AN: Standard Disclaimer. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and Independence Day.
Thanks for all the reviews. I love reading them and they keep my muse active. I hope to finish this story and I will be posting chapters as I finish them.
I have only heard about baby smuggling and selling. I'm not sure if how I describe it in this chapter is accurate and honestly have no desire to find out as I find it disgusting.
Beautifulbabeforever – Thanks for all the help when I get mixed up on where I'm going. You're awesome Babe!
Read and Review! SMUT WARNING FOR THE END OF CHAPTER!
Steph's POV
I woke up at 6 am and headed down to the hotel's fitness center. I did five miles on the treadmill, plus weights, and pull ups, once, I was done I went up to our room and showered. Ranger was still doing his workout when I went up to our room.
I showered and dressed in a black knee length skirt, a white shirt that had a pearl beading along the square neck, and a black blazer. I pulled on a pair of black FMP's, and then straightened my hair and did a light natural look for my makeup. As I was finishing up Ranger came in and went straight to the shower.
We were ready and waiting in the lobby by 9:45, the realtor arrived at exactly 10 am and took us to the house we had looked at online. It didn't take long to get to the house and we did a walk through, it was an amazing house and I was instantly in love with it. It had balconies at every room on the second floor. A patio deck on the ground floor and an amazing view, all of the furniture came with it so we didn't have to worry about any of that.
The kitchen had black marble floors and black marble counter tops, along with stainless steel appliances. There was an island separating the kitchen from the dining room with black bar stools. The dining room had a 10 person table with black metal legs and a glass top. The chairs were black metal with white cushions.
The living room was painted white with black carpet, a white couch and chairs with yellow and red accent pillows. It had two bedrooms on the main floor with doors leading to the deck, the both had en suite bathrooms and were completely matched continuing the black and white them with colored accents. There were two offices in the basement, one we would convert to a gym and the other we would keep as an office.
The second floor held the master bedroom and bathroom and a smaller bedroom with an en suite bathroom. Both bedrooms kept the same theme but the Master had a King size bed, a larger walk in closet and the bathroom was amazing. In the bathroom were a Jacuzzi bathtub, double sinks and a lighted vanity with a matching chair, and a large glass shower stall.
I was in love I could buy the house on my own but for the sake of being undercover we had to buy it together. As soon as the tour was over we set down at the kitchen table.
"I think we should buy it." I told Ranger.
"I agree." He looked over at the realtor.
"We'd like to buy the house we can sign now and have you the money in four hours." She nodded and pulled some papers out of her briefcase.
We signed everything, of course, under Moreno. We wouldn't be able to move in for at least a week and we needed to buy gym equipment. It was odd to me to be buying a house with Ranger, especially after everything that happened between us. I knew deep down that everything he had been telling me about loving me was true, but I didn't know if I could trust that.
The realtor drove us back to the hotel and we rode the elevator to our room in silence. Ranger unlocked the door and let us in. I smiled at him as I walked in and set my purse down.
"I need to make a phone call." I told him as I headed into the bedroom.
I used my SAT phone and called Aaron, I knew he could help in my current situation. Aaron understood me, in many ways, we were in similar situations.
The phone rang twice before he answered, "Tripp."
"Aaron, hey I need some advice." I said.
"Is it about the mission?" He questioned.
"Kind of, but not really. Look, I'm on the mission with Ranger."
"Oh?" He replied. I knew he was questioning what was wrong.
"Him and Alexis are over she was trying to steal from him. Anyways, he told me he loves me and you know I love him but I don't know what to do. I know I don't want to be hurt again and I know he holds the power to do that."
"Steph, Listen to me, you know everything that has happened between me and Angela. When I came back she told me that leaving me and staying gone as long as she did made her realize how miserable she was without me. That she loved me unconditionally and even though she hated me leaving for missions she would deal with it if it meant being with me. We're working things out, it's going to take time to get back to where we were but we're trying. If you love him like you say, give it a shot, follow your heart."
I stayed on the phone silent and thinking about what he just said and if I followed my heart I'd be in Ranger's arms.
"Thanks Aaron, that's exactly what I needed to hear."
"No problem, now go talk to him."
"Bye." I said before hanging up.
I walked back into the living room and Ranger was sitting on the couch staring straight ahead.
"Ranger." I smiled at him.
"Babe, you ready to go shopping?" I nodded and grabbed my purse heading for the door, knowing we could talk while walking.
We walked out the hotel and walked to the left and turned left again a couple of streets over to walk towards the shops.
"Babe, how do you like France so far?"
"I like what I've seen so far, I'll tell you more after shopping some." He chuckled and grabbed my hand, holding it as we walked.
"Ranger, I want to talk to you about something." I told him.
"Carlos, Babe, call me Carlos. After we meet with Mr. Francs, our room will likely be bugged and you will have to remember to call me Carlos."
"I know and I will."
