JE owns the rights to anything familiar - all mistakes are mine.
Thanks alix33 for all the editing.
Mild Smut Warning
Four very distinct conditions captured my complete and undivided attention when I pried open my eyes. Two had me puzzled and more than a little concerned and the other two, while curious, would never be a cause for complaint.
I was in what appeared to be a hotel suite with no recollection of how I got there and a very naked woman was spooned up against my equally bare body. My dick was as hard as granite and my left hand, which was curled around a soft yet firm breast, was sporting a very shiny ring on a very consequential finger.
There were definite questions I needed answered, and as soon as possible, but it wasn't a mystery which scenarios didn't bother me.
The woman next to me stirred in her sleep which shifted her well-shaped ass against my ready and oh so willing cock. I managed, though I don't know how, not to moan out loud at the tantalizing friction. Although I had no idea where I was or what had transpired that led us here, I knew exactly who was currently sharing my bed. There was no mistaking that wild mess of brown curls or the sweet honey scent of her favorite perfume, but mostly it was the feel of her skin beneath mine that I could never forget. It had been a very long time since I'd touched her this way, yet every beautiful inch of her body was seared permanently in my memory.
I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't stop myself. I brushed the base of my thumb softly over her nipple and when a low moan sounded deep in her throat, I did it again. One more swipe turned it to a hard pebble begging to be licked and my dick throbbed behind the taut flesh of her rounded cheeks.
I moved my hand over the swelling curve of her breast and trailed it down her abdomen, splaying my fingers against the softest part of her stomach. Another sexy little noise and I fused my lips to the delicate ivory skin just below her ear.
Stephanie came fully awake with a gasp as I sucked deep and then soothingly pressed my tongue to the mark I'd surely just left.
My name fell from her mouth on barely a whisper as I burned a path along the gentle slope of her shoulder with a series of open mouthed kisses. I didn't respond, not ready to have the inevitable conversation that would happen if I did. I knew it was selfish, but I wanted this moment with her while I had the chance, so I took it.
My hand worked its way farther and farther south while my mouth worked on every part of her skin it could reach. She was twisting restlessly under my ministrations and when my fingers slid tenderly over her well groomed triangle of hair, I was shaking with the effort not to take her hard and fast.
"Ranger," she panted again and I resolutely held my tongue. "What are you...how did we..." I entered her with one finger halting her broken questions and finally spoke quietly into her ear while I stroked.
"I don't know what's going on, Babe, but I don't want to stop this. Do you?" I held my breath, waiting for her reply.
"No," sounded faintly just before I ran out of air and as I drew in a mouthful, I flipped her on her back, dropped between her thighs and let my hardness fill her completely.
Neither of us lasted long and when the final spasm shivered through me, I collapsed onto her, nuzzling my face in her neck as I tried to regain some semblance of control. She clutched me tightly to her with one hand tunneled in the hair at the nape of my neck and the other digging into the tense muscles of my back.
I wasn't in a hurry to leave the silken heat encasing me fully so I stayed buried deep and pressed my mouth to her shoulder. It wouldn't be long before she'd want to get away from me and start asking the questions for which I had no answers so I kept quiet, enjoying what little time I had left with her.
I kissed her again, letting my lips linger before moving them up the side of her throat in a long glide. When I reached the line of her jaw she said my name once. Her tone was neutral and I couldn't tell if it was meant as a question or a demand or if she just liked to hear the sound of her own voice so I didn't answer and continued my quest to taste every part of her I could.
When I thought she was going to speak again, I covered her mouth with mine and kissed her long and slow and deep. As much as I would have liked to go on that way for all of eternity, eventually I had to stop and when I did, she said exactly what I knew she would.
"We can't avoid this forever."
I wanted to. I wanted stay in this room, in this bed with her forever but it wasn't in the cards. Not today. Probably not ever.
I slowly eased out, every part of my mind and body protesting the loss and settled next to her on the blue satin sheets. Satin sheets? Jesus. Where the fuck were we?
"What's the last thing you remember?" I asked, tugging the matching duvet over us and slowly taking in the décor of the room. It was a massive suite done in varying shades of blue and gold and seemed to be some sort of ocean theme. The lamps next to the bed were carved in the shape of seahorses and the imposing chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room was comprised of mermaids and sharks and various other sea creatures. The whole thing was hideous.
"I remember boarding the plane in Newark," she said as she did her own examination of the bedroom. "Where are we? This room is...not your style."
"It wouldn't have been my first choice," I allowed. Or my second. Or third. I rolled over so I could reach the nightstand and slid open the top drawer. As expected, there was a Bible, but there was also a notepad and a pen. I grabbed the pad and turned my body back around while reading aloud from the letterhead.
"The Atlantis Hotel and Casino, Reno Nevada." At least we were still in Reno, but this was not the hotel we were booked into.
"I thought we were staying at the El Dorado," Stephanie said as she grabbed the paper from me. It was at that moment she saw the glinting diamond ring on her finger and dropped the notepad onto the bed. "Shit. This is for the job, right?" Her eyes darted to my hand and widened when she saw the matching platinum band. "We had to pretend to be married, right?"
She was starting to panic and I was surprised it hadn't happened sooner. I reached for her hand but she yanked it away, her brow furrowing as she stared at the new jewelry. I was expecting her to remove it but when she didn't, I felt a small kernel of hope spring to life inside my chest. "I wish I had an answer for you but…"
"You don't remember anything either."
