Текст книги "Fifty Shades of Grey"
Автор книги: Erika Leonard James
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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 28 страниц) [доступный отрывок для чтения: 11 страниц]
“I was nearly knocked over by a cyclist.” It’s the best that I can do, but it distracts her
momentarily from… him.
“Jeez Ana – are you okay? Were you hurt?” She holds me at arm’s length and does a
quick visual check-up on me.
“No. Christian saved me,” I whisper. “But I was quite shaken.”
“I’m not surprised. How was coffee? I know you hate coffee.”
“I had tea. It was fine, nothing to report really. I don’t know why he asked me.”
“He likes you Ana.” She drops her arms.
“Not anymore. I won’t be seeing him again.” Yes, I manage to sound matter of fact.
“Oh?”
Crap. She’s intrigued. I head into the kitchen so that she can’t see my face.
“Yeah… he’s a little out of my league Kate,” I say as dryly as I can manage.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh Kate, it’s obvious.” I whirl round and face her as she stands in the kitchen door-
way.“Not to me,” she says. “Okay, he’s got more money than you, but then he has more
money than most people in America!”
“Kate he’s– ” I shrug.
“Ana! For heaven’s sake – how many times must I tell you? You’re a total babe,” she
interrupts me. Oh no. She’s off on this tirade again.
“Kate, please. I need to study.” I cut her short. She frowns.
“Do you want to see the article? It’s finished. José took some great pictures.”
Do I need a visual reminder of the beautiful Christian I-don’t-want-youGrey?
“Sure,” I magic a smile on to my face and stroll over to the laptop. And there he is,
staring at me in black and white, staring at me and finding me lacking.
I pretend to read the article, all the time meeting his steady gray gaze, searching the
photo for some clue as to why he’s not the man for me – his own words to me. And it’s
suddenly, blindingly obvious. He’s too gloriously good-looking. We are poles apart and
from two very different worlds. I have a vision of myself as Icarus flying too close to the
sun and crashing and burning as a result. His words make sense. He’s not the man for me.
This is what he meant, and it makes his rejection easier to accept… almost. I can live with
this. I understand.
“Very good Kate,” I manage. “I’m going to study.” I am not going to think about him
again for now, I vow to myself, and opening my revision notes, I start to read.
It’s only when I’m in bed, trying to sleep, that I allow my thoughts to drift through my
strange morning. I keep coming back to the ‘I don’t do the girlfriend thing’quote, and I’m
angry that I didn’t pounce on this information sooner, when I was in his arms mentally beg-
ging him with every fiber of my being to kiss me. He’d said it there and then. He didn’t
want me as a girlfriend. I turn on to my side. Idly, I wonder if perhaps he’s celibate? I
close my eyes and begin to drift. Maybe he’s saving himself. Well not for you,my sleepy
subconscious has a final swipe at me before unleashing itself on my dreams.
And that night, I dream of gray eyes, leafy patterns in milk, and I’m running through
dark places with eerie strip lighting, and I don’t know if I’m running toward something or
away from it… it’s just not clear.
I put my pen down. Finished. My final exam is over. I feel the Cheshire cat grin
spread over my face. It’s probably the first time all week that I’ve smiled. It’s Friday, and
we shall be celebrating tonight, really celebrating. I might even get drunk! I’ve never been
drunk before. I glance across the sports hall at Kate, and she’s still scribbling furiously,
five minutes to the end. This is it, the end of my academic career. I shall never have to sit
in rows of anxious, isolated students again. Inside I’m doing graceful cartwheels around
my head, knowing full well that’s the only place I can do graceful cartwheels. Kate stops
writing and puts her pen down. She glances across at me, and I catch her Cheshire cat
smile too.
We head back to our apartment together in her Mercedes, refusing to discuss our final
paper. Kate is more concerned about what she’s going to wear to the bar this evening. I
am busily fishing around in my purse for my keys.
“Ana, there’s a package for you.” Kate is standing on the steps up to the front door
holding a brown paper parcel. Odd.I haven’t ordered anything from Amazon recently.
