You're Steele In My Dreams

Note: Rated NC-17 NOT for young readers!

"Well, I'm going home now," Mildred Krebs announced to her employers as she put on her cape.

"Hot date tonight, Mildred?" Laura Holt asked as she sat on the sofa in Mr. Steele's office.

"No way, Miss Holt. After THIS week, all I want to do is go home, take a long, hot bath and get some sleep."

"Sounds like a WONDERFUL idea," Laura agreed, closing her eyes and putting her head back. "Have fun."

"See you two kids on Monday," Mildred said, leaving the room.

Remington Steele sat next to Laura, his expression thoughtful. "I don't know about you, but I'm famished. Care to join me for dinner, Laura?"

Laura opened one eye to look at him. "You're NOT going to tell me you have the energy to fix one of your gourmet delights this evening, Mr. Steele."

"Don't worry. Two embezzlement cases and a murder are more than enough to keep me out of the kitchen. No, I thought we could go to Che Rive. I can call Claude and make sure the table's free-"

"I'm not sure that I have the energy to even get up and go home to change clothes," Laura muttered as he reached across to pick up the telephone.

"Claude, Remington Steele here. Would Miss Holt and I be able to-" He smiled. "Bless you, Claude." He looked at his watch. "An hour? Perfect. We'll be there." Standing up, he pulled Laura to her feet. "You have precisely an hour to make yourself presentable, Laura," he said. "Although, your current appearance is more than adequate," he assured her, retaining her hand in his.

"Not for Che Rive," Laura reminded him. "I'll meet you there-"

"I'll pick you up," he told her as they moved toward the exit.

************

Claude seated them immediately, and the waiter opened the bottle of champagne, pouring two glasses. "What shall we drink to?" Remington asked, lifting his glass.

"You choose something," Laura responded.

"To a quiet, relaxing evening," he said.

"I'll drink to that," she said, touching her glass to his with a smile. "I can't believe that I didn't see that last clue -" she began, but Remington shook his head.

"Uh, uh, uh," he admonished. "No shop talk tonight. We've been working almost twenty four hours a day for the last five days. Tonight, we leave the office and all its various problems behind us."

"Then what will we talk about?" Laura asked, revealing far more than she realized with that question. Laura Holt defined herself by her work. It was her hiding place from the rest of the world, Remington decided. Well, tonight, he wasn't going to let her play hide and seek. He wasn't up to the chase for once.

Remington looked up as the waiter arrived to take their order, then, once he was gone, he said, "You know, there's a little restaurant in Tahiti that I would love to take you to see sometime. Small, intimate little tables, candle light. They make a crab salad that you would absolutely love."

"Sounds nice," Laura told him, listening and laughing as he told her about the restaurant and the crazy little man who owned it. He was such a wonderful storyteller, she thought, not for the first time. He had a way of making places, people, come to life before her eyes. "My only exposure to Tahiti has been through the movies," she admitted.

"Oh, you have to visit the place to really appreciate it. Paradise. It's the only real word for it. Even now."

"Maybe one day we'll have the chance to go," Laura said, picking up her fork as the waiter brought their food. She wanted to go - and she wanted to go with Remington. She coughed slightly, choking on a piece of food as she realized that she'd thought of him as REMINGTON - not Mr. Steele, as she usually did.

Frowning, Remington prepared to help. "Are you all right?" he asked, his blue eyes full of concern for her.

Laura nodded, taking a drink of water. "Went down- the wrong way," she managed. "I'm fine." Remington. When had he become Remington instead of Mr. Steele? Laura asked herself. She had no idea. She only knew that it was how she thought of him most of the time these days. She was just afraid to say it aloud. Afraid of- giving him that last ounce of power over her, she supposed. Because to admit that he was REALLY Remington Steele would mean admitting that she'd lost her heart to him. That she was in love with her Irish con man turned private detective.

"You're not eating," Remington said gently, touching her hand. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea. You're tired-"

"No. I'm fine," she said again. "Really." To prove it, she took another bite. "You know where I've always wanted to go?" she asked once she swallowed.

"Where?"

"Australia," she told him.