"No."
"How is that possible? Were we drugged or something?" I'd had that same thought. It was the only thing that made sense. "I mean me? Sure," Stephanie went on. "But you? I can't imagine anyone getting close enough to slip you anything – not without being seen."
Again, I'd had that same thought and the only conclusion I came to was that it had to have been someone we know and trust. That was the worst part of all. "We'll figure this out," I promised.
She nodded and even though all I wanted to do was hold her, I knew she probably wouldn't allow it so I kept my hands to myself and we lay there together in silence for a few minutes before she mentioned her pounding headache. I had the same problem and was guessing it was an after effect of whatever drug had been used – which I strongly suspected was rohypnol or as it was more commonly known - the date rape drug.
The desire to ease her pain was too strong to ignore so I turned onto my side and began gently rubbing her temple, hoping she wouldn't smack my hand away. She closed her eyes and seemed to relax a little, but then abruptly rolled out of my reach and swung her legs over the side of the mattress, pushing herself into a sitting position. "I…" she started and when nothing followed I wished I could see her face. It was almost impossible for her to hide what she was feeling from me. At least it used to be. Lately it seemed she'd become just as adept at hiding her thoughts as I was.
"I'm gonna take a shower," she finally said and I was positive that wasn't what she'd intended to say.
"Good idea. I'll make some calls while you're doing that and see if anyone can shed some light on what went on last night."
"Great," she mumbled and started scanning the room, probably hoping to find her clothes. I'd already looked and hadn't seen any. It didn't take her long to give up the search and when she grabbed at the comforter and tried to wrap it around herself I almost told her how ridiculous she was being. Even before today I'd seen her naked, multiple times, so modesty at this point wasn't warranted - but Stephanie had always had a hang-up about walking around in the buff. The king sized, satin duvet proved too much of a hassle and with a frustrated sigh, she abandoned it where it was and hurried off to the bathroom as fast as she could without flat out running.
If I was a gentleman, I wouldn't have watched her walk away, but I'm not so I soaked in every second I had to admire her perfect ass before it disappeared from my view - especially since I wasn't sure if I'd ever get to see it again.
When I heard the water kick on, I headed out into the living area of the suite, hoping to find our clothes and my phone. I discovered both.
Stephanie was going to freak out completely when she saw the only garments I could locate.
I picked up the dress from the floor and held it up. It was long and white and made of the softest silk I had ever touched. Even though I tried not to, I couldn't help imagining what she must have looked like wearing it. I'm sure she was beautiful and I wished I could remember her in it…and getting her out of it. I let out a small sigh of disappointment and draped the dress over the back of the couch.
Also scattered across the floor were pieces of a black tuxedo, Armani, I thought as I picked up the pants. Since there were no other options to choose from, I slid them on over my thighs, zipped and buttoned and then retrieved the phone I found in the pocket.
Luckily the battery wasn't dead and I opened the first of several text messages. It was from Manny.
Congrats bossman! Wish I could have been there. I miss all the good stuff. :(
The second was from Cal and it came with an attached photo.
Bout fuckin' time! Hope you're enjoying the honeymoon ;) ;)
The signs were all there – the matching rings, the wedding dress and tuxedo, and the hotel room, which I'd already surmised was the honeymoon suite – but when I opened the picture my breath still froze in my lungs.
The photograph was stunning.
We were dressed in the clothes I'd just picked up off the floor and Stephanie was holding a small bouquet of red roses in one hand and the other one was pressed against my chest right over my heart. My arms were around her and we were leaning in, a second away from kissing. But the look on her face, the look on my face….it would be clear to anyone who saw it that we were very much in love.
Except we weren't.
What we were, apparently, was actually married. In the background of the photo, slightly out of focus, was an altar and a happily smiling minister.
I was still staring at the picture when Steph walked into the room with a towel wrapped around her, secured at her breasts. She was rubbing another one through her wet hair and not really paying attention as she said, "There are no robes. What kind of hotel doesn't have robes? Did you find our clothes?"
I quickly slid my phone into my pocket as she made her way towards me. "Yes and no," I told her just as she spotted the things on the couch. "This seems to be it." I gestured to the dress and the rest of the tuxedo and watched as her eyes flooded with tears.
"Oh my god. Is that….did we….are we actually married?"
I could have lied, but what good would it do at this point? "I don't know for certain, but it seems so." I debated showing her the photograph but decided against it. She was on the verge of a total breakdown and I didn't want to push her completely over the edge.
"What's going on, Ranger?" Her voice broke on my name and couldn't stop myself from pulling her into my arms. She pressed her face into my chest and I felt the moisture from her tears on my skin.
"We'll fix it, Babe. Don't worry." She let me hold her for a few minutes but sooner than I thought, she had herself under control and pushed out of my embrace.
"I guess I'll be wearing this." She grabbed the dress with obvious displeasure but as soon as the material was in her hand, her face softened and she draped it delicately over her arm while she adjusted the towel that was slipping down her chest. "Did you get a hold of anyone?"
I'd been so distracted by the clothes and the photo that I'd completely forgotten to call anyone. "Not yet. Go get dressed and I'll take care of it."
She left me alone and I ran a hand through my hair as I pulled out my phone again. I scrolled through the rest of the text messages and there were more of the same from everyone who had made the trip to Reno with us.
All except Tank. If I knew my second in command, and I did, very well, he wouldn't have let us get married. He would have known something was wrong if a wedding was even mentioned, so where had he been?
