Note: This is a fanfiction based off of a story under the same title that I am finishing on at the moment. The names have been changed to suit the characters. I do not own or have anything to do with the WWE, its partners, or with the character The Undertaker

Chapter Five

Those eyes…I believe that I can stand here, and look into those eyes of his for all time.

Following have near fell through the opening the loft for the hay bales to be tossed through to the floor below, Emily found herself locked into a momentarily eye lock with her grandmother's ranch hand while their bodies were in close proximity to one another. The way she felt from how he looked upon her with a concerned tenderness scared away any doubt that she might had about his intentions involving her.

Mark obviously cared so much for her that he went out of his way to pull her away from the ledge instead of simply letting her fall, and not warning her of the dangers he was walking into. If he didn't care so strong, and he only wanted to have sex with her…he wouldn't have went out of the way to wrap an arm around her waist, and pull her back at the last second before she plummeted a good thirty feet to the ground below.

"I uh…" Emily said, speaking softly in a shaky tone. "I want to thank you for caring enough to pull me back before something did happen to me. If you hadn't-"

Her voice fell silent from the sensation of one of his hands sliding the palm of it against a side of her face, and cupping it with the most gentle of touches. Emily lowered her gaze down enough to see where his large hand was nestled, looking upon it in its entirety from the tip of its fingers where his decently sized fingernails were located all the way down his long fingernails to the back of his hand, and ending at the top of his thick wrist.

"Why would it be such a surprise that I care so strong for you, Emily?"

Mark's simple question to her brought her attention to shift from his large hand that was cradling a portion of her head to his mesmerizing emerald stare that had not moved an inch from her during the time they had been standing facing one another. She drew in a breath of air while her ears listened to his southern accent dripping in his voice.

"Someone would have to be pretty damn cold and cruel in order to not develop any kind of feelings or emotions for a woman as kind…and beautiful as you, Emily." The words coming out of his strong mouth flowed with honesty and sincerity dripping down from them.

"Mark-"

"As long as I am here…I am going to make sure that nothing and nobody puts you in any kind of danger."

"What if I end up in danger that can't be avoided?"

"Then whoever or whatever placed you there better be a damn fast runner because when I get my hands on them…they will wish they were dead for even thinking to try and hurt you, darling."

A smile danced across her face shortly before a rush of laughter escaped from the small opening of her mouth. She bowed her head for a moment to let the chuckles out so as to not laugh directly in his face.

"I really appreciate you saying that to me, Mark." She said, speaking in an appreciative tone to him. Lifting her eyes back to his face, she focused once more on his gaze as she continued to speak to him. "I needed that laugh."

"It was my pleasure to give you the chance to let out a good chuckle…but I did it for another reason."

"Oh?" Her curiosity peaked in her voice to him while she also showed it off in her dark brown eyes. "If I may ask…What was the other reason then?"

"I did it…to see that sweet smile on your face."

The answer she received from him caused her cheeks to blush due to her bashful side kicking in at what he said to her. Her smiled widened a bit more as she looked down in the direction of her feet in an attempt to hide the light red color coming over the soft, fair complexion on her cheeks.

She looks so god damn cute when she does that…The way she is appearing bashful, shy and embarrassed all the same time is very adorable…and sexy to me.

Mark found the way she appeared to his gaze to be both pleasant and pleasing. With her head hanging low and the fair skin of her cheeks becoming flushed with a light shade of red, he couldn't deny that the visual was turning him on, immensely.

Keeping his gaze on her, he took a risk by moving a step towards her, and slipping his hand that had been on her cheek down to her chin. Several of the fingers cupped it, and tilted her head up in order for his eyes to look upon the angelic beauty of her face. Mark found a rush of warm content swim throughout him from the top of his head all the way down to the bottoms of his feet in the boots he had on at the moment the second their eyes met.

Look at her, Mark…She is ripe for the taking, and there is no reason at all that you can't use this chance to stake your claim over her, and make it crystal clear of your intentions and feelings for this beautiful southern belle before it is too late and someone else steals her away from you.

He couldn't allow that to happen. If some other man took her away from him, which would surely destroy his soul. There was no way that he was going to let that happen.

Mark inched his face in closer to hers a little more to where there were only several inches between the two of them. His mouth drew in a breath of air, and released it out with the tone of his voice taking on a more lustful sound.

"If this is too forward of me…I want to go ahead and apologize to you."

Before she could answer back to him, he leaned in the rest of the way, and brought his mouth crashing down against hers, sealing her into a tender yet passion filled kiss. His mouth took notice of hers tightening up out of shock of the sudden kiss he was showering her mouth with at the moment.

Take it slow and easy with her, Mark. After all…You have the whole summer to spend time with her.

He took heed of what his conscience whispered to him, and agreed with what it stated to him. There was no need to be quick with her when there would be plenty of other chances to become more intimate with her.

Mark's mouth focused on keeping the kiss soft and tender with her instead of the passion aspect of it. His tongue didn't prod at her mouth for permission to slip inside of it as his hands made sure to remain on her hips instead of trailing all over her gorgeous physique, deciding to not give into his true, unbridled desires that he had inside for her.

Even though he burned with a need to get closer to her body, and touch her in ways that no other man had done with her, he found what he was doing at that moment to be just fine with him.

His lips slowly pulled back away from hers, and gave her enough room in order for them to draw in a breath of air. Mark eased his eyes opened, and gazed upon hers starting to open up, and look upon him with a look of amazement. He fought against the fear of her rejecting him as he drew in a breath, and managed to find his voice.

"I…I am very sorry for being forward with you, but I am not going to apologize for kissing you when I know that you enjoyed it as much as I did."