You've all been wonderfully patient with me over the past few weeks. I'm very sorry I'm posting this a day late. I somehow forgot that it was Friday.

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

27. Spicing Things Up

I left for the office a little earlier than usual the next morning, kissing Carlos as I walked out the door and waved goodbye to Isabella and Evelyn. I knew it was early, but I wanted to call my roommate Carol before she got too far into her day. I called her as I walked to the office.

"Carol, how much would you hate me if I told you that I need to move out of our apartment?"

"I'd miss you Steph, but I wouldn't hate you. I heard that your parents are refusing to pay for your tuition this year, is that why you're moving?"

"Yes and no. I can't really go into details right now, but I'll be moving into another apartment at the end of the summer for work, so my room is free if you want to get another roommate, or you can just let it go and move elsewhere."

"Actually, I think I can get another roommate. My cousin is starting at Rutgers this year and she is looking for a place to live. Our apartment is pretty much in the middle of Douglass and Rutgers, so I'm sure she'll appreciate not having to search high and low for a place to live."

"I'm so glad to hear that Carol, I was afraid you'd hate me."

"Nah, but if you're around, we'll definitely need to catch up. There's been some pretty interesting rumours floating around the Burg about you this summer, none of which I believe."

"I'll fill you in when I see you in the autumn, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your holidays."

We said goodbye and made plans to catch up as soon as we were both settled into the new term.

My next thought was to call Mrs Miller. I was still thinking that the apartment situation was too good to be true, so I wanted to hear why they were offering the apartment for such a low price.

"Hi Stephanie, I wondered when I'd hear from you. I had a long conversation with an FBI guy the other day, and at the end of the conversation, I was more than willing to give that apartment away."

"You practically are giving that apartment away!" I exclaimed.

"Au contraire my dear, if you buy that apartment, the FBI has promised to buy several other apartments throughout the state and in several other cities. They will use them as safe houses and staff accommodations for travelling visitors and other uses. If we lose a little money on your apartment, the prices they are offering for our other apartments more than make up for any loss. Right now, it's a good business decision for us to take them up on their offer.

"I can tell that you obviously have some reservations, would you like to talk it through? I know all about the reasons for this move, as the FBI had to disclose it to me for legal reasons because you would be living in my building."

I sighed and said, "I don't understand why they're going to all this expense and effort just for me."

"They must see something in you Stephanie. This is an excellent opportunity for you. Not just in the short term, but for your long-term career goals. Having this kind of experience on your resume will open all kinds of doors for you in the future."

"Will it really matter if I can't talk about what I did afterward?"

"Trust me Steph, if you use one of the FBI guys as a reference, nobody will doubt your abilities. If you're still not sure after you see the paperwork, call me if you want to talk."

I thanked Mrs Miller and hung up as I reached my desk. I spent the rest of the day working with the graphics team and writing up my report. By the time I had to leave to pick up the girls, the report was pretty much ready and the presentation was well under way.

The new contract was faxed over and the lawyers were going through it with a fine-toothed comb. I was given a copy and would look through it later. I had an appointment with Rob and John the next morning to sign the physical contract that would be shipped via overnight courier if I so choose.

The girls and I had a nice quiet evening by the pool with iced tea and sandwiches. Carlos had his self-defence class, so he'd be home later. The girls were just getting into their pyjamas when Carlos walked in the door with a stern look on his face.

"What's wrong Carlos?"

"Nothing much, I just had one hell of a time convincing my boss to let me have Friday off so I could go say what could possibly be goodbye to my Abuela. Tom had to jump in and promise the jerk that he'd cover my sessions before he would let me take one day off. Tom is as angry as I am. I never take time off, and I even work weekends during the school year for that jerk."

"Why was he so against letting you have a day off?"

"Tom let it slip that we might quit and join the army. Tom is one of the most popular personal trainers at the gym and people pay a lot of money to work with him. The owner is annoyed that he might lose him. He's taking it out on me because I refused to try and talk Tom out of joining the army."

"That's horrible Carlos. I'm sorry you had to go through that. The girls will be down in a moment to say goodnight. When they're in bed, we can relax and talk or watch a film or even head to bed early if you'd like."

Carlos nodded and happily hugged his sisters good night and we both tucked them in before retreating downstairs. Once back in the living room, Carlos turned to me and pulled me into his arms. He hugged me for a long time, not saying anything, but I could tell that there was something wrong. I didn't want to push him, so I pulled back and led him over to the sofa, where we sat down and cuddled together.

"Babe, you know that I love you right?"

"Yes Carlos and I love you too."

"I don't know how to say this, I'm at a loss for words, but it's something I have to do, and I'm not sure you'll understand. I know my family will be upset, but I hope you aren't too."

I looked at him and realisation hit me. "You've decided to join the army," I said matter-of-factly.

Carlos looked at me with wide eyes and nodded.

"Why would you think that I'd be upset? You know how I feel about this. The army is a noble thing and anyone who is part of it deserves respect."

"We're just starting out Babe, and I'm abandoning you."

