Chapter thirteen
Next, he cleared the table and showed her how to use the dishwasher. Ironically, he was learning while teaching her as he'd never had the need to use it before. But he was thinking it was a time saver especially with all the cooking she was doing.
Similarly, he shook his head at her question about ironing. Truth was, even if he owned an iron, he wouldn't know how to use it.
"Ironing is a very relaxing activity, ironing the nuns' habits was my favorite part day." She said. Her next thought was about Liliana and how much she missed her little arms around her neck.
Christian raised a brow, her outlook on life was so different from his. But that was not necessarily a bad thing; in a way, they complemented each other. Her uniqueness was refreshing.
Ana couldn't believe he didn't own what she considered an essential appliance. "How about a mop? Surely you've heard of those?"
He threw his head back and laughed. And we went to get a long tool with a swivel bottom, the same one that had mystified Ana hours before.
"I was wondering about that thing."
He smiled a long amused smile before retrieving a box of Swiffer wet cloths. Still smiling, he slid a damp cloth onto the swivel bottom and set it down onto the floor. Tada!
Ana wanted to wipe off the self-satisfied smirk off his face AND kiss those damn sexy lips of his; all too aware of the two seemingly contradictory acts.
He mopped a small square of the kitchen to demonstrate. "The beauty of these is that they're disposable, no need to rinse of haul around huge buckets of muddy water," he said indulging in a glimpse of her at the convent, twisting and wringing a mop into a bucket and then when finished, throwing the dirty water out the back door.
She folded her hands on her hips. "Okay, Mr. Know-it-all, what are you going to show me next? A robot that does ALL your household tasks for you?"
Christian left the room and came back with the I Robot Rumba 891 which could be connected to Wi-fi and Alexa. He set it on the floor, and it began sweeping. "This works on bare floors and carpets too," he said with a small shrug.
"This definitely rivals an episode of the Jetsons," she mumbled.
"Nothing rivals The Jetsons meet the Flintstones," he smirked, and she raised a playful brow. "I used to watch a lot of TV as a kid, you know, and learned a lot of TV trivia. Did you know that the Flintstones wasn't set in a pre-historic era but in a post-apocalyptic future? That explains why they were capable of creating a modified 20th-century technology, it's because they are us in the future, trying to reconstruct our fractured memories from the past ."
"Hmm...yeah. That certainly explains why the Flintstones had television and contemporary paper money, very advanced for a primitive society."
He nodded. "Well, at least we have something in common."
She cocked her head. "Me Flintstone, you Jetson?" She smirked.
"I mean, we both liked the same TV show. That's another brownie point for us..." he paused meaningfully, "for the interview," he added, giving her a long-smoldering look that brought a flush to her cheeks.
"I hope you're taking notes..."
"I don't need to take any notes, muchacha linda, (pretty girl) it's all in my head," he pointed to his head, meaning it as a flirt. "Are you ready for your surprise now?
She was unable to resist giving him the tiniest flirtatious smile. "You got something for me?" She mumbled stupidly.
He motioned for her to look behind the couch. She tiptoed over there like a kid on Christmas morning. Much to her surprise, there was a giant red sack reminiscent of the one Santa carries on his famous sleigh.
"Bring it over here," he said, taking a seat on the couch, he wanted to take a few pictures and capture her first reaction when she opened her presents.
Ana easily lifted the sac even though it was heavy and deposited it on the coffee table. Taking a peek inside, she saw that there were several shopping bags in different colors.
"All this... is for me?"
Christian nodded slightly. He hated shopping, but he had truly enjoyed going to the mall and shopping for her.
"Don't be scared to reach in there!" He teased her.
The first bag was from Macy's. It contained a hairdryer, a flat iron, a curling iron, and various hair Paul Mitchell hair products the sales lady insisted every woman needs. They included Awapuhi duo shampoo and conditioner, gloss drops, finishing spray, Invisible Wear Boomerang Styling Mist, Super-skinny Relaxing Balm, Ultimate Wave (Forms, separates and adds loads of texture to create sexy, tousled beach waves) and the Super-sculpt styling glaze. According to the sales lady, the average American woman used at least twice as many hair products on a regular basis. It had been a real eye-opener for him; he had no idea women needed this much stuff.
