Kate & Harry came to see Remington and Laura off at their hotel before they headed off to the airport. "We’ll see you soon hey mate?" Remington said to his son as he enveloped Harry in a big bear hug and when they finally drew apart, Laura noticed a tear in Remington’s eye as well as Harry’s. They had arranged for Kate to bring him to LA soon to spend some time with his father & Laura. They also bade Kate farewell with hugs, Kate whispering "Good luck," in Remington’s ear as she did so (while Laura gave Harry a hug) and giving him a meaningful smile. They then got into the cab and waved goodbye, Remington leaning into the driver’s window letting him know on the quiet which terminal to take them to before he hopped in the back next to Laura.
Before they knew it at they were at Heathrow Airport. "Oh he’s taken us to the wrong terminal," Laura commented as the cab pulled up outside the Air France terminal instead of the Pan Am one.
"No he hasn’t," Remington replied with a devilish grin as Laura looked at him puzzled. "Well I figure we don’t need to be back in Los Angeles until Monday and you do owe me a weekend in Paris," he quipped as his grin got wider.
"I owe you a weekend in Paris?" Laura asked as he nodded.
"I seem to remember during that case we worked on at Murphy’s college reunion, we made a deal that you would spend a weekend in Paris with me."
"Well as I recall that deal was a draw as we both solved the case at the same time," Laura reminded him with a smile.
"Ah but even so Laura I’ve lived up to my end of the deal – I’ve certainly given you the details of more than one year of my life" he retorted.
She had to give him that she realised and the thought of spending a romantic weekend in Paris with him, the man she loved, was very appealing. She had always wanted to go to Paris as she had never been and the thought that he had gone to all the trouble to surprise her with it tugged straight at her heart strings. "A weekend in Paris it is then Mr Steele," she replied with the dimpled smile he loved as she softly kissed him and they got out of the taxi.
After the short flight they touched down at Charles de Gaulle airport and collected their luggage then caught a cab to the hotel he’d booked for them – a quaint little place on the Left Bank, overlooking the Seine. A smile crossed Remington’s face as he watched Laura’s face light up with delight as she looked at the sights they passed in the cab.
He grabbed her hand as they entered the hotel lobby and he spoke to the concierge in fluent French. Laura looked at him with some surprise – she had never heard him speak French before. ‘This man never ceases to amaze me, she thought with a grin.
"Bonjour Monsieur Steele, Mademoiselle Holt – here is your room key", the woman behind the desk greeted them in a mixture of French and English with a smile. They followed the porter who took their bags up to their room on the top floor.
A gasp escaped Laura’s lips as Remington opened the door. The room was large without being overly so and decorated with exquisite antique furniture, Laura made a beeline for the balcony doors and opened them, stepping out to admire the view. After tipping the porter, Remington came up behind her, slipping his arms around her and kissing her cheek. "I take it you approve Laura?" he asked with a smile, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"Are you kidding? I love it!" she exclaimed as she turned her head so she could kiss him on the lips. The kiss quickly deepened as he turned her around to face him and pulled her closer to him. When they finally had to pull away to catch their breath, his blue eyes were smouldering with desire. "I think if we keep this up you might never get to see the sights of Paris Laura," he quipped, cocking an eyebrow at her.
She smiled cheekily at him as she pushed him back inside. "We’ve got plenty of time for sight-seeing Mr Steele. Right now I’d prefer to focus on the sights in here," she murmured as she began to unbutton his shirt and kissed him passionately, leaving him breathless in the process. "We are in the city of love after all," she added seductively as she ran a finger down his chest.
"That we are Miss Holt, that we are," he replied with a grin, his lips finding hers again as they fell back on the bed together, Remington thinking to himself, if I’d known Paris would have this effect on her I would have brought her ages ago.
Sometime later they finally emerged from their room, the woman at the concierge desk giving them a knowing smile as they passed her. They took in some of the major tourist attractions – the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre. "Well this is a novelty – going in the front door," Remington remarked with a grin as they waited in line to get into the museum. Laura rolled her eyes at him and laughed "I don’t want to know," as he laughed as well.
They ate lunch at a quaint little café in one of the side streets off the beaten path that Remington knew so well, before going on a cruise down the Seine. "Thank you for this," Laura said with a smile - it was the perfect way to relax after the emotionally intense week they’d had in London.
"My pleasure," he replied with a smile as he put an arm around her, pulling her close to him as they sat together on the boat.
"Oh we definitely have to go there," Laura stated, pointing at the Eiffel Tower as they passed near it.