I hit speed dial two on my phone and his number went directly to voicemail. I left a blunt message. "Call me. Now."
I tried Cal, Bobby and Lester with the same results and left similar messages. The last options were Manny and Woody. I tried Manny first and he answered on the second ring.
"Sir?"
"Manny, where are you?"
"Um…in my hotel room. Are you calling from the plane?"
I didn't know what he was talking about and I had a feeling I didn't want to know so I ignored that one. "Which hotel?"
He was silent for a beat before answering. "The El Dorado…is something wrong?"
I didn't even know where to start with that one and just as I tried there was a knock on the door. "Listen, I need you to go to my room and to Stephanie's and get our bags and bring them to the Atlantis. We're in the honeymoon suite."
"Uh…yeah, alright." He was confused but not as much as I was. "Are you okay with Woody staying with the skip alone?" It was against protocol, but I was beyond caring, and at least the job we came here to do was done.
"It's fine. Just get here." I disconnected and moved toward the door. I scanned every surface on the way, looking for my gun but didn't see it. Why the fuck didn't I have my gun? I was hoping it was back in my room at the El Dorado.
I checked the peephole and found a hotel employee dressed in a white uniform and standing in front of a rolling cart of food. It was full of several plates all covered with silver domes. I watched him reach up and knock again. "Room service," he called.
I slid on the security chain and cracked the door. "We didn't order room service."
The man smiled and said, "It's complimentary with the suite. The newlywed special! Congratulations, by the way. May I bring it in?"
I eyed the overflowing cart just as my stomach growled. "Are there bagels and lox on that thing?"
"Of course, sir."
I removed the chain and pulled the door open wider. "I'll take those, but you can forget the rest of it." I didn't know what the rest of it was but I did know the one thing Stephanie would want. I reached into my back pocket and found my wallet. "What I really need is a large order of French fries and a large Coke, preferably from McDonald's. Can you make that happen?" I flashed him a hundred dollar bill and he took it with small grin.
"As you wish, sir."
"The sooner the better," I added.
"Give me ten minutes."
I took the plate of bagels before he disappeared with the cart and went back inside. I scarfed down the food and felt instantly better. I tried calling my men again and still no one answered so I went to the bedroom to let Steph know the cure and her clothes were on the way.
When I stepped into the room my heart stilled inside my chest for a single beat before skipping back to life. She was standing in front of the full length mirror and she was wearing the wedding gown. The dress was long, the hem brushing the floor, but I could still see every inch of the woman inside. It looked like silk had been poured over her body, highlighting her breasts and hips while flaring slightly away from her thighs. There were no sleeves or any back to speak of, and the two almost non-existent straps circling her shoulders didn't appear strong enough to hold up the material that conformed to her body as thoroughly as my own body had only a short time ago.
The picture was nothing compared to the live version. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever had the pleasure of seeing.
Her eyes met mine in the mirror and flashed a myriad of emotion before settling on one. Regret. I wasn't sure if it was for now, or for the past but I felt it too, on both counts. She watched me cross the room and when I reached her, I slid my arms around her waist from behind and bent my head to kiss her shoulder.
She leaned back into my chest and looked at me in the mirror. "You look beautiful, Babe." A small, sad smile that twisted my stomach into a knot touched her lips.
"The dress is really pretty," she acknowledged while smoothing her hand down the bodice until her palm covered mine resting across her abdomen.
"Not as pretty as the woman inside it."
She gave me that sad smile again before saying, "I wish…." Her voice trailed off and I desperately wanted her to finish that sentence because I hoped it was the same as mine would be - but she didn't go on.
I spun her around and gripped her shoulders. "What, Steph? You wish what?"
She shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter. We have other things to deal with right now."
"Everything you think matters, Stephanie."
Lifting up on her toes, she brushed her lips against mine once, twice and on the third pass I was pulling her against my body, crushing her to me like it might be the last time. She opened her mouth to allow my seeking tongue entrance, kissed me until we were both out of air and then she wrenched herself forcefully from my arms.
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I can't do this. I can't…"
I stood for a good long while, staring at the door she closed when she left the bedroom.
Half of me wanted to storm after her and demand we have the conversation we should have had a long time before now, but that is part of the reason why we are the way we are now. I'm too demanding and she's too stubborn and together we're a volatile, explosive mess.
Yet the biggest mistake I ever made, the biggest regret I had in life was letting her walk away from me two years ago.
Whatever happened last night, whatever got us in this predicament now was completely shitty, but she was technically mine again, granted only on paper, but it was a situation I thought I could take advantage of. The hard part was going to be getting her to see that as fucked up as this was, it could be the perfect opportunity for a fresh start.
I got cleaned up with a quick shower and knotted a towel around my waist before I made my way out to the living room, intent on starting the crusade to win her back but was stopped short by the sight before me.
Stephanie was curled up on the couch, her still damp hair pulled back into a ponytail and she was dressed in a pair of jeans, a black Rangeman t-shirt and she was munching on some fries. Manny was sitting in a chair across from her and they were talking quietly.
They both looked up when I entered the room.
Manny nodded a greeting and then gestured with his chin to my black duffle bag, resting on the floor by the door. Since it would probably be more comfortable for everyone if I was outfitted in more than a towel, I grabbed the bag and took it back to the bedroom.
Two minutes later I was dressed in my normal black on black uniform, sitting close to Steph, and Manny was giving us bad news.
