Thanks once again to all the wonderful reviewers I have out there. You rock!
We're nearly there now, so hang on in for the finale which will be coming soon. (next chapter is nearly ready for uploading too...)
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The sun was hot, so hot. She turned over onto her back to avoid getting burned and relaxed into the sunbed as Carlos leaned over and kissed her nose. She smiled lazily at the intimacy of his action and let out a soft "mmm" her eyes still shut.
He applied sun cream to the nearest of her legs, then leant over her so that he could repeat the action on the other one. Oh, my God! What you do to me, she thought. Even the simple act of covering me in sun cream turns me into a quivering wreck.
He smiled and she grinned back, lazily, shutting her eyes and concentrating on his talented hands.
"Marry me, Babe." He said as he ran a hand over her torso, gazing down at her. She smiled, nodded her consent and stretched as he started to put cream on her other leg. Duly coated, Steph started to drift off back to sleep.
Moments later, Steph was pulled from her dream by a very persistent pair of lips that had latched themselves to one of her nipples. "Oooooh, Carlos" she whispered out, the dream fading from her mind rapidly as erotic sensations washed over her.
o0o0o0o0o0o
After a long, lazy breakfast a long and not so lazy shower they reluctantly packed up and made their way to reception. This was their last morning of freedom before returning to every day life and Trenton and both faced it with slightly heavy hearts. They'd enjoyed the anonimity of their breif trip, away from the prying eyes and gossip mongers of the Burg. They'd been free to indulge in each other and knew that once they stepped back onto home soil their lives would once more belong to those who surrounded them.
Ranger handed Steph the car keys, which she put in her pocketbook while they waited to pay the bill.
Just as the man in front of Ranger was finishing up, Steph's phone rang and she motioned to Ranger that she would take the call and for him to continue. Watching from the other side of the foyer, Ranger saw Steph go from happy to rhino in the space of a few seconds then shut her phone with a venomous look.
Looks like she'd received a call about her apartment he thought and Ranger knew he was in for it. He pretended not to have noticed as he pocketed his receipt then walked over to where she stood before bending over to pick up their bags.
"Oh no you don't you sneaky, sneaky..." she growled as she marched out of the front door.
"Babe..."
"Don't you Babe me you you... bastard!" she added as she stood under the canopy and stared out into the parking lot. The weather had taken a turn for the worse and the rain that had threatened earlier was now falling softly, the drops hitting the ground were starting to join together.
"Was that Dillon?" Ranger asked, his calm, blank face carefully plastered in place, hiding the turmoil he was feeling. Perhaps he'd been a little hasty in taking the steps necessary to ensure she stayed with him, forever.
Steph nodded angrily.
"Let me explain..." she cut him off, eyeing the rain which was now falling faster with every passing second.
"What, like Babe I've terminated the lease on your apartment? Like I've made a huge decision for you without consulting you? Or, how about I'm gonna go all caveman and drag you back to my lair?" She ran her hand through her hair. "Ranger, how could you? You know how I feel about being forced into a corner? Does what I want not stand for anything?" She looked at him and noticed that he was almost smiling.
"Oh, so you think this is all funny, do you? Back to being your entertainment am I? Great, just fucking great?" she ranted, getting louder and louder.
"Babe, hear me out, OK?"
"No, I don't think so, Buster!" she railed, stabbing his chest with her index finger. "You'll probably think that you can twist me round your little finger, kiss me senseless and make me forget why I'm angry? No, scratch that, I'm hurt more than angry. Hurt that you've done such a thing without consulting me."
Before Ranger could say any more, she darted out from under the canopy and into the pouring rain. Leaving the bags Ranger ran after her, determined not to let her run away from him this time. She would not escape until he'd explained why he'd done what he'd done.
The rain was now really heavy and pelted down as she raced to the Porsche, Ranger hot on her tail. It wouldn't have mattered how fast they moved though as they were soaked to the skin almost as they stepped out from under the canopy.
"Go away!" she yelled as she turned to face him, water flattening her hair against her head and causing her curls to twist into tiny ringlets with the rain.
Ranger just stood looking at her, rain running down his face and hair. "Babe" he said as if that was enough.
"And what is that supposed to mean, Ranger?" She replied, blowing the water that was cascading down her face as she put her hands on her hips and stared at him.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are when you're angry?" he asked smiling gently at her.
"Not now, Ranger. I'm too angry to listen to your crap!"
He stepped closer and brushed a curl from her face and behind her ear. "I love it when you're angry." He said as he backed her into the side of the car. "I love you every which way. I'm sorry I made such a monumental decision without consulting you. I just want to wake up next to you every day for the rest of our lives. I need you too much to have you stay in that apartment. Grand Central probably has less visitors in a year than it does." He stepped closer, pushing Steph further back against his soaking vehicle.
She shivered both from the cold and his warmth.
Ranger looked down at the woman in front of him as the rain plastered her curls to her head. Dios! How he loved this woman! Before he knew what he was saying "Marry me, Babe" popped out of his mouth for the second time that morning.