Ana was overwhelmed. She opened her mouth to say something but found herself unable to speak except for a few interjections.
He snapped a candid picture reading the back of the Ultimate Wave bottle. "Open another one," he prompted her.
The next bag, also from Macy's, contained four different style dresses, seven tops and four pair of jeans. Again, he'd counted on the advice of the sales lady otherwise he would have had no idea what to buy.
"What's the matter? This is only like a starter kit. Anything you don't like you can always exchange it for something else you like better. I'm hoping that there's at least a couple of things there you like."
Ana's jaw dropped lower, appalled at the idea of exchanging the things he'd gifted her. "Wh-what? I—-I love all this!" She stuttered. She was particularly fascinated by a steel-colored tiered dress and jacket. The length of the dress was just right ( right above the knee). It was completely stunning; it was elegant and yet free-flowing. She'd never owned something so beautiful in her entire life. "I love this, thank you!" She twirled for him holding the dress under her chin.
"You're welcome," he grinned while snapping a picture of her looking so radiant and vivacious.
"I'd like to see how it fits," he said even though he was sure it was a perfect fit.
And it was. Fifteen minutes later, she returned from the bedroom wearing the tiered dress and jacket and with her hair pinned in a messy bun. She sashayed toward him, smiling, looking more confident than ever. He whistled the minute he saw her, his phone immediately forgotten.
"You look absolutely stunning!"
"You really think it looks that good?" She humbly asked, smoothing her hands over the fabric. Who was she kidding? A dress like this made her feel like a woman, like a well-put-together woman without being overdone.
"This dress was made just for you, Anastasia," he murmured softly like a caress, and she beamed at him taking note of the softness in his eyes.
"There's more!" He motioned toward the area where she'd found the red sac.
She bit her lip slightly, conflicted about accepting more.
"There are no strings attached, I promise. I'm doing this for selfish reasons, I just wanted to see you happy, that's all."
She smiled sweetly. His answer seemed to satisfy her. Yeah, maybe it had been the right thing to say.
Taking another look around the area, Ana discovered five shoeboxes lined up in a tower. How she missed that was beyond her. Shoes. Lord knew she needed shoes! There was one pair of black Mary Janes, one pair of sneakers, and two pairs of sandals. The sandals were SAS; one was a pair of strappy wedges, bone ivory colored, and the other was black leather also strappy. Both had small heels; he'd figured Ana was not the type to go crazy over high heels. In addition to all that there were also a pair of leather boots were knee-length. They were amazing. Ana let out a squeal of delight when she tried them on, she'd always wondered what it would be like owning a pair like these.
"These are my size," was all she could muster to say. Clearly, he'd done his homework.
Christian laughed. "There's more, muchacha!"
In a daze, Ana returned to the couch and pulled out a silky bag from Victoria Secret out of the red sac. It contained about twenty pairs of underwear (small), different styles and colors, most of them laced. Her cheeks reddened while inspecting them, especially because she knew Christian was watching her. There were also ten-night gowns; two of them were t-shirt style comfy and warm. Six of them were satin button-up shirts with matching short boxers. The other two were racy sexy lingerie. Her first reaction was to look at them quickly and then stuff them back in the bag.
"I got you some bras too, although I wasn't absolutely sure of the size," he said with a smirk. This morning while she was sleeping, he'd gone through her things and found that she only had two bras. They were of different sizes which left him puzzled as to which one was the closest to her real size.
Indeed, there were three bras size 32 and of different cup sizes; two of them traditional push-ups. The other one was black with a soft lined see-through fabric.
Ana met his gaze through her lashes, and he was struck by what he saw in her eyes; a mix of her extreme youth and sudden maturity.
"I don't know what to say. This is so much!" She muttered, her cheeks now suddenly pale with shock at the thought of all the beautiful things he'd gifted her.
He slid closer to her and studied her through hooded eyes. Next thing, he was stroking her cheek ever so softly, "I'm glad you love the stuff I got you." In all honesty, he couldn't wait to see her wearing the silky lingerie to bed.
