A Twisted Tale

Marking the Territory

Valerio's POV

Meera was having a lot of fun tonight. However, I was worried about the amount of alcohol that was getting into her system. After downing a number of shots she grabbed onto my hand and pulled me to the dance floor.
Once Havana started playing she was unstoppable. She grabbed onto my hands and placed them on her waist. Slowly she started swaying to the beat. We laughed and made some really funny moves for a couple of songs until the group decided to get some more drinks.
Having her this close was having an effect on me. I was slightly relieved when she pulled away to grab another drink. I would have let her drink some more but she tripped on her way back to the bar. I caught her in time and pulled her back on to her feet. After teasing her about drinking less, I accompanied her back to the bar. She was in her senses but only a few more drinks down her throat and she would wake up with a killer headache. So I let her enjoy two more shots before stopping her.
"Awwww. You're such a buzz kill!" she slurred.
"Sweetheart, I can't leave you alone when you're like this. Besides, if I don't stop you now, you'll wake up and blame me for not being the responsible one." I said sighing.

The others went back to the dance floor while I contemplated on taking her back to my place. I had work to do for tomorrow and I wasn't the one to slack. So instead of going over to her place, I found it practical to have her over mine. I asked Antonio for the car keys, grabbed onto Meera and walked out of the bar.
I offered Meera some water before I started driving back home. Luckily for her, she didn't mix her drinks. That could make her puke and leave her hungover tomorrow.
The ride back home was unusually silent. She kept staring outside while I glanced at her occasionally to make sure she was okay.
"You're usually a chatty Cathy. How come you're this silent tonight?" I asked unable to take the silence anymore. She looked at me and said "I'm just thinking about us. Where we are headed and what I'm doing here with you. It's so confusing."
I stopped the car right at the gate and turned to face her. "What is so confusing?" I asked curiously. She let out a soft sigh and said "I really like you. I'm attracted to you and to be honest, I think it's more than 'like'. But I'm holding myself back because I'm scared." I held on to her hand and asked " Why are you scared?"
"What if I fall for the wrong guy? I have a beautiful family and though Charles doesn't really say it, he wants the families to unite. He will be devastated if things don't go well with us. And most importantly, what if you're doing this for selfish reasons? What if you break my heart?" She said.
I turned towards her and squeezed her hand. I looked at her intently and said "Sweetheart, we have had this discussion earlier as well. In this short amount of time you have come to mean something to me. I told you that there is no rush. Let's give it a shot first and then see how things pan out for the two of us. And believe me when I say this, no woman has come this close to my heart as you have. Trust me, if you walk away from us, I'll be the one left heart broken. You, my queen, won't even have to bat your eyelashes before men show up at your doorstep to take my place. You are that special."

She looked at me intently for a few seconds before leaning in towards me. I was caught off guard when she kissed me tentatively. When she was about to pull back, I held her chin and kissed her back passionately. She moaned at the contact and that drove me crazy.
I fumbled with the seat belt until it came loose and grabbed her waist. I pulled her onto my lap and continued to kiss her passionately. She grabbed my hair with one hand while the other rested on my chest. I pulled away from her mouth and trailed wet kisses along her throat. I could feel her pulse quicken as I gently bit her neck before trailing some more kisses.
I worshipped her lips once more before gently pushing her away. "Trust me Meera. I don't want to do anything but take you right here. But that wouldn't be fair to you. Right now you're running high on alcohol and emotions. I don't want you to regret this when you wake up tomorrow. We will take this further when you are sure that you want it. I promise. Just, not now." I said. There was a smile playing on her lips as she said "I will agree with you only if you carry me up to my room. Do we have a deal?" I couldn't help but laugh at what she said. I nooded my head in compliance. I got off the car, went to her side and lifted her in my arms bridal style. While I was slaving away she kept giggling at my expense. I must admit, compared to carrying her all the way, the option of making out some more seemed a lot more fun. But now that I have agreed to do this, I was being a gentleman despite the obvious exertion I was going through.

We were almost at the stairs when I noticed that she fell asleep in my arms. I carried her all the way up to the bedroom and laid her down gently on the bed. As I was about to leave, I felt her grab on to my hand. I turned around to find her staring at me drowsily as she said "This was your punishment for breaking up the make out session." She fell back into sleep almost immediately. I thought about what she said and couldn't keep the smile off my face. As I tucked her into bed, I saw the faint pink mark on her neck and remembered the incident in the car. Only one word came to mind. Mine.