As Ana's father walked away, Christian grabbed his crutches and Ana avoided his gaze by looking at the stars again. She acted like one particular star grabbed her interest, but it was all pretend.

"Wow! That is one pretty star!" Ana said, before clearing her throat.

All of a sudden Christian began to chuckle, making Ana giggle like a teenage girl. At that, they both looked at each other not able to stop the laughter.

"Well, that was awkward." Christian said.

"Indeed it was." Ana replied, smiling shyly.

"So…uhmm, I think your dad is right though. It's really late…why don't you stay the night?" Christian asked, making Ana furrow her brows.

Her smile disappeared at that, replaced by a look Christian was unable to read.

"I— uhmm." she replied, her mind not able to come up with an answer to the question.

Christian noticed the hesitation, so he corrected himself. "Uhmm— that came out really wrong, Ana. I didn't mean that only you should spend the night with me. Aargh! What I meant was you and your dad and Kate also. You know sleep here… at the villa… because it's very late. You three must be exhausted from the day you had." He managed to say, mentally kicking himself because he never babbled like that.

He so wanted to smack himself in the head right now! Gosh, he was acting like a 15 year old boy!

When Ana realized what he meant, she said. "OK, I'll ask my dad and Kate if they want to stay here."

At that, Christian let out a sigh of relief. "OK, let's go then." He replied, and followed Ana inside.

XXX XX XXX XX

The next morning, Ana woke up with a huge smile on her face. She lazily opened her eyes and noticed that someone had already open the wide windows, the curtains dancing along with the wind. Rays of sunlight were wishing her a good morning, along with birds singing a beautiful tune.

As Ana slowly sat up in bed, her eyes landed on the corner of the bedroom. She noticed that her suitcase with clothes and make-up was brought by someone in the bedroom.

'Hey! Who brought my necessities for me?' Ana wondered with a smile on her pretty face.

As Ana stretched her body, she yawned and after that she jumped out of bed, immediately making said bed. After pulling her shiny hair in a knot, she walked to the bathroom to take a shower.

"What to wear today?" she whispered and grabbed a pair of jeans shorts and a pretty pink blouse.

As Ana sat in front of the mirror, while combing her shiny hair, her mind automatically drifted off to the evening before.

'We almost kissed." Ana whispered, the memory making her tummy do flip flops.

At that, her eyes fluttered shut, attempting to visualize the almost kiss in her head. A smile crept on her face, her mind bringing her back…

Ana remembered clearly how her heart sped up… the way she held her breath, afraid to lose that moment… the way she saw him closing the gap between them… the way her stomach did its infamous flip flops… the way he looked at her with those gorgeous eyes… She was pretty sure that she was about to drown in their depths… God! Was she right? Last night, did Christian look at her like she was something precious?

As a sigh escaped her lips, Ana opened her eyes, feeling disappointed right then. Why did her father have 'very BAD' timing?

Ana shook her head at that, and went on getting ready for the day. She wore her hair down and applied some light make-up. Of course her lips had to be painted red, but she used lip gloss instead of lip stick. Satisfied, Ana looked at her own reflection in the large mirror in front of her. Like usual, her bathing suit was underneath her summer clothes, her comfortable sandals on her feet.

Before walking out the bedroom, Ana grabbed her sunglasses, hat and phone.

XXX XX XXX XX

As Ana walked down the halls, she decided to go to Kate's room first. She knocked on the door, but didn't hear an answer from inside the room. Ana stepped inside and saw two notes at the nightstand; one had her name on it and the other was for Christian.

Hey girl,

Your father, Elena, Calinico and I are on Christian's yacht. You were still asleep, so we didn't wake you up. This morning, your dad and I went by the hotel to grab our suitcases. Wear something nice, OK?

For CHRISTIAN…

*heart sign*

See you soon.

XOXO,

Kate.

Ana smiled at her comment about Christian… Wait… does this mean that he is home also?!

It was at that moment, when Ana heard someone fall hard. Very hard! She immediately walked towards the sound and ended up at the end of the hall. It was Christian! Did he fall on the floor?! God!

Without hesitation, Ana opened the bedroom door and walked inside.

