Molly's Life Continues ~ Pt 6

The night of Molly's return was long and fitful for Marcus. After nursing her for hours he finally lay down to rest beside her and fell into a deep and well needed sleep. None the less, whenever Molly moved, he stirred and checked on her. At first she moved very little, so deep was her exhaustion that he feared she was not just sleeping but unconscious. When her sleep finally became restless it was accompanied by soft whimperings of pain, and at one point Marcus once again carefully dripped the cooling waters laced with painkillers into her parched mouth to help her sleep more peacefully.

At long last, the birds outside the window heralded the dawn of the new day, and Marcus cautiously opened his eyes to see his slave in the new morning light. Her face was still pale, but her expression less pained, and her breathing less laboured. Carefully he lifted the blankets and looked down at her battered body. His jaw tightened and he let out a hissing breath as he was reminded of her ordeal. Carefully he covered her again and slipped off the bed.

He was not gone long, however, only long enough to freshen up and return to her side, where once again he wrapped his arm around her and held her protectively while she slept.

This was where Molly found him when at last she awoke. Reality slowly penetrated her mixture of dreams and nightmares, until the fuzzy feeling of floating in her sleep was replaced by the firm support of the mattress under her, blanket over her, and something... no, someone... holding her close. She opened her eyes to find Marcus sleeping peacefully by her side. For some time she lay there motionless, just watching him in his sleep, until finally she needed to move, and instantly his eyes opened in concern, to be met by her smile.

"Molly?" He whispered.

"Hey." she said back, softly.

He tried to smile but his concern still showed in his eyes. "How do you feel?" he asked, reaching to brush a hair from her eyes.

She smiled. "I've felt better."

He frowned. "It's all my fault!" he said, still softly, but with the anger penetrating his voice. He sat up and looked away from her. "I should never have put you in that damned auction in the first place!"

"I wanted to experience it, remember." She reminded him.

He glanced back at her. "But when I knew Russell was bidding, I should have withdrawn you. I should have known! Especially when he told me outright that you were the one he had his eyes on."

She grinned. "He told you that did he?"

Marcus nodded. "He said you were the best one on the blocks."

"Well there you go then." Molly said. "That should be a great compliment to your tastes, my Dear Master."

Marcus eyed her cautiously. He'd always known this girl was special, even very deep in her personality. He was beginning to see just how deep she was. Despite all she had been through, she was still trying to make him feel better. He tried to ignore this attempt and hang onto his self sympathies, and grunted, then turned away, hiding his eyes from her.

"I could have lost you. I could never have forgiven myself for that."

Molly reached a hand to gently touch his arm. "Marcus...." when he turned to look at her she smiled, but her words were stuck in her throat. Their eyes were locked in a long stare before he slowly lowered to kiss her. When he claimed her lips it was a kiss like none he had ever given her before. It was a kiss so deep and passionate, so laced with longing and thankfulness, that it nearly suffocated her, yet she returned it full force. He whispered her name against her lips and pressed his body close to her, his arms carefully caressing her and her heart nearly choked her. Finally he pulled away and looked deep into her eyes.

"Molly." He said in a husky voice. "I'm sorry. I will never hurt you again! I promise."

She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. "Don't say anything right now, you're not thinking straight."

He let go of her and sat up, shaking off the passion, trying to prove to her that he had full hold on his faculties. "I'm serious Molly. I promised myself that if you were OK I would never hurt you again. I can't bare to see you like this."

She sat up, wincing in soreness, taking her time, but eventually sitting beside him. "Listen to me. You didn't hurt me."

"But I have, before!"

"Nonsense!" She said, as a mother might rebuke a child.

He swung around to look at her, determination in his eyes. "I have!

"No!" She insisted. Suddenly the softness and laughter disappeared from her eyes, replaced by a purposeful stare. "No, Marcus, you never have. With you, I have always been free to stop you at any time, free to utter the safeword and your whip would have dropped in an instant. I have never spoken it, have I? You have never hurt me, never more than I could bear, never more than I wanted... or needed."

He frowned at her. "But I sent you to him. I let him take you. I let him hurt you."

Again she shook her head. "You are not responsible for his actions. You weren't standing there not stopping him, Marcus!"

He sighed. "I just don't know if I can ever lay a hand on you with a whip again Molly." He said, finally speaking his doubts out loud.

She touched his face softly with trembling fingers. "You can, Marcus, and you will. When I am ready, and when you are ready, you will. You must, don't you see that? We both need it. Besides, your whip is made of a different leather than his." She smiled coyly at him and he gave her a questioning glance that made her laugh. "His is a whip built for pain for pain's sake, yours is built to give pain in the name of pleasure. I may never want to see his whip again, Marcus, but when I am healed I will kiss your whip and hand it to you, and I hope you will take it and use it."

Her eyes searched his for a long time, before he slowly nodded, as he leaned in to slowly claim her lips again. Such a smart woman, this slave of his, he thought, the last conscious thought penetrated his mind. After that, instinct took over and he found himself pressed against her, groping for her, as the pent up emotions of the last couple of days finally released themselves.

She responded in the same fevered frenzy, and soon she had released his cock and eagerly guided it to it's home, inside her, where it belonged. She moaned as he penetrated her, pushing deep into her, though being careful of her wounds, and he let out a groan of relief and pleasure. Then he began to fuck her, fully and fast, and yet like he had never fucked her before, and she responded in kind. Tomorrow would bring order back to their lives, with a deeper understanding bonding them together, but for this day passion would control them. This day he did not use her as a master would use his most prized slave. This day, he made love to her with the deepest passion a man could ever have for a woman, and received as much in return.