51. Am I allowed to Love you??

After gently placing her in the car, they drove quietly. He drove with one hand, and held her hand in the other, for she still quavered, curled up like a ball on the seat, head rested on the window, and he was yet to know what happened.

"Are you going to tell me what happened now? Or you don't want to talk about it?" He quietly asks, his voice calming and caring. She could feel the concern in his voice, and she turned slowly to face him.

"I_I_I'm sorry. I ruined it." She instantly apologizes.

"What? I've told you, I don't need your apologies. Stop saying sorry for unnecessary things. You didn't ruin anything." He assures her again.

"T_That was him." She finally blurts out.

"What?"

"I_ I remember__ everything. I remember it so well that even though I'm in this_ this expensive gown, and seating in this expensive car, I feel filthy. I feel like dirt." she cried, her chest heaping up and down as she gasped between words, her entire body starting to shudder even more as she spoke.

"OH Lords! Marco, I remember every__ everything. The color of the room I was locked in, I remember h_h_how he walk_walked in," she gasped for breath, tears running down her face, and his fist tightened on the wheel, he'd never felt so much desire to kill a person before. He wanted the man to suffer. Slowly and painfully.

And God help him, he was going to.

"I remember h_how I begged him to let me go, and I remember h__how, Oh Marco, Marco, Marco he__ I remember how he__ he forced me. That was him, Marco. I remember the despicable old man. I remember that bastard Lorenzo DeLuca!!!" He quickly pulls the car to the side as she heaves, trying so hard to breathe.

" Calm down love, I'm here for you. Breathe… "

"M__Marc_Marco, th_that was him…" She cried. "That was him. I begged him… but he wouldn't let me go. Marco, he wouldn't let me go. Marco I can't breathe , M_ Marco I can't__ I can't breathe."

"He's not here Mea, it's just you and me. Okay? Just you and me. No one else. Just breathe. Breathe, okay" He held her close, cupping her face in his palms, making her look at him and him alone, gently patting her back, anything that would help her calm down.

"Just me and you Love. Me and you. And no one will touch you, no one will force you, no one will hit you, no one will come near you except for me, so just calm down." He assures her over and over again, tenderly stroking her back.

"That's it, breathe slowly." He encouraged, as she took in long shaky breaths, and let them out loudly. "That's good, breathe in, and out. Slowly." He moved some of her hair back for her.

"come here." He says and gently pulls her into his arms. "I'm sorry." He whispers into her hair. "I shouldn't have taken you there. I just__ I just ended up bringing back the bad memories. I'm sorry." He purrs as he stroked her back gently.

His arms wrapped around her, her arms encircled around his waist, his head resting on the top of hers, and her face buried into his warm chest. She was getting addicted to his warmth. She loved it when he held her close. Loved it when he cuddled her so.

"I love you" She could swear she felt a sudden pause in his heartbeat as she whispered those words. "Am I allowed to?" she says in an even lower whisper, but he heard her. He heard her clearly. "Can I have your permission to Love you? Can I keep you for myself?" she asked again, and she felt it again. That pause in his heart, then she felt the thumping beat quickened. Felt his body temperature go warmer all of a sudden.

"M_Marco?" she called in another whisper. "Marco" she called again when she didn't get a response. "Mar…"

"You never needed it."

"what?" She raises her head from his chest slowly to look him in the eye.

"You never needed my permission. Because I desperately want you to love me." He says, and she instantly shifts upward and captivates his lips with her own, snaking her arms around his neck and shoulders. Kissing a man she really loved for the very first time in her twenty-five years of life. Holding onto him as if to never let go.

"I want to kiss you." She croons into his lips.

"You already are." He reminds her.

"No, I_ I want to kiss you all over." her lashes shyly fell over her eyes as a pink blush rushed up her face. "I_ I want you to kiss me all over." She stutters with embarrassment. Just some minutes ago, she cried and trembled with fear and horror, and disgust. But right now, she shivered for the one she loved. Shivered because his fingers tickled her bare arms, shivered because of the way he held her lovingly in his arms. Shivered because she burned for him.

"What are you asking Mea? Spell it out." He nudged sweetly, and her blush increased, a tremoring sensation filled her spine as she felt his fingers play on the exposed part of her back.

"I'm asking that you__ that you touch me tender." she whispered. She didn't mean to, but the words came out as a whisper. "and I'm saying that I'm ready to keep you all to myself. And I want to make you mine."

"so?…"

"So, I'm asking that you mark me yours. Make love to me." she finally says the words, instantly kissing him again to hide her embarrassed face.

"That would be an utmost honor my love." He kissed her back, gently tasting, nipping, loving. "But definitely not in this car." He suddenly sets her down back on her seat, much to her dismay. "We can't have our first time in a car, my love. That would be rather ehm… diminishing of me." He winks at her, and starts the engine again.