"I was just telling Steph that I didn't know you got married until about two this morning when Cal texted me and Woody your wedding photo. You really don't remember any of it?"
"Why weren't you there?" I asked at the same time Stephanie said, "What photo?"
Manny looked like he wasn't sure which question he should answer first so he chose mine and handed Stephanie his phone.
"After we secured Williams, Woody and I drew the short straw, again, and were stuck with babysitting duty. We've been grounded in our room since about seven last night."
"And obviously we weren't married by then, and I'm guessing not even talking about getting married." I glanced at Stephanie out of the corner of my eye but hers were glued to the photo, much as mine had been when I first saw it.
"Not that I heard. Last I knew everyone was headed here, to the Triton bar in the casino downstairs. Supposedly they have dancers dressed like mermaids. Lester was particularly interested in that. And the five dollar margaritas."
"Of course he was. I appreciate the quick response with our bags," I told him as I pushed up off the couch. It was a dismissal, and Manny took it as such. Unfortunately he couldn't help and I wanted him back with Woody.
"I wish I could tell you more," he said as Stephanie silently handed him his phone. "Did you try Tank or even Cal? He took the picture, he should know something."
"No one is answering their phones. Get back to the hotel; I want to make sure Williams is on the plane back to Trenton tonight."
"No worries," Manny said as he walked with me to the door. "He's not going anywhere. He annoyed the shit out of Woody last night and when I left he was still gagged and hogtied in the bathroom."
"What'd he do?" I asked, curious as to what would have warranted that reaction.
"He wouldn't stop singing 'What's New Pussy Cat' out loud. Woody lasted about ten minutes before he was stripped, gagged and tied up."
"Why naked?" Steph asked, finally joining the conversation.
"Woody said he didn't feel like untying him if he had to piss during the night so he's naked and in the bathtub."
Stephanie barked out a laugh and I smiled, mostly because it felt good to hear her laugh again. "Just make sure he's presentable before the six o'clock flight," I reminded.
"Yes sir," he agreed and gave Steph a small wave before leaving us alone.
"Did you see the photo?" she asked as I closed the door behind Manny.
I turned around to face her, expecting to see shock or anger or… something, but her expression was carefully guarded.
"Yeah, I saw it."
"We looked…"
"I know."
She chewed on her bottom lip as we stood staring at each other.
"Steph…"
"Did Cal send it to you too?" She interrupted.
I let out a small breath, trying to gauge if she was going to be pissed I hadn't told her about it. "Yes, he sent it to me."
She held my gaze for a long tense moment before saying, "Let's go find him."
I knew it was important to determine what had transpired and Cal seemed like the best option, but I really just wanted to stay in this tacky hotel room with her and say all things we weren't saying. All the things we didn't say two years ago.
"Do you remember anyone's room number?"
Stephanie wasn't going to be deterred from her goal. I shook my head and took her hand. "We'll figure it out when we get there," I said and tugged her behind me, out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. The door opened with a soft ping and was empty when we stepped inside the waiting car.
We descended two floors before she spoke again. "Thanks for getting me McDonald's. I can't believe you remembered."
"There isn't a single thing about you I would ever forget, Babe." She looked up at me and when our eyes met I had a flash of her in her wedding dress, inside this very elevator. She was reaching for me and her lips were parted and slightly puffy, like they'd just been thoroughly kissed.
"Ranger?" I blinked and was back to the present
"What?"
"What's wrong? You...disengaged there for a second."
"Nothing, I think I remember something from last night. You and this elevator and..." I had another flash of her arms around my neck, my hands circling her thighs as I lifted her and pressed her back into the mirrored wall...
"Ranger!"
"What?"
"You did it again."
I didn't know what the hell was happening. I'd never experienced anything like this before but it seemed like I was starting to remember. I turned to face her and thinking we should try and recreate the scene to jog my memory further, I backed her into the wall, pinning her to the mirror with my chest. "I'm pretty sure we may have..." Should I really tell her I think we seriously defiled this elevator? I was saved from the rest of that sentence and she was saved from the kiss I was about to initiate when the door opened on the tenth floor and a towering blonde woman pushing a baby stroller joined us. I eased off of Steph and stood beside her at the back of the elevator. The infant started to cry and that's when I remembered we hadn't used a condom this morning. God only knows how many times last night I was guessing also didn't utilize any sort of contraceptive. I shot Stephanie a look that may have telegraphed mild panic.
She took my hand and squeezed my fingers as we rode the rest of the way to the lobby in silence. When we stepped out and the woman went in the opposite direction, she told me she was still on the pill.
I breathed a sigh of relief. "And you said you can't read my mind. Liar," I teased.
Steph laughed out loud again. "That one was pretty obvious."
We caught a cab back to the El Dorado and I tried Cal on the way. I got nothing but voicemail again so I called Manny and got his room number.
"He's on the seventh floor, room 786," I informed Stephanie as I slid my phone into my pocket.
"Why isn't anyone answering? We're supposed to be available twenty-four-seven. It's in the rule book, number three, in fact."
I felt the corners of my mouth twitch. "I'm surprised you read the whole thing," I said, trying not to smile.
She rolled her eyes and turned her gaze to the window of the cab. "You made me sign the paper saying I had and I was afraid there would be a test or something."
I laughed then, the first time in a while. I thought I'd forgotten how.
