And So I Ran - Complete

Chapter 45

"Baby? Would you like to have some friends over tonight?" Christian tentatively suggested as we sat at breakfast on Friday morning. "We haven't caught up with anyone for a while."

I suppressed a smile. Christian had been apologizing almost continuously since lunch at the Mile High Club on Wednesday. Yesterday he'd sent flowers to work, and when I got home, he was even more attentive and loving than usual. This must be his latest peace offering.

He'd been shocked when I refused him on Wednesday night, although I had allowed him to cuddle, finally falling asleep with his hand gently stroking my tummy. I was out of bed early Thursday morning, and Thursday night I fell asleep on the sofa in the theatre room, waking only for a moment when Christian carried me into bed.

Sitting side by side at the breakfast bar this morning, I could see Christian was worried. Sex was his way of knowing everything was ok between us, so until we were intimate again, he'd continue to stress.

Now I'd had a chance to properly meet one of Christian's submissives I was feeling a bit more settled. I would never have chosen to meet another - especially after my horrible experience with Leila - but Susannah had been so nice. After meeting her, I appreciated I'd been giving Christian's previous relationships too much of my mental real estate. As Susannah had told us about her life, I'd realized it was news to Christian, too. Yes, he knew her body, but he didn't know her. And she didn't know him. Not the real him. Christian had only given that part of himself to me. It was a reassuring thought.

"Who did you have in mind?" I asked, knowing that Kate was going to Portland for a story she was working on, and Elliot was going with her. "Kate and Elliot are away for the weekend, but I suppose I could see if José is in town?" I teased.

"No that's ok," he quickly replied. "Another time. We could go out to dinner? Or something else? What do you feel like doing?"

I considered the options. Dining out could be fun, but I was still tiring easily. A nice dinner and a quiet night at home sounded good.

"What about you pick me up and take me to my work drinks this afternoon? Then we can spend the evening at home. Although I wouldn't mind finding a desk for the library this weekend." I was finding myself using that space more and more, and I liked the idea of making it more mine, especially if I was going to work from home occasionally as my pregnancy progressed.

Christian's grin was instantaneous, and I knew why. If I was choosing a desk for myself, it meant I planned to stay.

"Sure! Why don't I see if we can get a decorator out here on Sunday? They can focus on the library, but I think we could make a few changes out here, too."

"What would you like to change?" I asked, curious about the modifications Christian would make to his castle in the sky.

"Anything you want, baby," he said, tentatively stroking my hand. Christian was in the dog house, and boy did he know it.

We still hadn't talked about his meeting with Susannah. I knew he thought I was still angry, but I wasn't. Not really. But we did need to talk about him keeping things from me. I'd meant what I said about it making me feel as though he didn't value and trust me. I planned to talk to him about it tonight. And once I was sure he understood how I felt about it, and how things needed to be going forward? Well, then I'd give him the intimate reassurance he needed to prove that things were still ok between us.