A smile crossed Remington’s face as he replied "And we shall my love but I was thinking we could go there tonight – the view is much more spectacular at night with the city lights and everything." She nodded in agreement, leaning back against him contentedly.
After leaving the boat they wandered down the Champs Elysees arm in arm. After a while Remington stopped then said, "Laura, I have a couple of things to do so how about you do some shopping and I’ll meet you back here say in an hour."
She gave him a questioning look. "What do you have to do?" she asked him as he looked a little sheepish. "What happened to our ’no secrets’ policy huh?" she reminded him, wondering if he was slipping back into old habits of keeping things from her.
"All will be revealed my love – trust me," he replied, flashing her a lopsided grin and with a mischievous gleam in his blue eyes. "I’ll see you back here in an hour," he added as he gave her a quick kiss then walked off, leaving her standing there wondering what on earth he was up to.
Remington headed towards the Eiffel Tower and approached one of the security guards as a broad smile crossed his face. "Sacre bleu! Well if it isn’t John Morrell!" the man exclaimed as he saw him approach.
"Bonjour Pierre," Remington greeted him as they shook hands and then the French man embraced him fondly.
"It’s been a long time – so what brings you back to Paris mon ami? The art perhaps?" Pierre asked, giving his old friend a knowing look, knowing full well of his former ‘activities’ in the art world.
Remington shook his head. "Nothing like that mate," he quipped with a grin as Pierre laughed. "Believe it or not I’ve trodden the straight and narrow for the past three and a half years – no more heists for me. I even went in the front door of the Louvre today and came out empty handed would you believe?" he laughed as did Pierre.
"Oh I thought I would never the see the day my friend – you? And what pray tell has caused you to make an honest man of yourself?" Pierre asked with a grin, quite amazed at his revelation.
"Not what, but who," Remington replied meaningfully as Pierre nodded understandingly and then laughed again.
"Ah I see. Am I to take it a young lady has finally snared your heart? You – who could never be tied down to one woman?"
By the happy grin on Remington’s face Pierre knew he’d guessed correctly. "That’s what I need your help with actually my friend," Remington went on as he told Pierre of his plans for that evening, a smile crossing the other man’s face.
"I think I can help you out John," he replied.
"Good man," Remington said with a smile as he slapped him on the back.
"How did you know I was working here by the way?" Pierre asked him curiously.
"I ran into Henri in the South of France a while back. We caught up on what all the ‘old gang’ were doing," Remington informed him, then asked with a laugh. "Speaking of turning one’s life around – how did you get to be a security guard?"
"Well you’re not the only one to turn over a new leaf. Who better to look after security than one who used to regularly thwart it hey?" Pierre replied with a grin. They chatted for a while longer then Remington looked at his watch and realised he’d better get back to Laura.
"Till tonight then," Pierre bid him farewell with a grin that Remington returned as he thanked him & headed off.
"I see you’ve done a bit of shopping Laura," he remarked with a smile as he came up to her, thinking what an understatement, as he looked at the various bags & boxes she had with her.
"Well just a little," she replied a bit sheepishly. "But how often does a girl get to shop in Paris?" she added with a grin. He picked up one of the bags and went to peek inside it but she slapped his hand away playfully. "No peeking," she admonished him with a fake stern look. "You’re not the only one with a few surprises up their sleeve," she added, giving him a sultry look that shook him to the core as a grin crossed his face.
"Oh I love surprises," he replied with a boyish grin, his imagination running a bit wild, thinking about what items of clothing she may have bought, as he pulled her into his arms & kissed her.
"So did you do what you had to?" she asked curiously when they finally drew apart.
"Yes I did thanks," he replied nonchalantly, knowing that his evasiveness was driving her crazy. Always the detective my Miss Holt, he thought to himself. "C’mon let’s head back to the hotel - we’ve got dinner at 7," he told her as he picked up some of her shopping bags & boxes, not saying anything further about what he’d been up to.
As she watched him out of the corner of her eye as they walked along she knew she wasn’t going to get anything more out of him, no matter how she tried until he was ready to tell her. She could tell from the grin on his face that he was enjoying immensely her frustration at not knowing. She also caught a hint of something else in his expression and gestures as well as they walked along – nervousness perhaps? She wondered quizzically to herself what he could be feeling nervous about.
They got back to the hotel and dressed for dinner, Laura disappearing with a couple of the shopping bags into the bathroom for what to Remington seemed like ages. His wait was worth it though when she came back out. He was just checking his watch for the umpteenth time, fidgeting nervously as he did so and feeling again the little box he had secreted away in the inside pocket of his tux when the bathroom door opened and Laura emerged.