#####
I pounded on Cal's door for the second time and just as I was about to lift a foot and break it down, I heard the security chain slide back and he cracked it open and peered out at us with heavy lidded, red-rimmed eyes. Even the skull tattoo on his forehead looked like it was hung over.
When his obviously foggy brain registered it was me, he pulled the door wide open, giving us a full and very unwanted view of his birthday suit. "Why aren't you on the way to Tahiti?" He asked.
"Cal…" I started and turned my head when I heard a muffled laugh coming from Stephanie. She had a hand covering her mouth but I did note she hadn't averted her eyes. At all. "You need to at least put on some pants," I snapped and stepped in front of Steph, blocking her sight line. The only dick I wanted her to see was mine.
Cal dropped his eyes and they widened in surprise. "Oh shit. Sorry." The door slammed in our faces. I looked at Stephanie and she was grinning.
"This is funny?" I asked.
"A little, yeah."
Before I could respond, Cal opened the door again, garnering another laugh from Stephanie. I wasn't sure what he'd chosen to put on was better than naked.
"Nice boxers," Stephanie said and I think she might not have been joking. The shorts were white and covered with tiny red hearts.
"Thanks. My Mom gave them to me," he admitted and waved us into his room.
"That's so sweet," Stephanie replied, following him inside. I felt as if I'd slipped through a wormhole into an alternate universe. Could he not find his pants?
"What about Tahiti?" I threw out there, hoping to stop all talk about his underwear.
"Your honeymoon." He dropped into a chair next to one of the queen beds and Steph and I settled onto the end of the mattress. "You said you were catching the first flight out this morning. Oh man…is this about the hotel manager? He's not going to press charges because of the jewelry store thing, is he?"
Steph and I both looked down at our rings and I was hoping it was a good sign neither of us had removed them. "He promised he wouldn't," Cal continued, "but you did hold him at gunpoint. People will say almost anything when they think they're going to eat a bullet."
"I did what?" I said slowly as Stephanie's jaw dropped open in shock.
Cal rubbed a hand over his bald head and stared at me in confusion. "What the hell is going on? You don't remember the jewelry store?"
I cut my eyes to Steph but she was already looking at me. I lifted a shoulder and nodded my head. It took her five minutes to explain the situation and when she was done, Cal leaned back in the chair with a dumbfounded expression.
"Fuck," he said succinctly. "You don't remember a thing? The jewelry store? The bridal shop? Not even your own wedding ceremony? Jesus. How is that even possible? Rohypnol?"
After the jewelry store revelation I wasn't sure I wanted to know about the bridal shop so I focused on the last question. "It's the only thing that makes sense."
"But where? And who could get close enough to you?"
"I really wish I knew," I said. "Did you notice anyone weird or shady hanging around before all this happened?"
Cal shook his head twice. "No…but I was gone for a while after the takedown. You know my Grandma lives close by so I went to visit her. When I got back you were already with the manager of the hotel, making him open the jewelry store so you could get your rings."
"Had we mentioned getting married before you left?" Stephanie jumped into the conversation as I rubbed at my temples, trying to stave off the pain of the headache that had never fully disappeared. I had a sudden flash of a small man in an ill-fitting suit trying to get a key into the lock of a door while his hands were shaking and I held a gun on him. Was it even worth it to wonder exactly how many felonies I'd committed before getting married?
"Not that I heard, but I left the bar pretty early."
"And you didn't think it was strange that we were committing crimes and walking down the aisle a few hours later?" I thought it was a fair question. I certainly would've had some concerns if it had been any one of them.
"Sure," he shrugged. "But it was you. I've learned not to question you over the years. You're always in control and you always know what you're doing. And honestly, I was so damn happy for both of you I didn't think about it very much."
It made sense. I'd trained my men to trust me and follow me into any situation, no questions asked. The only one that ever could question me, and rarely did, was Tank.
"Was Tank there?" I asked, needing to know why he didn't put a stop to the madness.
"Yeah," Cal replied, his expression clearly asking, 'are you nuts'? "He was your best man."
Tank must have been drugged too and if he wasn't I was going to kill him for letting all this happen.
"What's his room number?" I demanded as I rose to my feet and grabbed Stephanie's hand, pulling her up with me.
"He's at the end of the hall in 798."
I practically dragged her to the door and called to Cal over my shoulder as we left. "Get dressed and meet us at Tank's in thirty."
I headed down the hall with Stephanie in tow. I was pissed at myself, at Tank, and at the whole fucking situation. "You're angry," Steph said from behind me and I stopped short, making her bump into my back.
"Of course I am," I agreed, spinning around to face her. I didn't often lose control but I felt on the verge right now. "Is there some reason I shouldn't be?" My tone was cruel and unyielding and anyone else would have flinched at the sound, but Stephanie merely raised an eyebrow and then reached out and grabbed a fist full of my shirt. She pulled me to her with that hand and used the other one to bring my head down. Her lips ground to mine in a fierce kiss and the surprise I felt quickly turned to something else as her tongue swept into my mouth with expert precision. Teeth scraped, tongues tangled, and hands wandered and by the time she broke away, the only thing I was thinking about was getting her to some place private, preferably with a bed.
But now was not the time.
"What was that?" I wanted to know as I dropped my forehead to hers and willed my body to behave. Stephanie took a step back so she could see my face.
She lifted a shoulder and said, "I haven't forgotten anything about you either, Ranger. I've seen you like this less than a handful of times and the only thing that ever seemed to stem the tide was that."
