Chapter 27

I slowly walked into the conference room, Tank I saw was sitting in the head chair the one that Ranger sits in or stands behind when he is addressing the men. As I stood there watching him, I was suddenly struck just how small I was compared to him.

"Ranger said you wanted to see me?" I told him as he studied me

Tank didn't say anything which worried me, all he did was scoot his chair back and stand up. I watched as he came around the table and opened his arms up to me, feeling my heart stop and then start again after seeing he was accepting me, tears fell as I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. As I felt his arms come around me and hold me to him there was no other place that I wanted to be then right here in the arms of the man I loved.

"I'm sorry" I heard him say as he held me to his body

"What for?" I asked. The last I knew was that I was the one that had screwed everything up not him. Tank had nothing to be sorry for.

"For blowing up about how our relationship started. I went back to my old ways so that I wouldn't feel the hurt or deal with the issue"

"It's ok, if the shoe was on the other foot I'm sure I wouldn't like it if I was told I was someone's experiment"

"I'm really sorry and I love you I just hope you still love me" I told him as I looked up at him

"I do love you Stephanie"

"Do you hate me?"

"No of course not" he told me and lifted my chin up with his fingers. Tank lowered his mouth to mine and gently began to kiss me. When he pulled back he laid his forehead against mine and looked into my eyes.

"You really had dreams of me?" he asked and I could feel my cheeks grow warm

"Yes, like I told you I hadn't been with anyone in a long time and I was really frustrated so when I went to bed one night I dreamed that you were in my bedroom in my bed making love to me. Your big hands sliding up my leg, my hip, and your mouth on mine" I told him as I placed my lips on his

Tank turned us around as we kissed and sat me on to the conference table, his hands un-tucking my shirt and pushed it up to cup my breast as he deepened the kiss.

"What else?" he asked clearly turned on and wanting more fuel for his fire

"Well during the time we were watching the building, when I was trying to get the wire off when Santos butted into our conversation, you touched me you got me all hot and bothered"

"Goddd" Tank growled out as he lowered me down onto the table and I was pretty sure we were fixing to do it in the RangeMan conference room "You don't know what you did to me then"

"Oh I think I can figure it out" I said as he pressed his body into mine and crashed his mouth to mine

"AHEM!" we heard and looked over to see the guys all standing there with their eyes large and they're mouths open

Oh no this isn't good I thought as Tank stood up and helped me to stand. I yanked my shirt down and hurried to tuck it back into my pants. As I looked over to Tank I just knew he was gonna feel like the guys were gonna make fun of him now and that he allowed a private moment of his be seen. I anticipated and held on waiting for him to blow and lay into the men. To my amazement though and probably to the guys, Tank turned to me, ran a finger down my cheek, and caused me to nervously hold my breath when he turned towards the guys.

"Eat your heart out" he said shocking me and making me gasp as he yanked me to him and claimed my mouth in a deep tongue battling kiss

"Ok that's enough we have a meeting to attend too" We heard Ranger say

When Tank and I pulled away from each other, I didn't know what to say I was just flabbergasted that he hadn't torn the heads off each man standing there.

"I'm so proud of you" I quietly said to him and I really was. Tank was open about how he felt and he wasn't gonna hide that from anyone anymore. He allowed the guys to see it and he also was a little playful something no one has seen a lot of, who knew. I looked at all the guys and they were just as shocked at his transformation as I was.

"You two ok now?" Ranger asked as he came up to the head of the table

"Yea"

"Good now that we got that out of our systems take your seats the meeting is starting"

"Come over after work and we'll have dinner and talk some more ok?"

"Ok, I'll bring dinner" Tank told me and kissed me on the forehead as we parted ways for the meeting

Around six o'clock a knock came to my door, smiling because I knew who it was, I peeped out of my peephole just in case.

"Hi" I said opening the door to Tank

"Hey, I got dinner where do you want it?"

"Coffee table will be just fine" I said eyeing the familiar white plastic bag with the yellow smiley face on it

Tank sat the bag down onto my coffee table that sat in front of my second hand couch. I knew exactly what he had decided to bring and was eagerly watching for him to begin taking out the little white boxes that held heaven from the orient but he didn't. Confused that he wasn't continuing I watched as he left the bag, came to me, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me.

"Mmmm" I moaned as we pulled away

"I love being able to do that" he said

"Me too"

I took my arms down that I had placed around his neck and took his hand to lead him over to the couch to dig into the scrumptious goodness that he had brought. As I sat down and got comfortable, I patted the seat Cushing next to me indicating that I wanted Tank to sit down. As he did I took the book that I had been reading out from behind one of my throw pillows.

