Blame it on the Christmas Tree
by
Ava LeBeau
Chapter 11 – Sweeter than Hot Chocolate
"Good job," Christian stated and guided them both to the edge of the slope.
To be honest, Anastasia could have got used to the touch of his strong hands on her hips, used to feeling him close to her as he had tried and helped her to get a better feel for balancing and turning on her own skis.
Also, Anastasia was surprised that he hadn't commented on her acting all clumsy and clueless, in fact, his patience all day had been both surprising and endearing.
They stopped by a bench, Anastasia still kind of wobbly on her skis while Taylor was quick to hand his principal a ski helmet.
"What? I mean...," Anastasia arched an eyebrow.
"Come," Christian moved closer.
Anastasia, not without a pang of envy, turned her head and watched Taylor zooming off effortlessly, two pairs of skiing poles in his left.
She was sure, though, that the bodyguard would still keep a close eye on both of them.
"Why?" Anastasia looked back up at Christian who was now expertly adjusting the straps on the helmet.
She studied his features and a flush of happiness warmed her from within. Completely focused, he'd bit his lower lip, making sure that the helmet fit her perfectly, yet she wouldn't risk to steal a kiss right now. Tiptoeing on skis, she guessed, was not the best of ideas.
"Raising the bar, Ana," Christian mumbled, followed by one of his flawless smiles while his hands came to rest on her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze.
"Raising the bar?" Anastasia's eyebrows rose.
"Only a little," Christian grinned, side-glancing at a small group of young skiers, all only four of five years old at most, who was accompanied by skiing teachers and heading towards a steeper part of the slope.
"Time to graduate from bunny hill, I guess?" Anastasia's realization made Christian chuckle.
Casting another glance at the skiing group he said, "Do me proud, Ana."
"I promise I won't let you down."
"Good," Christian grinned and leaned closer, whispering, "You look really cute."
He stole a kiss and another for good measure but it was only moments before he pulled away.
"Ready?", Christian grabbed a pair of skiing poles and held them out for her, the ends of the poles pointing towards her.
"Where's your helmet?"
"Don't need one, we're still on the bunny hill, remember?"
"Of course," Anastasia rolled her eyes and took the ends of the poles while Christian slowly started to glide backwards.
"Wha- what're you doing?"
"Come," his smile was contagious, making her glide towards him with a quick tug at the poles, them providing for a certain distance between the two of them.
"Hold on tight, okay?"
Anastasia bit her lower lip and nodded, her knees were shaking ever so slightly but the poles helped to steady herself while Christian skied backwards, affording her chance after chance to test all sorts of soft turns and shifting her weight from one ski to the other, accompanied by approving nods and a cheerful 'Good job' from him every now and then.
She noticed that they were gaining speed but with Christian holding the other ends of the poles she felt safe, almost steady. Him skiing backwards made her somewhat nervous but to her relief the slope in front of her was all clear.
All of a sudden Christian let go of his ends of the poles and swiveled out in the most graceful quarter turn to make way for her.
"Wait. Wait! What are you doing, Christian?"
"Saying goodbye to bunny hill for good..."
"But I-I... don't know what I'm doing!" Anastasia stammered, trying to grasp the skiing poles.
Christian laughed.
"I'm not kidding! Seriously!" Anastasia pleaded, she could feel that she was picking up speed.
"You're skiing, Ana."
"But-but... What if I hit something?"
Christian, now effortlessly gliding down the slope sideways beside her, turned to look around. There was only the two of them.
"I think you'll be okay. Go."
Anastasia gasped, "Wow... skiing, I'm skiingggg."
She leaned back slightly, only gathering more speed on the downhill slope.
"Yes, you are," Christian laughed and followed her. She could tell that he was holding back, gliding idly beside her.
Out of nowhere two skiers raced towards them, obviously traversing.
Anastasia shrieked and lost one of the poles, oddly edging her skis in a futile attempt to avoid a spill.
"What the fuck," Christian hissed through gritted teeth, trying to reach out for Ana's arm, but it was too late, she'd already taken a tumble and was sliding down the slope, unable to bob up.
"Christian," she called before she came to rest.
He sped up to reach her, "Are you okay?"
"Kinda," Anastasia mumbled, wondering how ridiculous she must look, lying there, in some sort of twisted pose, face down, butt in the air. Yoga on skis, so to speak.
"Are you hurt?" Christian sounded alarmed.
"Don't think so, no...," she struggled to get up and chuckled.
"What?"
"Nothin'," Ana could tell that he was worried.
"What is it?" he stopped beside her and brushed her hair out of her face.
Anastasia smiled at him, she had never seen him so concerned.
"Can we..."
"Go home? Of course," Christian agreed quickly.
