A/N:

Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews, favs and follows. Your support means a lot to me and I really hope you like my new chapter. Looking forward to hearing from you all. x


What Love Gave Us

by

Ava LeBeau

Two

Scanning the crowd, Anastasia ambled into the living room, smoothing down her dress with her palms.

"Good evening, Anastasia," her breath hitched and she turned around, struggling to maintain her balance on her heels for a moment.

"Whoops, careful," Christian said, his voice soft, beaming as he looked at her over his sunglasses, clutching her arm to steady her as she stumbled a step toward him. His touch elicited a tingling sensation where his palm brushed against her bare skin and he said, "good to see you again."

As promised, he was dressed all white, save for a pair of dark cognac brogues and the aviators that he was just about to take off. Anastasia could feel his eyes on her and fought the urge to avert her own gaze coyly but she was inching away from him ever so slightly.

"Looking nice," he stated, giving her a quick once-over before, much to Anastasia's surprise, he leaned closer to gently kiss her cheeks, his hand brushing against her elbow before he pulled away again.

"Thank you, you too," Anastasia's lips curved into a smile.

Christian did indeed look handsome, the crisp white shirt unbuttoned daringly low, revealing a surprisingly open-hearted view of his broad chest, his jeans tight in all the right places without it looking cheap. And he smelled nice, felt nice. More than nice.

Anastasia cleared her throat, glancing up at him, hoping he would just leave but he didn't. His model girlfriend must be somewhere, waiting for him, right?

"You look like an angel."

Surely, he was teasing her, wanted to make her blush? Ana was convinced that this must be part of his usual trick. Certainly, he was beyond pleased with himself.

But like him she really liked the dress that Kate had lent her for the party tonight. In fact, it made her feel more confident, more beautiful even.

She'd also opted for a slick of lipstick and blusher, all very unlike her and all Kate's recommendations, as were the delicate necklace and her dangly diamond earrings.

You should wear an apron next time…

She could hear his words ringing in her head.

How patronizing, she thought, but nothing would dampen her good mood today. Not even cocky Christian Grey, who, much to her surprise, seemed rather civil tonight.

"Never thought you could be so charming, Christian, but thank you, maybe I am."

Christian grinned, "Of course you are. Talk to you later."

With that, he was gone, had disappeared in the crowd, probably looking for his brother or Kate or some of Elliot's buddies.

Anastasia bit her lip, craning her neck to spot him. In vain.

You look like an angel.

His deep voice was echoing in her head.

Angel.

Nobody had ever called her that.


Anastasia was on her way to the bar to top up her drink when someone grabbed her arm.

"Heyyy…" she whirled around, "Christian?"

Ana furrowed her brow, staring down at him.

Slouching on one of the lounge sofas, surrounded by what looked like some of Elliot's rich frat guys buddies, Christian smirked up at her.

"There you are, angel."

An air of aversion mixed with surprise curved Anastasia's eyebrow while she was glancing down at his slender fingers that were now wrapped possessively around her wrist but she was allowing him to keep hold of it.

"A-Anastasia," he tried again. The other guys laughed.

"It's Ana, Christian, but anyways… Yes?" she tilted her head.

Obviously he'd had a few and she wondered if he was slurring his words a little. She studied his features intently for a moment.

"What is it, Christian?"

The younger Grey raised his glass and nodded toward it.

"We're out of ice, be a doll and bring us some."

One of his buddies reached for the ice bucket and handed it to Christian.

"You… what?"

"Please, angel."

She could hear herself saying yes and hated herself for it, taking the bucket while Christian slowly let go of her wrist, not without his fingers lingering there for much longer than needed to bring his message across.

He's drunk, she told herself. Don't make it awkward for both of us.

But inside, inside she dreamt of giving him a piece of her mind. In front of all his jeering snobbish friends.

Hugging the ice bucket to her chest Ana pushed through the crowd, cursing Christian Grey every foul name she could come up with.

Yes, she was known for being caring. Beyond repair. And quite obviously to her demise when it came to Christian and his latest tricks.

Humming along to the song that was just playing, she made her way to the adjacent garage and what she would call her secret ice cube depot in the freezer there. A welcome timeout from Kate and Elliot's buzzing party.