"I wanted to show you this" I told him looking at the book that sat in my lap

"All right" he said and I let out a sigh, here goes

"This is the book that I read" I said handing it over to him "the languages that I've been talking about start at chapter four"

"The Five Love Languages, how to express heartfelt commitment to your mate" he said reading over the front cover of the book "Humph I never knew there were such things" he said reading over the back cover

"Me neither until the lady at the bookstore suggested it to me"

"Well how did you do it?" he asked and I took the book back to show him

"Well like I've said I was drinking coffee and saw some of the guys walk by and I began labeling them with the languages that I thought fit them" I said flipping through the pages of the book looking for the first Language " Sooo when you came by I found you to be a challenge"

"Ok" Tank said grinning because he knew why

"Ok so this is how I did it. I started with Language number one which is Words of Affirmation. I would read what it meant and then read the suggestions it had for the language. It old me that this language the tongue has the power of life and of death, that an anxious heart weighs a man down but a kind work cheers him up. It old me to use encouraging words, kind words, and humble words. While I was doing this first language on you, you were doing so well until Les butted in and I had forgotten that I was still wired and broadcasting" I said and watched as his eyes darkened with the memory of Lester

"You did that with the other ones too?"

"Yea basically. The next one was Quality Time and that is when I asked you over for…"

"The movie and pizza?" he asked

"Yea. At that time I knew I had a crush on you but that night when you revealed to me that I was the other thing besides your cats that made you happy, I can't tell you how happy that made me feel"

Tank smiled "Go on" he said wanting to actually hear more

"The next one I did was a hard one for me even though the book said it was the easiest of all the languages"

"What is it?"

"Receiving Gifts. I had no clue what to get you and I wandered the mall for hours. As you know I ended up at your house cat gifts and melty ice cream"

"And almost got yourself killed in the process"

"Yea but that night I learned about a little boy that lost his mom and was abused but turned his circumstances around and became a big, strong, honorable man that I see sitting here with me now. I fell in love with the man who served overseas defending our freedoms and helping those who can't help themselves. I fell in love with the man who lives each day by the Army Core Values that I read on a card in his bedroom after that amazing night we had" I told him and he leaned in and kissed me

"I love you" he said stroking my cheek

"I love you and am in love with you and I want you to know that really at this point I was done with my experiment, it just didn't seem to matter anymore since we came together and opened up to one another so I placed it on the back burner until I saw the book when I was changing for the distraction. I tossed it aside thinking I didn't need it anymore until a thought came to me that I hadn't found you language and so I couldn't stop I had to finish my mission" I explained to him. He should understand he knows what it's like to have a job and seeing to the very end.

"Ok so what was next?"

"Acts of Service" I told him "I think this is your Love Language because of all the service you have preformed for the military and all that you do for RangeMan and how you take care of me and make sure I'm all right but that doesn't go along with the description of the language in the book"

"What is it?" he asked

"It described like you mow your lawn, cook meals, set the table, and do house chores and if that is your language than that's what I'm to do to show that I understand you and love you"

"Hmmm. So you think I'm Acts of Service?"

"Yes I believe so. You give of yourself all the time"

"So what are you?" Tank asked me

"That I'm not real sure on, maybe the first one because it really means a lot and I liked when Ranger would praise me and tell me I can do this job when everyone else dogs me and my abilities"

"You won't ever have to wait on Ranger to believe in you anymore" Tank said and I felt my insides turn to liquid at his promise

"Well" I said getting my emotions in check "that's what I did with my "experiment"" I said putting the air quotes around the word experiment

"But" he said knitting his brows together "That's only four languages you said there was five"

"I never got to the last one" I told him

"Which is?" he asked

"Physical Touch" I told him and saw Tank smile

"It doesn't just mean that"

"Well whatever it means you don't have to worry about that one I think we have gotten that one covered" he said kissing me and then taking the book from me

"What are you doing?" I asked as he scooted over to the far corner of my couch, opened his legs, and patted the cushion between his legs

"Come here"

I scooted over to Tank and sat my back to his front. I felt him moving behind me and then a pair of chopsticks and one of the little white boxes came into my sight. Looking down at the food I looked over my shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I asked

"We are going to eat as we read the book that changed my life and brought us together and we are also going to find out your language and then do our own experimenting" he said bringing his arms around me and opening the book up to chapter one

"Ohhh?"

"Yea we are going to experiment with the last Language.. ALOT" He told me and his eyes darkened as he looked at me. I got exactly what he was saying.

"Well I say start reading!" I said as I snuggled into his as we ate and read

THE END!

A/N Thank you all sooooo much for all the reviews and kind words and emails that I got during this story. I truly hope that you enjoyed Tank as much as I have and I hope that you all will take the time to find out your own Love Language and let me know what they are. If you do want to tell me just pm me through FFNet because I delete emails from things and people that I don't know. Can't wait to hear from some of you! Again THANK YOU!

I have several ideas on a new story so ill start posting it as I get my head clear and my notes together. Can't make my mind up if I want to do a Ranger or another MM.

Love you all!

Karren