She was right, but it wasn't just her lips. Stephanie as a whole was a balm to my soul. She calmed me, centered me when I couldn't make it there on my own and she probably wasn't even aware of the full effect she had over me.
A lock of her hair had escaped the tie holding it off her face so I reached out and tucked it behind her ear. "We need to have a long talk about a lot of things and as soon we figure out what the hell happened to us last night, that's what we're going to do. Can we agree on that?"
"Yes," she replied immediately and it eased the pressure of the heavy weight that had been sitting on my chest since I opened my eyes this morning.
"Let's go find out why Tank let this shit storm happen."
"You don't have your gun, do you?"
"No, why?" I asked.
"I don't want you to shoot Tank. I kind of like him."
"I'll use his gun, if I have to," I said as we reached his door. I raised my hand to knock but pulled it back before I made contact.
"What's the problem?" Steph queried.
A small sigh escaped. "I really don't want to see anyone else's cock today. Or any other day, now that I think about it." And I didn't want Stephanie to either, unless it was mine and we were alone.
She laughed again. This was becoming a habit and I liked it. "Does he sleep in the nude too?"
"I don't have any idea and I really don't want to find out."
Stephanie knocked herself and it took two more times before the door opened a fraction of an inch, just enough for Tank to see out with one eye.
"Is someone dead?" he asked in his deep baritone.
"No. Not yet anyway."
"Then go away." He tried to close the door but I wedged my foot in the crack.
"We need to talk to you. Now."
All three of our eyes widened in astonishment when a decidedly feminine voice called out from the depths of his room.
"Come back to bed, Pierre!"
"I didn't know you had company, Pierre."
"Neither did I," he said with a furrowed brow.
"What?"
"I don't know who that is."
"She obviously knows you."
He shook his massive head. "I don't…
"Do you remember what happened, last night?" Stephanie butted in, leaning her head around me to peer at him through the small gap I'd opened with my foot.
Tank's face paled and it was obvious he did not. "At least I won't have to shoot him," I said to her.
"We don't remember either and apparently some strange things happened."
He ran a hand over his buzz cut and said, "I can see that," as his eyes dropped to the ring on my finger. The woman in his bed called to him again. "Go see Bobby," he instructed. "He's in the room next door and I'll be there in twenty." He reached out with his glove sized hand and shoved me out of the way so he could close the door.
"He had to have been drugged if that woman got his real name out of him," Stephanie surmised as she turned to head to Bobby's door. I circled her wrist with my fingers and pulled her back into my chest. I covered her mouth with mine for a slow, sinful kiss and when I finally separated our lips she echoed my earlier statement in a breathy voice.
"What was that?"
"I needed to calm down."
She smiled and then called me a liar before lifting her hand to knock on Bobby's door. It opened before she touched it and Bobby was there, thankfully fully clothed.
"Going somewhere?"
"To the gym," he replied instantly. "I feel like I drank an entire liquor store last night so I was going to burn off the booze. What the hell are you two doing here?" He glanced at his watch. "You should be halfway to Tahiti by now."
"Yeah, so we've heard. Can we come in?" I asked and pushed past him, not waiting for a response. Steph followed me and Bobby brought up the rear. "We've been calling," I added as I dropped onto the couch I found in the sitting area and Steph sat beside me.
"I turned my phone off. You're supposed to be on your honeymoon so I wasn't expecting any calls. Someone going to tell me what's going on?" He lowered himself into a matching armchair.
I looked at Stephanie but she shook her head. "You tell it this time."
I filled him in on all we knew and all we didn't know and Bobby leaned back in the chair much like Cal had and muttered a few more expletives. "Drugs, right? It has to be. And Tank too? What the fuck? Maybe someone could have slipped by one of you without being detected, but there is no way in hell they could have got past both of you. It had to be someone…"
"Close, yeah," I agreed and the niggling that had started at the back of my brain when I first came to the conclusion we were drugged took a huge bite. "Where is Santos?"
"Who knows," Bobby said with a laugh. "He didn't come back to the room last night. If I was a betting man I'd say he's been balls deep inside that red-headed mermaid he was lusting after at the bar. You know he can't keep his dick in his pants…wait, you think Lester did this?" And the man finally gets a clue.
"Of course it was Lester," Tank said, entering the room. "There aren't any other options and he's the only one stupid enough to try it. He's probably halfway back to Trenton by now and if he's not, he better run as far and as fast as can." Normally I would dissuade Tank from killing Lester, but right now I wanted him to die a slow, painful death and I wanted to help in any way possible.
"Everyone calm down," Stephanie said, holding up her hands. "We can't kill Lester… at least not without finding him first." That's my girl. We'll all kill Lester.
Cal walked into the room and I was grateful he'd managed to find his clothes. "I thought you wanted me at Tank's? And I just saw Santos in the coffee shop downstairs about five minutes ago."
We all got to our feet in unison but before we could make a move the door opened again and Lester called out to his roommate. "Bobby! You should have come with me last night. That mermaid fucked like a champion and she would have totally been into a three-way."
He strolled into the room and stopped dead in his tracks when he found all of us standing there with murderous intent clear on our faces.
"Balls," he muttered under his breath and turned to run. Tank moved faster than a man that size should be able to and had his fingers wrapped around Lester's throat, dragging him back into the room before Lester even registered what was happening.
