Christian begins thrusting his hips upward, pushing himself deeper into me each time I slide back down against him.

"Come Ana!" Christian commands.

"OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!" I scream as the release that has been building finally takes over.

I swear I lose all sense of reality, I can't feel anything but pure bliss as my walls grip Christian tightly not wanting him to pull out. I don't know why but this orgasm feels different, it's as if it's coming from deeper inside of me…I can only assume it's because of the build up of the release. As I slowly begin to come down from the orgasm, I feel Christian pulling me down against him, my chest against his as he slams hard into me. He holds my hips up as he continues thrusting in and out of me and I immediately find myself once again on the edge. I don't think the last orgasm ended before this one threatens to take over. I'm panting and moaning heavily, desperately trying not to come as Christian continues thrusting hard in and of me.

"Come with me ANA!" Christian screams as I feel him swell deep inside of me.

"Yes! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! YES!" I scream as the second orgasm in minutes rips through my body. Christian's hands relax and I immediately find myself rocking against him, prolonging the orgasm even more as it doesn't seem to end. I actually moan in disappointment as I feel Christian soften inside of me.

"You wanted to come again?" he smirks.

"I don't know why, but yes" I blush deeply.

"Later….I think your body needs a rest" he laughs.

"I'm sorry" I whisper as I kiss his neck.

"For?" he asks.

"For coming without permission in the playroom yesterday" I say. "I'm supposed to give you complete control when we're in there and I didn't, I realize that now."

"Good" he sighs. "Then the punishment was effective."

"I don't want another punishment like this" I whine.

"Next time don't come" he says simply.

"I'll try harder" I say.

"I love you" he whispers gently pulling me off of him.

"I love you too" I moan.

"Let's take a shower and get some breakfast, I'm sure you're hungry" he suggests.

"Actually not really" I admit.

"You have to eat something, even just something small" he reminds me sternly.

"I will" I sigh.

The rest of the weekend passes by quickly, we don't return to the playroom but we spend a lot of time in our bedroom making up for earlier in the week. We also finalize our plans to visit our parents this weekend; Grace has to work on Friday and invites us to a family dinner on Sunday but my dad is available on Saturday. Our plan is to fly to my dad's on Saturday morning, spend the day with him and then fly back Saturday evening. Sunday night will be dinner with Christian's family, although we're not entirely sure who is going to be there yet.

As the week progresses I become more and more nervous about telling my dad; I'm not as nervous about telling Christian's family but since my dad hasn't yet Christian it just makes me even more nervous. Even if emotionally, I'm a wreck thinking of how my dad will react, physically I'm feeling pretty well. Thankfully I haven't thrown up since the morning Gail tried to serve me eggs; I've had small bouts of nausea here and there but nothing substantial. Christian and I are keeping the pregnancy a secret as long as possible; even after we announce it to our families we want to prolong the media knowing as long as possible. There have been a few calls by reporters to our offices and once or twice someone tried to enter GEH without an appointment but the paparazzi has pretty much left as alone. We are both nervous that once they learn of my pregnancy they will be all over us again which obviously poses safety concerns for both me and the baby. Christian's concern is that someone will try to kidnap me and hold me for ransom. Although I have plenty of money, Christian obviously has much more than I do and therefore they are likely to go after him for the ransom. Sawyer is with me at all times and Christian recently said he is considering a second female security member once the press learns of my pregnancy for extra caution.

I'm really pleased that Christian is doing so well with the unexpected news that I was pregnant. We haven't talked much about what will happen when the baby is born, but he is taking it in strides. At some point we will discuss the nursery I'm sure, but there is a guest bedroom right next to Christian's room that I think would be perfect for a nursery plus it being so close to us is a bonus. Christian and I have both spent some time reading books that we ordered online, comparing the advice in each one. Most of the books say the exact same thing so we probably only needed one book instead of the seven combined books that we ordered. Christian surprised me the other night by showing me a book he ordered which clearly describes, with pictures, the best positions to have sex in as the pregnancy progresses. He even pointed out several positions that he thought I would find most pleasurable!

Friday finally arrives and my nerves are worse than they have been all week; I'm stressed out at work and find myself snapping over the smallest things. I'm sure this is largely due to the anticipation of telling my dad about the baby tomorrow, but no matter what I can't seem to stop thinking that he is going to be angry and disappointed in me.