"I don't see it that way Carlos. You are leaving, and you will be away for long periods of time, but you're not abandoning me. I have a life, I have responsibilities, and I have plenty to occupy my time. I'll miss you dearly, but my life won't end because you're off doing something that makes you happy."

"So this isn't the end of us?"

"Not unless you want it to be Carlos. I love you, and I want to be with you, but I understand if you'd rather not bother with a long distance relationship."

"I don't want it to be the end. I love you too much. I know it will be hard, but I want to be with you too Babe. I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"That's a noble ambition Carlos, one that I actually share. I love you more than you can imagine and being away from you will be hard, but if it means that we can be together later, I'm willing to wait."

"God Babe, that makes me so happy. Will you marry me? When can you be my wife?"

"I will marry you Carlos, but I want to finish my education first. I also think it might be a good idea to wait until you've finished your first tour of duty. At that point in time, you will know how you want to progress with the rest of your army career, and I should be in a position to join you wherever you are."

Carlos hugged me so tight I thought he would break me. Then he kissed me so hard that I thought I'd melt into him.

"I can't believe the most wonderful woman in the world has just agreed to be my wife."

"I can't believe you want to marry me, especially after the way we met and everything that's happened since."

Carlos laughed and smiled so wide that I was afraid he'd break his face. I was happier than I've ever been, but then something happened. My inner dialogue started casting doubts on the idea of getting engaged to a man who could be across the world from me, or the stupidity of agreeing to spend the rest of my life with a man I'd never slept with.

Carlos must have seen these thoughts play out because his smile faltered. "Babe, what are you thinking?"

"What if I'm bad in bed? What if we are not compatible?"

"I find that hard to believe. You turn me on just by looking at me, and when Johnny interrupted us last Sunday, I was ready to combust. But if you're really worried about it, you can wait until we make love before agreeing to my proposal."

I looked at Carlos and thought about what he said. It was a good idea, and the simple fact that he was offering this compromise made me realise how much I wanted him. I excused myself for a moment and went into the bathroom. As I passed my closet, the sexy negligee I bought a few weeks ago with Carlos in mind, caught my eye. I grinned and grabbed it as I went into the bathroom.

I put the negligee on underneath the hoodie I was wearing and went back out to the living room. Carlos was leaning against the end of the sofa with his legs stretched out in front of him. Instead of sitting at his feet, I straddled his waist and kissed him. At first, he was surprised by my forwardness, but he eagerly joined in, kissing me ferociously.

I raised my hips up and ran my hands down his chest, pulling his t-shirt from his jeans. I then ran my hands under his shirt up along his stomach, all while maintaining our passionate kiss. My hands were roaming his smooth skin, and after a few moments of exploration, I moved my left hand lower until I felt his hard length through his jeans.

Carlos breathed in quickly at my touch and managed to say, "See what you do to me Babe?" against my lips.

I moaned as he pulled me down on top of him so my hands were trapped between us. He pulled back and said, "Babe, as much as I want you right here and right now, I'm not sure it's such a great idea. I don't want to pressure you into this just because you're worried I won't want to marry you."

"That's not it at all Carlos. We always seem to get interrupted, so I'm just seizing the moment. We can close the door at the bottom of the stairs and then move this into my bedroom if you'd feel more comfortable."

Carlos sat up and stood, keeping me held tight to him. I wrapped my legs around his waist and let him carry me as he closed the door at the bottom of the stairs and then walked us into the bedroom. After closing the door, he turned and pinned me to the wall, kissing me as if his life depended on it. I returned the kiss with everything I had and was completely lost in the sensations of his mouth and body.

Carlos pulled back to catch his breath and let my legs slide to the floor. The then reached down and pulled his t-shirt over his head and then proceeded to pull my hoodie off. When my top was in his hands, he looked down at the negligee I was wearing.

"Mmmm, I like this Babe, are you wearing it just for me?"

"I put it on when I was in the bathroom a little while ago. I thought about walking out with only this, but I decided that might be a bit too forward."

"God Babe, if you'd have done that, I doubt I'd have made it this long without making a mess in my jeans."

We kissed and rolled around on the bed for a long time. I put every emotion possible into my kisses and Carlos did the same. We started out slow and increased our passion as time progressed. I moaned as my body started to react to his touch and Carlos pulled me close. "If that is all we do tonight, I can promise you that it was better than anything I've ever experienced in my life. I am confident that we are definitely compatible in bed and I'll sleep well tonight, knowing that we've spent the last few hours showing each other how we feel.

I was confused by his statement, but was even more shocked when I looked at the time. We'd been in the bedroom for three hours and it was no nearing midnight. I looked over at a smiling Carlos and cuddled up close to him.

"I still want to make love to you Carlos. I know it's late, and it would be irresponsible to do it now, but I want you to know that I still want it."

"I do too Babe, but we've got time. Tom and I aren't going anywhere until the summer is over. Then we'll have a few weeks after basic training before we're assigned somewhere or deployed somewhere. Come on, let's get some sleep."

I cuddled up beside Carlos and basked in the afterglow of our evening together. Carlos leaned over and kissed me goodnight, and the next thing I knew, the alarm clock was going off, signalling the start of a new day.

The next chapter will be published next Friday. Any feedback is appreciated.