Chapter 37

This chapter contains sexual content and has been marked off with ****. If you are under 18 or are not comfortable please move past the **** to the end of the chapter.

Laura stood, surveying the room as she moved to the kitchen, tidying up some of the debris they had left behind in the midst of their search. "Do you think Daniel's hidden anything else?"

Remington followed her lead and after stowing the empty frames in the closet followed Laura to the kitchen and set about packing up the gems. Remington shook his head, "I can't be sure, but this is an interesting start wouldn't you say, Laura?"

"Indeed Mr. Steele. If I understand it correctly, Daniel wants you to use this building, the cash and gems to start some kind of… of…. establishment for...homeless boys." Laura recapped.

"It appears so, Mrs. Steele," Remington replied, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

"This is quite an about-face move for Daniel, isn't it?" Laura stated, frowning with incredulity.

Shaking his head, Remington closed the attaché case, the bank notes and jewels having been carefully packed away along with the documents they had found and the documents given to them by Mr. Taylor. He stood the case up on the island and looked up at Laura, "I'm not sure I am any longer qualified to lay claim to understanding Daniel's motivations. Seems to me there was a great deal I was in the dark about. Why would things be any different now?"

Laura angled an expression of surprise at Remington and, taking in his look of defeat, frowned empathetically with a deflating drop of her shoulders. She casually walked towards him, crossing her arms lightly and offered, "Maybe there's something else… something in Daniel's will or paperwork that will explain it better."

Remington was brushing himself off, re-adjusting his shirt, as Laura arrived by his side, leaning her hip against the edge of the island, absently surveying the kitchenette until her gaze came to rest on him. "Are you sure you don't want to look around anymore?" she asked, and just as she reached out to lay a reassuring hand on his arm, he abruptly made for the seating area, briefcase in hand, plucking his jacket from the chair.

"The…ahem...dust..." he replied, clearing his throat. "It's beginning to get to me… hard to breathe, you know..." He coughed again as he shook out the garment and pulled it on.

Laura, vaguely mystified at his uncharacteristic behavior, followed him slowly, stopping in the middle of the room, one hand up, lightly fingering her collar at the base of her throat. "What's the rush?" she asked, as he approached her, his arm out in a corralling gesture, urging her towards the door. She went along willingly until they reached the door, subtly turning to face him as he grasped the handle, and gave him an expectant look, her arms crossed anew.

"Laura, please… can we just go back to the hotel? It's been quite the day and I need to clear my head. A bite to eat, a glass of wine perhaps… no dust, no Daniel. Now, please?" Remington opened the door and waited for Laura to go through.

Laura had the feeling that somehow she was missing something but decided to let it go for the moment. A quiet meal in their room and a nice glass of wine might be just what was needed to set things right.

Nevertheless, they became entrenched within an oppressive silence as they exited the building and hailed a cab. The silence between persisted as they rode to the hotel, Laura stoic in her forbearance and Remington unsettled, nervously chewing on a thumbnail, his other hand holding the briefcase tightly.

They didn't speak until they were in their room. Remington set the case down on the breakfast table where they had taken their tea that afternoon and immediately went to the phone, snapping it up with one hand and spinning the rasping dial with the other. When he had dialed, he turned to Laura, the ear piece to his ear, the mouthpiece held back, saying, "I'm going to order room service. Are you hungry for anything in particular?" he asked.

"No, but I would like some answers." Remington gave her a pained look, then turned his head into the phone, holding up a finger as someone spoke to him. After placing the order, he hung up the phone, his back to Laura, and sighed heavily, finally turning around to face her.

"Laura, come over here…" Remington said as he sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside him. By now Laura was on full alert and she stood fast by the door with her arms wrapped around her middle. When she didn't immediately move, Remington looked up at her once more and, faltering ever so slightly, levelled his gaze at her and beckoned her once more, saying, "Please...come sit..."

