Wine and Roses

Chapter one

Stephanie was slowly lulled out of a deep and peaceful sleep by the sound of running water. Peaking through the slit of one eye, she blew out a soft sigh and squirmed deeper between the warm sheets. The comforting scent from the pillow beneath her head filled her nostrils, satisfying her senses with a pleasant reminder of why she was so exhausted. Ranger had kept her up most of the night, his libido in overdrive.

She and Ranger had been together one year and five months, to be exact, and their relationship was growing stronger with each passing day. And the sex was even better. Stephanie arched her back, stretching out the kinks in her muscles as the water shut off in the bathroom. A few minutes later, Ranger stepped into the bedroom, a towel hanging low on his hips, his brown skin glistening from the steam. Damp strands of dark hair dangled at the nape of his neck as he glanced at Stephanie, a roguish look covering his face.

"Babe, you're looking at me like I'm a blueberry pancake."

Stephanie's lips curled into a lazy smile and she pulled her body up into a sitting position. "Actually, I was thinking waffles, but pancakes would be a nice substitute."

Reaching for his towel, Ranger said, "I can be whatever you want me to be."

Another smiled creased Stephanie's face as she glanced at the clock on the night table. It was 9:30 in the morning; they were both getting a late start.

"Sounds tempting but I need to get started with my day; I have a hot date with Ella in an hour." Giving Ranger a knowing look, she watched as the realization spread across his face.

"Shit. You sure know how to ruin a mood."

"We've put it off for months," Stephanie said, climbing out of bed. "Might as well get it over with."

Stephanie was in all her naked glory and Ranger licked his lips as she sidled up next to him and slid her hand beneath the towel covering his hips. Stephanie caressed Ranger with her hand while kissing him softly on the lips.

"I'll have to take a rain check on the…waffles," she said playfully, feeling Ranger grow rigid in her hand, his eyes dark with desire. Reluctantly, she let him go and turned toward the bathroom. But Ranger was quick as lightning, grabbing Stephanie before she could leave the room. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her naked body flush against his chest, his erection straining against her ass.

Pushing his lips against her ear, he said, "After tomorrow night, you are going to owe me big, babe." And then he gave Stephanie a playful swat on the ass.

"Hey, this was your idea," Stephanie reminded Ranger as she disappeared into the bathroom.

Ranger nodded his head, reluctantly agreeing, remembering the words he'd probably live to regret. Last spring, after a fateful vacation in Cancun, Mexico, Ranger had suggested that he and Stephanie get their families together for some sort of get-together. At the time, he and Stephanie had been emotionally spent from dodging the bullets of a Mexican drug cartel. The ordeal had given Ranger a whole new perspective on the relationship he shared with Stephanie.

Stephanie had proven time and time again that she could be Ranger's ride-or-die chick, but that particular incident had really shown him just how strong and brave she could be. The debacle had also cemented the love and dedication they had for each other. Ranger had never revealed that kind of devotion to any other woman in his life, not even the mother of his child.

After they'd gotten back to Trenton, their plans for a family gathering had quickly faded into busy work schedules, school, and the daily grind that had become their life. One month passed, then another, and before they knew it, a year had slipped by rather quickly. A couple of months ago, Stephanie had brought up the topic again. Ranger gave his blessing, even though he was a bit hesitant on thy type of gathering they would have.

The summer season in Trenton could be brutal, and since excessive heat and alcohol were never a good combination, the idea of the cookout was nixed. And then there were other issues to be sorted out. Stephanie was one of only a handful of people who had been to the Bat Cave, so inviting a bunch of people to Ranger's private lair was completely out of the question. Furthermore, Ranger wasn't too keen on the idea of having the gathering in the penthouse, insisting that Grandma Mazur would probably burn it to the ground. And seeing as how the Bat Cave and the penthouse were both places Stephanie now called home, she didn't argue the point.

A few months prior, Ranger had convinced Stephanie to move in with him on a full-time basis. Most of their free time was spent in the seventh floor penthouse at Rangeman, but occasionally they'd spend a long weekend at the Bat Cave, shutting off their cell phones and closing out the rest of the world.