Kate gives me the parcel and takes my keys to open the front door. It’s addressed to Miss
Anastasia Steele. There’s no sender’s address or name. Perhaps it’s from my mom or Ray.
“It’s probably from my folks.”
“Open it!” Kate is excited as she heads into the kitchen for our ‘Exams are finished
hurrah Champagne’.
I open the parcel, and inside I find a half leather box containing three seemingly identi-
cal old cloth-covered books in mint condition and a plain white card. Written on one side,
in black ink in neat cursive handwriting, is:
I recognize the quote from Tess.I am stunned by the irony as I’ve just spent three
hours writing about the novels of Thomas Hardy in my final examination. Perhaps there
is no irony… perhaps it’s deliberate. I inspect the books closely, three volumes of Tess of
the D’Urbervilles.I open the front cover. Written in an old typeface on the front plate is:
‘London: Jack R. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., 1891.’
Holy shit – they are first editions. They must be worth a fortune, and I know immedi-
ately who’s sent them. Kate is at my shoulder gazing at the books. She picks up the card.
“First Editions,” I whisper.
“No.” Kate’s eyes are wide with disbelief. “Grey?”
I nod.
“Can’t think of anyone else.”
“What does this card mean?”
“I have no idea. I think it’s a warning – honestly he keeps warning me off. I have no
idea why. It’s not like I’m beating his door down.” I frown.
“I know you don’t want to talk about him, Ana, but he’s seriously into you. Warnings
or no.”
I have not let myself dwell on Christian Grey for the past week. Okay… so his gray
eyes are still haunting my dreams, and I know it will take an eternity to expunge the feel of
his arms around me and his wonderful fragrance from my brain. Why has he sent me this?
He told me that I wasn’t for him.
“I’ve found one Tessfirst edition for sale in New York at $14,000. But yours looks
in much better condition. They must have cost more.” Kate is consulting her good friend
Google.
“This quote – Tess says it to her mother after Alec D’Urberville has had his wicked
way with her.”
“I know,” muses Kate. “What is he trying to say?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. I can’t accept these from him. I’ll send them back with
an equally baffling quote from some obscure part of the book.”
“The bit where Angel Clare says fuck off?” Kate asks with a completely straight face.
“Yes, that bit.” I giggle. I love Kate, she’s so loyal and supportive. I repack the books
and leave them on the dining table. Kate hands me a glass of champagne.
“To the end of exams and our new life in Seattle,” she grins.
“To the end of exams, our new life in Seattle, and excellent results.” We clink glasses
and drink.
The bar is loud and hectic, full of soon to be graduates out to get trashed. José joins us. He
won’t graduate for another year, but he’s in the mood to party and gets us into the spirit of
our newfound freedom by buying a pitcher of margaritas for us all. As I down my fifth, I
know this is not a good idea on top of the champagne.
“So what now Ana?” José shouts at me over the noise.
“Kate and I are moving to Seattle. Kate’s parents have bought a condo there for her.”
“Dios mio, how the other half live. But you’ll be back for my show.”
“Of course, José, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I smile, and he puts his arm around
my waist and pulls me close.
“It means a lot to me that you’ll be there Ana,” he whispers in my ear. “Another mar-
garita?”
“José Luis Rodriguez – are you trying to get me drunk? Because I think it’s working.”
I giggle. “I think I’d better have a beer. I’ll go get us a pitcher.”
“More drink, Ana!” Kate bellows.
Kate has the constitution of an ox. She’s got her arm draped over Levi, one of our fel-
low English students and her usual photographer on her student newspaper. He’s given up
taking photos of the drunkenness that surrounds him. He only has eyes for Kate. She’s all
tiny camisole, tight jeans, and high heels, hair piled high with tendrils hanging down softly
around her face, her usual stunning self. Me, I’m more of a Converse and t-shirt kind of
girl, but I’m wearing my most flattering jeans. I move out of José’s hold and get up from
our table. Whoa. Head spin. I have to grab the back of the chair. Tequila based cocktails
are not a good idea.
