Chapter eleven
"Christian—"
"Don't," he snapped, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. "I don't want to hear it."
Ana stared at him for a moment before sighing and looking away. She knew he was upset, and she understood why, she just wished he wasn't so upset. She looked out the window of his Audi Q5; he didn't really give her or Elsa much of a choice of driving back in the rental Ana was using as they were leaving his parents' house. She glanced in the right rearview mirror and saw his personal body guard trailing behind them. She thought it quite odd that he would even need a body guard but she wasn't going to question him on it, especially not now.
"Um, where are we going?" Elsa asked from the back seat, looking at Ana with wide eyes.
"Back to grandma and grandpa's, sweetheart," Ana said, reaching back to grab her daughter's knee and squeeze it reassuringly.
"No. I want you guys to come back to mine," Christian said, not even bothering to look away from the road.
Ana looked forward and stared at him. "Uh, I don't think that's a good idea, Christian," Ana said cautiously.
"Why not?" he asked turning to look at her with a frown.
"Well, for starters we don't have a change of clothes with us and I feel like you're not in the mood for company."
Christian let out a loud huff of breath and rolled his eyes. "I can have Taylor get you a change of clothes, and you may be company, but you're first and foremost family." He looked at her and reached for her hand, threading his fingers in between hers. "I want you to stay over, both of you—if you want. I mean if you really want to go home I can—"
"No! Let's go over to your place," Elsa said from the back seat, leaning forward so her head was wedged in between the driver and front passenger seat. "Plus I get to spend my birthday with both of my parents—that's not something I've ever been able to do before," Elsa commented quietly.
Christian glanced at Ana before looking at Elsa in the rearview mirror. "This may be the first birthday I'm getting to spend with you, but I promise it won't be the last."
Elsa slowly grinned at him. Christian looked forward at the road, a smile settling on his face. He relaxed in his seat, the anger and frustration he felt earlier slowly ebbing away. This is what he needed, the calm and contentment his family brings him. That word rattled around in his head. He never pictured himself as a father, at least not so suddenly, but the more he thought about sharing every moment possible with his daughter, the more anxious he felt to get to know her better.
He looked over at Ana, finding her gaze already settled on him. Her mouth slowly stretched into a wide smile. "Thank you," she mouthed at him. He frowned wondering exactly what she was thanking him for. She gestured silently toward Elsa. Christian caught the hint and nodded with an easy smile. He reached over and grabbed her hand again, giving it a gentle squeeze. He didn't let go until the got to the entrance of his apartment building and parked in the underground garage.
He led Elsa and Ana toward the elevator, nodding his head to Taylor as he took the service elevator up. As the doors closed Ana grabbed Elsa's hand just as she reached out to touch one of the buttons.
Elsa looked up at her mother with an irked frown. "Don't look at me like that, young lady. I know exactly what you were about to do."
Elsa sighed and rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, "You never let me have any fun."
"My definition of fun is not having an elevator stop at every floor."
"Oh, I'm sure I can guess what your definition of fun is," Elsa murmured, giving both Christian and Ana a mocking look.
"Excuse me? What's with the attitude? Are you getting ready to start your period?"
"Mom!" Elsa groaned, her eyes widening and her face turning a bright red.
Christian laughed quietly at her expression and her embarrassment. He found it endearing she was shy to talk about her body in front of him.
"Oh, so it's okay for you to make sarcastic comments about me and your father having sex but I can't mention your period?" Ana asked, raising an eyebrow.
"One, gross. I don't want to hear about you two actually, you know. And two, it's different when you're referring to me." Elsa frowned at her mother, actively avoiding her father's gaze.
Ana shook her head and sighed. "Whatever you say, sweetheart."
Before anyone could say anything more, the elevator doors slid open. Christian stepped out first into his foyer, guiding the girls out. Christian smiled down at his daughter as she looked around his place with wide eyes and a childish aura about her that made his smile grow wider.