She was wearing a floor length, scarlet red (his favourite colour on her), off the shoulder gown with a split up the side that showed off her legs which he caught a glimpse of gartered stockings on, which brought a mischievous grin to his face. She had put her hair up in a bun with a few wisps delicately framing her face. Gold earrings adorned her ears which matched the heart pendant she wore around her neck, the one he had given her a while back. All in all, Remington thought she looked delectable.
Her eyes sparkled at him and a dimpled smile crossed her face at the look on his, as his eyes travelled over every last inch of her. "I gather by the look on your face Mr Steele that you approve," she stated cheekily. Remington found his voice which he had momentarily lost as he took in the beautiful sight of his beloved Laura, the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
"Oh yes I approve Miss Holt – very much so," he replied, his voice husky and his eyes turning a deep cobalt blue. With that he took her into his arms and kissed her, a kiss filled with such an intoxicating combination of both tenderness and desire that Laura gladly lost herself in the kiss, in his blue eyes, in him – the man that she loved and that she knew she would love for the rest of her life.
When they finally and rather reluctantly drew apart, a dazzling smile crossed his face. "Why the smile?" Laura inquired.
"Why wouldn’t I smile Laura? I’m in Paris with a beautiful woman – the woman I love. What’s not to smile about eh?" he replied as she returned his smile with one of her own.
"Shall we?" he motioned to the door as she nodded and grabbed her purse. As they walked past the concierge desk the attendant smiled at the handsome couple as they went out the front door of the hotel. Remington gave their destination to the taxi driver, again in fluent French.
"Just how many languages do you speak?" Laura asked with a laugh as he grinned at her.
"Oh enough to get by in quite a few – I’ve picked up a bit here and there over the years," he replied as he covered one of her hands with his, absently playing with her fingers, in particular her ring finger.
Before too long they arrived at their destination – one of the top French restaurants in Paris. They were shown to their table and brought glasses of champagne. "What shall we toast to?" Laura asked with a smile as she picked up her champagne glass.
"How about new beginnings?" Remington replied, his eyes holding hers intently as he picked up his own glass and clinked it with Laura’s. As they ate dinner their eyes never left each other as they talked and laughed, enjoying each other’s company. "You look absolutely beautiful tonight Laura," Remington remarked with an appreciative smile which she returned.
"Thanks – you don’t look so bad yourself," she replied with a smile as she took in the sight of him, looking so dashing and debonair in his white tux jacket, with matching shirt, black bow tie and pants.
After finishing their delicious dinner and dessert they left the restaurant and walked along the Seine arm in arm. "Oh I just love Paris – it’s so elegant and romantic," Laura exclaimed as she clung onto him and Remington smiled, hoping his plans for the rest of the evening would go smoothly. Before they knew it they found themselves near the Eiffel Tower but as they got closer they saw people walking away from it, with disappointed looks on their faces. "Don’t bother folks - the lifts are closed for urgent maintenance," a passing tourist informed them as they went to walk up to the entrance.
"Oh no – what a shame. I was so looking forward to going up to the top," Laura stated in a disappointed tone.
"Don’t worry – I know a back way," Remington replied with a grin as he grabbed her hand and took her around the base to the back of the tower. He spied his old friend Pierre who waved him over. "Follow me please," Pierre said to them both, sharing a sly wink with Remington as he did so. They followed him to one of the lifts as he held the door open for them.
"I don’t understand – I thought the lifts were closed for maintenance?" Laura asked, a little confused. "They are – for everyone but you two Mademoiselle," Pierre replied with a grin.
"What...? Did you arrange this?" she asked Remington with a laugh as he tried to play innocent.
"Me?" he grinned as he playfully hit him.
"Enjoy the sights of Paris," Pierre stated as he took Laura’s hand in his and kissed it as he grinned at Remington who gave him a pretend dirty look.
"Hey I saw her first," he joked as Pierre quipped "Ah my old friend that may be the case, but everyone knows that French men make the best lovers."
"Oh is that so?" Remington laughed. "Get out of here you old Casanova," he added fondly as Pierre laughed then pushed the button for the top floor for them then closed the gate of the lift. "Enjoy the city of love!" he called to them as the lift ascended, Laura excitedly holding onto Remington as he put an arm around her and tried to calm his nerves.
It didn’t take them long to reach the top floor. Remington held the lift door open as Laura thanked him and stepped out onto the viewing platform, a delighted gasp escaping her lips as she took in the view of the lights of Paris below. "Oh Rem it’s beautiful!" she exclaimed.