"We don't have to, Christian... I mean, we could go to the hut at the base if you like."
He arched an eyebrow, apparently still looking for hints if she was hurt.
"You could leave me there...," Anastasia continued, "...and go for another round. Not the bunny hill. I know just how much you like skiing, so, please..."
"I won't leave you there, Ana," he shook his head, gently touching her elbow.
"Don't miss out for my sake, Christian. You could buy me a drink and meet me there again," a half-shrug, "...I doubt you would be long seeing how good of a skier you are."
"You sure?" He didn't sound convinced.
"Yes," Anastasia smiled, taking his hand for her own stability, giving it a squeeze to encourage him to say yes.
"Sawyer will-"
"If you insist," the hint of a frown ghosted across her features and she wondered if his security staff had to be around twenty-four-seven, but who was she to judge?
"I do. Now, come," Christian held out his hand and the remaining skiing pole to guide her down the remaining slope and towards the hut where several fellow skiers were already enjoying their après ski.
"Are you really sure?" he asked again as they reached the hut, letting go of her hand.
"Yes, Christian. Just leave me here. Don't worry..."
"You said you wanted me to buy you a drink."
"Sawyer could-"
The look on his face made her stop mid-sentence, "... hot chocolate would be lovely, thank you."
His face lightened up noticeably and while Christian disappeared in the partying crowd, Mister Taylor's right-hand, Sawyer, helped her with her skis.
"Last chance, Ana," Christian said as he pushed their way towards the front of the sun deck to make sure she had a cozy seat, Sawyer by his side.
"Have fun. I'll be fine," on her tiptoes she kissed his lips before she smiled and waved him goodbye for now.
"All right. I won't be long," Christian warily eyed some of the partying guests who stood close by before he turned to leave while Anastasia looked around curiously, taking a sip of the hot chocolate he'd just bought her.
As promised, he was back in no time, indeed, settling down in the chair beside her.
"Hi," Anastasia smiled and reached over to caress his reddened cheek.
"Cold," she mumbled as her thumb brushed across his stubbly jaw.
"It really is," Christian nodded and leaned closer to kiss her.
"Mmh...," he pulled away slightly, searching her gaze, "...sweeter than hot chocolate," Christian smirked and pulled his lower lip between his teeth for a moment.
"Drink up," he then mumbled against her lips, "... let's go for a walk around town. That is, if you're not hungry or something?"
"I'm fine. You?" Anastasia smiled and caressed his cheek again.
"Same," he said and took her hand as he stood, "Let's go... get you away from the riff-raff."
Ana chuckled and followed him.
Holding hands they walked up Main Street.
"It wasn't just him being aggressive actually, it-it was him... being so drunk... slurring his words, leaning really close... so close that I could smell the whiskey on his breath and—and he was trying to hold me back from leaving... it... it really scared me, you know...," Anastasia pressed her lips together before she ground out, "I hate being around drunks."
"I'm really sorry you had to go through that."
"Him being this drunk made me... so uncomfortable... He seemed completely out of control... it made me feel really anxious...," Anastasia bit her lower lip, trying to get rid of the pictures inside of her head, for in front of her inner eye she was back in Jack's office with him towering over her, leaning closer, glowering at her out of blood-shot eyes.
"You didn't deserve to be treated like this."
Anastasia glanced up at Christian as they walked on, she could see that his features were tense and could tell he was angry.
"I'll have Jerry look into the whole thing again. See what we can do about this."
"It's okay, Christian. It's over now."
"It's definitely not over for Hyde."
"Let's just... I mean... just move on. Just leave it be..."
"Not a chance."
"Christian... it wasn't my intention to-"
"It's still botherin' you, Ana. I'm gonna make sure he's never going anywhere near you again. Ever."
Anastasia sighed, not pleased that he seemed to be trying to make things at work difficult for her again.
After a moment of silence she stopped and looked at him, "Thank you."
"What for?" A crease formed between his eyebrows.
"Just because...," a small smile lit up her features.
"No need to thank me, I just want to make sure-"
"Christian let's not talk about Jack anymo- Oh, look they're having an ice rink."
He furrowed his brow, "Ice skating? Actually I was thinking lunch, you know," he laughed one of his husky laughs and raked his fingers through his hair.
"Not hungry," she mumbled, not averting her gaze from the rink, "I love ice skating."
"You do?"
"Yeah... Ray's taught me," Anastasia beamed, pulling him with her towards the rink.
Moments later it was Christian's turn to grab her hands for support.
Anastasia chuckled, quipping, "So ice hockey's not really your thing, eh? And I thought you're a natural when it comes to winter sports, Christian."
A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth as she held his hands in hers.
"Elliot's the jock. Not me," Christian ground out, wobbling a little.