"Ms. Steele?" Sawyer knocks at my door.

"What?" I snap.

"Mr. Grey would like to know if you've had lunch yet?" he asks.

"Tell Mr. Grey that I will eat when I feel like it" I reply angrily.

"Yes ma'am" He quickly closes the door as he leaves my office.

I immediately feel bad that I snapped at Sawyer; there was really no good reason for that. For all I know Christian had him ask me in case I wanted to join him for lunch. I sigh and quickly eat the lunch that Gail packed me; had Sawyer not mentioned it I probably would have gone much longer without eating. I have found that eating frequent smaller meals helps my stomach not get upset and right now it's been several hours since I've eaten. The rest of my day is filled with meetings and conference calls, none of which can hold my interest for very long. Several times during the meeting I had to excuse myself and leave the room just to get my mind back on track. I know this can't continue much longer or it will begin to affect my ability to run the company productively. Thankfully it is Friday; I can only hope that once I tell my dad and Christian's parents that I will find it much easier to concentrate next week. I text Sawyer around six letting him know that I'm ready to go home.

"Sawyer, I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier today" I say as we drive back to Escala.

"It's okay ma'am" he replies.

"No it wasn't, I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you" I say.

"Don't worry about it" he says.

As I sit in the great room waiting for Christian, I desperately wish I could have a glass of wine to calm my nerves. Sadly, alcohol is obviously off the table for several more months yet so I'm stuck with this glass of water.

"How was your day sweetie?" Christian asks.

"Busy" I grumble. "Stressful."

"Why was it stressful?" he asks.

"I think it's just my nerves" I explain.

"Why don't we go take a hot bath and you can tell me about it?" he suggests.

"No," I sigh. "It's not going to help. We've been talking about it all week and I'm still nervous as hell. I'm so afraid of what my dad's reaction is going to be. What if he's mad at me? What if he's disappointed in me? What if he's angry? What if he doesn't want to be a grandfather?"

"Ana, do you really think he would respond like that?" Christian asks.

"I don't know!" I exclaim.

"I'm sure he wouldn't," Christian tries to reassure me.

"That's the problem! You don't know him! You've never met him….he's never met you! You can't say how he is going to react!" I yell.

"Ana, calm down…let's sit down and talk about it" Christian suggests.

"No! We've done nothing but talk all week and it's not helping! I just need to get this fucking over with" I sigh.

"Ana, I'm sure this stress isn't good for the baby" he points out.

"I know" I agree. "I just can't stop thinking about how he will react."

"I want you upstairs, in position in five minutes" Christian says sternly a few minutes later.

"Wait? What?" I ask surprised.

"Are you questioning me?" he stands straight up, shoulders back and head high clearly in full dom mode.

"No sir" I mumble and slowly walk up the steps.

I'm purposely going slow, entering the playroom with only a minute to spare. The usual excitement I feel when I enter this room is missing, I sigh and begin to undress as Christian requested. I don't know why he thinks I'm in the mood to play right now, we still need to prepare for our trip tomorrow, talk about what we're going to say to my dad…hell we haven't even eaten dinner yet!

"You're not in position Ms. Steele" Christian says walking into the room as I remove my bra.

"Sorry sir" I say, my voice full of sarcasm.

Wack

"Ow!" I exclaim in reaction to the swat across my ass that Christian's hand just delivered.

"Lose the attitude" he instructs.

"Yes sir" I mumble.

"Go to the spanking bench…you've earned yourself a punishment for the attitude" he says.

I don't say anything but make my way to the leather bench as he instructed; I bend myself over it, my sensitive nipples lay against the cool leather.

"I don't think we will be needing these" he rips my panties off, tossing them to the floor. "I want you to count; we will stop at 10."

Wack

"One" I call out as the first slap of his hand comes down.

"Tell me why I'm doing this" he demands.

"Two….Three" his hand comes down quickly. "Because I gave you an attitude for making me come in here."

"Four! Five! Six!" I scream as they come down slightly harder.

"Try again…why am I doing this?" he asks.

"Seven! Eight!" I cry out. "Because I was disrespectful."

"Very good" he acknowledges.