I make my way to the bar and decide that I should visit the powder room while I am on
my feet. Good thinking, Ana.I stagger off through the crowd. Of course, there’s a line, but
at least it’s quiet and cool in the corridor. I reach for my cell phone to relieve the boredom
of waiting in line. Hmm… Who did I last call?Was it José? Before that a number I don’t
recognize. Oh yes. Grey, I think this is his number. I giggle. I have no idea what the time
is, maybe I’ll wake him. Perhaps he can tell me why he sent me those books and the cryptic
message. If he wants me to stay away, he should leave me alone. I suppress a drunken grin
and hit the automatic re-dial. He answers on the second ring.
“Anastasia?” He’s surprised to hear from me. Well, frankly, I’m surprised to ring him.
Then my befuddled brain registers… how does he know it’s me?
“Why did you send me the books?” I slur at him.
“Anastasia, are you okay? You sound strange.” His voice is filled with concern.
“I’m not the strange one, you are,” I accuse. There – that told him, my courage fuelled
by alcohol.
“Anastasia, have you been drinking?”
“What’s it to you?”
“I’m – curious. Where are you?”
“In a bar.”
“Which bar?” He sounds exasperated.
“A bar in Portland.”
“How are you getting home?”
“I’ll find a way.” This conversation is not going how I expected.
“Which bar are you in?”
“Why did you send me the books, Christian?”
“Anastasia, where are you, tell me now.” His tone is so, so dictatorial, his usual control
freak. I imagine him as an old time movie director wearing jodhpurs, holding an old fash-
ioned megaphone and a riding crop. The image makes me laugh out loud.
“You’re so… domineering,” I giggle.
“Ana, so help me, where the fuck are you?”
Christian Grey is swearing at me. I giggle again. “I’m in Portland… s’a long way
from Seattle.”
“Where in Portland?”
“Goodnight, Christian.”
“Ana!”
I hang up. Ha! Though he didn’t tell me about the books. I frown. Mission not ac-
complished. I am really quite drunk – my head swims uncomfortably as I shuffle with the
line. Well, the object of the exercise was to get drunk. I have succeeded. This is what it’s
like – probably not an experience to be repeated.The line has moved, and it’s now my
turn. I stare blankly at the poster on the back of the toilet door that extols the virtues of
safe sex. Holy crap, did I just call Christian Grey? Shit. My phone rings and it makes me
jump. I yelp in surprise.
“Hi,” I bleat timidly in to the phone. I hadn’t reckoned on this.
“I’m coming to get you,” he says and hangs up. Only Christian Grey could sound so
calm and so threatening at the same time.
Holy crap.I pull my jeans up. My heart is thumping. Coming to get me? Oh no.I’m
going to be sick… no… I’m fine. Hang on. He’s just messing with my head. I didn’t tell
him where I was. He can’t find me here. Besides, it will take him hours to get here from
Seattle, and we’ll be long gone by then. I wash my hands and check my face in the mirror.
I look flushed and slightly unfocused. Hmm… tequila.
I wait at the bar for what feels like an eternity for the pitcher of beer and eventually
return to the table.
“You’ve been gone so long.” Kate scolds me. “Where were you?”
“I was in line for the restroom.”
José and Levi are having some heated debate about our local baseball team. José
pauses in his tirade to pour us all beers, and I take a long sip.
“Kate, I think I’d better step outside and get some fresh air.”
“Ana, you are such a lightweight.”
“I’ll be five minutes.”
I make my way through the crowd again. I am beginning to feel nauseous, my head is
spinning uncomfortably, and I’m a little unsteady on my feet. More unsteady than usual.
Drinking in the cool evening air in the parking lot makes me realize how drunk I am.
My vision has been affected, and I’m really seeing double of everything like in old re-runs
of Tom and Jerry Cartoons.I think I’m going to be sick. Why did I let myself get this
messed up?
“Ana,” José has joined me. “You okay?”
“I think I’ve just had a bit too much to drink.” I smile weakly at him.
“Me too,” he murmurs, and his dark eyes are watching me intently. “Do you need a
hand?” he asks and steps closer, putting his arm around me.
“José I’m okay. I’ve got this.” I try and push him away rather feebly.
“Ana, please,” he whispers, and now he’s holding me in his arms, pulling me close.