Sighing, she crossed the room and sat beside him, turning to face him, "Okay, I'm listening. What's going on?"

"Just being there… in Daniel's space… I don't know how to explain it but… It was becoming too much for me. Too much of Daniel's con, too much of Daniel's honesty, too much about my own damned past he'd hidden from me," Remington explained.

Laura scanned his face while he spoke and for a long time after he finished, her apprehensive expression never wavering, her jaw working as she pursed her lips in an ever-evolving frown.

Finally, she looked straight ahead, as if inwardly coming to terms with her fear, and taking a stilted breath, looked back at Remington, her eyes warm with empathy. Rubbing his knee, she nodded as she said, "I understand. It must be overwhelming, Mr. Steele." Suddenly and with a smile, she repeated, "Mr. Steele. It's official, you really are Mr. Steele. No one can take that away from you. Daniel has brought you full circle. Remington…. Chalmers…. Steele. Your past and present are one!"

Laura stared ahead in wonder at this unexpected twist, as did Remington's, his azure eyes wide, as if he had just glimpsed a golden light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

But all too soon a hint of a shadow passed over them and he replied with a bittersweetness that was all but perceptible, "Huh...well, that certainly seals my future...", he replied with practiced stealth, his eyebrows furrowing enigmatically, as he cast Laura a sidelong glance, confirming that she was still basking in that golden glow at which she had apparently arrived.

When she snapped out of her reverie, she turned to him, amending her mind's echo of his final words, "OUR future, Mr. Steele!" she let the name roll off her tongue with glee, encircling him with her arms, her fingers traveling to his nape to tease the soft hairs there. As she leaned in to give him a peck on the lips, he startled her by snatching her to him and kissing her deeply.

When he released her, she sat there, speechless, looking at him and wondering how he still had the ability to thoroughly wrestle all control from her in the blink of an eye.

Remington tapped her hand jovially and stood briskly announcing, "Now, let's eat!"

The next couple of hours were spent having a quiet meal and making preparations for the journey back to Ireland. Laura zipped back and forth gathering her things, filling her suitcase with the items she would not be using again until after the trip. Remington did somewhat the same but largely lacking his usual pep and efficiency. Every few moments he would sit at the table by the window or on the bed blankly watching Laura dash about or stare at the briefcase from Daniel's flat which now sat on the table by the window.

At length, Laura noticed Remington's rumination and slowed down, toying with her watchband, casting him sideways glances. Seeking to take his mind off whatever was eating at him, she ventured, "Do you think there are any good movies on TV tonight?" she asked, as she picked up the remote control.

"Hmm?" he replied, distracted. "Movies, Mr. Steele, you know...Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart…..the classics….?" When he didn't answer, instead shifting nervously, scrubbing his face with his hands and running his fingers through his hair, Laura crossed the room and covered the short distance between them, placing her hands on his tense shoulders, and rubbing them.

Her ministrations seemed to help him relax a bit, but he had not raised his head to look at her, so Laura shifted her palms to his cheeks, tilting his head up so she that could see his face, "Mr. Steele?" Remington lifted his gaze to her, his eyes dark and unfocused. "What's wrong, Rem?" Laura asked, tenderly brushing his cheeks with her thumbs.

Remington looked into her eyes, so wide and trusting, framed by her expressive eyebrows, which, at the moment were arched with concern. In the first few days that he'd known her, he had experienced the full range of emotions conveyed by them, was captivated by the vast spectrum of rich brown shades that shone from them, able to express the full range of human emotions, from the business-like and logical, deep, cool earth-tone brown, to the openly trusting and caring brown, like a warm, inviting chocolate treat, and finally, the passionately spitting and sparking, smouldering amber .

After all these years, this treasure was finally his. Now the trick was to not let it slip away. He scanned her noble face, her full lips that were made to be kissed. He'd given into that plenty of times over the years. And the proud line of her jaw and delicate up-turned nose. He had always adored and admired her and, now that she was his, a deep abiding love filled his soul, expanding it with each passing day. All of this, all of her, was more important to him than anything in the world.