"Oh my God! Look at the view from up here!" Elsa exclaimed, running over to the floor to ceiling windows and looking out at the Seattle skyline. "It's so pretty. The lights look like diamonds sparkling on a black carpet."
Christian and Ana both grinned at Elsa's enthusiasm as Christian lead Ana to the kitchen. "Would you like a glass of wine?" Christian asked.
"Sure," Ana said, shyly smiling at him as she put her purse on the table. She noticed Christian placed a bundled stack of letters down next to her purse. She was tempted to reach out and open one, but restrained the urge and clasped her hands together in front of her.
"I'd like one too!" Elsa said from the far side of the living room.
Christian laughed. "Nice try. But I do have non-alcoholic drinks in the fridge. Help yourself."
Elsa giggled and thanked him as she dashed to the fridge and touched everything within her reach. Ana watched her for a moment and then turned to Christian with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about her. She's acting as if she's never seen food." She laughed softly, shaking her head again and pushing her hair away from her face.
Christian walked closer to her, glasses of champagne in both hands. He handed one to her, a soft smile on his face with glittering eyes. "It's okay," he said with a shrug, taking a sip of his chilled wine. He glanced over at his daughter, watching as she pulled multiple things out of the fridge and tossed them on the counter. He looked back at Ana with laughing eyes. "She reminds me so much of you. Always eager to discover something new."
Ana chuckled softly, her nose crinkling as her eyes glowed. "I will admit I am guilty of passing down that trait, though I go back and forth if that's a good or bad thing."
Christian moved closer to her, reaching up to tuck the same strand of hair that always seems to find its way loose behind her ear. "It's definitely a good thing. Everything you have given her is a good thing," he whispered.
His hand moved down to her cheek, his fingers gently grazing her skin. Ana leaned into his touch and reached up to wrap her fingers around his wrist. They gazed into each other's eyes, Ana's breathing becoming shallow as Christian leaned in closer to her. He took both of their glasses of wine and set them on the counter before he placed both hands on either side of Ana's face, slowly bringing his face closer to hers. Neither one of them noticed Elsa wander out of the room with a bottle of juice in her hand and a mischievous grin on her face.
"Christian . . ." Ana whispered, her eyes slowly starting to flutter close. "I've missed you," she breathed quietly just as Christian's lips brushed against hers.
Christian slowly added pressure until he felt Ana lean in closer. He parted his lips, letting his mouth move instinctively over hers. The sound of Ana's moan reached his ears and the sound turned him on further. He moved his hand to her lower back and dug his fingers into her flesh, pushing her into his growing erection as he buried his other hand into her hair and angled her head so his tongue could fully enter her mouth. She met his tongue with equal fervor, moving her arms to his shoulders and burying her fingers in his hair and pulling roughly at his roots. She moved her arm down his shoulder, letting it drift down his side and wrapped it around his back, lazily letting her fingers find his firm derriere.
Christian deepened the kiss further, loving the feeling of her body pressed against his after so long of being apart. He let his hands roam all over her body, allowing all of his senses to be overwhelmed by her touch, her smell, her taste, the way she sounded; all of it drove him wild and he didn't want to ever have to let her go again. He began walking forward, pushing Ana backward so she was pressed up against the cabinets behind them. His hands moved down to her thighs, his fingers sneaking under the hem of her dress just as he broke away from her mouth and began kissing down her neck.
Ana leaned her head back and closed her eyes, loving the feel of his lips on her skin, loving the way he touched her and made her feel like she was the most important thing in his life. She shivered in anticipation as she felt his hands move further up her thigh, but she was thrown sharply back into reality when she heard a feminine throat being cleared. Ana and Christian sprang apart, both of them a little embarrassed that their daughter had caught them acting like hormone raged teenagers.
Ana smoothed down her dress and patted her hair as Christian straightened his tie and awkwardly cleared his throat. Elsa looked at them with a raised brow and folded her arms across her chest.
"What a great early birthday present. I get a front row seat to the reenactment of the night I was conceived," Elsa said, her tone filled with sarcasm and a little bit of humor.