Tank held him up, yanking his arms so far back behind him I was sure he would dislocate one of his shoulders. I stood facing him and to his credit, Lester looked more resigned than fearful but that was about to change. The right hook landed on his left jaw, snapping his head to the right. A bruise started manifesting immediately and I slammed my fist into his abdomen before he even turned his head back to the front.
Air whooshed out of his lungs on a grunt and his knees dropped, but Tank kept him upright. "Start talking," I commanded, taking a small step back.
"I – I – I thought it was a joke," he stuttered, trying to suck air back in. "I mean, at first. It was – it was ridiculous, you two had barely been in the same room together in forever, but he was so confident – I –I was sure it would be an easy grand. But then there was that dance and…"
I was hit with another flash and a painful stab at the back of my head. Stephanie and I were dancing in a bar, molded so close together you couldn't have slipped a needle between us.
"…then you were kissing and then the next thing I knew we were breaking into the bridal shop to get wedding clothes…"
Another flash and I was standing in front of a window, staring at the dress I knew was currently hanging in the powder room of the honeymoon suite at the Atlantis.
"…and the jewelry store had the iron bars we couldn't get through so we had to get the manager…"
"You're not making any fucking sense, Santos," Tank growled and pulled up on his arms, making Lester yelp with pain. Some of it made sense but I wanted to know who this "he" was he mentioned.
"Who were you talking to at the bar?"
"I think I know the answer to that," Stephanie said from behind me and I spun around to find her holding Cal's phone.
"The guy you were talking to was blonde, right?" She questioned Lester. "Smelled a little like Christmas cookies?"
"Yeah, how'd you know that?"
Stephanie ignored him and showed me the photo on the phone. "Cal took a bunch of pictures last night. This one caught my eye."
I took the phone and examined the photograph. There was a clear shot of Lester sitting on a barstool and he was facing a man on the stool next to him who had his back to the camera, but the guy had a blond ponytail and was wearing a beat-up black leather jacket.
I lifted my eyes and met Stephanie's. "Fucking Diesel," I said and she nodded.
"Diesel! Yeah, that's what he said his name was," Lester exclaimed. "I didn't remember that until just now . That's weird. He bet me he could have the two of you married before morning and I thought it was such a sucker bet I couldn't turn it down. But then everything started to get weird…"
"And you didn't think to try and stop it?" Tank wanted to know.
"I tried! I swear I tried! I even told you I thought things were getting out of hand," he said, twisting his head to try and look at Tank, "but you told me to fuck off and mind my own business."
I ran a hand through my hair and rubbed again at the dull throbbing at my temples. I should have known. I always get headaches whenever Diesel is around.
"Okay, everyone out," I announced. "Go down and get some food or something. Stephanie and I need to talk."
The men filed out of the room and Tank still had Lester in his grip, half dragging and half carrying him out. "Tank," I warned and he let go of Lester with a shove that sent him stumbling. When the door closed I said to Stephanie, "I guess we weren't drugged. Is Diesel really capable of altering memories?"
"I don't really know what he's capable of, but since he can just pop in anywhere right out of thin air, I wouldn't be surprised."
"Can he be killed? Because I would really like to make that happen."
"I asked him that once and he said it would be really difficult."
I let out a small, frustrated breath. I bet I could find a way to exterminate the little rat. "Why would he do something like this?"
"I don't know," Stephanie admitted. "He always told me he was around to make people's lives better, not fuck everything up."
That might be overstating things. Us being married really wasn't all that fucked up. It was an inconvenience and the loss of memory was frustrating but fucked up? No. I little parted of me hated the fact she thought being my wife was a problem.
"Do you think he'd come if you called him?"
"I don't think he has a phone."
"I didn't mean that kind of call."
She raised both eyebrows. "Oh. I don't know; I've never tried it."
"First time for everything."
"Okay, here goes nothing." She took a deep breath and then called Diesel's name out loud. We waited a few moments and then she did it again. Another couple of minutes and still no Diesel.
"I guess that doesn't work."
"Sure it does."
I turned at the sound of his voice and found him slouched on the couch, one long leg extended out in front of him. His hair was tied back in a ponytail and he had on a worn pair of jeans and grungy white thermal shirt. He was sans the black jacket and he was smiling.
"Hey sweet cakes," he drawled to Stephanie. "How's married life?"
Yeah, I definitely wanted to kill him.
"What the hell, Diesel? What did you do? And why?" Stephanie demanded. "And wipe that smug smile off your face before Ranger shoots you."
Diesel glanced at me with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Pretty hard to shoot someone without a gun there, stud. And bullets don't really bother me."
"I'm sure I could find something that would cause some pain."
"Hmm," was his response that included a small nod. "Maybe."
"Start talking," Steph said, ignoring both of us. "What are you doing in Reno and why are you fucking with us?"
"You seem upset."
"Diesel!"
"Okay, okay," he held up a hand as if that would stop her. "I was working a job nearby and heard you were in town so I popped in to say Hi but the first person I saw was your little horn-dog pal with the mermaid fetish. I told him I was a friend of yours and asked how you were and he went off on a little tangent about how the two of you had split up a while ago and he didn't understand why you had your heads up your asses about it. He seemed really distraught so I told him I could not only get you back together before sunrise but have you legally bound to each other as well."
This was unbelievable. Fucking Lester. Why was he talking to strangers about us? I cut my eyes to Stephanie but she had a good death glare aimed at Diesel.
"And so what, you just snapped your fingers and made us fall back in love?"