"Yes it is a beautiful view... simply exquisite," he agreed but his eyes were on Laura rather than the view. He wrapped his arms around her from behind as she leant back into him.
"So this was what you were organising this afternoon huh?" she asked with a smile.
"Guilty as charged," he replied with a lopsided grin as he planted a kiss on top of her head. They stood there like that for a few minutes, Remington trying to work up the courage to carry out the final bit of his plan.
Slipping his arms from around her he bent down suddenly and Laura thought at first he was tying his shoelace or had dropped something. "Did you lose something?" she asked as she turned around to find him down on one knee.
"Yes... my heart," he replied, as he looked up at her, his blue eyes shining with love and devotion and she looked at him a little puzzled at first and then as he pulled a little box out from his jacket pocket, she realised he was proposing to her. Her hand flew to her mouth in surprise as tears sprung to her eyes and the lopsided grin that she loved crossed his face.
"Laura I think I fell in love with you that day I first walked into the agency and you told me quite firmly that you weren’t a secretary. And I think every day since then I have fallen in love with you more and more. I know it took me quite a while to admit it and we’ve certainly had our share of ups and downs but well... here we are. As I said to you a few months ago I don’t want to run anymore Laura – I want to build a life with you and my son and hopefully some children of our own. I know we’ve only been together in the truest sense of the word for a short while but I think we’ve wasted enough time over the years don’t you? So, I guess what I‘m trying to say is... Laura Elizabeth Holt, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife and making me the happiest man in the world?" Remington stated as he opened up the box to reveal a stunning ring inside with a gem of the deepest blue colour, like a piece of the sky. He looked hopefully at her, feeling like his whole life and his future happiness had come down to this point.
Laura looked at him, totally stunned as she felt her happy tears fall down her face. "Yes.. yes, of course I will," she replied, her voice trembling with emotion as his grin got even wider, not quite believing at first what she had said.
"You will?" he asked a little incredulously, not daring to believe it.
"Yes," she repeated as her smile spread across her face and her deep brown eyes twinkled at him. With that she pulled him up into her arms and kissed him in such a way that left him in no doubt as to her answer. When they finally drew apart, he smiled at her then with slightly trembling hands he took the ring out of the box then took her left hand in his and placed it on her ring finger.
Laura admired it for a moment "It’ s beautiful Rem," she remarked as she took a closer look at it, then a gasp escaped her lips. "That’s not…?" she asked as he grinned at her.
"Royal Lavulite?" he finished her question. "Yes actually it is – acquired quite legitimately I might add, to allay any fears you may have. I heard a while back of some pieces coming on the market so I decided to invest in one for the future... for our future," he explained as he covered her hand with his own. "I thought it was rather poetic – so you always have a reminder of the case that brought us together," he added with a smile.
"Thank you," she replied genuinely as they shared another long, lingering kiss, full of promise and hope.
"I’d give you the world if I could," Remington murmured as he gently tilted her chin up to face him. Laura reached a hand up to caress his cheek.
"You already have Rem," she reassured him with a smile as he raised an eyebrow at her.
"Really? How so?" he asked, a little perplexed.
"You gave me you and you are my world and I can’t think of anything that would make me happier than sharing the rest of my life with you," she replied as he held her to him, enveloping her in his strong arms.
They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity before Remington smiled and said "I suppose we better let everyone else come back up here eh?" as Laura laughed and nodded.
"Thank you for arranging all this – it was just perfect," she said sincerely.
"I wanted to make it perfect for you," he admitted with a smile and a twinkle in his blue eyes.
"Well you certainly did that," Laura confirmed, her smile mirroring his, as with their arms around each other they hopped into the lift and headed back down to the ground. They then decided to walk back along the banks of the Seine to their hotel, looking forward to beginning their life together.
****************************************************************
When they got back to their hotel room Remington took off his tux and tugged off his bow tie, unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt, his eyes never leaving Laura and the smile never leaving his face. Laura returned the smile as he came up to her and took her into his arms. "Have I told you how happy you’ve made me Laura?’ he said sincerely as he gazed into her eyes.
"I think you might have," Laura replied with a grin then added, "but feel free to tell me again," as she linked her arms around his neck.
"Oh I can do better than that – I can show you," he replied with the lopsided grin she loved as he brought his lips to hers and they kissed, tenderly at first, taking their time as he pulled her against him.