"Yeah, right," Anastasia rolled her eyes and moved her hand to squeeze his shapely biceps teasingly before she began to skate backwards, trying to pull him with her.
"Does Mister Taylor follow you around everywhere?" Anastasia glanced at Christian's head of security who was now standing outside the rink, watching them, of course.
"No, not everywhere," Christian was still trying to find his balance.
"Bend your knees a little," Anastasia suggested, smiling, "How about the bathroom?"
"What do you mean?"
"Does he follow you in there as well?"
Christian furrowed his brow, "No, of course not. Only if I were unwell or something. Otherwise he'd clear the room before I enter and stand watch outside."
"I see. How awkward," Anastasia chuckled and glanced at Jason Taylor again.
"Taylor is exceptionally experienced and discreet."
"I'm sure he is. Still awkward, though," she grinned and broke away.
"Hey, wait..."
"Come, get me," she teased and stormed off towards the boards at the opposite end of the rink, Christian struggling to keep up while Anastasia cut several curves.
When she looked back she noticed that he had gathered speed, now almost tearing past her.
Christian and his ego, Anastasia thought and bit her lip, taking another turn to slow down and let him win.
When she finally faced him again, her eyes grew wide, "The boards, Christian! Snowplow stop... Don't-"
Too late.
She gasped.
"Ow..."
He'd hit the boards. Hard.
"Oh my god," she crouched down beside him, "...are you okay?"
Christian, now resting his back against the boards, was holding his side, groaning.
"Yeah. Just got the wind knocked out of me," his mouth twitched.
Leaning closer, Anastasia drew her brows together, "Christian."
"Mhmm. Maybe a broken rib, a sprained wrist... I'm fine...," he grimaced.
"Maybe... we should get you to a hospital?"
She looked around, trying to spot Taylor who seemed to have disappeared.
"No, no, I think I'll survive." Christian, shifting slightly to sit up, gritted his teeth.
"But you could have a-"
"Well, you could try to..."
"What? Help you up? Find Mister Taylor? Of course...," Ana studied his features, her lower lip trembling, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Christian..."
"Don't be. Kiss it better...?" he tilted his head, the corner of his mouth was twitching again.
"Wha-," her breath hitched when his lips captured hers.
"Mmmh," Christian hummed against her pout, yet she pulled away, looking worried.
"Let's take you to the hospital, okay?"
"No, stay right here," he tugged her closer and kissed her again before he looked into her eyes, mumbling, "I'm starting to feel a little better."
Christian's lips curved into a wry smile, "And guess what? I could really get used to this..."
"What? You crashing into ice rink boards and breaking your neck?" Anastasia frowned.
"No, this...," Christian closed his eyes and claimed her lips again, his free arm snaking around her waist to hold her close.
"Oh, my gosh! You're fine, totally fine," she slapped his upper arm in mock protest, eliciting another groan and an "owww" from him.
"Come on, Mister, let's get you home."
"No, no...," he laughed huskily, trying to steal yet another kiss but Anastasia was already standing beside him, his hand in hers.
"Get up."
"Ouch," he rubbed his torso, looking up at her, "Huh?"
"Come on, Christian," she waved the driver closer, "I wanna go home now."
"All right, all right," Christian nodded and got up as well.
The sun had already set and darkness was enveloping his mansion on the hilltop.
It was quiet in the living room, making Anastasia wonder where Kate and Elliot were.
"Christian?"
"Kitchen, Ana!"
Smiling, she walked past the dining area where sliding doors opened up the way into the spacious kitchen. She could see him standing in front of one of the counters, slicing what looked like a tomato.
"What're you doin'?" she moved to sit on one of the bar stools by the kitchen island counter.
"Cooking," he looked up at her and smirked.
Anastasia glanced at the plate that stood next to the cutting board.
"Sandwiches? That's not cooking, Christian," she chuckled. "Where's your housekeeper?"
"Well, you said, you don't feel comfortable in fancy restaurants and think that elaborate dinners are... how did you put it? … swanky. So, I've given her the night off and... voilà..."
Anastasia couldn't help but grin when Christian proudly presented the results of what he would refer to as his cooking session. At least, that she had to admit, he'd tried, and wasn't it effort that it was all about?
"Always eager to please, hm?" she teased, beaming at him.
"Of course," Christian took his bottle of beer and walked across the kitchen and towards the counter to join her.
Anastasia's gaze darted to the bandage on his left wrist.
"That bad?"
"What? Ah, this... Well, I told you to try and kiss it better, didn't I? ...but you refused," a mock pout, followed by a cheeky grin.
Anastasia laughed.
"D'aww, poor thing. Does it hurt a lot?"
"Just a precaution, don't worry," he took a sip from his bottle, she could feel his eyes on her.
