The Life of Anna, Part 3: Embraced (34 page)

When it was time for Anna to leave Saturday
afternoon, she dressed and met Alex downstairs in front of the
Manor.

As soon as she saw him, it felt like her head
cleared and she ran into his arms. He put her in the car and drove
away. As soon as he was out of sight of the Manor, Anna burst into
tears.

“Anna!” Alex exclaimed, pulling the car over
and leaning over to gather her into his arms. “
Schatzi
,
what’s wrong? Did Devin hurt you?”

She shook her head and sniffed. “No,” she
whispered. “No, not at all.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

Anna wiped the tears from her eyes and stared
at her hands. “I...,” she burst into tears again. “I enjoyed it,”
she sobbed.

Alex got out of the car and Anna’s heart
dropped into her stomach.
He’s angry
.

He opened the car door and pulled her out,
hugging her to his chest. He stroked her hair and spoke soothingly
to her. “
Schatzi,
it’s all right. Shh. It’s okay, Anna.
Everything is okay.”

She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have enjoyed
it,” she said through her tears.

“Anna.” He tipped her head up with his hand.
“Anna, despite what I would like, he is still your Master. You have
an innate desire to please him. You are still connected to him,
even though it is weakened. I would never hold anything you do at
Gatherings against you. It’s...how you’re programmed.”

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.
“Really?”

He wiped her tears away. “
Ja
. It
won't always be this way.” He held her close. “I love you,
Anna.”

“I love you, Alex.”

*****

The two of them spent a quiet evening at home
together. Alex lay in bed, holding Anna close. He had been so
relieved that nothing bad had happened while with Devin; he had
kept his word. Alex had to admit he’d had his doubts. He was
worried until he saw her.

“What did you and Aaron do last night?” Anna
asked with a yawn as they lay naked in their bed after lovemaking.
She had showered, they had eaten dinner and then gone up to their
room and made love. Several times.

“Drank. We went to the bar with Seth and Tony
and I lamented about how you weren’t with me.” Alex chuckled. “I
woke up with a headache.” A very bad headache. “Aaron was pissed
that I didn’t tell him before that I was going to marry you, but
when I told him why, he forgave me.”

“Is he upset?”

“No. Well, maybe a little jealous. He still
cares a great deal for you, Anna.” Aaron was still in love with her
and Alex couldn’t blame him. Aaron had also said that he was a
little jealous of Anna.

Aaron and Alex had become friends shortly
after Alex moved to San Francisco. One night they got drunk and
woke up the next morning, having fucked several times in Alex’s
bed. Alex wasn’t opposed to being with men, but he generally kept
it within his team. He wasn’t attracted to men in general, but out
in the field, once the battle was over, sometime the need for
release was very strong.

Over the years, their friendship had grown
stronger and they slept together many times. Neither of them wanted
any more than a friendship. They both liked women. But when the
mood struck, they enjoyed one another’s company. Seth and Tony
would join in sometimes too.

Now that he and Anna were married, Alex
wondered if he should tell her about his...varied sexual tastes.
Being bisexual was expected amongst the Elders and Brothers as
well. Alex had never ventured outside of his team before Aaron.

“Alex? Are you all right?” Anna stroked his
cheek.

He took her hand and kissed the palm. “Yes,”
he said absently.

Anna sat up on her elbow with worry in her
eyes. “Did something happen last night? Did you get a call to go
out?”

Alex shook his head. “No, Anna. I’ve put out
the word that we’re taking a break. I shouldn’t receive any calls
in the near future.”

Anna smiled at him. “I’m glad. I don’t want
you to leave me.”

“I don’t want to leave you either.” He chewed
his lip, debating whether or not to tell her what Aaron said while
they were drinking.

After quite a few drinks, the topic of sex
came up. Aaron had mentioned that if Anna was ever interested in a
threesome, he would love to be a part of it. Seth and Tony had
laughed and said they should make it a five-some. Alex had to
admit, at least at the time, that the idea of being with Anna and
the three other men was a turn on.

It wouldn’t be a bad thing for Anna to have a
lover. His mother had one for when Vati traveled or was at the
Schloss for long periods of time.

He turned onto his side and kissed her neck,
trailing his hand down her back to her ass. He caressed her hole
and she moaned softly.