"Nine! Ohhhhhhhhh. Ten!" I scream as the last smack comes down harder than the earlier one.

"On your knees" he demands.

I immediately comply, my ass burning as it rubs against my feet; I can only imagine how red it is right now. Christian leaves my site, but I keep my eyes fixed on the floor in position waiting for him to return. A few minutes later, Christian returns now completely undressed; he pulls my mouth open and thrusts his dick into me deeply immediately hitting the back of my throat causing me to gag. His hand is firm on the back of my head, holding me in place as I'm forced to swallow around him.

"Suck me" he instructs as his grip loosens on my head, allowing me to control the pace.

"I want you to listen to me but don't stop" he says. "I understand you're nervous about tomorrow, but you can't be this stressed out. Everything in the books I've read says stress during pregnancy is not healthy; our jobs have enough stress in them, telling your father that you're pregnant shouldn't add to it. The reason you said you became interested in BDSM was to give complete control over to someone when you felt your world was out of control. Isn't that right?"

"Hmmmmmmm" I moan in agreement as I continue to suck on him.

"Next time you feel this stressed out, I want you to ask for a scene" he says. "I should have realized you needed one but you should have asked as well. This cannot happen again; if work is stressing you out during the day, I want you to come see me at the office. We can easily improvise and have a scene in my office. Understood?"

"Yes sir" I answer as he barely pulls out of me long enough for me to answer before he thrusts back into me.

"Good, now make me come" he demands.

He pulls my head against him, pushing himself once again to the back of my throat. This time I'm expecting it and I don't gag, instead I swallow around him allowing him to slip deeper into me. He groans in response to this and I immediately find myself relaxing knowing that I'm pleasing him. Right now my focus is on him and his needs, long gone are the worries about telling my dad tomorrow. I immediately regret the attitude I gave Christian about coming in here; I need to remember that he knows what I need even if I don't always recognize the need.

"That's it…oh…..don't stop" Christian moans as he starts thrusting into me quicker.

Christian is barely pulling back before he thrusts back into me; I've given up trying to control the pace as he is practically holding my head in place as he tries to find his own release. I moan and swallowing around him as I feel him swell in my mouth just as his breath hitches.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh…Yes…..that's it…" he moans as he thrusts one final time deeper into me than before, immediately I feel the warmth spread down my throat.

With him this deep inside of me, I have no choice but to swallow around him, taking in everything he has to offer. He continues to try to thrust deeper into me as he rides out his orgasm; once he finally stops coming he pulls back slightly allowing me to catch my breath as I gently lick him clean. I feel him beginning to soften in my mouth as he pulls me against him once again, only this time he doesn't reach the back of my throat when I take him all in.

"Do you have anything to say?" Christian asks as he pulls out of me.

"I'm sorry for my attitude sir" I say guiltily.

"Go to the bed, on your knees facing the couch" he instructs.

I immediately comply with his request, my breath hitching as I remember the last time I was in this position. He quickly sits on the couch in front of me, his eyes roaming my entire body as I quickly feel the need building inside of me just from him looking at me and anticipating what he is going to ask me to do.

"Pinch those beautiful nipples" he instructs.

I hands quickly go to my breasts, my fingers lightly pinching my sensitive nipples as he requested.

"Don't stop….get them nice and hard" he says.

"Hmmmmm" I whimper loudly as I feel my nipples harden under my fingers. They are so sensitive right now….even wearing rough fabric makes them ache right now. I've read that they would become sensitive but I never imagined it would be to this degree. The books say it will probably last a few more weeks but I just wish it would stop now!

"Attach this" he hands me a nipple clamp, climbing on the bed behind me.

"Owwww!" I gasp as I put the first one.

"Breath….you can take it" he whispers into my ear as he gives me another clamp.

"Ouch" I whimper as I put the second one on, the sting much less than the first one.

"Good girl" he compliments. "Now play with your clit."

Breathing heavily through the discomfort of my nipples, my hand slowly makes its way to between my legs finding the surprisingly hard little bud of my sex. I am truly surprised to find my sex drenched in excitement despite the pain of the nipple clamps.

"I don't think I need to remind you not to come without permission, do I?" he asks.

"No sir" I moan.