"Ah, the land down under," he said. "Fascinating place. Such contrasts - and there are animals there that are found virtually nowhere else on the earth . . ." As he talked, Remington watched her face while she listened. The day he'd met this woman had been the luckiest day of his life. Because of her, he'd managed to turn his life completely around, to make something of himself, to make a life that didn't include watching over his shoulder for the police, wondering where his next meal was going to come from - he was Remington Steele, and he enjoyed his life. With a few- minor- exceptions, of course. The only dark cloud in his silver lining was the fact that Laura still didn't entirely trust him, still expected that he'd leave her high and dry without warning the way the last man she'd trusted had done. There were times, Remington mused, when he could cheerfully break Wilson Jeffries' neck for the hell he'd put Laura through. She laughed at his description of his one and only meeting with a kangaroo, and Remington decided he'd never tire of hearing that sound. Even if it took the rest of his life, he would wait for Laura. She was worth it.

**********

As they approached the limo, he asked, "How about coming back to my place? We could open some wine, watch some movies-"

She smiled at him as he opened the door for her. "Sounds wonderful," she admitted, "but I'm afraid I wouldn't be very good company. I'm awfully tired-" Laura put a hand on his arm as he joined her in the limo. "Maybe tomorrow night-?" she suggested.

Remington pursed his lips, then nodded. "I understand." He leaned forward. "Miss Holt's apartment, Fred."

"Thank you for dinner," Laura said. "And the conversation."

"My pleasure," he told her, pulling her to his side.

"This is nice," she said softly, snuggling closer.

Remington dropped a light kiss on the top of her head. He could wait.

As Fred brought the car to a stop before the converted warehouse, then opened the door, Laura stopped Remington before he could get out. "You don't have to walk me up," she said. "I know how much you hate those stairs."

He nodded again, kissing her hand before letting it go. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"I'll expect it. Good night - Mr. Steele."

"Sweet dreams," he returned.

"You too." She entered the building, aware that he wouldn't let Fred pull away until he saw the light go on in her apartment. So she took the flights as quickly as she could, ignoring her tired body's protest. Sliding the door open, she flipped the switch to illuminate the room, then went to the window in time to see the limo pull away from the curb. "Good night- Remington," she said softly, touching the glass.

Moving toward the raised bedroom area, Laura began removing her clothes. A hot shower sounded just the thing, she decided.

**********

Remington entered his apartment, tossing his dinner jacket over the back of the sofa before sitting heavily beside it. At least they'd spent an entire evening without arguing once, without Laura taking him to task for a mistake - real OR imagined. They were making SOME progress, he reasoned, putting his head back against the soft fabric and closing his eyes. Right now, he was too tired to even go to bed. He'd just rest here for a moment until he felt up to getting undressed and taking a shower.