Still humming to herself she pushed the door open, felt around for the light switch for a second and as she walked over to the freezer the door snapped shut behind her.

"You are anything but an angel, Mister Grey," Anastasia said to herself while she filled the bucket with fresh ice cubes.

She really hated how easily he'd convinced her to do as he'd demanded. Surely, Christian and his bros were still out there lounging, his buddies praising him for bossing her around, him being all alpha and whatnot. Be a doll

Yeah, right.

Anastasia rolled her eyes as she thought of him but the skin on her wrist was still tingling right where his fingers had been wrapped around it just moments ago, his touch melting her skin away like ice cubes in the sun, melting her.

It wasn't long before the bucket was filled and Ana was ready to return to the party upstairs. Having come up with several good retorts, just in case, she smiled to herself, drawing in a deep breath before she reached out to open the door.

But it wouldn't open.

Anastasia's brows snapped together and she tried the door knob again, rattling it.

Nothing.

The door seemed stuck, locked even.

Putting down the bucket she reached for her phone.

Low battery. Biting her lip she pushed the call button but the display went dark on her.

"Great, just great," Anastasia looked around.

The garage's gate was shut, the windows small and high up.

She rattled the door again, screaming as she banged on it, "Hello?"


Almost losing her grip, Anastasia's heart skipped a beat when the door flew open with a loud bang.

"There you are, angel," Christian's voice came from somewhere behind, Anastasia could hear him chuckle, "what are you doin—"

"Christian, the door! Hurry!" Anastasia called, silently cursing the dress for being way too tight and definitely not her first choice of apparel for a round of free climbing.

Clumsily, she was clinging to one of the floor-to-ceiling storage shelves she'd just clambered up in a desperately shaky attempt to escape her prison.

Her eyes wide, Ana stared at the door that was now swinging back after it had made swift contact with the wall behind it.

"What? I mean—," unaware of the whole predicament, Christian had stepped closer, holding out his arms when Anastasia made a move to jump down from the rack in a futile attempt to block the door.

His strong hands on her hips, she'd leaped down and Christian had pulled her to him as if he wanted to hug her, his biceps bulging while Anastasia's hands came to rest on his now bare shoulders. Briefly, her body was pressed against his before she slid down his front rather ungracefully, eager for her feet to reach solid ground.

For a moment they stood there like this, Christian's silvery gaze unnervingly piercing again but somehow Ana was unable to wiggle out of what one could only call a disastrous attempt at an embrace with the notorious and now very topless Christian Grey.

The door had fallen shut again.

"The door," Anastasia croaked, Christian's skin was warm and firm underneath her palms, she drew her bottom lip between her teeth, "...too late," she groaned.

"What?"

"The door, Christian," Anastasia frowned up at him.

He lifted an eyebrow, obviously puzzled as to what she was talking about, turning his head to peer back at the exit. She could smell alcohol lingering on his breath.

"...and why are you wearing board shorts?"

Wet, white board shorts to be more precise. And a damp towel that was dangling from around his neck.

Ana willed herself to refrain from stealing another glance.

Looking at her he mumbled, "The jacuzzi, you know."

"Yeah, right," she said dismissively, not even sure why she was mad at him, "it's not in here."

"Actually, I was looking for the bathroom," Christian said.

"Well, wrong door," letting her arms fall to her sides she shifted away from him, unable to stop gawking at this chiseled torso.

"What do you mean?"

"This is not the bathroom, Christian," she overemphasized every word as if she were talking to a simpleton and not Seattle's whizz kid, "we're in the garage."

"Oh, okay," he turned to look at the door again.

"Well, then…," Christian moved to leave, reaching for the door knob, clearly impatient to answer nature's call.

"What the hell?" he said, more to himself, and tried again while Anastasia crossed her arms in front of her chest, watching him quietly before she said, "I told you," when he glanced at her, obviously at a loss.

"Have you tried the gate?" he hastened across the room to try and open the garage door.

"Of course. Locked," Anastasia said and shrugged.

"It can't be," he stared at her, not convinced.

"It is," Anastasia sat down on the porch swing that appeared to be awaiting its set up in the garden. Ana was hugging one of its pillows to her while Christian disappeared behind the parked truck that resembled Elliot's to try the garage door.

She bit back a chuckle when she heard him cursing under his breath, "Told you so," she mumbled.