Laura ran a hand through his thick hair as his hands found the zip of her dress and ever so slowly pulled it down, leaving Laura breathless in the process. With a mischievous grin Laura let the dress fall to the ground and stepped out of it, clad only in her heels and the white lingerie she had bought earlier that day. Remington swallowed hard as he looked at her, a boyish grin crossing his face as his eyes travelled over her.
Laura stepped closer to him and ran a finger down his cheek. "I gather you like your surprise?" Rendered momentarily speechless he could only nod as he ran a hand over the satin and lace covering her. Laura trembled a little at his touch - he seemed to instinctively know just where to touch her to reduce her to jelly. God she was looking forward to spending a lifetime with this man, she thought to herself as a dimpled smile spread across her face.
"Why the smile my love?" Remington asked as he began planting little kisses over her face before trailing down her neck.
"Just the thought of spending a lifetime of moments like this with you," Laura replied, her brown eyes twinkling at him as she undid a few more buttons on his shirt.
"Oh I like the sound of that," he murmured with a devilish wiggle of his eyebrows.
With that, his hand travelled down to Laura’s garter belt before he unclipped her stockings as she pushed his shirt off him and ran her hands through the thick, dark hair on his chest, marvelling a little at the fact she was now engaged to be married to this wonderful, gorgeous man. His eyes that were now darkened with passion, never leaving hers, Remington then dropped to his knees in front of her as he began slowly rolling her stockings down her legs, the effect he was having on her mirrored by the effect she was having on him. Laura held her breath momentarily as she waited to see what he would do next, as he leisurely kissed his way up one of her legs, leaving her trembling with need.
"Rem..," she murmured huskily as he flashed her a cheeky grin.
"Yes Laura?" he whispered seductively, knowing what she wanted, what she needed, but enjoying teasing her a bit. Her evident desire for him was matched only by his for her as he tried to ignore the throbbing in his own groin, willing himself to take his time and make this a night they would never forget.
"Please," the word escaped her lips as a choked whisper, knowing the exquisite ecstasy, he and only he, her beloved Remington, could give her.
"My pleasure," he replied as he cocked an eyebrow at her and obliged her, removing the rest of her lingerie, as his hands and mouth travelled over her and she felt as if her legs would buckle underneath her.
"That’s it my love – let go," Remington urged her on as she moaned against him, grabbing onto his hair as he expertly took her over the edge, and she cried out his name, holding onto him for dear life. When she came back down to earth he stood up and gathered her up in his arms. "You never look more beautiful Laura than when you... reach that magical moment," he whispered in her ear with a chuckle as she felt the colour rising in her cheeks and he tenderly traced one of her cheeks with a long slender finger. "And you look beautiful when you blush too," he added with a smile which she returned as he carried her over to the bed and gently laid her down on it, kicking off his shoes and socks as he did so.
She pulled him down to her with a satisfied smile. "You certainly are a man of many talents Mr Steele," she whispered as she traced a finger over his chest.
"Well I aim to please," he quipped with a grin as his mouth found hers. With that she playfully flipped him onto his back and in response to his questioning look she said with a promising look,
"Your turn Rem." as her hands travelled down to his belt and she ran a hand over his very obvious arousal.
"Laura..." he muttered under his strained breath as she undid his zip with maddening slowness.
"Yes what Mr Steele?" she echoed his earlier words to her as he grinned at her.
"You know very well what Miss Holt," he laughed huskily as she began tugging his trousers and then his briefs down. A groan escaped his lips as his body reacted to her touch as hers had done to him. She continued to drive him crazy as she zeroed in on that point on his neck just below his ear, as he pulled her on top of him, running a hand leisurely up and down her back. As her hand travelled south and caressed him he knew he couldn’t hold off much longer. Knowing him as she did now, Laura knew it too as a mischievous gleam lit up her brown eyes.
"What do you want Rem?" she whispered in his ear as she nibbled on it and he felt a shudder go through him, thinking to himself, my God, what this woman does to me.
"I want you Laura... all of you... and only you... forever,’ he confessed, his eyes holding hers intently as he grabbed her and rolled them over again, their bodies merging into one, hitting the peak together not too long afterwards. Remington held onto Laura like he’d never let her go, burying his head in her neck as he whispered "I love you Laura,".
"I love you too Rem," Laura replied with a smile as she reached up and brushed a stray hair off his face.
As they lay together basking in the afterglow Remington idly caressed the ring finger on her left hand, as she admired the engagement ring he had given her earlier that night. "You like it?" he asked with a grin.
"Are you kidding me Rem – I love it!" Laura exclaimed as she kissed him tenderly then rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his heart, knowing he would never let her go…
To Part 1-7