"Wake up, Remington," Laura said, dropping tiny kisses along his jaw, her hair tickling the sensitive skin of his neck. Remington opened his eyes to find himself staring into the dark, bottomless eyes of Laura. "Laura? What are you doing here?" "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have said no - I just -" she dropped another kiss on his forehead. "I didn't understand." "Understand what?" Remington asked, wishing HE could understand what was going on. He'd left Laura at her place, then come home, yet here she was, at his side. "That I've been a fool," she said. "A complete, total fool. I've been so busy worrying about who you were, where you came from, that you'd leave, that I've pushed you away." "And if you knew my name?" Remington asked. "Would it make any difference? If you knew everything there is to know about me?" "I don't care anymore," Laura told him softly, placing her hand over his lips to stop him. "All I know is that you're here- you've been here for four years. And as for your name- I already know that." Remington looked down at her, pulling her into his arms. "You do?" Laura nodded solemnly. "You're Remington Steele. That's the only thing that really matters. I'm tired of playing it safe, Remington. I want this relationship to move forward. We still seem to be stuck in the same place we've been in for three years." She unfastened the top buttons of his shirt, slipping her fingers inside the fabric. "I won't even ask for any promises -" "And what if I want to give them to you?" Remington asked. "What if I'm ready for a committment? To tell you that I-" This time it wasn't Laura's hand that silenced him, but her lips on his. Remington put his arms around her, holding her as close as possible, aware that she HAD to know how much he wanted her. "If this is another game, Laura -" She slipped from his arms to stand before him. "No games, Remington. Not anymore," she promised as she slowly began to unbutton her blouse, then removed it, tossing it to him. It took a moment for him to realize that she was finally showing him that side of her that had been buried with Wilson's desertion. Her skirt came next, and as he caught it, Remington smiled. She was doing a version of her strip tease- the very thing that had sent the staid banker running. As she kicked off her shoes, she laughed, and turned toward the bedroom, the strap of her beige teddy slipping from her shoulder. "Coming, Remy?" she asked, her eyes flashing with open invitation. Remington didn't have to be asked twice. He followed her into the bedroom, finding her kneeling in the center of his bed. "Laura, I -" She grabbed the ends of his tie as he leaned close to her. "You talk too much, Remington," she said, dragging him onto the bed- and into a kiss that left him breathless. She slipped the tie from his collar and tossed it across the room, then finished unfastening his shirt, pulling it from his trousers to place her hands against the heated flesh of his back. Remington groaned as her hands slipped beneath the waistband of his pants, gently kneading his hips as he lowered his head to her shoulder, slipping the other strap down with his teeth, then began placing soft kisses on her scented skin. Laura drew back to lift her arms from the straps, then ran her fingers through the dark, curling hair on Remington's chest as his lips captured hers in a hungry kiss. Their lips parted, and their tongues met in a silent duel as he slid the silk down her body before cupping her breasts in his hands. Now it was Laura's turn to moan, and her fingers quickly found the fastening of his trousers and lowered the zipper before slipping inside to encircle him. Smiling, she pushed him onto his back, slipping her teddy the rest of the way off, then doing the same for his pants and silk boxer shorts. Her hands found him again as she knelt over his lean body, and she leaned forward to kiss him, revelling in the touch of his hands on her skin, the way the hair on his tickled her breasts, teasing them into peaks that Remington pulled her up to suckle gently. At last Laura sat up, positioning herself over his hardness. Remington's hand slid from her breasts to the soft, curling hair low on her flat belly, easily finding the tiny bud he sought. Laura moaned, slowly lowering herself onto him. She felt incredible, and it was all Remington could do not to move, to give her time to adjust to him. At last he was fully sheathed inside her warmth, and he kept one hand where it was, lifting the other one to her breasts, alternating his attention between them as Laura began to move up and down. "That's it," he breathed. "That's my beautiful love. Don't force it," he whispered, letting her take the lead. Laura reached down to pull him into a sitting position, and Remington wrapped his arms around her, kissing and sucking on her breasts. Finally, he braced his hands behind him, replying to her thrusts with ones of his own, watching her face. "Oh, GOD, Remy!" she cried out. "I'm - cumming," she said, her body going rigid against him. "I love you," she whispered, tears slipping from her tightly closed eyes. "I love you," he said in return, pulling her down to him, kissing her again and again before deftly rolling over so that he was on top of Laura. Putting his weight on his arms, he began thrusting into her. "I love you," he said again, his blue eyes on hers. "Forever and forever," he promised. He felt his member jerk, and he grunted as he emptied his essence into her. Collapsing beside her, Remington closed his eyes, exhausted. "I love you," he said once more, his hand resting on her still heaving breast. He'd get some sleep, and then they'd talk. They had all the time in the world, now . . .

Remington jerked awake, looking around the living room as if uncertain of where he was. Laura. Had she been here? he wondered. Or had it simply been a dream? A WONDERFUL dream, most assuredly. But still a dream.

He sighed, running his hand over his face. This had to stop. He had to do something to make Laura realize how much he loved her. And now was as good a time as any, he decided, picking up his jacket and heading for the door.

**********

After her shower, Laura found that the thought of going to her solitary, lonely bed unappealing, so she curled up on the sofa and turned on a movie. She wasn't even sure what movie it was, something about a woman being uncertain about whether the man she loved would stay if they made love. She put her head down against the arm of the sofa. "Sounds familiar," she sighed. "If only I could be sure he won't leave," Laura sighed, her eyes drifting closed. "That he'd still be here tomorrow- and the day after that-"