"Lay on your back in the center of the bed" he instructs before leaving the bed to go the chest of drawers against the wall. "Don't stop playing with that sweet clit…I want you right on the edge…."

"Yes…sir…." I pant as I move into the center of the bed as he said, my fingers remain firm on my clit, playing with it just like Christian does so often.

I close my eyes as the need builds; my knees are bent and legs spread wide open inviting Christian in. Even though we had sex last night, my body is desperate with need as if I haven't had sex in ages. I can't help but wonder if it will always be like this with Christian? Will I always want him so badly? Will our connection always be so strong?

"You're thinking too much" he joins me on the bed, this time at the bottom, between my legs.

"Sorry sir" I moan as he pulls my hand down further, slipping my own finger inside of me.

"Maybe this will keep your mind on task" he thrusts my finger in and out of me, pushing me closer to the edge. "Don't stop."

I vaguely feel Christian climb off the bed, moving around the room; my eyes are closed tightly as I desperately try to control the orgasm that is quickly building. After my last punishment, I am determined to not come without Christian's permission. My finger slides easily in and out of my throbbing sex; it's not enough to send me over the edge but it's just enough to keep me on edge.

"Without stopping lift your hips up as high as you can" Christian instructs.

Glancing towards him I cannot see what he has in his hands, with a quick pointed look from him I immediately comply with his request raising my hips off the bed as high as I can. He climbs on the bed, positioning himself between my legs and wraps an arm around my waist pulling me even higher off the bed. He quickly positions an odd shaped pillow under my lower back so that my sex is raised above while my legs are positioned just over the edge of the pillow putting my sex on full display for him. If I wasn't so turned on right now I would be embarrassed; although with as many times as he has put me in a similar position where I have been on display for him you would think I wouldn't be as embarrassed any longer.

"You look so hot like this" Christian moves above me, his erection rubbing against my hand as he grasps my breasts firmly.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh" I moan.

"Put another finger in your tight pussy" he instructs.

I whimper as I comply with his request, another fingers sliding easily into my soaking sex pushing me that much closer to the edge. I close my eyes tightly, watching Christian watching me right now is too much. My body is desperate with need but the fact that I am not controlling my own orgasms right now is reassuring. With as stressed out as I have been this week with the thought of telling my father about the baby, being here right now and giving Christian complete control over everything is just what I needed. This right now is the exact reason I became interested in BDSM in the first place; I need someone to take over when things become too much for me. Christian was right though, I should have told him I needed to come in here.

"God….your juices are sliding down your ass…it's so hot" he moans, sitting back so he can watch me closely.

"Christian…please….sir…" I beg.

"Not yet…hold it for me" he requests.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh" I moan loudly as Christian slips a small, cool object under my hand so it rests directly on my clit and starts vibrating.

"Don't drop it or you won't come all weekend" he warns.

"Please….too much….." I pant as the need quickly overwhelms me.

"Fuck your pussy hard like I do" he orders.

"Oh God! Christian! I need to come!" I scream as my fingers thrust hard in and out of me.

"Come ANA! Let me see that sweet pussy come with your fingers deep inside of you" he orders.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I scream out as Christian takes over the movements of my fingers; I'm too overcome with sensations to even coordinate my own movements.

Christian quickly pulls my fingers from my sex, replacing them immediately with his hard erection causing me to scream in surprise as I can already feel the next orgasm building even though this one hasn't ended yet. He's thrusting into me hard and deep, giving me exactly what I needed as he takes full control over my body.

"So tight….so beautiful….so hot….you look gorgeous with my cock buried in you" he moans as he watches himself thrust in and out of me.

"Please….so close….sir" I beg.

"You're going to tell me the next time you need to come in here aren't you?" he thrusts harder into me.

"Yes sir!" I exclaim as he rubs that wonderful spot deep inside of me.

"You can come when I do" he bends down, putting additional pressure on my clit pushing me near the edge of my breaking point as the need completely takes over.

"CHRISTIAN!" I scream as he releases the nipple clamps.

"Now!" he commands as I feel him thrust deeper into me just before he finds his release.

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!" I scream as the much needed orgasm finally finds me.

Christian gently lifts me up and places me against him, so I'm straddling him with our connection still intact. I rest my head against his shoulder as I desperately try to calm my breathing back down and relax my body against his. Christian's hands are wrapped around my waist, holding me close against him as I feel his breathing slowly begin to return to normal.

