Chapter 19

APOV

I can't believe he has his own helicopter. And not just some small one; this can fit probably ten people in here. Is there anything he can't do? I've never even been in a helicopter.

"Are you scared?" He cocks his head slightly to the side and smirks at me. It's almost like he is challenging me and there is no way I'm going to back down from this.

"No. I've never been in a helicopter before. I'm excited."

His smile gets bigger, "That's my girl. Come on, I'll help you in." He helps me into the surprisingly spacious helicopter and straps me into the seat. Once he has me strapped in, he takes his seat and straps in. He hands me these huge headphones, "Here, put your cans on. That way you'll be able to hear me talk to you." Feeling a little silly I put them on. Christian starts talking to some disembodied voice and before I know it, we're taking off.

"Whoa…" It is such a strange feeling being in a helicopter. I thought it would feel like an airplane but it doesn't. I can practically see 360 degrees in this thing and there is a great view of everything.

"Are you OK?" he asks me pausing only to look over at me for a second. You can tell he is concentrating very hard.

"Oh, yeah. It was just a little bit of a shock at first. The view is amazing. If I were you, I'd want to fly everywhere." I am thoroughly impressed. He just laughs and it's an alluring sound. He seems so carefree doing this. You would never know he runs a mega-corporation and deals with major deals and acquisitions on a daily basis. "So, where are we going?"

"You'll see soon enough." I am lost looking at the amazing view around me. "See down there? That's Bainbridge Island." As we head towards Olympic National Park bright and vivid greens cover the earth below us. I always thought the forests of Montesano were beautiful but with the mountains, the rainforest is grandiose. It's like I'm looking down into a postcard.

It's amazing to see the coastline, snow-capped mountains, rainforests, and glaciers basically all in one place. It makes me appreciate living in Washington; I've never paid attention to it before now. Christian even got low enough when we were over the water to see some whales playing in the Pacific. "The only other way to get this view is to hike to the top of Mt. Olympus."

"This is amazing, Christian. I've never seen anything like this. Thank you." He looks at me and for the first time, he looks shy.

His eyes are a brilliant gray as he looks at me, "You're welcome, Ana. It's my pleasure." He flies us over the boats in Port Angeles and over the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria, British Columbia. He lands the helicopter at Victoria Harbour Heliport where we are met by a driver and car. "Are you hungry, Ana?"

I'm not really hungry. I've been so excited I haven't thought about it. But I don't want to insult his plans. "Sure, a bit." We get to a restaurant called Aura on the waterfront. Inside it's romantic yet comfortable. We are led to a private dining room. "Christian, you don't always have to reserve a private dining room; I don't mind sitting with other people around us."

"I know. But I like having you all to myself this way." He sure knows the right things to say to make me swoon. And here I originally thought he was cold and uncaring. He orders us a cheese plate to start and of course, even though it is technically lunch time, he orders off the dinner menu for us. We both have the braised beef which is satisfying and delectable. Since Christian doesn't drink alcohol when he flies, I join him and have a glass of sparkling water.

"Christian, today has been extraordinary. I don't know how to thank you."

He smirks at me, "I know how you can. Stay with me tonight, please?" I'm not used to talking so openly about sex stuff so I just blush as usual and nod yes. Everything is going to seem so mundane after this weekend with him. The trip home is uneventful and by the time we get back to Seattle it's the evening.

We're in the elevator of Escala, "There's still time to go out tonight if you want to, Ana." He grabs my hand and squeezes it.

"Actually, if it's OK with you, I'd like to just stay in and chill tonight. Today was so much fun but I am really beat." For some reason after I say that Christian's eyes get big and he starts to cough. "Christian, are you OK?" I ask him as I try to pat his back.

"Um, yeah, there was just a tickle in my throat. I'm fine now. So you want to stay in and chill, huh? We can get a Netflix movie if you want to but I'd much rather skip to the chill part."

"Christian! Oh my God! I can't believe you just said that. How do you even know that saying?" He's usually so refined it shocks me to hear that from him.

"How do you know that saying, Miss Steele?" He raises an eyebrow at me.

"I'm best friends with Kate Kavanagh. Before Elliot, she was pretty good at Netflix and chill."

"Well, Elliot is my brother so you can only imagine the things I hear from him." He's smiling.

"I hope Kate and Elliot are having a good time on their honeymoon. I miss her." It feels like she's been away for too long.

"I don't miss Elliot. About that, how do you think we should tell them about us?"

Crap. I didn't think about it. When Kate finds out, she is going to be unbearable. "Would you mind if we don't tell them anything right away? It will be better once they have been home and settled for a few days."

"Are you trying to tell me our relationship is shocking?" He acts like he is offended but judging by his grin I know he isn't and is just giving me a hard time.

"No, well, yes. We weren't exactly BFFs before. I just want to avoid the Kavanagh Inquisition."

"You have a point there. Elliot can be meddlesome and I am enjoying this little bubble we have going on right now." He picks my hand up, brings it to his lips, and kisses it. "So, then, it's a plan. We'll stay in our little bubble for as long as we can before we tell them."

"That could be exciting, sneaking around like a couple of teenagers. We could have secret rendezvous." I just made myself blush by saying that. But for some reason the idea of being secret is hot.

"We could have a secret rendezvous in this elevator."

He already has me hot and bothered. I can feel the blood rush to the surface and am short of breath. "In here?" He walks up to me and his demeanor has changed to one that's erotic almost. He nods. I gulp. "Now?" He nods again. "Holy fuck."

He leans down and rubs his nose up against mine just barely touching it. "Well, I don't know how pious it will be but I think I can be good enough to make you take the Lord's name in vain."

Suddenly he is kissing me as if our lives depend on it. In a rush, he is unbuttoning my jeans when the elevator doors open to his foyer.

Without warning, he picks me up and puts me over his shoulder practically running through his apartment. "I need to have you now, Ana. I don't want to waste any time." Damn, this demigod of a man who is stunningly gorgeous, smart, and successful wants me. Me!

Even though the night is still young, we head to the bedroom and don't come out until the next day. But we don't get much sleep either.