He relaxes momentarily, so I feel his entire, delicious weight on me. I"m not ready to let him go, my body craving relief, but he"s so heavy, and in that moment, I can"t push against him. All of a sudden, he withdraws, leaving me aching and hungry for more. He glares down at me.
"Don"t touch yourself. I want you frustrated. That"s what you do to me by not talking to me, by denying me what"s mine." His eyes blaze anew, angry again.
I nod, panting. He stands and removes the condom, knotting it at the end, and puts it in his pants pocket. I gaze at him, my breathing still erratic, and involuntarily I squeeze my thighs together, trying to find some relief. Christian does up his fly and runs his hand through his hair as he reaches down to collect his jacket. He turns back to gaze down at me, his expression softer.
"We"d better get back to the house."
I sit up, a little unsteadily, dazed.
"Here. You may put these on."
From his inside pocket, he produces my panties. I don"t grin as I take them from him, but inside I know - I"ve taken a punishment f**k but gained a small victory over the panties. My inner G.o.ddess nods in agreement, a satisfied grin over her face - You didn"t have to ask for them.
"CHRISTIAN!" Mia shouts from the floor below.
He turns and raises his eyebrows at me.
"Just in time. Christ, she can be really irritating."
I scowl back at him, hastily restore my panties to their rightful place, and stand with as much dignity as I can muster in my just-f.u.c.ked state. Quickly, I attempt to smooth my just-f.u.c.ked hair.
"Up here, Mia," he calls down. "Well, Miss Steele, I feel better for that - but I still want to spank you," he says softly.
"I don"t believe I deserve it Mr. Grey, especially after tolerating your unprovoked attack."
"UnprovokedYou kissed me." He tries his best to look wounded.
I purse my lips.
"It was attack as the best form of defense."
"Defense against what?"
"You and your twitchy palm."
He c.o.c.ks his head to one side and smiles at me as Mia comes clattering up the stairs.
"But it was tolerable?" he asks softly.
I flush.
"Barely," I whisper, but I can"t help my smirk.
"Oh, there you are." She beams at us.
"I was showing Anastasia around." Christian holds his hand out to me, his gray eyes intense.
I put my hand into his, and he gives it a soft squeeze.
"Kate and Elliot are about to leave. Can you believe those twoThey can"t keep their hands off each other." Mia feigns disgust and looks from Christian to me. "What have you been doing in here?"
Jeez, she"s forward. I blush scarlet.
"Showing Anastasia my rowing trophies," Christian says without missing a beat, completely poker-faced. "Let"s go say goodbye to Kate and Elliot."
Rowing trophies He pulls me gently in front of him, and as Mia turns to go, he swats my behind. I gasp in surprise.
"I will do it again, Anastasia, and soon," he threatens quietly close to my ear, then he pulls me into an embrace, my back to his front, and kisses my hair.
Back in the house, Kate and Elliot are making their farewells to Grace and Mr. Grey. Kate hugs me hard.
"I need to speak to you about antagonizing Christian," I hiss quietly in her ear as she embraces me.
"He needs antagonizing, then you can see what he"s really like. Be careful, Ana - he"s so controlling," she whispers. "See you later."
I KNOW WHAT HE"S REALLY LIKE - YOU DON"T! - I scream at her in my head.
I"m fully aware that her actions come from a good place, but sometimes she just oversteps the mark, and right now so far that she"s into the neighboring state. I scowl at her, and she pokes her tongue out at me, making me smile unwillingly. Playful Kate is novel, must be Elliot"s influence. We wave them off at the doorway, and Christian turns to me.
"We should go too - you have interviews tomorrow."
Mia embraces me warmly as we say our goodbyes.
"We never thought he"d find anyone!" she gushes.
I flush, and Christian rolls his eyes again. I purse my lips. Why can he do that when I can"tI want to roll my eyes back at him, but I do not dare, not after his threat in the boathouse.
"Take care of yourself, Ana, dear," Grace says kindly.
Christian, embarra.s.sed or frustrated by the lavish attention I"m receiving from the remaining Greys, grabs my hand and pulls me to his side.
"Let"s not frighten her away or spoil her with too much affection," he grumbles.
"Christian, stop teasing." Grace scolds him indulgently, her eyes glowing with love and affection for him.
Somehow, I don"t think he"s teasing. I surrept.i.tiously watch their interaction. It"s obvious Grace adores him with a mother"s unconditional love. He bends and kisses her stiffly.
"Mom," he says, and there"s an undercurrent in his voice - reverence maybe?
"Mr. Grey - goodbye and thank you." I hold out my hand to him, and he hugs me too!
"Please, call me Carrick. I do hope we see you again, very soon, Ana."
Our farewells said, Christian leads me to the car where Taylor is waiting. Has he been waiting here the whole time Taylor opens my door, and I slide into the back of the Audi.
I feel some of the tension leaving my shoulders. Jeez, what a day. I am exhausted, physically and emotionally. After a brief conversation with Taylor, Christian clambers into the car beside me. He turns to face me.
"Well, it seems my family likes you, too," he murmurs.
Too The depressing thought about how I came to be invited pops unbidden and very unwelcome into my head. Taylor starts the car and heads away from the circle of light in the driveway to the darkness of the road. I gaze at Christian, and he"s staring at me.