And yet, he was torn as to how he should proceed at this juncture. He felt an intense and unavoidable desire to protect her and needed to go about eliminating what he perceived as a threat on his own terms. Daniel's revelations had thrown a spanner into the works, questions remained in his brain, clambering for answers. He had left him valuables to be sure, but also a white elephant. One that begged new questions. Was there an ulterior motive? Could said motive jeopardize Laura and the agency? The lump of fear in his gut grew. The fear that, even after death, Daniel's influence could threaten everything he held dear. Everything Daniel had left behind carried with it the potential to do just that. He felt as though he was battling a dark cloud, unable to see what exactly was the threat. There were so many unanswered questions. And the questions that had been answered had, in fact, uncovered some truths that needed to be set straight and he wasn't sure how to resolve the issues, how to make things right. His profound fear of jeopardizing Laura's safety and security was muddying the waters.

No! he thought to himself. This was too much to sort out right now. At least they had this moment. Right now, he would focus on Laura and her alone. He pulled her to stand between his legs, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his cheek to her chest. "Just a bit overwhelmed, I think," he answered quietly.

Laura toyed with the unruly lock of hair falling onto his forehead. Brushing it off, she kissed his forehead softly as she stroked his cheek with her thumb. "It's over. Daniel gave it all to you... the building, a family history, a name..." Laura began but he stopped her with a finger on her lips.

"And what appears to be a wish for the future that I'm not entirely sure I can bring to fruition," he stated quietly.

Tipping his head up to look at her again, Laura held his jaw with both hands, and looked into his eyes. "We'll find a way. Take this as Daniel's faith you will do right by other boys, the way he tried to do for you…"

But Remington stood up impatiently, Laura making way for him as he swept past her. He came to a halt facing away from her and he said, frustration oozing from every word, "Laura, Daniel encouraged me to become merely one step better than a petty thief. It's like you said right from the start. And that's exactly what I was. Oh, the finder's fees we'd gleaned lined our pockets nicely, but only for a trifle. I was still just as much of a thief as a good for nothing street rat." Remington turned to look at Laura, thoroughly dejected, "Daniel wasn't a grand savior, a knight in shining armor. He was a damned conman and bloody well good at it too! He had more aliases than I ever had, and the characters he invented… he was a chameleon. By day the good Colonel Frobish, by night, the Baron of any small country no one's ever heard of," he groused.

Laura once again closed the distance between them and reached up to cradle his jaw in her hands, rubbing his cheeks gently with her thumbs as she said, "Chameleon or Colonel, let's not let Daniel ruin the rest of our evening. You're exhausted and, and..." she brushed his shoulders, "...you're dusty..."

Remington closed his eyes as she now began rubbing his shoulders with a soothing pressure. He let out a relieved groan and said, "Mmmm...And what does Dr. Holt recommend?"

"First, we should get you out of those dusty clothes so you can slip into something more comfortable..."

"I like where this is going..." Remington interjected with another groan as Laura worked out the kinks in his shoulders.

Rocking up on her tiptoes, Laura softly kissed one cheek,"...like...", then kissed his other cheek, "...me..." Remington heard a smile in her last word that sent a jolt of electricity through his core that obliterated everything from his consciousness other than the need to possess this beguiling woman fully.

He expected to feel her lips on his, and when that didn't happen, he opened his eyes to find her looking at him, an alluring gleam in her eyes and a sultry smile on her lips. Finally she leaned up to kiss him, a teasing kiss, not pushing, or pulling, but beckoning him to seek more, granted him the choice to do one or the other.

Without another thought, Remington reached up and grasped Laura's face, pulling her lips to his for a deeper connection, pushing his way into her mouth as she instantly opened to him for an ardent, penetrating kiss. They drank from each other selfishly and unselfishly, giving, taking, tasting, savouring, their hands roving every which way, leaving a scorching path in their wake.