"But you know what I love most of all?"
"What?" she murmured breathlessly.
"Kissing you," he said, giving her a long-smoldering stare. It was quite forward on his part, but she had this wild effect on him, especially when she bit her lip like she was doing right now.
She continued biting her lip nervously. "I love kissing you too," she finally admitted, feeling both safe and deliciously vulnerable. Boy, when she let her guard down, she really let her guard down.
They both looked away for a second, and when their eyes met again, they both knew they were going to start kissing in precisely three seconds. One. Two. Three.
Christian' mouth came down hard on hers. One of his hands cupped chin while the other one crept around her waist, turning her toward him. He nipped at her bottom lip with his teeth before sliding his tongue into her mouth. She didn't want this to ever end, but her boots were really pinching her legs and feet, so she tickled him around his arm to get his attention.
"Hmm...what?"
"These boots are pinching me, I have to take them off," she murmured.
When you're in the middle of kissing, anything said sounds hot and intimate even if it's mundane stuff about footwear. Christian pulled away and gave her some room so she could take them off.
Ana quickly unzipped her boots under his gaze, and he helped her pull them off and tossed them aside impatiently. When she turned to reach for him, she suddenly found herself lying on her back on the white rug with him half-lying on top of her. She felt his ribs digging into her, but she didn't mind at all, especially when he started nibbling on her neck and stroking her collarbone softly with his fingertips, sending delicious shivers down her spine.
"We're gonna kiss only, right?" She searched his gaze anxiously. She didn't want to kill the mood, but she was worried that if some clear boundaries were not set things were going to get out of hand.
"Don't worry," he murmured with a sexy drawl. "There are a thousand things I want to do with you that involve just kissing you."
And it was true. Christian knew how to make kissing the most exciting activity in the world. He went back to kissing her neck and then smoothed all her hair back from her face before planting little butterfly kisses along her forehead, eyebrows, and eyelids just before reaching her mouth again. And when he kissed her mouth, it was as if time came to a still as he brushed to the depths of her soul.
Eventually, they both had to come back for air. Christian got up to get two glasses of water and turn up the heat as it was getting a little cold for her, he could tell. It was now a little after 11 pm.
After downing half his glass, he announced he was taking a shower. He was really hoping that in the meantime, she'd slide on something cute and sexy to bed.
And she did. When he came out of the shower, he found her in bed with a small paperback, clad in a silky button-down top and boxer min-shorts. He eagerly pulled the covers back so he could take a better look. WOW!
Ana held her breath, letting the book slide out of her hand and onto the floor. He looked gorgeous with his wet tousled hair wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants. The sight of his bare muscled chest made her heart wild. Once again, they both knew they'd be kissing again in three seconds flat.
The kiss shot a wave of lightning through Christian, he grew hard as soon as she opened her lips and clung to him with a tiny sigh. He held her close underneath him, relishing the feel of her breasts through the thin fabric, crushed against his chest. One tug at the buttons of her top and they all snapped open, allowing him instant access to her naked breasts. When he cupped her breast, she moaned deeply, and he reacted with unrestrained primal need. He kneaded the firm, round flesh, brushing his thumb against the tight nipple. She moaned again as his fingers started sliding downwards.
This was dangerous! The words filled her foggy brain as his long fingers teased the band of fabric at her inner thighs, sending bullets of fiery pleasure through her. Desire warred against shock as she realized how far their kisses had taken her; to the brink of giving herself to this man, this man who as far as she knew, planned on discarding her as soon as they passed their immigration interview.
Her hand clamped his as he moved to make his way underneath the fabric of her shorts. He froze, his eyes locking with hers, his other hand still cupping her breast.
"I think it's time to stop," she said, her voice, a frayed thread of sound. And yet he heard and immediately understood. Ana watched as realization dawned. His eyes lost the unfocused glitter and widened just a fraction. A second later, he'd backed away to his side of the bed, his hands slick against his hair as if forcefully willing himself not to touch her again tonight; otherwise, he would be unable to contain himself.