“José, what you doing?”
“You know I like you Ana, please.” He has one hand at the small of my back holding
me against him, the other at my chin tipping back my head. Holy fuck… he’s going to kiss
me.“No José, stop – no.” I push him, but he’s a wall of hard muscle, and I cannot shift him.
His hand has slipped into my hair, and he’s holding my head in place.
“Please, Ana, cariña,” he whispers against my lips. His breath is soft and smells too
sweet – of margarita and beer. He gently trails kisses along my jaw up to the side of my
mouth. I feel panicky, drunk, and out of control. The feeling is suffocating.
“José, no,” I plead. I don’t want this.You are my friend, and I think I’m going to throw
up. “I think the lady said no.” A voice in the dark says quietly. Holy shit! Christian Grey,
he’s here. How? José releases me.
“Grey,” he says tersely. I glance anxiously up at Christian. He’s glowering at José,
and he’s furious. Crap. My stomach heaves, and I double over, my body no longer able to
tolerate the alcohol, and I vomit spectacularly on to the ground.
“Ugh – Dios mio, Ana!” José jumps back in disgust. Grey grabs my hair and pulls it
out of the firing line and gently leads me over to a raised flowerbed on the edge of the park-
ing lot. I note, with deep gratitude, that it’s in relative darkness.
“If you’re going to throw up again, do it here. I’ll hold you.” He has one arm around
my shoulders – the other is holding my hair in a makeshift ponytail down my back so it’s
off my face. I try awkwardly to push him away, but I vomit again… and again. Oh shit…
how long is this going to last?Even when my stomach’s empty and nothing is coming up,
horrible dry heaves wrack my body. I vow silently that I’ll never ever drink again. This is
just too appalling for words. Finally, it stops.
My hands are resting on the brick wall of the flowerbed, barely holding me up – vomit-
ing profusely is exhausting. Grey takes his hands off me and passes me a handkerchief.
Only he would have a monogrammed, freshly laundered, linen handkerchief. CTG.I
didn’t know you could still buy these. Vaguely I wonder what the T stands for as I wipe
my mouth. I cannot bring myself to look at him. I’m swamped with shame, disgusted with
myself. I want to be swallowed up by the azaleas in the flowerbed and be anywhere but
here.José is still hovering by the entrance to the bar, watching us. I groan and put my head
in my hands. This has to be the single worst moment of my life. My head is still swimming
as I try to remember a worse one – and I can only come up with Christian’s rejection – and
this is so, so many shades darker in terms of humiliation. I risk a peek at him. He’s staring
down at me, his face composed, giving nothing away. Turning, I glance at José who looks
pretty shamefaced himself and, like me, intimidated by Grey. I glare at him. I have a few
choice words for my so-called friend, none of which I can repeat in front of Christian Grey
CEO. Ana who are you kidding, he’s just seen you hurl all over the ground and into the
local flora. There’s no disguising your lack of ladylike behavior.
“I’ll err… see you inside,” José mutters, but we both ignore him, and he slinks off back
into the building. I’m on my own with Grey. Double crap. What should I say to him?
Apologize for the phone call.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter, staring at the handkerchief which I am furiously worrying with
my fingers. It’s so soft.
“What are you sorry for Anastasia?”
Oh crap, he wants his damned pound of flesh.
“The phone call mainly, being sick. Oh, the list is endless,” I murmur, feeling my skin
coloring up. Please, please can I die now?
“We’ve all been here, perhaps not quite as dramatically as you,” he says dryly. “It’s
about knowing your limits, Anastasia. I mean, I’m all for pushing limits, but really this is
beyond the pale. Do you make a habit of this kind of behavior?”
My head buzzes with excess alcohol and irritation. What the hell has it got to do with
him? I didn’t invite him here. He sounds like a middle-aged man scolding me like an er-
rant child. Part of me wants to say, if I want to get drunk every night like this, then it’s my
decision and nothing to do with him – but I’m not brave enough. Not now that I’ve thrown
up in front of him. Why is he still standing there?
“No,” I say contritely. “I’ve never been drunk before and right now I have no desire
to ever be again.”