“Do you like anal, Schatzi
?
”

She opened her eyes in surprise. “I...as long
as it doesn’t hurt.” She studied him for a minute. “Do you?”

Alex looked at her intently and nodded. “I
do.” He meant it in both ways, but didn’t assume that she would
understand it.

He dipped his fingers into her pussy and then
returned to running his fingers around her hole until she relaxed
the muscles. When she did, he pressed a finger inside her. He knew
she’d had anal many times before. Men were rather fond of raping
women in the ass. The screams were rather magnificent. When he lost
control, it was his favorite thing to do. But he didn’t want to
hurt Anna. Not in the least.

Her eyes closed and her lips parted as he
gently thrust his finger in and out. Her breathing was shallow and
caught in her throat a few times.

Suddenly her eyes flew open. “Alex?”

He stopped his movements. “Did I hurt
you?”

She shook her head and then bit her lip. “It
feels good,” she admitted with a smile. “I like it.” She bit her
lip again. “Do you....” She cleared her throat and looked into his
eyes and then looked away. “Do you like men?” she asked in a
whisper.

Alex’s jaw dropped. Had she been reading his
mind?

Her eyes got wide and filled with tears. “I’m
sorry, Alex,” she said in a frightened tone. “I shouldn’t have
asked.”

Alex blinked. “I’m not angry, Anna.
Just...surprised. Why do you ask?”

Her cheeks turned pink. “When we were in the
shower...in Germany...when I was...um, doing what you’re doing to
me...you seemed to like it. A lot.”

It was the conversation opening that Alex was
looking for, and now he was hesitant to pursue it. Especially with
his finger up her ass. He slowly removed it and she whimpered.

“I have in the past,” he admitted slowly.

“Are you gay?” she whispered, almost
fearfully.

He gave her a gentle smile. “No. I like women
quite a lot. I love
you
.” He brushed her hair away from
her face. “Does that bother you?”

She shook her head. “No,” she whispered.
“When was the last time you were with a man?”

“Before I started dating Kirsty.” He and
Aaron had shared Kirsty a few times, but never did anything with
each other. Kirsty wouldn’t have allowed the attention being taken
away from her.

“Do I know him?”

He nodded slowly. “Aaron.”

Anna gasped and her eyes got very wide.
“Aaron? I didn’t think....” She was quiet for a long minute. “I had
no idea.”

“It’s not like we advertised it, Schatzi. And
we weren’t dating or anything. It was just sex. Even as open as the
city is, I don't go around bragging about fucking guys. Besides,
there are only a handful of guys that I’ve ever been attracted
to.”

“Really?” He could see the relief in her
eyes.

He nodded.

“You don’t regret marrying me?”

“Anna, why would I regret marrying you? I
love you. I care deeply for Aaron. He is my best friend. But I love
you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

She snuggled close to him. “I’m glad.” She
slid her hand down to his hip. “I liked what we did in the
shower.”

“Did you? I enjoyed it too.” He slid his hand
to her buttocks and caressed them. He felt his cock stirring again
and heard Anna giggle.

She reached between them and stroked his
hardening cock. “You have very impressive stamina.”

He rolled onto his back and pulled her onto
his chest. “It’s all you, Schatzi. I don’t recall being this active
since I was a teenager.”

She giggled again and sat up, bringing his
cock up and stroking him. “I like it.”

Watching her hands on him made him even
harder. He rolled her over onto her back and buried his cock deep
inside her. “Me too.”

The next morning, Anna called Jenna and
invited her and Matt over for dinner. Jenna wanted to go but said
that Matt was upset about Anna getting married so quickly after
Ben’s death and didn’t want to see her. Jenna said that she would
see her in the morning.

Anna sat in the great room and stared at her
phone with tears in her eyes.

“Anna, are you okay?” Alex asked, sitting
next to her on the couch.

“Matt’s angry at me for getting married,” she
said softly.

Alex put his arm around her. “I’m sorry,
Schatzi
,” he said, kissing her hair. “He’ll understand
eventually. He knew Ben a long time, from what I understand. If
things had been different, I would have come back to San Francisco
and we would have dated a while before I asked you to marry me. But
I couldn’t wait while there was a way to get you safe.”

Anna nodded and buried her face in his shirt.
“I hope so.” She sighed. “Will the dancers think of me the same way
tomorrow?”

