Frank looked at Lauren with great empathy. He knew what his words were going to do. He knew that she would be caught off guard, to say the least.<br/><br/>And he didn't expect her to reciprocate. Frank had no real idea about her history with men. In fact there was a LOT that Frank didn't know about Lauren, and vice-versa. Hell, less than 48 hours ago she was bound and gagged in the backseat of his car!<br/><br/>But for his part, he<i>did </i>mean it. He loved her. He was sure of it. Why? Because of so many things. Not the least of which was her passion. It showed in her singing. It definitely showed in bed. And already in the short time they knew each other, it showed in other small ways, too.<br/><br/>The girl just had a hold on him, simple as that.<br/><br/>He blinked up at her, watched the tears slowly make their way down her face as if they were sightseeing. Frank could hardly blame them.<br/><br/>"Hey.....enough of that," he began, cupping her left cheek. "It's OK, doll. I laid a lot on you just now. In fact, I wasn't expecting you to say it back. You've been hurt. Or you've been disillusioned. Or both. And here I come, springing those tiny words on you, out of the fucking blue. Don't cry, Lauren."<br/><br/>Frank pulled her into his strong chest. He held her close.<br/><br/>"I won't ever pressure you to say it," he said. "If you do, great. If you don't, you don't. OK?"