Diesel shook his head vehemently. "Oh, no, no, no. I can't do that, honey. No one can manufacture feelings. All I did was enhance what was already there. I didn't even have to push very hard, which should tell you something."
Stephanie didn't deny it and neither did I. We had been in denial, for the past two years, but the truth was, I never stopped loving her. How could I? There was something that was bothering me though, so I asked a question of my own.
"You did more than enhance something, at least with me. I held a gun to someone's head for some jewelry and I'm pretty sure I robbed a bridal shop too. That's not something I would ever do normally so what was that about?"
He burst out laughing and I had to curb the urge to strangle the breath out of him. "You're kidding, right? Wasn't it a while back when you held that nice lady at the records office at gunpoint and made her hunt down the owner of some real estate because your Babe here was in trouble? That was all you, my friend. It seems to me you'll go to any lengths where Stephanie is concerned."
Fuck. I had done that. But those were different circumstances. Steph had been kidnapped by a lunatic and I was afraid she was going to end up dead. I met her eyes and I knew she was remembering that night too. When she tumbled out of that cabinet into my arms, I admitted to myself, for the first time, that I wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to her.
"Let me see that phone," he gestured to Cal's iPhone sitting on the coffee table where Stephanie had left it. She picked it up and handed it to him and he spent a few seconds searching for something. "Here we go. See?" He held up the screen so we could see the picture both of us had already spent some time studying. "This is the real deal, kids. The only people who don't have it figured out are the two of you."
Neither one of us said anything and Diesel muttered with obvious irritation. "Christ. Lester is right; you have your heads up your asses." He stared at Stephanie for a moment before saying, "He loves you and you love him. Work it out for fuck's sake. Life is too short, you know?"
"So…we're actually married?" Stephanie wanted to know, apparently ignoring his advice. "Legally married?"
Diesel sighed and took a wad of cash out of his pocket. "I was hoping this wouldn't come up. Here's the money I took from Lester. I didn't technically win the bet because, no, you're not really married." He held up the phone again and pointed to the minister standing behind us in the photo. "That's my friend Phil. He's a black jack dealer over at Caesar's and he owed me a favor. I have to get out of here, there is a guy who's trying to unleash the seven deadly sins from their prison and he's been a royal pain in my ass. If I don't stop him, the whole world will be fucked, not just the two of you. Later, sunshine."
He lifted off the couch and Stephanie asked him to wait. Diesel turned to her expectantly. "If all you had to do was give us a little push, why make us forget what happened? And why mess with Tank….he'll definitely find a way to kill you."
"I'd like to know that too," I said quietly. "And I'll have no problem helping Tank."
The prick at least had the decency to look a little scared. "Ah, well. That was just a little bit of fun for me. I don't get a lot of chances to have a legitimate good time, you know, saving the world and all that, but it was sure enjoyable watching you try and work out the mystery." He turned to me and said with what I think was genuine respect, "You were a challenge though, always trying to fight me off. I bet you've had a killer headache all morning, right?"
I allowed a small nod.
"And flashes?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, your mind is one of the strongest I've ever come across. It's been a bitch trying to keep it out of that handsome head."
"And Tank?" Stephanie prodded.
"Oh yes, the beast. What does that guy eat? Because he's seriously huge and I don't think that's normal."
"Get to the point," I warned with my best glare.
With a tiny eye roll, Diesel continued. "I had to mess with him because he immediately realized something was off. He tried to stop what was happening so I gently reminded him that he was your right hand man and should have your back no matter what you said you wanted to do. I had to erase his memory so he wouldn't go spilling the beans as soon as he woke up." He titled his head to the side like he was hearing something we couldn't. "Duty calls," he announced and after snapping his fingers, he disappeared.
And then every single moment of last night spilled into my head like a damn had broken inside my brain. Diesel was right, it hadn't taken much. A look across the dance floor of the bar. The brush of our hands as we both reached for our drinks. The electricity that always simmered right below the surface of our skin whenever we were in close proximity flared to life with that brief touch. Not a minute later she was in my arms and everything snowballed from there. I'd actually paid for the rings, double the listed price and for the clothes too. At least that was something.
When I got her to that little chapel in the hotel and we were saying our vows, I'd never wanted anything more than for her to be my wife.
I glanced down at my ring and then up at the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
"He's right, you know. He's a fucking asshole, but he's right. Life's too short and I don't want to go through whatever is left of ours without you."
Stephanie looked at her own ring and ran her thumb over the center stone before meeting my eyes. "We've tried this once, remember? It didn't work out so well."
I nodded and took a step to close the distance between us. "Yeah. We screwed that up. Neither one of us was willing to compromise enough to make it work. Relationships aren't easy, especially one that involves us. But it was a mistake to let it go. I made a mistake, letting you go. I won't do it again."
And I meant that. Even if she told me right now she didn't want to try again, I would do whatever it took to convince her it was worth it. I slid my arm around her waist and pulled her against me. "Life is too short, Babe," I said again before dropping my mouth to hers for a tender kiss.
"We need to go back to the Atlantis," she murmured against my lips, surprising me.
"Why?"
"Because my dress is there and maybe, someday, if we get married again, for real, I want to be wearing that gown."
I couldn't stop the slow smile. We would get married again, legally. And the next time, we'd both remember every last detail.
Big thanks to LilyGhost for giving this story a title and she also wrote most of the description of Stephanie in her dress because she's awesome like that. Thanks again, kid.