Fifty Shade Forever

Silver-like metal scares me more than blonde

The alarm blasts on with the six am traffic news, and I am rudely awakened from my disturbing dream of over-blond and dark-haired women. I can't grasp what it's about and am immediately distracted because Christian Grey is wrapped around me like silk, his unruly-haired head on my chest, his hand on my breast, his leg over me, holding me down. He's still asleep, and I am too warm. But I ignore my discomfort, tentatively reaching up to run my fingers gently through his hair, and he stirs. Raising bright grey eyes, he grins sleepily. Holy cow . . . he's adorable.

"Good morning, beautiful," he says.

"Good morning, beautiful yourself." I smile back at him.

He kisses me, disentangles himself, and leans up on his elbow, staring down at me."Sleep okay?" he asks.

"Yes, despite the interruption to my sleep last night."

His grin broadens. "Hmm. You can interrupt me like that anytime." He kisses me again.

"How about you? Did you sleep well?"

"I always sleep well with you, Anastasia."

"No more nightmares?"

"No."

I frown and chance a question. "What are your nightmares about?" He used to have them when we first started dating, and I was always too timid to ask.

His brow creases and his grin fades. Shit—my stupid curiosity.

"They're flashbacks of my early childhood, or so Dr. Flynn says. Some vivid, some less so." His voice drops and a distant, harrowed look crosses his face. Absentmindedly, he begins to trace my collarbone with his finger, distracting me."Do you wake up crying and screaming?" I try in vain to joke.

He looks at me, puzzled. "No, Anastasia. I've never cried. As far as I can remember."He frowns as if reaching into the depths of his memories. Oh no—that's too dark a place to go at this hour, surely.

"Do you have any happy memories of your childhood?" I ask quickly, mainly to distract him. He looks pensive for a moment, still running his finger along my skin.

"I recall the crack whore baking. I remember the smell. A birthday cake I think. Forme. And then there's Mia's arrival with my mom and dad. My mom was worried about my reaction, but I adored baby Mia immediately. My first word was Mia. I remember my first piano lesson. Miss Kathie, my tutor, was awesome. She kept horses, too." He smiles wistfully.

"You said your mom saved you. How?"

His reverie is broken, and he gazes at me as if I don't understand the elementary math of two plus two.

"She adopted me," he says simply. "I thought she was an angel when I first met her. She was dressed in white and was so gentle and calm as she examined me. I'll never forget that. If she'd said no or if Carrick had said no . . ." He shrugs and glances over his shoulder at the alarm clock. "This is all a little deep for so early in the morning," he mutters.

"I have made a vow to get to know you better."

"Did you know, Mrs Grey? I thought you wanted to know if I preferred coffee or tea."He smirks. "Anyway, I can think of one way you can get to know me." He pushes his hips suggestively against me.

"I think I know you quite well enough that way." My voice is haughty and scolding, and it makes him smile more broadly. "It's the reason we have two children."

"I don't think I'll ever get to know you well enough that way," he murmurs.

"There are definite advantages to waking up beside you." His voice is soft and bone-meltingly seductive.