"Privately I'd prefer if you called me Carlos all the time unless we are working." I smiled and nodded at him.
"Well, Carlos, this isn't going to be easy for me since I don't like talking about my feelings but I've told I do love you." He nodded and looked at me.
"I talked to Aaron earlier, that's who I called; he made me realize that I need to follow my heart. Carlos, I love you but I know you have the power to break my heart more than anyone else has ever been able to do. It scares me."
"It scares me too babe. But life is about taking chances and you are worth it to me." He said.
"You are worth it to me too."
"Being here together alone may help us." He told me, I nodded and we walked into a little boutique.
I bought clothes and shoes and knick knacks as we went into different shops. We talked about our mission and the meeting we would be going to tomorrow. What we were going to say our wants were in a child and the age. We stayed away from serious and emotional talks.
We ate at a small restaurant and talked about what to expect while in France and about the house we were buying. It was all small talk for the most part. After dinner we walked back to our hotel and went straight up to our room. Tomorrow was the big day and we were both gearing up for it.
Ranger went out on the balcony and did a check in with Rangeman and I called my dad to let him know all was well and told him about the house and Ranger and I trying a relationship. Dad was happy that I was happy and assured me mom would be happy too.
I think her joy would come from me settling down, so to speak, I know she'll see this as a way to try to get me to quit the work I do and pop out some kids but I signed a contract and I will fulfill it. After his phone calls were done we curled up on the couch together for some movie time.
We watched a movie in French but luckily we both speak it so we could understand it easily. It was a romantic movie, Les Roseaux Savages. It was based in 1964 during France's war in Algeria. It was a beautiful movie and I think secretly Ranger enjoyed it as much as I did.
Once the movie was over we both knew we needed to call it a night and head to bed since we had the meeting in the morning. We crawled into bed and fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
I awoke to my alarm going off, I crawled out of bed at the same time as Ranger and we both went down to the gym for our work out. When we finished, we headed back to our room for our showers and to get dressed. I dressed in a gray pant suit with a blue pinstripe and a matching blue silk shirt I paired it with blue 3 inch FMP's. I straightened my hair and put on a light amount of makeup.
Ranger walked into the bathroom as I was finishing and I felt something touch my neck, he had put a blue diamond necklace on my neck that matched the rings he gave me. It was white gold with a princess cut blue diamond on it. It was beautiful, I turned and smiled at him.
"And, just what is this for?" I asked him.
"Babe." That didn't answer my question but we needed to get going, I could question more later.
Ranger was wearing a black Armani suit with a black silk shirt and a black tie. It amazed me that he could pull off so much black at once. He had left his hair down and was wearing a White Gold Rolex, and diamond studs in his ears.
We walked down to the lobby and there was a limo waiting for us. Ranger helped me in before getting in himself and we rode to the hotel where the meeting was being held.
When we arrived the Limo driver helped us out of the car and Ranger and I held hands as we walked into the hotel and rode up to the suite where we were meeting Mr. Francs. He was waiting at the door for us in a black suit with a white shirt and red tie. He was a tall man maybe 6'2 with brown hair cut short and green eyes.
"Mr. and Mrs. Moreno, so lovely to see you." We both smiled at him.
"It is nice to meet you to Mr. Franc."
He held the door open and led us in to a small four person table. Ranger held my seat out for me and pushed my chair back in before taking the seat next to me. Mr. Franc set across from Ranger and opened a small file.
"So please tell me what you are looking for in a child." I smiled at Ranger and took this part.
"We would like a child that looks similar to us, I'm sure you understand. We want blue eyes, skin color somewhere between ours, hair we don't care much as long as it's not blonde since neither of us have blonde hair. We definitely want a newborn so it will be raised its entire life with us." He nodded.
"I will see what we have available and check to see if we have available that match what your needs are. Do you have any other requests?" He asked.
"Healthy parents that have done well academically and athletically." Ranger told him.
"Okay, I think I can handle all of those requests. I will see what we have available and I can contact you within a couple of days." We both nodded and Ranger got up to pull my chair out for me.
I stood up shaking Mr. Franc's hand, Ranger did the same and he walked us to the door. We were silent as we walked to the limo and got in. We rode to the hotel in silence. When we went in we knew it was likely bugged, Ranger had brought what looked like a metal detector but in all actuality it detected bugs.
He checked the hotel room and they had planted small mics in the living room, bedroom, and kitchen, but not the bathroom. Any talks would have to be done outside the hotel or in the bathroom with the shower running to block out our voices.
I'd decided I wanted to go to the beach, I needed time to think by myself. When Ranger was done checking all the rooms and pointing out where each mic was we walked into the bedroom together. I started getting some clothes out and looked up at him.
"I think I'm going to head to the beach for a while." He nodded and pointed to the bathroom.
We walked into the bathroom, "I'd really like some time to think and the beach does that for me." He nodded.
"I've got some errands to run so it'll be fine. Do you want to meet here for dinner?"