Ana sighed loud and long, and then looked at her daughter, her lips thin and her irritation clear in her eyes. "I don't know where this sarcastic attitude of yours has come from, but I'm getting sick and tired of it, Elsa. I've told you over and over again to watch your words carefully and yet you continue to ignore me. If it happens again you can say goodbye to your cell phone for a month." She softened her tone and her frown a little as she added, "Your father and I apologize for being so . . . careless with our affection, but that does not give you the right to use such a disrespectful tone with us."
Elsa hung her head low and kept her eyes downward as her mother reprimanded her. Looking up with chastened expression, she said, "I'm sorry. " She looked at both her parents and Christian could see the contriteness in her eyes.
He reached over and placed a hand on Ana's shoulder, making her turn and look at him. "It's been a long night, and Elsa's probably tired, hence her attitude." He winked at his daughter, in a way letting her off the hook with her mother. She grinned at him, her eyes glittering, but changed her expression back to one of repentance when Ana turned and glanced back at her. "I have one of the rooms prepared for you upstairs, Elsa. I'm sure you'll be pleased with it."
Elsa perked up, her eyes slightly squinted in suspicion as she stared at Christian. "What's in there?"
Christian smiled at her. "You'll have to see for yourself," he said, his grin broadening as he saw the curiosity glow in her eyes. "It's the first room to your left when you reach the second floor."
Elsa hesitated and turned to look at her mother. Ana slowly nodded her head and watched as Elsa dashed up the stairs to find her surprise. She then turned around to face Christian, her expression slightly guarded. "Do you really think this is a good idea?"
Christian slightly frowned, taking a step closer toward her. "What do you mean? Is what a good idea?"
"Us. Being here. I don't want to rush anything, and I know Elsa adores you already but I don't want to constantly bombard her with your presence. I feel like she gradually needs to get used to you."
Christian moved another step closer to her. He slowly reached up and caressed her with his fingertips, watching her reaction as she leaned into his touch and looked up at him with her pretty blue eyes that stared at him with lust and apprehension.
"It's just one night, Ana. Not one year. Plus, I'd like to spend all day with Elsa tomorrow . . . and honestly it would be nice to wake up and eat breakfast with you. And our daughter," he added, smiling down at her.
She looked at his lips, wishing he would kiss her again before she looked back into his eyes. She nodded her head and said, "Okay. But I don't think it would be the best idea if we shared a room, you know, if that was your plan." She bit her lip and then ran her tongue over it as she waited for his response.
He closed his eyes and let his head fall forward a bit as he tried to control his emotions at the sight of her tongue and the way she bit her lip. It was almost bizarre to Christian how such an insignificant movement can arouse him so swiftly. He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair, trying to remember what the last thing she had said was.
"Uh, yeah. Sure. Whatever you want, baby." Christian caught the look Ana was giving him and his face fell. "What? What's wrong?" he asked, wondering if he said something that upset her. She was looking at him with wide, starry eyes, her head tilted to the side. She looked as if she was about to cry.
She took a step back, shaking her head, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She gave him a small smile. "Um, we should probably see what Ellie is doing. I've learned that when she is too quiet for long periods of time, she's usually doing something she shouldn't be."
Christian chuckled as he began leading her further up the stairs, forgetting for the moment all about the letters on the counter and the earlier debacle with his family. He was grateful for Ana and Elsa; they could so easily change his sour mood to a more agreeable one. But he figured that had more to do with Ana's touch than anything else.
"It sounds like you had your hands full with her, but I'm sure every day was never boring with her around."
Ana smiled, her eyes glazing as she silently reminisced about the times when Elsa was younger and she could have sworn she found one or two gray hairs due to her daughter's mischievous antics. "Yeah, she definitely kept me busy," Ana said with a soft chuckle.