"Christian?! Are you OK? Did you fall?" Ana asked, genuinely concerned, her heart speeding up.

At that, Ana heard a soft groan. "I'm over here, Ana." Christian replied.

Ana immediately walked around his bed and saw him lying on the floor.

"Oh, God! I'm gonna help you up, OK?" She said, and as she stood there, Christian gripped her softly and pulled himself up. At that, he leaned onto her for a couple of seconds.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Ana asked worriedly.

"No, I'm fine. When I got up, I just forgot that I needed my crutches." He simply said.

"Wanna take a seat?" Ana asked.

"No. I'd like to take a shower. And do you know where my butler is? Cause he uhmm … he usually helps me in the morning to get ready." He said, sounding a bit embarrassed.

At that, Ana handed Christian his note. He sat on the bed, and as he read said note, Ana took the opportunity to observe him. God! Even in the morning he looked so hot... good, uhmm… handsome! It was then, when she realized that he was wearing sweat pants— only sweat pants… he was shirtless. Almost drooling, Ana's eyes landed on his abs… oh my. At that, Ana let out a very breathy sigh…

"So… I guess we're alone, huh?" Ana heard him say.

She was so distracted by his beautiful appearance that his voice made her jump up a bit.

At that very moment, Ana felt so embarrassed, heat instantly spreading to her cheeks, her throat suddenly dry. Did Christian notice that she was checking him out?! Dang! At that, Ana attempted to cover up her red face by looking the other way, avoiding his gaze.

"Yeah. So uhmm— do you need my uhmm— my help?" Ana asked, while still avoiding his gaze.

Just the thought of her helping him wear his work clothes and comb his hair and to help him with other stuff too, made it too much for Ana's heart to handle. At that, she began to laugh hysterically. Christian also thought about Ana helping him and began to chuckle.

"OK, personally I think they did it on purpose!" Christian said, after Ana had calmed down from her giggle bug.

"Yeah, me too. The four of them conspired to get the two of us alone. You're right." Ana replied, while wiping away tears from all the laughing.

At that, Christian sighed and said. "OK, let's be serious for one second. I really need the help, so uhmm—I'll call one of my employees."

Ana frowned at that. "OK, so does this mean that you assume that I'm not skilled enough to help you?" she asked, her hands instantly landing on her hips.

At that, Christian placed both his hands in front of him in defense." Hey, I didn't say that. I just don't want to make you feel uncomfortable… or awkward." He replied.

"Hey, I can help you OK? What can I do?" she insisted.

At that, Christian smiled and gave her instructions. Ana helped him walk to the shower and closed the door behind her. At the moment, she was leaning onto the bathroom door and closed her eyes.

'This man will be the end of me.' Was what went through her head.

When Christian had been leaning onto her, while walking towards the shower, Ana had trouble controlling herself. He had such a way with her, making her think of 'inappropriate things'… things she knew that she shouldn't be thinking of.

As a sigh escaped her plump red lips, Ana heard the shower run. She shook her head furiously, attempting to lose the image that had appeared in her head… There it was again! Inappropriate thoughts…

'Stop it, Ana!' she scolded herself, and walked towards the walk-in closet.

As she stepped inside, Ana decided to look for a suit for Christian. She grabbed a dark grey one, a matching tie, and placed it on his bed. His bed… Christian's bed…

While she waited for him to finish his shower, Ana sat on the other side of the bed. As a sigh escaped her lips, Ana laid herself down on his bed. As her eyes closed, her lips curled into a smile. God! His bed was so soft. At that, Ana turned her head and inhaled the pillow… his pillow. It smelled just like him. Christian…

The moment she heard that Christian had turned off the shower, Ana immediately jumped out of his bed. She hastily stood in front of the bathroom, waiting for him to call her.

"Can I come in?" she asked, her heart pounding against her rib cage.

"Yes, I'm decent enough. But not quite." He replied, sounding amused.

Ana rolled her eyes at his comment, and walked in. Well, her eyes stopped rolling the second she saw Christian only with a towel wrapped around his waist. Ana did her utter best not to drool at the sight… He looked so damn sexy with his wet hair and his bare chest and his six pack… 'Help me, God.' Ana thought.