"Sounds great, 6 o'clock?" I asked.
He gave me a light kiss on the lips, "6 Babe." He walked out back into the bedroom.
I changed into a black one piece bathing suit with the sides cut out, black shorts, and a purple tank top. I walked into the bedroom and Ranger had changed into jeans and a dark blue Henley. I walked over to him and gave him a light kiss before walking out.
I got a cab to the beach and laid out on a blanket to think. I thought about everything that had happened since my return to Trenton, seeing Ranger, him and Alexis, Aaron, the merry men, being shot, everything that had happened up to this moment.
I thought about how much I loved Ranger, where we could go from here, and would it work out. I questioned every decision I made in the last few years and more importantly the decisions I made recently. I realized after a couple of hours that Ranger was right. Life was about taking chances and every decision I made was a chance. I also realized that Ranger is worth taking a chance on, yeah, I could get hurt but maybe our love for each other and desire to be together would help us to work everything out.
I looked at my watch and it was time to head back to the hotel to meet Ranger for dinner, I was hoping we could order room service for dinner. I got back to the hotel and headed up to our room.
Ranger's POV
The meeting had gone well and I knew I wanted to go run some errands by myself afterwards. It was perfect when Steph said she needed to some time to think and wanted to go to the beach. Before she left she gave me a kiss and headed out to call a cab. I went down and caught my own cab to a car rental company.
I rented a Blue Mercedes E260 and drove it to a flower shop I had noticed when we shopping yesterday. I had emailed Ella and she had emailed me Steph's favorite flowers and what to get in bouquets. I got two bouquets, one was Grand Prix roses, Asiatic lilies, exotic nutans, ornamental ginger and green shamrock chrysanthemums, the other was Gerbera's, Iris's, and Tulips in blue and white.
I put the bouquets in the car and then drove to a jewelry store I had noticed while shopping with her. I walked into the jewelry store and looked at the different jewelry they had before I found what I wanted to get her, it was a past, present, future necklace with a sapphire in place of what is usually the middle diamond. I bought a sapphire and diamond bracelet to match and sapphire earrings, I had them bagged and looked down to see I had just enough time to get to the hotel before she did.
I stuck one of the bouquets in the bedroom and the other I set on the small kitchen table. I put her jewelry under the mattress to give to her later. I changed into black slacks and a light blue button up shirt, I rolled the sleeves up to my forearms and waited in the living area for her to arrive.
She walked in and saw the flowers on the table and smiled at me, "Did you get those?" I just nodded as her face lit up into the most beautiful smile.
She looked at what I was wearing and raised an eyebrow. "Go change into a dress and I'll order dinner."
She walked into the bedroom and did as I asked. I ordered her a sirloin steak with peppers, a baked potato, and for dessert Chocolate Mousse. For myself I ordered Salmon and Spinach Terrine and a fruit salad for dessert and I ordered a bottle of white wine.
I had just finished ordering when she walked out in a black halter dress. She looked stunning and I think she knew it. She smiled as she set down on the couch, I had a small radio brought up and was playing soft jazz music as a background.
"What are you planning?" She asked me.
"To show you how much I love you." She smiled and kissed me.
I wanted to tell her it was our first date but because of the bugs I couldn't. I think she figured it out herself. When our dinner arrived I pulled out her seat for her and pushed it in once she was seated, our dinner was laid out in front of us and the wine was opened.
Our glasses were poured and we began to eat. The meal was delicious and judging by the noises my Babe made she agreed. After we ate I stood up and offered her my hand.
"Can I have this dance?" She smiled as she got up and we danced around the apartment.
We danced for almost two hours, I pulled her to the bedroom and showed her the jewelry I had bought for her today. She had tears in her eyes as she looked at every piece.
"I love you." She said when she looked up at me.
"I love you too, Babe."
She set the jewelry on the dresser and began to kiss me. Our tongues dueled for control over the kiss and she tangled her hands in my hair as I undid the halter on the dress and slowly pulled it down her body. She untangled her hands from my hair and began unbuttoning my shirt, never breaking the kiss, as she removed my shirt.
She did the same with my pants, once all the clothes were out of the way she pushed me down and climbed on top of me. I was shocked at her taking control, she had never done that before. She bit down on my neck and kissed down my body. I had never felt anything as sensual as when she wrapped her mouth around me and slowly sucked me.
She set her pace and I knew I couldn't hold it much longer, "Please, Babe." I moaned.
"Please what?"
"Please let me be inside you." She licked my head one more time before placing a kiss on it and climbing up me. She slowly lowered herself down on me and I didn't know if I could take it much longer. It was better than I remembered from our first time. She set the pace and made slow passionate love to me until we both couldn't last any longer. I heard her scream my name as I grunted out hers. She laid down on top of me catching her breath.
I wasn't in much better shape, we were both panting and that had been the most intense orgasm I had ever had. We made love numerous times during the night before finally falling into a much needed sleep.