"Do you feel better?" Christian asks.

"Yes, thank you" I smile against him.

"How about we go eat and head to bed?" he suggests.

Instead of putting my clothes back on, Christian hands me the silk robe that is always in this room and leads me downstairs. Gail and Taylor must have retired to their apartment as the main floor is quiet as we sit and enjoy a dish of still warm homemade macaroni and cheese. As we finish dinner, I'm feeling very tired which has become pretty typical for me this week right around this time every night. Christian and I fell asleep in each other's arms and we both sleep very soundly as we have most nights since I moved in with Christian.

The next morning arrives quickly and almost immediately my stomach is in knots, again worried about my dad's reaction to the news that he is going to be a grandfather. I wouldn't be surprised if he demanded Christian marry me just because of the baby. As much as I would love to marry Christian someday, I know that we're not there yet and I don't want to get married only because I'm pregnant. I can't see a future without Christian especially now that we are tied together forever by a child but I want it to happen naturally, without the force of our parents.

"Are you ready?" Christian asks as we finish our breakfast.

"Yes….no…..as ready as I'll ever be I guess," I sigh.

"No matter what, it will be okay" he kisses me deeply as we ride the elevator up to the roof.

As we walk onto the roof, before us is a very large black helicopter which immediately causes my jaw to drop. I knew Christian had a helicopter but seeing it firsthand is something else. He quickly straps me into my seat and places large headphones on my head which allow me to hear Christian reviewing the take-off procedures. After a few minutes I feel the helicopter begin to leave the roof of Escala, slowly making our way above the building and I watch in awe as everything gets smaller. We slowly leave Seattle, with Christian pointing out several key parts of the city as we go. I'm truly amazed that Christian has the power and knowledge to fly something like this. I watch everything he does in in awe until the moment we touch down in Portland on a roof of another building. The trip was so much faster flying than it is driving I realize as I check my watch. Christian leads me by the hand down the steps, to the elevator and out the door of beautiful hotel where Taylor is waiting for us with Christian's black SUV.

"Why didn't we just drive down with Taylor?" I ask.

"Because flying is faster," he explains. "Besides, I liked having you with me."

Taylor drives through the city of Portland and along several back roads before we reach my dad's modest home which is far enough from the city that you feel almost alone but close enough should you need anything. Christian squeezes my hand reassuring before he takes my hand assisting me out of the SUV. My parents divorced when I was young, my dad bought this place a few years later when he was tired of living in an apartment in the city. I lived with my mom mostly after the divorce but eventually asked to move back with my dad when I was fifteen after my mom remarried. Her new husband and I didn't exactly see eye to eye; I don't think he was the type of man who ever thought he would marry someone who had a child. He always treated me as if I was a bother and interfered with his plans. Surprisingly my mom didn't argue when I asked to move in with my dad, she all too quickly called and arranged everything with him. I lived in this house until I went to college but it truly was the only place that felt like home.

"You okay?" Christian whispers we approach the front of the house.

"Yes," I reply in a shaky voice.

"Annie! It's so good to see you!" Dad hugs me tightly as we walk through the door.

"Daddy, I missed you" I admit, until now never realizing how much even though I saw him not that long ago.

"You must be Christian, my daughter has told me so much about you" my dad says as he finally pulls away.

"Mr. Steele, it's very nice to meet you sir" Christian shakes his hand.

"Please, call me Ray" dad says. "Let's sit out on the back deck and chat. Christian would you like a beer?"

"Yes, sir….thank you" Christian says surprised.

"Annie…what would you like?" he asks.

"Just a bottle of water is fine Dad," I answer.

Christian and I make our way to the deck off the back of the house that overlooks the decent size yard. There are several chairs, a fire pit and a grill set up; even though my dad doesn't entertain much he enjoys spending a lot of time out here. I remember when he built the deck onto the house a few years ago when I was in New York; he would email me pictures almost every day when he completed another step. He refused to hire someone to help him with it, he did everything by himself.

"So Christian, my daughter tells me you run a very successful business" dad begins.