"Laura!...", Remington gasped, as they broke apart, breathing heavily, forehead to forehead. His hands buried in her hair, ever-moving and undulating, caressing her as if these were their last moments on Earth.

He scarcely allowed the thought that these may well be their last moments together enter into his head. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he had the idea that when she discovered his plans, there would be hell to pay...But he had to try. She would have to understand.

And none of that mattered at the moment. Not at a time when she was in his arms, and hers were around him, lightly caressing his sides.

Suddenly their lips met again as their clothes seemed to simply melt away and he was stroking her hot, wet folds as she squirmed helplessly, suspended between agony and ecstasy at his masterful touch.

When she could no longer take it, she threw her head back, desperate for release, which he presently denied her. Instead, he scooped her up and deposited her on the bed. They swiftly made away with the rest of their clothing and Remington covered Laura, suspending himself on his elbows with his hands at either side of her head, drinking in her flushed and glowing appearance, eyes bright with desire. His own eyes grew dark as his heart swelled and he touched his lips to hers, embracing her with slow, drugging kisses, his fingers luxuriating in her silky strands.

Time stood still as Laura got lost in the sensations Remington elicited from her body. His lips left hers to travel across her features scattering kisses along the way and he leaned up to look at Laura again, but this time she said, "Please" and at the same times spread her legs so that he nestled there. He continued to watch her, feeling her squirm and involuntarily press her hips up into him. He slowly leaned in as if to kiss her, but his lips hovered millimetres above hers, sweat beading on his brow as a result of the strain of holding back what his body was screaming for. He desperately wanted this moment to last forever, but Laura was having none of it.

In a sudden coup for power, she grasped his head, bunches of hair clumped between her fingers and held him to her, capturing his mouth with her lips and kissed him until he went relaxed, at which point she leaned up and flipped them, straddling him and resting her center against his hardness. He smiled up at her and rolled his hips, rubbing against her sensitive nub, at which she arched her back and let out a sharp gasp of pleasure. He took this opportunity to seize back control and, gripping her hips, he pulled her down to him and pushed himself into her tight depths as Laura moaned in ecstasy.

Remington, needing to be closer to Laura, shifted up into a sitting position, one arm braced behind him for support and the other curving behind Laura's back to support her. As his strokes became short and fast, rocketing Laura quickly to the edge of oblivion, she tried to push him away, but he held her tightly.

"Rem, slow down," she panted, although her body was screaming for release.

"I can't… Laura…. can't," he cried, the desperation in his voice thick as he continued to rock his hips.

"Rem…." she begged but her body was betraying her as she curved her back trying to capture every inch of feeling she could from him. She was still struggling to break his hold as her body reached the pinnacle he was pushing her toward. Crying out, she spasmed around him, the ripples of her inner muscles squeezing his length, pulling him hard and fast over the edge with her. He continued to pump his hips as her body drained his, his movements losing their rhythm, slowing as he pulled her closer to him once again.

They remained entwined, their heads cradled on each other's shoulders while their breathing returned to normal. After a little while, Laura sighed and said, "I love you, Remington Chalmers Steele." Remington lifted his head at that, and Laura did likewise, brushing away the sweat from his brow, Laura noticed the torment in Remington's eyes and said, with a feeble attempt at levity, "That much of a let down?" When her attempt fell flat, she sobered and locked eyes with him. "Rem, Tell me."

Shaking his head slowly, Rem pressed his lips together tightly as he blinked rapidly to try to stem the flow of tears he felt burning his eyes. Closing them again, he whispered, "Not now."

Laura pressed herself higher, finally untangling herself from his arms. "I'll be right back," she said.