"So, uhmm… I think that my eyes are up here, Ana." He teased, while locking his eyes on hers.

At that, Ana swallowed hard and decided to act nonchalantly. 'Note to self: Christian needs you to help him. And NOT ravage him with your eyes!'

God! Ana so wanted to smack herself in the head!

Christian on the other hand needed her help, but he wasn't blind! He too, admired Ana. She looked so gorgeous in her summer clothes. So, so beautiful!

For a few moments, they both got lost in each other's eyes, none of the two wanting to breathe in those seconds.

But then Ana forced herself out of the 'spell' and cleared her throat. "So…uhmm, I have your work clothes ready for you." She stated, her voice a bit shaky.

"Good, OK. Thank you." He replied, while his eyes twinkled.

At that, Ana walked towards him, letting Christian lean onto her, but not with all of his weight, and then they both walked out the bathroom. Ana was quite aware of his presence. It was driving her mad! He was so close, his scent making her head spin deliciously. She not only felt like she was about to feel more than friendship for him, but she also felt this attraction... this raw and overpowering attraction, one that she no longer was able to deny.

She never felt this with any other man, not even with her ex. Christian had awoken a lot of foreign feelings inside of her. With him Ana felt completely safe, she felt like she could take on the world, she felt like every fiber in her being was alive, and felt that he really cared for her. It was amazing the way he could make her feel, like they have known each other for a long time. Her insecurities and fear were still there, but he made her feel that she was strong enough to face them. It was truly amazing…

When they reached the bed, where his suit was, Ana asked. "So…uhmm, what can I do for you now?"

He chuckled at that." I can take it from here and will tell you when I need your assistance again, OK?" he replied, with a naughty smirk on his lips.

"OK." She replied, and walked away from him, giving him some privacy.

At that, Ana opened the door to his balcony, closed it behind her and inhaled the fresh air. God! Tinos was indeed a very gorgeous island. After admiring the scene before her for a couple minutes, she heard Christian calling her.

"Ana, I need you." He said.

The words he used, and the tone of his voice were making a delicious shiver go up and down her spine. As Ana reached him, she noticed that he already had his pants on. She helped him with his undershirt, her fingers accidentally (or was it on purpose?!) grazing his warm skin. At that, Christian couldn't help how his body was reacting to a simple touch from her, even if it was just for a split moment.

"Sorry." Ana whispered, as her hands landed on his upper arm.

Ana was so glad that his upper body was covered by the undershirt, because his bare chest was distracting her from doing her task. Ana's task at the moment: help Christian get ready for work… She had to remind herself that constantly.

"It's OK." He replied, his voice a pitch lower than usual.

Christian was leaning onto her, looking into her pretty eyes. At that very moment, they got lost once more… completely and utterly lost in each other's eyes.

"Ana, have I told you before how beautiful your eyes are?" he whispered.

Ana heard the words, but her head had trouble processing what they meant. All she could think about at the moment, was him leaning onto her, his warm body so close, the intensity of his gaze, so piercing yet loving… Ana thought that she was losing the fight… his lips so close to her face… his lips… Christian's lips…

She didn't reply, so Christian continued. "Ana, you are one beautiful person, inside and out. You know that, don't you?"

It was then, when Ana realized the true meaning of his words. She knew that he meant that he thought that she was beautiful, and good. But she knew that he also meant 'something else.' There was also a hidden message in those words… And Ana didn't know how she knew it, but she knew that Christian meant that he was beginning to feel so much more for her than he ever dared to.

"Ana—"he began, but she gently cut him off by placing a finger on his lips.

She wasn't ready yet to hear what he had to say and she knew that he wasn't ready to say it either.

As their eyes locked, her finger still on his lips, Ana touched his cheek." Shhhh, I know." she said, her voice a mere whisper.

At that moment, both their hearts were beating erratically, their bodies set ablaze by each other, and their attraction so strong it seemed like time stood still for them both… They didn't use words, but it was enough. For now it was enough…

XXX XX XXX XX

After Ana had helped Christian with the rest of his clothes, she admired her ' work'.