For a couple of weeks, Ranger and Stephanie remained undecided on the logistics of the get-together. And then one day Ella, co-manager of the building and Ranger's housekeeper, offered up a brilliant suggestion. She came up with the idea of a catered dinner in a vacant meeting room at Rangeman. The room was in the basement across from the shooting range, and it was big enough accommodate about 20 people. So the problem had been solved. Ranger and Stephanie agreed to turn the meeting room into a banquet room for one night, and Stephanie went to work, sending out invitations to their families. Now with the dinner only 24 hours away, Ranger wondered if he'd completely lost his mind.

Standing under the pulsating hot water in the shower, Stephanie was lost in thought, reflecting on the subtle changes she'd seen in Ranger over the last few months. He was more settled and happy than she'd ever seen him. Truth be told, Stephanie was expecting Ranger to reconsider his initial suggestion of a family get-together by making up some lame excuse to call the whole thing off. But as much as he'd complained about the gathering, he'd never tried to back out.

Throwing a dinner party was a huge step for Ranger and an even bigger step for Stephanie. She'd gone from eating cold pizza over her kitchen sink to preparing at least two hot meals a week for Ranger. She was no Helen Plum in the kitchen, but she could find her way around a stove without any serious mishaps. She actually looked forward to sitting down with Ranger during the week, enjoying a home cooked meal.

A year ago, if someone had told Stephanie she'd be preparing meals from scratch and hosting dinner parties, she would have zapped them with her stun gun. But now, she was oddly comfortable in her new role. The fear of a normal, domesticated life that usually overwhelmed Stephanie was fading fast, and she was finally getting used to the idea.

Wrapped in a white, fluffy bath robe, Stephanie padded out of the bathroom to find Ranger dressed and ready for work. He was wearing black fatigues, black work boots, and a black T-shirt that hugged every muscle. He pulled a black credit card from his wallet and passed it to Stephanie.

"Try not to go crazy. Ella will talk you into buying just about anything."

Stephanie took the card from Ranger and dropped it in her shoulder bag. "We're not going on a shopping spree, just getting the essentials for the dinner party. What are you doing today?"

"House cleaning. I should be home by six."

Pulling Stephanie into a tight embrace, Ranger gave her a slow and deep kiss. Stephanie wrapped her arms around his neck, the muscles between her legs contracting, her tongue finding its mark.

"I'll have dinner ready by the time you get home," she said to Ranger, when he finally let her go.

These days, most of Ranger's business was conducted from behind his desk at Rangeman. The company was doing very well, providing security for a healthy roster of clients. And Ranger never seemed to be short on cash, even though he had given up his covert operations job. But every now and then, he'd get an offer to capture a high-priced FTA, or engage in security work that included house cleaning. And while he claimed he was only working in the field to keep up his reputation on the street, Stephanie knew that Ranger could never sit behind a desk for long. He still liked to get down and dirty with the rest of the guys, and today was one of those days.

Life for Stephanie had also become a lot easier. Living with Ranger afforded her the luxury of working fewer hours while concentrating on school. When she'd first moved in with Ranger, he'd offered to take care of her financially while she finished her course work, assuring her it was okay to retire the bounty hunter gig. Though the offer was tempting, Stephanie wasn't quite ready to give up that part of her life just yet. And as annoying and dangerous as her job could be, she felt it was now part of her identity. So for the time being, she wanted to keep her bounty hunter status, at least until she finished school.

Moreover, Stephanie had never been the type of woman to completely depend on a man for money. She didn't want Ranger strapped with her credit card bills and extra shopping expenses. He was doing enough by footing the bill for the dinner party. So far, she hadn't had to pay for one thing, not even the flower arrangement.

"Is there anything you need me to do before tomorrow?" Ranger asked as he strapped his utility belt around his waist.

"You've done enough. Ella and I will set up the room this afternoon. All you have to do is show up tomorrow. You will be showing up, right?" Stephanie was only half joking.

"Love will make you do some crazy things," Ranger said, giving Stephanie a goodbye kiss.

"Dinner with my family is not that bad!"

"Babe."