I just don’t understand why he’s here. I begin to feel faint. He notices my dizziness and
grabs me before I fall and hoists me into his arms, holding me close to his chest like a child.
“Come on, I’ll take you home,” he murmurs.
“I need to tell Kate.” Holy Moses, I’m in his arms again.
“My brother can tell her.”
“What?”
“My brother Elliot is talking to Miss Kavanagh.”
“Oh?” I don’t understand.
“He was with me when you phoned.”
“In Seattle?” I’m confused.
“No, I’m staying at the Heathman.”
Still? Why?
“How did you find me?”
“I tracked your cell phone Anastasia.”
Oh, of course he did. How is that possible? Is it legal? Stalker,my subconscious
whispers at me through the cloud of tequila that’s still floating in my brain, but somehow,
because it’s him, I don’t mind.
“Do you have a jacket or a purse?”
“Err… yes, I came with both. Christian, please, I need to tell Kate. She’ll worry.” His
mouth presses into a hard line, and he sighs heavily.
“If you must.”
He sets me down, and, taking my hand, leads me back into the bar. I feel weak, still
drunk, embarrassed, exhausted, mortified, and on some strange level absolutely off the
scale thrilled. He’s clutching my hand – such a confusing array of emotions. I’ll need at
least a week to process them all.
It’s noisy, crowded, and the music has started so there is a large crowd on the dance
floor. Kate is not at our table, and José has disappeared. Levi looks lost and forlorn on his
own.“Where’s Kate?” I shout at Levi above the noise. My head is beginning to pound in
time to the thumping bass line of the music.
“Dancing,” Levi shouts, and I can tell he’s mad. He’s eyeing Christian suspiciously.
I struggle into my black jacket and place my small shoulder bag over my head so it sits at
my hip. I’m ready to go, once I’ve seen Kate.
“She’s on the dance floor,” I touch Christian’s arm and lean up and shout in his ear,
brushing his hair with my nose, smelling his clean, fresh smell. Oh my.All those forbid-
den, unfamiliar feelings that I have tried to deny surface and run amok through my drained
body. I flush, and somewhere deep, deep down my muscles clench deliciously.
He rolls his eyes at me and takes my hand again and leads me to the bar. He’s served
immediately, no waiting for Mr. Control-Freak Grey. Does everything come so easily to
him? I can’t hear what he orders. He hands me a very large glass of iced water.
“Drink,” he shouts his order at me.
The moving lights are twisting and turning in time to the music casting strange colored
light and shadows all over the bar and the clientele. He’s alternately green, blue, white, and
a demonic red. He’s watching me intently. I take a tentative sip.
“All of it,” he shouts.
He’s so overbearing. He runs his hand through his unruly hair. He looks frustrated,
angry. What is his problem? Apart from a silly drunk girl ringing him in the middle of the
night so he thinks she needs rescuing. And it turns out she does from her over amorous
friend. Then seeing her being violently ill at his feet. Oh Ana… are you ever going to live
this down?My subconscious is figuratively tutting and glaring at me over her half moon
specs. I sway slightly, and he puts his hand on my shoulder to steady me. I do as I’m told
and drink the entire glass. It makes me feel queasy. Taking the glass from me, he places it
on the bar. I notice through a blur what he’s wearing; a loose white linen shirt, snug jeans,
black Converse sneakers, and a dark pinstriped jacket. His shirt is unbuttoned at the top,
and I see a sprinkling of hair in the gap. In my groggy frame of mind, he looks yummy.
He takes my hand once more. Holy cow– he’s leading me onto the dance floor. Shit.
I do not dance. He can sense my reluctance, and under the colored lights, I can see his
amused, slightly sardonic smile. He gives my hand a sharp tug, and I’m in his arms again,
and he starts to move, taking me with him. Boy, he can dance, and I can’t believe that I’m
following him step for step. Maybe it’s because I’m drunk that I can keep up. He’s hold-
ing me tight against him, his body against mine… if he wasn’t clutching me so tightly, I’m
sure I would swoon at his feet. In the back of my mind, my mother’s often-recited warning
comes to me: Never trust a man who can dance.