Locked, yes, they were locked in Kate's parents' garage while their White Summer party was in full swing.

Looking contrite, Christian reappeared from behind the truck, raking his fingers through his damp, slicked back hair, his brow creased while his eyes flickered feverishly.

"Locked," he stated the obvious.

Anastasia nodded quietly.

"What now?" he asked as if she knew the answer, rubbing his brow.

"Dunno," Ana shrugged and looked up at him.

"Alright, excuse me. I'll be right back," he said rather unceremoniously and disappeared behind the truck again.

"What are you doing?"

"Go number one. Pass water. Leak the lizard. Take your pick, Anastasia."

"What? You're kidding, right?" Anastasia gasped. "Gross, Christian."

A sudden pattering was a dead giveaway that Christian was anything but kidding and instead relieving himself without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

"I can't believe you're doing this…," Anastasia said, letting out a mirthless laugh, intent to keep talking to drown out the incriminating sound.

"There's nothing gross about needing to use the bathroom, Anastasia," Christian said coolly.

She rolled her eyes, sure, he had a point there but did he really not have more self-control?

"Still gross that you're doing it while I'm sitting right here. I thought your parents had taught you some manners?"

"Not gross. Just practicing emergency evacuation procedures… and I really think that E should advise his future in-laws to reassess their emergency exit situation in here."

Anastasia couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh, really? Still can't believe you're doing this."

"Sorry, didn't mean to hurt your feelings, ma'am. How about you chill, angel?"

"Christ, you're unbelievable. And stop calling me that."

"Angel? But I love to call you angel."

Anastasia wrapped a strand of her hair around her finger, a sudden warmth was rising in the pit of her stomach and a wave of contentment was washing over her.

She was side-glancing at the truck that was concealing the younger Grey brother and his appalling deed and said, the curiosity in her voice only thinly veiled, "You love to call me angel? Why? What if your girlfriend finds out you love calling me that?"

Christian walked back towards the swing, the towel in his left, "Doubt she'd give a damn."

Anastasia risked a quick peek, yes, the board shorts hung dangerously low, revealing those hard-earned V-cut abs but apart from that the package seemed to have been stowed away neatly and where it belonged, sparing them both further embarrassment.

"You're drunk, Christian. And a player."

"A player?" he let out a husky laugh, not dwelling on her supposition too long.

Instead he said, "No, really."

A small crease appeared between Anastasia's eyebrows, "Why's that?"

"Because she dumped me last night," he said flatly.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear it," she said, her insides clenching for a moment.

Hadn't they seemed all loved up yesterday? Not really, as he'd been patronizing and cocky, but her dumping him was probably not what he'd expected.

"And now? All butthurt, mister?" she teased.

"I'll survive, I guess," he said solemnly.

Anastasia looked down at her hands in her lap and nodded, her cheeks a bright pink.

She'd never thought that any of his conquests would dare to dump a man like Christian Grey but there she was, proven wrong. Maybe she had naively underestimated the women he was dating? Maybe they were more than interchangeable playthings? Maybe they had more of a mind of their own than she would've liked to think?

Maybe… Anastasia glanced at him.

"May I?" he asked, wrenching her out of her thoughts.

She nodded, the swing creaked when he sat down beside her, his elbows coming to rest on his knees.

"Christ, I'm parched," he said, raking his fingers through his hair once more, looking around.

"Parched? Has anybody ever told you that you're quite dramatic when you're drunk, Christian?" she chuckled.

His only answer was a displeased snort.

"They don't have water out here."

Christian chewed on his lip, his brow creased. Anastasia sighed, there it was again, that notorious I'm never ever satisfied pout.

"How about some ice cubes, though?"

"Better than nothin', I guess?" he said casually, pinching his stubbly chin between his thumb and index while she got up to fetch some ice cubes for him.

When Anastasia returned she was surprised to find that he'd lain down on the swing, one leg idly dangling over the edge, his foot, however, firmly on the floor.

"That was quick," she laughed while he popped one of the ice cubes into his mouth, eyeing her curiously.

"I'm so tired," he mumbled, the ice cube in his mouth causing some sort of unfamiliar lisp.