"Yes sir" Christian admits. "I have been very fortunate that Grey Enterprise Holdings has done very well since I started the company several years ago. We have a variety of companies under our umbrella including several in the technology realm. Our latest acquisition though is a company that is focused on developing portable solar panels that can be used in small places."

"That's very impressive" Dad smiles.

"Thank you sir" Christian blushes slightly, which surprises me because I've never seen Christian blush.

"And you two are now living together I understand?" Dad asks a few minutes later.

"Yes sir" Christian answers. "My apartment has the highest security features possible; I believe Ana is safer at my apartment than in her own."

"Well given everything that happened with that Hyde jerk I would have to agree with you that her apartment isn't very safe," Dad agrees.

"My apartment encompasses the top two floors of our building therefore the elevator can access my floor with a key code combination," Christian explains.

"That was not the case with Ana's apartment right?" Dad asks.

"Yes, while her floor was also passcode protected the floor was shared by another resident which increased the risk" Christian answers. "My apartment also has security cameras in all common areas with a clear view of all exits and entrances."

"That was something her apartment lacked, or this Hyde person would have been caught sooner" Dad points out.

"Yes, that's true," Christian agrees.

As Christian and my dad review various security measures I sit back and just watch as they both discuss other ways to protect me. My dad even warns Christian that I can be defiant and not always listen to rules even when they're meant to keep me safe. Christian smirks at me and tells my dad that he will insure that I comply with all security measures. The way they are talking it's as if I'm not even in the room and that they don't really care about my opinion on safety.

"Daddy…Christian and I have something we would like to tell you," I say as a break in the conversation finally presents an opportunity to tell my dad our news.

"Oh?" He looks at both of us surprised, clearly thinking this visit was just to introduce Christian.

"Daddy," I take a deep breath, bracing myself. "I'm pregnant."

"WHAT?" he screams. "You got my daughter pregnant?"

"Sir, please I want you to know that I have every intention on providing for everything your daughter and our child need. I fully intend to be there every step of the way," Christian tries to assure him.

"Damn straight you will! I expect you to marry my daughter before this baby is born!" Dad exclaims.

"Daddy-" I begin.

"Don't Daddy me! This man should make an honest woman out of my daughter; it's the least he can do!" Dad yells.

"Sir, Ana and I have spoken about marriage but we don't believe that we should get married only because she is pregnant," Christian explains.

"But it's okay to get her pregnant? To have her move in with you? This isn't something you can just throw money at and make it go away – this is a child!" Dad screams.

"Sir, I have no intention of making Ana or our baby go away," Christian assures him. "I will be there every step of the way, at every doctor's appointment, for every craving, for every midnight feeding, for anything that she needs."

"Daddy, it's okay…I'm okay" I smile gently.

"I always wanted you to get married before you had a baby Annie," he sighs. "To truly know someone before you took this big step with them. You have no idea the amount of stress having a baby can put on a relationship, especially one as new as yours."

"I know Daddy" I hug him tightly, not knowing what to say because what he is saying is very true.

"How about some burgers and dogs? You must be hungry," Dad storms off into the kitchen without waiting for our reply.

"That went…." Christian whispers.

"Yeah….it just went," I sigh.

"I'm sure he'll cool down when he has had some time to process it all," Christian says hopefully.

"I suppose" I say.

Dad prepares our dinner on the grill; Christian tries to help where he can but considering the man can barely heat up leftovers there isn't much he can do. Any talk about the baby and our future together is avoided; instead the conversations flow around my dad's business and local sports. I can see the tension slowly easing but as we leave for the night it's still ever present.

"If you need anything…you call me…I don't care what time of the night it is," Dad whispers hugging me tightly. "I love you baby girl."

"I love you too Daddy" I gush.

"Christian, if you ever hurt my daughter or my grandchild I will personally hunt you down and destroy everything you have worked towards. No amount of security will be able to protect you" he warns.

"Understood sir" Christian gulps.

Taylor drives us back to Seattle; Christian explains that since he was drinking with my dad he asked Taylor to arrange for another pilot to return the helicopter to Seattle earlier today. The ride back to Seattle is quiet, I think today was a very emotional day for both of us. All in all I have to admit my dad's reaction wasn't that far from what I expected. I knew he wouldn't be happy but I also knew that he wouldn't disown me or anything crazy like that. Now we just need to get through telling Christian's family our news…