He moves us through the crowded throng of dancers to the other side of the dance floor,
and we are beside Kate and Elliot, Christian’s brother. The music is pounding away, loud
and leery, outside and inside my head. I gasp. Kate is making her moves.She’s dancing
her ass off, and she only ever does that if she likes someone. Really likes someone. It
means there’ll be three of us for breakfast tomorrow morning. Kate!
Christian leans over and shouts in Elliot’s ear. I cannot hear what he says. Elliot is
tall with wide shoulders, curly blonde hair, and light, wickedly gleaming eyes. I can’t tell
the color under the pulsating heat of the flashing lights. Elliot grins, and pulls Kate into
his arms, where she is more than happy to be… Kate!Even in my inebriated state, I am
shocked. She’s only just met him. She nods at whatever Elliot says and grins at me and
waves. Christian propels us off the dance floor in double quick time.
But I never got to talk to her. Is she okay? I can see where things are heading for her
and him. I need to do the safe sex lecture.In the back of my mind, I hope she reads one of
the posters on the back of the toilet doors. My thoughts crash through my brain, fighting
the drunk, fuzzy feeling. It’s so warm in here, so loud, so colorful – too bright. My head
begins to swim, oh no… and I can feel the floor coming up to meet my face or so it feels.
The last thing I hear before I pass out in Christian Grey’s arms is his harsh epithet.
“Fuck!”
It’s very quiet. The light is muted. I am comfortable and warm, in this bed. Hmm… I
open my eyes, and for a moment, I’m tranquil and serene, enjoying the strange unfamiliar
surroundings. I have no idea where I am. The headboard behind me is in the shape of
a massive sun. It’s oddly familiar. The room is large and airy and plushly furnished in
browns and golds and beige. I have seen it before. Where? My befuddled brain struggles
through its recent visual memories. Holy crap. I’m in the Heathman hotel… in a suite. I
have stood in a room similar to this with Kate. This looks bigger. Oh shit. I’m in Christian
Grey’s suite. How did I get here?
Fractured memories of the previous night come slowly back to haunt me. The drink-
ing, oh no the drinking,the phone call, oh no the phone call,the vomiting, oh no the vomiting.José and then Christian. Oh no.I cringe inwardly. I don’t remember coming here.
I’m wearing my t-shirt, bra, and panties. No socks. No jeans. Holy shit.
I glance at the bedside table. On it is a glass of orange juice and two tablets. Advil.
Control freak that he is, he thinks of everything. I sit up and take the tablets. Actually, I
don’t feel that bad, probably much better than I deserve. The orange juice tastes divine.
It’s thirst quenching and refreshing. Nothing beats freshly squeezed orange juice for reviv-
ing an arid mouth.
There’s a knock on the door. My heart leaps into my mouth, and I can’t seem to find
my voice. He opens the door anyway and strolls in.
Holy hell, he’s been working out. He’s in gray sweat pants that hang, in that way, off
his hips and a gray singlet, which is dark with sweat, like his hair. Christian Grey’s sweat,
the notion does odd things to me.I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I feel like a two-
year old, if I close my eyes then I’m not really here.
“Good morning Anastasia. How are you feeling?”
Oh no.
“Better than I deserve,” I mumble.
I peek up at him. He places a large shopping bag on a chair and grasps each end of the
towel that he has around his neck. He’s staring at me, gray eyes dark, and as usual, I have
no idea what he’s thinking. He hides his thoughts and feelings so well.
“How did I get here?” My voice is small, contrite.
He comes and sits down on the edge of the bed. He’s close enough for me to touch, for
me to smell. Oh my… sweat and body wash and Christian, it’s a heady cocktail – so much
better than a margarita, and now I can speak from experience.
“After you passed out, I didn’t want to risk the leather upholstery in my car taking you
all the way to your apartment. So I brought you here,” he says phlegmatically.
“Did you put me to bed?”
“Yes.” His face is impassive.
“Did I throw up again?” My voice is quieter.
“No.”
“Did you undress me?” I whisper.
“Yes.” He quirks an eyebrow at me as I blush furiously.