They arrived at Elsa's room and Ana gasped when she caught sight of the interior. The room was painted a dark gray with white and teal accessories. Elsa's bed was to the right of them and was built on a platform that had drawers built into it, and on the same platform to the left of the bed were three steps that led to a vanity with a large rectangular mirror and lights on the outer edges. The wall adjacent to the bed were floor to ceiling widows covered in teal sheer curtains that hung to the floor, there were two doors covered by same sheer teal curtains that opened up to the balcony. Heavy dark gray curtains were pulled back at the opposite corners of the room to let in natural sunlight. To the left of them was a modern white, marble fireplace flanked by two white floor to ceiling book shelves that had all sorts of trinkets and picture frames on the shelves. A large plasma screen TV hung above the fireplace, and hanging from the hexagonal indented ceiling was a medium sized crystal ball chandelier that looked like little flower petals surrounding each light. Halogen recessed lighting lit up the rest of the room, surrounding the outside of the hexagonal indentation in the ceiling.
Ana noticed Elsa lying on the bed with a teal and white chevron duvet, with teal and gray circular throw pillows. She swiveled to face Christian with a surprised, awed expression. "How . . .? When . . .?" Ana struggled to form a coherent sentence as her eyes took in the room once again.
Elsa finally noticed them in the doorway and jumped up to meet them in the middle of the room. She buried her toes in the large dark gray rug as she bounced on her feet. Christian turned her way and felt his chest expand when he caught the look his daughter was giving him. It was filled with gratitude, awe and something else he couldn't quite decipher.
"Do you like it?" he asked her.
She let out a very girlish giggle that almost could've sounded like a giddy snort. "Are you kidding me? This place is amazing! I love it! And how did you know teal was my favorite color? By the way, the color scheme is amazing. And the fireplace! Oh my God the fireplace! I was just texting everyone I know and sending them pictures of how perfect this room is!"
Christian could tell by the way she was rambling about every detail and how she touched everything as if it were about to disappear, that she more than liked it. He grinned with pride and satisfaction that he made her happy. He turned to look at Ana and found her watching their daughter with a warm expression, yet there was an underlying look on her face that worried him.
He looked back at Elsa and said, "I'm going to show your mother the rest of the house, but we'll be back soon." He doubted she even heard him as she started talking on the phone and squealed loudly to whomever was on the other end.
Pulling Ana out of the room he asked, "Did you not like her room?"
She looked at him, her expression once again guarded. "Yes, of course I like it, it's quite beautiful . . . I just—" she paused and looked away from his gaze.
"It's just what?" he prodded.
She hesitated. "I know you're wealthy and I know you're going to spoil her no matter what, but I just—I would like you to, you know, limit the material things you get her. I've tried to raise Elsa to be humble and appreciate the things money can't buy, and I don't want her to be blinded by the things wealth can bring."
Christian sighed and was about to say something, but Taylor interrupted him.
"Mr. Grey?" Christian turned around and raised a brow, waiting for an explanation for the interruption. "You have a guest coming up in the elevator."
Christian frowned and looked at his watch, noticing it was almost a quarter to midnight. "At this time of night?" he remarked, his frown deepening. "Who is it?" he asked, already making his way downstairs, pulling Ana behind him.
He caught Taylor's quick grimace and knew if he blinked he would have missed it. "Elena Lincoln, sir."
"What?" Christian about yelled.
Ana swung her head to face him as they stood in front of the glass foyer doors. "You told me you broke it off with her." Her voice was accusatory and she crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at Christian.
He glanced down at her. "I did," he answered on a sigh. "I don't know why she's here, but I have a hunch."
Ana's frown didn't fade and her stance only became more rigid as she waited beside Christian for his ex to step out of the elevator. She was wondering if this night was going to end in a disaster, and who exactly would be suffering from it. She had a hunch it would be her.
I know it's been a while, but I want you guys to know I will not give up on this story. Your encouragement means the world to me and is what keeps me coming back. Thank you for the follows, favorites and all of the entertaining and encouraging reviews. It's always a delight to read your guys thoughts.
Happy reading!
P.S. I'm thinking of changing the title. It just doesn't feel right. I'll be sure to let you guys know beforehand so you don't think I've deleted the story.