Fifty Shades Trilogy 03 - Fifty Shades Freed

around his neck and kiss him hard in front of everyone. He puts his hands on my hips, hooking his thumbs through the belt loops of my jeans, and deepens the kiss.
    Oh my.
    “Keep this up and I’ll drag you into the bedroom,” he murmurs.
    “You wouldn’t dare,” I whisper against his lips.
    “Oh, Anastasia.” He grins, shaking his head. He releases me and without further preamble, stoops down, grabs my thighs, and lifts me over his shoulder.
    “Christian, put me down!” I smack his behind.
    I briefly catch Stephan’s smile as he turns and heads into the cockpit. Taylor is standing at the doorway trying to stifle his grin. Ignoring my pleas and my futile struggles, Christian strides through the narrow cabin past Mia and Ethan who are facing each other in the single seats, past Kate and Elliot, who is whooping like a demented gibbon.
    “If you’ll excuse me,” he says to our four guests. “I need to have a word with my wife in private.”
    “Christian!” I shout. “Put me down!”
    “All in good time, baby.”
    I have a brief view of Mia, Kate, and Elliot laughing. Damn it! This is not funny, it’s embarrassing. Ethan gawks at us, mouth open and utterly shocked, as we disappear into the cabin.
    Christian closes the cabin door behind him and releases me, letting me slide down his body slowly, so that I feel every hard sinew and muscle. He gives me his boyish grin, thoroughly pleased with himself.
    “That was quite a show, Mr. Grey,” I murmur, crossing my arms and regarding him with faux indignation.
    “That was fun, Mrs. Grey.” And his grin widens. Oh boy. He looks so young.
    “Are you going to follow through?” I arch a brow, unsure how I feel about this. I mean, the others will hear us, for heaven’s sake. Suddenly, I feel shy. Glancing anxiously at the bed, I feel a blush steal across my cheeks as I recall our wedding night. We talked so much yesterday, did so much yesterday. I feel as if we leaped some unknown hurdle—but that’s the problem. It’s unknown. My eyes find Christian’s intense but amused gaze, and I’m unable to keep a straight face. His grin is too infectious.
    “I think it might be rude to keep our guests waiting,” he says silkily as he steps toward me. When did he start to care what people think ? I step back against the cabin wall and he imprisons me, the heat from his body holding me in place. He leans down and runs his nose along mine.
    “Good surprise?” he whispers, and there’s a hint of anxiety in his voice.
    “Oh, Christian, fantastic surprise.” I run my hands up his chest, curl them around his neck, and kiss him.
    “When did you organize this?” I ask when I pull away from him, stroking his hair.
    “Last night, when I couldn’t sleep. I e-mailed Elliot and Mia, and here they are.”
    “It’s very thoughtful. Thank you. I’m sure we’ll have a great time.”
    “I hope so. I thought it would be easier to avoid the press in Aspen than at home.”
    The paparazzi! He’s right. If we’d stayed in Escala, we’d have been imprisoned. A shiver runs down my spine as I recollect the snapping cameras and dazzling flashes of the few photographers Taylor sped through this morning.
    “Come. We’d better take our seats—Stephan will be taking off shortly.” He offers me his hand and together we walk back into the cabin.
    Elliot cheers as we enter. “That sure was speedy in-flight service!” he calls mockingly.
    Christian ignores him.
    “Please be seated, ladies and gentlemen as we’ll shortly begin taxiing for takeoff.” Stephan’s voice echoes calmly and authoritatively around the cabin. The brunette woman— um . . . Natalie? —who was on the flight for our wedding night appears from the galley and gathers up the discarded coffee cups. Natalia . . . Her name’s Natalia.
    “Good morning Mr. Grey, Mrs. Grey,” she says with a purr. Why does she make me uncomfortable? Maybe it’s that she’s a brunette. By his own admission, Christian doesn’t usually employ brunettes because he finds them attractive. He gives Natalia a polite smile as he slides in behind the table and sits down facing Elliot and Kate. I swiftly hug Kate and Mia and give Ethan and Elliot a wave before sitting down and buckling up beside Christian. He puts his hand on my knee and gives it an affectionate squeeze. He seems relaxed and happy even though we’re with company. Idly, I wonder why he can’t always be like this—not controlling at all.
    “Hope you