“We didn’t,” I whisper, my mouth drying in mortified horror as I can’t complete the
question. I stare at my hands.
“Anastasia, you were comatose. Necrophilia is not my thing. I like my women sen-
tient and receptive,” he says dryly.
“I’m so sorry.”
His mouth lifts slightly in a wry smile.
“It was a very diverting evening. Not one that I’ll forget in a while.”
Me neither – oh he’s laughing at me, the bastard. I didn’t ask him to come and get me.
Somehow I’ve been made to feel like the villain of the piece.
“You didn’t have to track me down with whatever James Bond stuff you’re developing
for the highest bidder,” I snap at him. He stares at me, surprised, and if I’m not mistaken,
a little wounded.
“Firstly, the technology to track cell phones is available over the Internet. Secondly,
my company does not invest or manufacture any kind of surveillance devices, and thirdly,
if I hadn’t come to get you, you’d probably be waking up in the photographer’s bed, and
from what I can remember, you weren’t overly enthused about him pressing his suit,” he
says acidly.
Pressing his suit!I glance up at Christian, he’s glaring at me, his gray eyes blazing,
aggrieved. I try to bite my lip, but I fail to repress my laughter.
“Which medieval chronicle did you escape from?” I giggle. “You sound like a courtly
knight.”
His mood visibly shifts. His eyes soften and his expression warms, and I see a trace of
a smile on his beautifully chiseled lips.
“Anastasia, I don’t think so. Dark knight maybe.” His smile is sardonic, and he shakes
his head. “Did you eat last night?” His tone is accusatory. I shake my head. What major
transgression have I committed now? His jaw clenches, but his face remains impassive.
“You need to eat. That’s why you were so ill. Honestly Anastasia, it’s drinking rule
number one.” He runs this hand through his hair, and I know it’s because he’s exasperated.
“Are you going to continue to scold me?”
“Is that what I’m doing?”
“I think so.”
“You’re lucky I’m just scolding you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if you were mine, you wouldn’t be able to sit down for a week after the stunt
you pulled yesterday. You didn’t eat, you got drunk, you put yourself at risk.” He closes his
eyes, dread etched on his lovely face, and he shudders slightly. When he opens his eyes,
he glares at me. “I hate to think what could have happened to you.”
I scowl back at him. What is his problem? What’s it to him? If I was his… well I’m
not.Though maybe, part of me would like to be. The thought pierces through the irritation
I feel at his high-handed words. I flush at the waywardness of my subconscious – she’s do-
ing her happy dance in a bright red hula skirt at the thought of being his.
“I would have been fine. I was with Kate.”
“And the photographer?” he snaps at me.
Hmm… young José.I’ll need to face him at some point.
“José just got out of line.” I shrug.
“Well the next time he gets out of line, maybe someone should teach him some man-
ners.”
“You are quite the disciplinarian,” I hiss at him.
“Oh, Anastasia, you have no idea.” His eyes narrow, and then he grins wickedly. It’s
disarming. One minute, I’m confused and angry, the next I’m gazing at his gorgeous smile.
Wow… I am entranced, and it’s because his smile is so rare. I quite forget what he’s talk-
ing about.
“I’m going to have a shower. Unless you’d like to shower first?” He cocks his head
to one side, still grinning. My heartbeat has picked up, and my medulla oblongata has ne-
glected to fire any synapses to make me breathe. His grin widens, and he reaches over and
runs his thumb down my cheek and across my lower lip.
“Breathe, Anastasia,” he whispers and rises. “Breakfast will be here in fifteen minutes.
You must be famished.” He heads into the bathroom and closes the door.
I let out the breath that I’ve been holding. Why is he so damned attractive? Right
now I want to go and join him in the shower. I have never felt this way about anyone. My
hormones are racing. My skin tingles where his thumb traced over my face and lower lip.
I feel like squirming with a needy, achy… discomfort. I don’t understand this reaction.
Hmm… Desire.This is desire. This is what it feels like.
I lie back on the soft feather filled pillows. ‘If you were mine.’Oh my – what would I
do to be his? He’s the only man who has ever set my blood racing around my body. Yet,