"I'm sure you are, it must be well past midnight," Anastasia smiled, glancing down at his hand when he reached out. Drunk Christian Grey was not only overdramatic but also rather… cuddly.

"Join me? There's enough room for two," Christian stretched out and shifted.

"Christian, I don't think—"

"Only for a minute or two," he bargained, blinking heavily as he patted the seat, motioning for her to sit down by his side.

"Okay," she sat down on the edge of the seat, careful to keep her distance as far as possible, letting her dark blue gaze drop down at him.

"What are you doing for work?" Christian reached up to gently toy with one of the dangly earrings she was wearing tonight.

"I'm in publishing. You?"

His sudden curiosity surprised her but she decided to refrain from challenging his intrusiveness, after all she was just as curious about him and the life he was leading.

"I'm working for my father's company. Mostly mergers and acquisitions for now. Auditing enterprises that are part of our portfolio. But I'm working on building up my own business."

"Oh, how nice," she tilted her head a little when he reached up, narrowly escaping his touch when he tried to caress her cheek.

"Christian, don't—"

"Why?"

"You're drunk," she laughed when he tried again.

"So?"

"Well, I barely know you and I don't think it's appropriate…"

"Appropriate, hm," the corner of his mouth twitched up while he played around with the dangly earring again and when she reached for his wrist to keep him from trying once more, he laughed huskily while his gaze darted to her lips.

"So, you're an editor, hm?"

"More like a trainee at the moment. Pretty much changing between all of the departments there."

"I see. Do you like it?"

Anastasia's eyes lit up and she smiled, "I do. Very much indeed."

She pushed off her feet excitedly and the swing gave a sudden jerk.

"Don't," Christian grumbled and Anastasia raised her eyebrows.

"Why?"

"The room…," he drew in a deep breath.

"Spinning?" she chuckled when Christian closed his eyes and nodded slowly, his brow furrowed while his palm came to rest against his taut abs.

"Poor thing," she grinned, glancing down at his hand when he tried to take hers.

"What are your plans for when you're through with that trainee program?" he said, his eyes still shut.

"Mmh," Anastasia pulled her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, "Difficult question."

"There's no wrong or right here, angel," he said and had a point there.

Anastasia glanced at him as he still lay there with his eyes shut, the hint of a grin ghosting across his features.

"Well, I really like editing. Marketing, too."

"Quite contrasting," Christian said.

"It is," she nodded, giving it more thought. "I guess, I could also see myself becoming a literary agent… but authors can be really, really demanding, so I'm not sure…"

Her voice trailed off and she shifted, causing Christian to draw in another sharp breath.

"Sorry," she mumbled, pressing her lips together, finding herself feeling oddly sympathetic toward him.

"Well, what about you?" she thought it best to try and distract him from the spinning room, contrasting passions and the publishing industry.

Her heart almost skipped a beat when Christian opened his eyes, his gaze intense and dark, and said, "I'm supposed to break up a corporation as we speak. Close deals on new additions to the portfolio."

"So, people are losing their jobs when you're through with them?" Ana folded her hands in her lap, his hand still lingering nearby.

"Inevitable, I'd say," Christian did a bad job at stifling a yawn and shifted a little to make more room for her.

She nodded quietly and stared at him for a moment.

"And it doesn't bother you… like… at all?"

"It comes with the job, Anastasia," he sighed when she drew her brows together.

"I see," was all she said.

"Look, it's not like I take a fancy to this part of the deal. You know, I'm not a bad person…"

"Of course not," she struggled hard to refrain from rolling her eyes.

The temperature seemed to have dropped by several degrees in the room. Gone was all the levity their small talk had held.

"Ana, I…"

"You should really go to sleep now, Christian. I can tell you're tired and it's not the time to—," she rose and the swing gave another jerk that made him grumble.

"Don't go," he pleaded, swallowing dryly.

"We're locked in. So, I guess I won't go anywhere anytime soon, Christian," she laughed and pointed at one of the garden chairs that stood nearby.

"See, I'm right there."

"Closer," Christian waved his hand, gesturing for her to move within his reach.

"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?" she chuckled.

"The lights are on," he said matter-of-factly while she moved to pull the chair closer and she could tell that he was grinning as he spoke.

Finally, Christian grabbed the armrest to pull the chair right up next to the swing.


A/N: Thank you for reading.