"Really, Laura," Abigail said, sighing in frustration. "I don't know WHAT I'm going to do with you. You're almost thirty years old and not a prospect in sight. The longer you wait, dear, the harder time you're going to have finding someone." Laura opened her eyes in frustration. "Mother, who said I WANT to get married?" she insisted. "Maybe I'm happy with my life the way it is. At least THIS way, I don't have to worry about being left again, the way Daddy and Wilson left me." "Laura, you can't live your life being afraid of being left alone," Abigail pointed out. "That's only going to insure that you WILL end up alone." She sat down beside Laura. "Your father didn't leave you, dear, he left me." "But he didn't come back," Laura reminded her. "No phone calls, no letters-" "Because he didn't want to see me," Abigail insisted. "Your father loved you, Laura. "I sometimes think you were the only person he really DID care about." "And what about Wilson?" Laura asked. "He left ME." "Wilson left you because he realized that he couldn't force you to be the woman he needed you to be. He was more concerned with his career than with his personal life. You've become just like him. And unless you realize that you HAVE to take some risks with your life, you're going to end up alone, and bitter, and-" "NO!" Laura insisted, squeezing her eyes shut and putting her hands over her ears in an effort to block out her mother's words. When she opened her eyes, she wasn't in her loft any longer, but on a beach. Someone touched her face, and Laura looked up to find Remington there, smiling down at her. "You're here," she said. "I'm always here," he reminded her. "And I always WILL be," he said, drawing her to walk along the sandy beach at his side. "I just wish you could learn to trust me." "I want to," she said. "I want-" she stopped, turning to look up at him. "I want you," she finished, sliding her arms around his neck to kiss him, feeling his arms go around her to prolong the kiss. "Oh, Remington," she sighed as his hands covered her breasts through the sweater she was wearing. Even through the fabric, she could feel the heat emanating from him, warming her, making her feel safe and secure. They both went to their knees on the blanket that was laying nearby, and Laura lifted her arms as Remington stripped off the sweater, leaving her naked to his hungry gaze. Nervous, she tried to cover herself, but he shook his head, drawing her hands away. "You're beautiful. Perfect. Don't ever be ashamed of your body, Laura," he whispered, lowering his head to find her breasts with his mouth and tongue as he pushed her back onto the waiting blanket. Laura closed her eyes, losing herself in the sensations, the sound of the surf, the feel of Remington's hands and mouth on her skin - "All right, Laura," Remington said, in a tired voice that wasn't muffled by the sound of the ocean crashing onto the beach not far away. Opening her eyes, Laura realized she was in the office, face to face with an angry Remington. Buy why was he angry? she wondered. "If the only thing that will make you trust me enough to admit that you love me is for me to tell you my name, then I'll do it." "You will?" Laura asked. He came to her, standing bare inches away. "My name is --"

BUZZZ! BUZZZZ!

Laura lifted her head as she realized that someone was pressing her doorbell. "Damn!" she muttered. "Even in my DREAMS I can't find out his real name!" she ground out, standing up and tightening the belt of her robe as the door buzzer went off again. "All right! I'm coming!" she called. Sliding the door open, she froze. "Rem - Mr. Steele?" He didn't say a word, just pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It was a kiss like none he'd ever given her before, one that demanded a response, then cajoled gently, then rewarded her for responding with an even deeper kiss. It left Laura shaken to her core, and if she hadn't been held tighly against him, her knees wouldn't have supported her. The kiss had turned every bone in her body into water. When it ended, Laura pressed her cheek to his chest. "Even in my dreams, Mr. Steele, I can't find out your real name- -"

Remington reached behind them and closed the door, then tilted her face up to his with a gentle finger. "Don't think about that now, Laura," he said. "I'm here. And I'm YOUR Remington Steele, and I'm never going to leave you, no matter what you say, no matter what you do, no matter how many times you tell me to go, I won't. Because I love you."

Laura's heart felt as if it might burst with happiness. "I was going to say that it doesn't really matter what your name is," she said. "I'm so glad you came over. I was too afraid to go to your place earlier, afraid that I wouldn't be able to say no to you. I've been a fool, Remington. And I'm sorry. But you're here now, almost as if somene had given us a second chance." She smiled at him. "Are you REALLY here?" she asked. "Or am I still dreaming about you?"

"Oh, I'm here," he assured her, giving her another kiss on her swollen lips. "And I don't plan on going anywhere."