“
Schatzi
, we did what needed to be
done. I won’t apologize for what I did. If they have a problem with
it, then tell them to speak to me about it.” Alex’s voice was
firm.

“Aaron’s not mad, though, right?”

“
Nein
. He’s happy for us. He’ll make
sure no one bothers you.”

Anna sighed. She had been looking forward to
dancing again tomorrow.

“Do you want me to drive you in and pick you
up?”

Anna looked up at him. “I’d love you to, but
I don’t want to be a bother.”

Alex smiled. “You’re never a bother. Besides,
I should speak to Isaak about getting back on the board and we
should let him know about the baby.”

Anna smiled. Thinking about the baby always
made her happy. Even when it made her sick. Last night she’d told
Alex about letting Devin know about the pregnancy. Alex had been
pleasantly surprised that Devin had not gotten upset.

*****

Aaron came over in the early evening. He
greeted them both with hugs. “I’m so happy for you, hon,” he said
as he hugged Anna. He leaned back and looked into her face. “You’re
glowing.”

Anna smiled shyly and glanced at Alex. “Did
you tell him?”

“Tell me what?” Aaron asked.

Alex shook his head. “I thought you might
want to tell him.”

She shook her head and blushed.

Alex walked over and put his arm around
Anna’s waist. “She’s pregnant.”

Aaron’s eyes widened. “Holy shit, you move
fast.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “It’s not mine, you
idiot.” He grinned. “I’m good, but I’m not that good.”

Aaron laughed, then stopped. “Wait, I thought
you couldn’t get pregnant.”

“There are ways, Aaron. We’re pretty sure
it’s Ben’s.”

Aaron raised one brow and looked her up and
down again. “That would explain a lot.”

Anna frowned in confusion.

Aaron grinned. “Your body was changing before
you left. Travis and I...uh, talked about it....” He drifted off
and glanced at Alex sheepishly and shrugged.

“You were talking about my wife’s body?” Alex
asked with a glint in his eye.

Aaron’s cheeks turned pink. “It was before
you married. She hated you at the time. And you terrorized her on
Christmas Eve. We were trying to cheer her up.”

“‘We’?” Alex asked, cocking his brow and
glanced at Anna. Anna bit her lip and glanced at Aaron. Alex pulled
Anna into his arms. “You didn’t tell me about that last night.” He
kissed Anna again and ran his hands down to her ass.
“Intriguing...,” he murmured.

Aaron sighed. “You want me to leave you
honeymooners alone?”

Anna turned in Alex’s arms to face Aaron. “Of
course not, Aaron,” she said, giving him an affectionate smile.

*****

Aaron stayed after dinner and they watched a
movie downstairs. She liked having Aaron with them. She hadn’t
spent time with him as often as she’d have liked in the last few
months. When Anna and Ben had been dating, she mostly hung out with
Jenna and Matt.

She couldn’t help but keep glancing at Aaron
during dinner and the movie. She couldn’t imagine him and Alex
having sex. Yes, many male ballet dancers were gay, but she could
usually tell. Aaron always seemed...not gay. He flirted with women
as much as any guy.

But Alex said they weren’t gay. Alex was the
most masculine guy she’d ever met. And Alex definitely liked
women.

Anna had no doubt that Alex loved her with
everything he was. She was able to read Alex better than any man
she’d ever known and he seemed to be able to read her now, too. The
only emotions she got from Alex were affection for his friend. But
she could feel his love for her very strongly.

She snuggled closer to Alex, and he kissed
her head and held her tightly.

Alex woke with Anna curled against his side.
She shivered in her sleep, so he turned onto his side to pull her
closer and pulled the covers up over her shoulders. He loved how
she fit right against him. They were a perfect match. He could
imagine waking like this every day for the rest of his life and it
thrilled him. God, he loved this woman. And she was his.

Alex had doubted that Devin would keep his
word and that he would try to hurt Anna in some way. But no, Anna
had come back to him Saturday afternoon safely. Part of him was
glad that she had been upset that she enjoyed herself. No, he
didn’t want her to be upset with herself or feel guilty, but Alex
was relieved that, no matter what Devin might be able to do inside
the Schloss, when she emerged, she would be her normal, loving self
and still be in love with him. He had been worried that being with
Devin would put distance between them. But Anna had barely left his
side the rest of the weekend. Even in her sleep, she was right next
to him.