Extra Credit

Night Cap

Mark took me back to his apartment followed by Kane and Tracy. I was pretty quiet the entire drive wondering why all these secrets had been hidden from me. All I wanted to do was climb into the nearest bed and sleep my problems away.

Upon getting into the apartment, Mark walked me to the bathroom and sat me down on the counter. I watched as he ran me a nice hot bath and added the bubbles. Once the tub was full, he shut off the water and then got me a towel and a sponge.

"You alright?" he asked.

I shrugged and looked down at my lap, "I don't know... He almost raped me Mark…I felt so powerless…"

He sighed and gently took my hands into his own. "Hey it's alright Aria. You didn't know he was the stalker."

A tear fell from my eye, "Did you know?"

He was silent for a moment and then took a deep breath, "I knew the minute you told me he came to your apartment to stay the night with you."

"And you didn't tell me?" I gasped. 

"I wasn't 100% sure at first. I needed to be absolutely sure before telling you. Didn't you find it weird that he knew how to get to your place without you telling him how?"

I gave it some thought and then covered my mouth, "Oh God…that explains how he knew exactly where to get my clothes and what size I wore. How could I be so stupid?"

Mark shook his head, "You're not stupid. I'm stupid for thinking I could outsmart him. Because I didn't think about it well enough, he kidnapped you and held onto you for a few days."

My eyes popped open, "A few days?"

"Yeah…you must have been out of it." He said.

"Oh God…they probably did things to me before tonight. Mark I need to be checked out."

"I'm sure your fine Aria…but if your not sure I have a few friends in the police department." He said.

I shook my head, "Wow…so…Tracy is my aunt huh?"

"I guess so…"

I dropped my eyes in disappointment, "Then that makes me your niece by marriage."

"Not after next week….we're getting a divorce. Get your bath and meet us in the living room. We'll talk then." He said.

I nodded as he turned to leave. I wasn't sure what came over me but I felt the need to thank him for rescuing me. I grabbed his arm, making him come back to me. We locked eyes with each other before I gently wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss me. I loved the way his lips caressed mine, and our tongues fought for control. A thank you kiss was turning into something much more. His hands began to travel down my body, tugging off the blanket he had me wrapped in. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back as he moved down to my neck, kissing me all over.

"Mark wait…not now…I want to wash first." I said as I thought about Bill and Chris's filthy hands being all over me.

He nodded and gave me another kiss on my lips before leaving the bathroom. I was so happy to be back in the safety of his presence. Something about him always made me feel good about meeting him.