As she rolled off him toward the edge of the bed, she felt his hand grab her wrist, jerking her back. He sat up quickly, as she landed back on the bed. Reaching forward he held her face as he pressed his lips to hers roughly once again. Clearing his throat, he said softly, "Laura, love, no matter what… promise me… promise me… Daniel won't tear us apart."

Confused, Laura narrowed her eyes as she said, "Daniel? No… Rem… what are you…."

Angrily he snapped, "Dammit, Laura, just promise me…."

Pulling her hand from his roughly, she stood by the edge of the bed facing him. "Remington Chalmers Steele, Daniel will never tear us apart. He tried before and failed and he will fail again," she stated firmly.

Remington pulled his knees up and rested his elbows on them as he dropped his head into his hands. "Thank you," he replied his voice gruff and scratchy.

Unsure what was going on in his mind, Laura left the bedroom for the bathroom, returning a few minutes later to find him already in pajama pants, pulling the blankets down on the bed.

Settling themselves into bed, Laura found an old movie on TV for them to watch as they snuggled close to each other. Remington couldn't help but enlighten her with, "The Great Sinner, Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Melvyn Douglas,MGM, 1949." She fell asleep curled up on his chest listening to Ava Gardner say, "When a man takes the trouble to be so rude to a woman, he is usually falling in love with her." Remington lay awake long after, staring at the ceiling.

Laura woke to the sound of the phone ringing beside her. Confused, she answered, "Hello?"

"Laura? Laura are you still sleeping? Really now… the train leaves in two hours. You need to finish packing… shower… you're going to be late!" Remington's voice crackled through phone.

Laura sat up, rubbing her head, "Where are you?"

"You… um… you didn't see my note," he said slowly.

"Note? What note?" Laura replied looking around the room.

"On the pillow… I thought you'd see it there… when I wasn't…" Remington explained softly.

Picking up the note, Laura read, Laura, Need more answers… will call you later. RS "What do you mean, you need more answers? Where are you?" she asked again.

"I'm at Daniel's flat. I couldn't help think there might be something else… something in that brief case…," Remington began to explain.

Sitting up completely, Laura questioned him, "What are you talking about? Did you find something? Why didn't you wake me?"

"Slow down, Laura… I couldn't sleep, you looked so peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you," he replied.

"If you couldn't sleep, you should've woken me!" Laura snapped as she pulled her knees up, resting her arm across them.

"I couldn't get the thought out of my mind that Daniel would have kept a list…." he began to explain.

"What list?" Laura snapped again, throwing her arm in the air.

"Laura, I'm trying to explain that but you keep interrupting me," he snapped back.

"Sorry, go on Mr. Steele," she replied.

Sighing loudly, Remington shook his head, flexed his jaw before continuing, "Yes, well, the list…. Daniel and I had executed a multitude of cons over the years together… He… ah…. I found…. "

"What did you find? What could you have possibly found that would make you miss our train back to Ireland? Our train leaves in less than two hours, we still need to finish packing…" Laura exclaimed.

"Yes, well, be that as it may, I've decided..." he interrupted Laura.

"YOU'VE decided? What about US? We're a team, remember? And this so-called TEAM is supposed to be getting married! … and we have brunch on Sunday with YOUR family! We NEED to get back to Ireland!" Laura yelled.

"And I NEED to stay here and sort this out! Laura, Daniel's little …. bombshell… could have a profound effect on our future," Remington yelled back.

"Once again, it's all about your damned past! We can't get away from it, here, in LA, in Ireland… it continually follows us around like… like... " Laura stuttered in her anger.

"I'm sorry, Miss Holt if my past is so bothersome to you at this time. I thought we were beyond this but… well… Sometimes the truth can be so…" he snapped, his words clipped.

"So WHAT?" Laura yelled, furious.

"So inconvenient. Go back to Ireland, Laura," Remington stated before slamming down the phone.

Laura stared at the buzzing phone in her hand, uncertain of their future.

To Be Continued in Steeling Secrets