Steph looked up at him, blinking away the rain and the tears that were now falling from her eyes. "What did you just say?" She asked, not sure whether she'd heard him right.
"I'd thought we should take it slow until this morning when I suddenly realised how much time we've already wasted. Tank was right that even if I only get a small amount of time with you it would be enough for the rest of my life. I need you, want you, love you. Forever. Please. Marry me."
Steph looked up into his eyes, he was holding nothing back and then she knew. In her heart and soul she knew.
"Yes." She whispered as she reached out and took his face in her hands.
"Yes!" she repeated more loudly "but you're still an ass for speaking to Dillon" she added gruffly before breaking into a huge grin.
Ranger wrapped his arms round her and picked her up, peppering kisses over her face. He swung her round, laughing "I love you Stephanie Plum" he yelled, as loud as he could, as the rain continued to fall and the weight of the world fell from his shoulders.
o0o0o0o0o
Sitting in a diner, on the outskirts of Philadelphia, two hours later, Ranger grabbed Steph's left hand and slipped the ring pull from her can of coke onto her finger.
"Oh, Carlos, it's perfect!" she said, giggling and moving it around, pretending to catch the light.
"Smartass"
"Yeah, but you love me, it's official now." she replied, smugly.
"Babe when I get you home we're going shopping and it's gonna be big." He said, kissing her knuckles tenderly.
"You don't need to, I'd be quite happy with something small."
"Babe, let me spoil you, please." he added, placing soft open mouthed kisses on her finger tips.
Damn, the 'p' word. "Ok"
Ranger picked up his phone and started to dial a number, giving her his best wolf grin as he did so.
Steph cocked her head to one side as she tried to work out who she was talking to. She could only hear Ranger's side of the conversation and she eyed him quizzically.
"Can I speak to Mr Plum, please?"
...
"Mr Plum?"
...
"Fine and you?"
...
"yes, you can talk with her in a moment. But first, Sir, can I ask you something?"
...
"Will you allow me the honour of marrying your daughter?"
...
"Yes, Sir, with all my heart."
...
"Thank you Sir. I will bear that in mind. Yes, here she is..." Ranger passed the phone across the table to Steph and took up her other hand which he went back to kissing her fingers seductively.
"Pumpkin? Is everything ok?"
"Sure, Daddy. It's better than ok."
"I s'pose he's already asked you?"
"Yeah, I got angry and soaked and one thing led to another..."
"Too much information, Sweetheart!" Frank chuckled.
"Sorry!"
"Guess you've made up your mind, then."
"Yeah, this is it for me Daddy."
"Good to know. And just so that the Burg doesn't take over, I won't say anything to anyone not even your Mom. I'll let you spread the word yourself."
"Thanks, Daddy."
"You're welcome! Love you, Pumpkin."
"Love you too, Daddy."
As Steph finished the call she passed the phone back to Ranger who was still fully involved with her hand. "Carlos, if you carry on doing that I shall be forced to take you right here, right now, on this table."
"Babe." Ranger said grinning as he reluctantly pulled away and put her hand carefully back on the table. "I think we need to go and face the music..."
Steph looked at him with a confused look on her face.
"Agent Double O-J"
Steph still did not understand and it was written all over her face. "Carlos, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about..." she was cut off as Ranger pulled her in for a deep and loving kiss.
"Come on" he said once they'd come up for air "I'll explain on the way."
o0o0o0o0o
Angling himself out of the car, Ranger quickly got round to the passenger's door and opened it for Steph who smiled and gave him her hand so that he could pull her up. As she unfurled he wrapped his arms round her then gave her a deep and passionate kiss.
"What was that for, Carlos? You do know we're on camera, right?" Steph said breathily, moments later, as she blinked heavily and pulled herself together.
"That's the idea. Now, I reckon by the time I've got the bags out of the trunk we'll have a visitor."
Almost as he finished his statement the doors of the elevator opened and a loud scream of excitement reverberated off the concrete walls. Ranger grinned and winked as a blur launched itself into his arms
Tank, Bobby, Hal and Hector stood in the control room and grinned. Finally, they collectively thought, the idiot has come to his senses. Lester, who'd seen Julie dash off like a bullet from a gun, sloped into the control room to see what all the fuss was about. "Wassup, Boss home?" he asked, lazily, putting his hands into his pant's front pockets. All eyes turned back to the scene in the garage.
"Ranger! Oh please, tell me I won." Julie squealed out as she turned in his embrace and grabbed Steph's left hand. Spotting the ring pull she squealed again. "Omigod! Omigod! Omigod!" she squealed out as Ranger gently put her down before she seriously damaged him. She leapt into Steph's arms. "Please can I be a bridesmaid? Please, please, please?" she sobbed as she held her future stepmom tightly.
"Looks like Heap Big Chicken Shit has finally got his act together and got the girl." Hal replied "Not sure about the ring though. I'd have thought he could have given her something with a bit more class." He added as he wandered off to get a coffee.
