Christian felt himself breathing easier the minute they left the apartment. Every ounce of his being wanted to make Ethan taste blood, but he knew that if he lashed out now he might lose Ana forever. He felt as though he was accessing every ounce of self-control that he had learned from Elena. How the hell did I even allow this to happen?

It had helped that Ana was in such a good mood. It was hard to stay angry with her when she was so excited to be around him. He had been worried about taking her out so soon after her vomiting episode this morning, but had given up trying to talk her into staying inside. She was flitting around with such energy and the smile on her face was breathtaking.

Besides, I don't have to be around that fucker if we stay away from Kate's apartment. Idly, he began to wonder how long he would have to wait to bring her back to Ecala. Ana had made it clear that she would be choosing where she wanted to live, but hell would freeze over before he left her alone with Ethan again.

They had almost reached his car when Ana stopped short. Confused, Christian turned to find her grinning at him and holding up a set of keys. "What are those?" He almost didn't want to know the answer.

Ana tilted her head. "I think I would like to drive today, Mr. Grey. Besides, I need to show you my new car."

Christian felt confused. Why the fuck would she still want to drive that piece of crap? "Ana, I can have your car back here in an hour. You don't have to drive the mom-mobile anymore."

She scowled at him. "Christian, I itemized to you in our agreement that I will be choosing the vehicle that I am going to drive. I am choosing to drive a car that I can afford and that is not going to change, end of discussion."

He ran his fingers through his hair. True, he had agreed to those terms, but he had assumed that she had just wanted something different from the Audi. "Fine, Ana," he snapped. "Let's go look at your family van, but if I don't think that thing is safe I am putting my foot down. Don't forget that my right to have a say in all safety matters has also itemized." Ana scowled, obviously having forgotten the loophole he had reserved for himself. Just wait until you see how many things relate to your safety, Ms. Steele.

Christian gave her a wicked grin and indicated for her to lead the way. When they reached the vehicle, he could not help but cringe. The thing was a tacky shade of green and the seats were covered in a fuzzy cloth material; there was not one strip of leather in sight. Why in god's name did she buy this thing?

"Does it even have air bags?" he muttered to himself more than to her. Obviously, Ana heard him as well because his smart remark earned him a glare. Christian gave her an innocent look, not wanting the good mood to end so quickly.

"Yes, and it is not a van and you know it." She rolled her eyes and started the engine. The hunk of junk defiantly did not purr awake like the cars he loved. "Where do you want to go today, Ana?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

This question earned him a smile. He couldn't help himself. He leaned forward and put his hand behind her head, angling it toward him "You're so beautiful, Anastasia. You know what I want to do every time you roll your eyes at me."

With that, he captured her mouth. He intruded every inch of it, reclaiming it as his. "Ana, you are mine," he breathed. "Only mine, from now on."

Ana nodded, her eyes wide and full of passion. "Let me take you back to Escala," he whispered. "We can't stay here and I want you so badly."

Ana stiffened and withdrew from him. "I will not be returning to your apartment, Christian. This was another itemized condition, if you care to remember. I want to live on my own and pay my own rent."

Christian remained silent for a few minutes. He knew that he should not have pressed the issue so soon. Besides, he'd be having her in the car soon enough if she was going to be this sexy and unreasonable.

"Where do you want to go, Ana?" Obviously, arguing was not going to get him anywhere.

She visibly relaxed when it was clear that she had won the battle. You won't be winning the war, though, little Ana. "I think that I would like to go to Pike Market and then walk along the water front."

His lips twitched as he thought about her request. The woman had some of the best ideas, he had to give her that. "Sounds good. When we're there you can get something to eat. I know you haven't had very much if last night was anything like this morning."

Ana gave him a sheepish look, confirming his suspicions. Slowly, they merged into the traffic. After a few moments of being jostled by the subpar suspension, Christian knew that next time he would insist on driving. This car was going to force him into a chiropractor's office by the end of the day.

They were able to find parking relatively quickly given the fact that it was a Friday afternoon. The air was cool and crisp, and it smelt of the sea and coffee beans. One of the perks of living in Seattle was the constant mixture of the two aromas.

Ana hopped out of the driver's seat and took a good look at her car. She had fallen in love with it because of the newfound independence it had given to her. Plus, it didn't hurt that she actually got to drive a car that was a pretty color, not some boring shade of grey. She giggled a little when she thought about how Christian had moaned and groaned the entire way over, constantly shifting around to get comfortable.

He was looking at her from across the car with one eyebrow raised, silently asking her what she was thinking about. That was all the encouragement that she needed. Ana ran around to the other side, jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. He stumbled a little under her unexpected assault, but grinned like a fool when he regained his balance. Ana brought her face close to his, until their noses touched.

"Mr. Grey, you have just proven your love for me once again. I know you hate that car, but thanks for letting me drive." Ana watched as his eyes widened, understanding for perhaps the first time how much she valued him being flexible with her. Stupid man. What woman wants to be told what to do? No wonder I'm his first girlfriend-

Her thoughts were interrupted by a snickering noise behind her back. Christian's brow furrowed as he looked past her to see where the noise was coming from. She watched as his gaze darkened. Ana slid down his body and turned to see Jack Hyde. He was eyeing her with amusement and had a wicked grin spreading across his face.