Laura stepped back and slowly untied the belt of her robe, revealing that she wasn't wearing anything beneath it. Remington lifted a shaking hand to touch her, sliding the robe from her shoulders, going to his knees to put his arms around her waist and rest his head on her stomach. "You're beautiful, Laura. You're the most perfect woman I've ever seen," he assured her, lifting his blue eyes to hers. "And I want to spend the rest of my days proving it to you."

She smiled and bent to capture his lips, pulling him back to his feet. "I think you're a trifle overdressed, don't you, Remington?" she asked, a teasing light in her eyes that Remington had seen all too infrequently. And he was going to do everything in his power to make sure it stayed there, he decided, watching as she began to unbutton his shirt, pressing kisses onto his skin as his chest was revealed. She ran her fingers through the dark hair, circling his male nipples, and Remington forced himself not to pick her up and drag her to the bed behind them. They had the rest of their lives, after all. A lifetime of discovering about each other's bodies - her hand dipped lower, brushing against his manhood, Remington's hips jerked in response to that light caress, and he saw her eyes widen in delighted surprise. He closed his eyes, searching for his control. It felt so GOOD for her to finally be touching him, to not have to worry about her reaction to his hardness. He felt her fingers unfasten his pants, sliding them down, along with his shorts, and then he felt Laura sliding down his body, going to her knees.

"Laura- you don't -"

She pushed his hands away as he tried to pull her back to her feet, and he went backward, the cold metal of the door against his hips as Laura's mouth captured him inside. He groaned, his hands either side of him, pressed flat against the coolness of the metal as he tried to retain some semblance of control. But Laura never gave him a chance. She took him as far as she could, then pulled back, grasping his tightening balls in her fingers. Faster and faster, until Remington's breath was coming in short gasps. "Oh, God, Laura," he cried out as his hips jerked. Laura remained where she was, taking it all, enjoying doing this for him. Wilson had never liked her to do it, but it was something she had fantasized about doing to Remington for a long time. At last she released him, letting him pull her back to her feet, feeling him shaking as much as she was. "That was- I don't know what to say-"

"Then I did okay?" she asked. "I mean, I've never really done that before-"

Remington closed his eyes, holding her head to his chest, his own head resting against the door. "You were WONDERFUL," he assured her, then opened his eyes to look at her. "Never?" he asked.

"Wilson didn't like it-" she said in a soft, small voice.

"The man ought to be shot," Remington pronounced, then stepped out of his shoes and trousers to pick Laura up and start walking toward the stairs. "He wasn't good enough for you, Laura. Hell, I'M not good enough for you."

Laura placed a hand to his lips as he lowered her to her feet beside the bed. "Shh. You happen to be talking about the man I love," she told him.

"You do?" he asked. "I mean - I hoped, -" His eyes searched her face, then he pulled her into his arms. "Oh, Laura. I love you so much that it's almost frightening. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Anyway you'll have me."

"Well," Laura said, pushing his shirt from his shoulders to let it fall onto the floor, "At the moment, I want you in my bed," she told him. "We'll talk about anything else later." She smiled, leading him to the bed. "After all, we've got all weekend before we have to be back at work, don't we?"

"Mmm," Remington agreed, burying his face in her hair as they fell onto the bed. "Two whole days," he sighed. "Just you and me-"

Laura pushed him onto the bed and followed him down, feeling his hardness against her thigh. Lifting herself on her knees, she was about to lower herself onto him when Remington pulled her head down for a kiss. "I think we're forgetting something," he told her. "In my shirt pocket -" Laura frowned, but reached down to pick up the shirt and retrieved several square, foil packs from the pocket. "I thought you'd want to take precautions-"

She shook her head. "I'm on the pill," she told him. "But thank you for being so thoughtful."

"I try to please, Miss Holt," he said as she rose again over him.

"Oh, you do, Mr. Steele," Laura assured him, slowly lowering herself, closing her eyes. It had been SOO long, she thought. "You DO," she sighed as she felt his fingers moving through her pubic hair. She placed her hands on his shoulders, "Believe me," she gasped, beginning to move slowly against him. "You DO."

As he watched her, Remington knew that his life with this woman would never be easy. But as long as they were together- and in love, nothing could stand in their way. Laura's hands slid over his chest, finding his nipples, causing him to moan.

And the loft was silent except for the soft moans and murmurs of the two lovers, lost in each other.

The end

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