All eyes stared at Steph's hand and grins spread across the faces of all the men assembled.
"Well, I'll be..." Lester said as he pulled out his phone to call Franco and tell him that their work was done, a smug grin easing its way onto his face.
In the background he could hear Tank and Hector "so, who won?"
Walking out of the room to get some quiet, Lester mentally patted himself on the back, wondering what Julie was going to spend her winnings on.
o0o0o0o0o
"Mom, it was awesome!" Julie squealed out later that night.
"What was, Honey?" came the calm, yet bemused, reply.
"I won! He gave her a ring pull and asked her in the pouring rain. I knew she'd be my present." She giggled as she bounced onto the bed in Ella's spare room, kicking off her shoes as she did so before flopping down on her tummy so that she could spill her news.
Rachel sighed as only a Mom of an overexcited super agent could and wandered off to find her husband. Flicking her phone to speaker she sat down on his lap, turning off the TV as she did so and proceeded to find out what on earth Julie was talking about.
o0o0o0o0o
"Mom?"
"Hi, Sweetheart. How was the course?" Ellen answered as she tilted her head so that she could tuck the phone under her chin and continue making the muffins she'd promised Angie and Mary Alice for breakfast.
"The course was great. But there's more. Can I borrow you tomorrow afternoon? I need some help with a couple of things at my apartment."
"Sure, sweetheart. What time?"
"Two suit you? I need you to help me sort a few things out."
"Sounds good to me."
"Great, see you at two. Bye Mom."
"Bye, Dear." Ellen replied.
Frank came in to the kitchen just as the call was finished. "Who was that?"
"Steph."
"Oh, how was the course?"
"Yeah."
"Honey?"
"Sorry. Something about that call doesn't make sense. She needs my help at her apartment tomorrow afternoon. Weird."
Ellen was too caught up in her own thoughts to notice the look Frank gave her. Turning back to the batter, she picked up a spoon and began adding it to the cake cases in the muffin pan, her thoughts clearly on the conversation she'd just shared with her daughter.
o0o0o0o0o
Steph looked into the eyes of her fiancé and smiled. He returned the look then leaned in for a kiss just as Ella knocked on the door to let them know she was bringing up their supper. Hastily the love birds pulled apart and pretended they'd not been about to rip each other's clothes off. Ella had offered to have an over hyped up Julie for the night so that they could celebrate their engagement in peace and quiet and private and had she not just turned up with dinner they'd have been doing just that.
"Hope I'm not interrupting" she said loudly as she headed for the dining room, the noise of her trolley masking the sounds of her feet on the hard floor.
"No, S'ok." Ranger said as he pulled Steph to her feet and towards the dining room.
"I'm so pleased for the two of you. I just knew the first time I met you dear that you were special. What did Maria say when you told her?" she added as she put a large casserole dish on a large mat in the centre of the table.
"Er..."
"Haven't you told her, yet? If you're not careful she'll hear it from Rachel or Julie first and I wouldn't like to be in your shoes if she does." She said, giving him a knowing look.
Ranger had the grace to look guilty.
"Go, phone her. Steph and I can dish up."
Ranger stalked out the of room in search of his cell.
"Is she really that bad?" Steph asked with a worried look on her face that was reflected in her question.
"Not at all, Dear. She just likes to give him a hard time about his inability to communicate." Ella winked then returned her attention to dishing up dinner.
"Yeah, I know the feeling" Steph said giggling as she tiptoed out after him, putting her finger to her lips as she went.
Steph leant silently against the door jam and studied Ranger's back as he raked his hand though his hair, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation he was about to have.
"Mama?"
...
"Si, just now. Yeah the students were good. Even recruited one of them."
...
"Mama, I just got engaged."
...!
"Stephanie."
...?
"Si, Bye"
...
Steph wandered over and tentatively put her hands on Ranger's shoulders which had begun to slump as the conversation had unfolded. Ranger dropped his head to his chest then took a deep breath in before turning to face her. She slowly ran her fingers up and down his chest to try and comfort him, focusing on where her hands were going, rather than looking up to meet his eyes. She was sure he had bad news for her and didn't want to face it right now.
"Babe?" Ranger asked as he pulled her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. "We're having dinner at Mama's on Monday night, ok?"
Steph nodded in response, searching his eyes to see if she could work out whether the conversation had been a good or bad one.
"I'm in the shit, Babe, before you ask. Mama's pissed at me for taking so long to get my head out of my ass. However, she is pleased that you said yes to marrying me. Looks like she's gonna put together an engagement party." He groaned at the thought.
"That bad?"
"You have no idea." He said, looking dejected "the Manoso circus makes dinner with your Grandma look like a civilised occasion. Come on, let's not dwell on it, I smell Ella's fabulous cooking and it's been a while since we ate."
Steph's stomach took that as a hint and made its own feelings known.
"Babe."Ranger said as he laced his fingers through hers and led her back to Ella's fabulous cooking.