Anastasia nodded quietly and reached out to run her fingertips across the bandage before she took his hand, interlacing her fingers with his .
"Anyway, do you want to eat here or go downstairs and watch a movie while we eat?"
"Movie and sandwiches sounds perfect," she smiled and slid out of the chair to go and take the plate.
Christian had pulled her in to him, tucked a blanket around both of them, holding her as they watched the movie, his fingertips drawing idle tiny circles against her shoulder.
He'd winced when Anastasia's hand had come to rest against his chest, causing her to almost reflexively withdraw but he had pulled her closer again, taken her free hand in his, moving their hands up to his lips to kiss her fingertips softly.
"Are you in pain?" Anastasia whispered.
"No," he mumbled, leaning in to kiss her hair.
"Christian."
"It's nothing, really."
Anastasia sighed and reached up to caress his cheek with her free hand, closing her eyes, her head resting against his shoulder.
In the movie the protagonist had finally confessed her love for her crush and they'd got together, only to run off to Paris.
"Aww, I want that," Anastasia whispered, more to herself, craning her neck to kiss Christian's cheek who shifted to eagerly capture her lips with his, wincing again when she touched his chest, by accident, making her freeze for a second.
"Sorry," she mumbled against his lips but he only hugged her to him.
"You know, I'd really like to take this upstairs," his gray gaze was searching hers while he cupped her cheek with his hand, his thumb gently brushing across her heated skin.
"I'd love that, too," Anastasia breathed, letting out a small gasp when he kissed her once more, his smile hadn't gone unnoticed.
Parts of her wished they could just stay here and so she shifted only reluctantly, taking his hand.
Her mind was racing, yes, she would love to take this to the next level.
No need to rush and put a label on it.
But it was time and she wanted more.
More precisely, she wanted him.
Christian.
Wanted all of him.
Here.
Now.
"Come," his voice was low and husky, pulling her out of the whirl of her own thoughts, smiling softly, pulling her to him to leave and head upstairs. Upstairs to his penthouse overlooking the valley.
Letting him lead her towards the staircase, Anastasia felt as if her feet were barely touching the ground, both happiness and desire trembling heavy inside of her.
And while that desire unfolded like a flower it was the harsh buzz of Christian's phone that felt like a boot out of nowhere that had trod down on the budding blossom.
"I don't believe it," she knew that she sounded annoyed, that delicious daze almost immediately gone.
Christian glanced down at the display, he himself obviously not pleased either, yet he mumbled, "I'm sorry, I've got to take this, Ana."
Anastasia tried not to frown, most certainly in vain.
"Ros," Christian's voice was still heavy with what she deemed was his own desire.
Anastasia let out a deep drawn breath and folded her arms in front of her chest.
Christian raised his index, nodding slightly as if he were to tell her that he'd be right back with her, yet she moved, walked on and towards the stairs that were leading upstairs.
Without him.
"And what exactly do you want me to do, Ros? Crawl back to him and beg, hm?" Christian let out a dismissive snort. "No fuckin' way."
"No, listen. I won't discuss this with you any further. No, Ros- Ros, I said I won't," Christian snapped.
Anastasia let out another sigh and pulled the blanket, that he'd so tenderly wrapped around her shoulders, tighter around her as she headed upstairs.
"All right, set up a meeting. Yes, I will be there. Yeah, all right, just calm the fuck down. Will you?"
Silence.
"All right. Bye. … Ana? Ana!"
She could hear him behind her.
"Ana, hey, I'm really sorry."
"Mhmm," she didn't even try to sound convincing.
"Ana, please," he took her hand in an attempt to stop her, "I-I have to take this call and will be back with you in no time."
They had reached her room on the second floor.
"I'm really sorry."
Anastasia turned to look at him, stating flatly, "Don't be. You're a busy man."
She managed a fake smile and could see the frown that was etched across his features.
"I'm sure it's urgent. And very important...," all of a sudden her fading voice sounded somewhat choked.
"I won't be long," a muscle in his jaw twitched, he bowed his head to kiss her forehead.
Gently, so gently. Her eyes fluttered shut.
"...won't be long," he mumbled again, his hands rubbing her back in a quiet plea.
She nodded and opened the door to her room while he hurried upstairs to his quarters.
It was almost midnight when she heard a soft tap at her door, followed by a low "Ana?"
Her eyes were glistening while she stared up at the ceiling, hugging one of the fluffy cushions to her chest.
"Ana?"
She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes.
Blame it on the Christmas tree.
A/N: Thank you so much for your ongoing support, reviews, favs and follows as well as your patience and bearing with me. Unfortunately, this break took longer than I had initially planned and I really apologize for the unintended delay. I hope you like the new chapter and look forward to hearing from you all. Have a lovely day! x