"You look very handsome, Christian." She complimented.

"Thank you, Ana." He replied, smiling widely.

At that, she straightened his tie." So, off you go. How long will you be at the office, Christian?" Ana asked.

"Just one hour or two." He replied.

"OK, let's get out of here." Ana replied, and helped him with his crutches.

XXX XX XXX XX

At the moment, Ana and Christian were sitting in the limo, while she looked out the window, enjoying the amazing view of the sea and beaches. Christian was staring at her; he could never get enough of looking at Ana. Of course, they both had their 'colorful' past. In Ana's eyes, he sometimes saw that she was carrying this heavy burden. And he too was carrying a secret so dark it terrified him if Ana would ever find out about it. And yet, Christian couldn't help but want to be with Ana as much as he could.

"I love Tinos! Do you know that, Christian?" Ana said enthusiastically, and turned to face him, her eyes sparkling from excitement, taking in all the beauty that the island had to offer.

"I can see that." He replied, while making a chuckling sound.

At that, Ana stared at him and couldn't help but to do what she did next. She wasn't able to stop herself, she lost the ability to hold herself back, even if she wanted to. Ana cared so much about Christian and that chuckling sound that came from the back of his throat, made a delicious shiver go through her body, from her head to her fingers and her toes. The sound that left his lips was so geeky, but it pulled her towards him without her accord. Without hesitation nor fear, Ana instantly closed the gap between them, her eyes fluttering shut in the process, her lips suddenly pressed hard onto his delicious ones.

Christian did not expect it and didn't respond at first, but after a few seconds, he did. And HOW he did respond…

The feel of Ana's lips on his, made him almost lose his mind! With one hand, he roughly grabbed her head, while the other pulled her flush against him. They slowly moved their lips, their hearts beating wildly. At that moment, Christian thought that he had died and gone to heaven…

The feel of her warm body was so overwhelming, her right hand clawing at his back, and the left one disappearing into his soft hair, while she roughly tugged on it. Ana felt like her whole body tingled, every nerve ending sensitive to his touch. Never had a kiss swept her off of her feet like this.

When Ana felt him nibble on her bottom lip, she whimpered softly. He sucked on it, making her moan softly. Ana opened her mouth, and he slid his tongue inside, wet and warm, while a low growl escaped his lips, his hands landing on her waist, kneading the soft flesh there. At one point, their tongues were dueling, breaths became ragged, their lips connected, hearts beating faster and faster… They held onto each other like they were each other's life lines…

And then suddenly Ana saw a vision in her head:

She saw a woman. It was her, but not her! Agathe?! She was crying and looking at a man.

"Soterios? Don't go! I love you. Please don't leave." She pleaded.

The man shook his head and said." No. I have to. I don't want to hurt you or the baby."

"You won't! You won't hurt us, I know." She cried.

But then he did something to prove a point. Within seconds, he changed into 'something else'.

Something not human. Agathe cried; she was beyond terrified. And then the man changed back to his human form and said.

"Agathe, I cannot change who I truly am, nor can you. Who can ever love an inhuman thing, a monster like me?"

Gasping loudly, Ana pulled away from Christian's embrace. Her chest was heaving, her eyes filled with disbelieve. Ana held onto Christian, and he saw 'something' in her eyes.

"Ana, are you alright?" Christian asked, concerned.

She was still trying to catch her breath and shook her head furiously. What did she just see?! What just happened?!

"Ana. You are scaring me." Christian said, cupping her face gently.

At that, Ana's eyes fluttered shut, and after a few moments, she opened them, looking straight at Christian. Then she whispered those words… those words that made his whole world crumble around him…

"Who can ever love an inhuman thing, a monster?"


Note: OH MY GOD! They kissed! And no one interrupted! Yay! :)

But her last words on this chapter, what kind of effect will it have on Christian? :(

To guest G: Yes, Ana will eventually tell Christian why she did not visit him after she talked to Leila. ( in later chapters)

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, you all.

And tell me what you think of this chapter? Thank you in advance! :)

And of course, THANK YOU all for the wonderful reviews and support! :)

Till next chapter! :)

J