I've always thought that JE was spot on when naming Ranger. In Spanish, mañoso is someone who's cunning, clever, or skillful and overall is associated with having bad habits. It also has a sexual connotation.
I thought it would be fun to show how much Stephanie and Mr. Mañoso have explored each other. They really are meant for one another;) If you haven't figured it out yet, this is a Babe story and S&R have an established relationship.
Before you start throwing stuff at me for starting something new, let me say this: I believe that time is not linear, that it's more like a loop and it's all happening more or less at the same time. That's why I have several ongoing stories. And the next chapter for Brighter Than the Sun is almost complete. So fear not;)
Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE.
Growing up I was always warned to stay away from the Morelli boys. It was rumored that they were a wild bunch and that girls should avoid being alone with them. I didn't quite listen.
As an adult I was warned to keep away from a different male. His name is Ricardo Carlos Mañoso, but he likes to go by Ranger.
'He's a mercenary, Cupcake.' I was told. 'He doesn't have an address. And I think he kills people.' I heard that too.
But I couldn't stay away from Ranger even if I tried. He's somewhere along the lines of Rambo meets Batman, has a body like Schwarzenegger did in the early 90s, his skin is a yummy mocha-latte shade, and he's got a 200 megawatt, panty running smile. He's also known as The Wizard and I totally agree, because he's magic in the bedroom department.
His hair's dark. His life's dark. He's got a lot of secrets. He was originally my mentor, later morphing into my friend and guardian angel. Ranger's the kind of man who slips into your dreams and desires and refuses to leave.
Ranger's a forbidden pleasure. The scent of Bvlgari always lingers on him, intoxicating my senses.
"Babe." His nickname for me can mean almost anything, but right now it meant that I'd been caught.
I had been shamelessly ogling him through the foggy glass encasing the shower. Even his silhouette was muscular, tempting me to join him. I quickly stripped out of my clothes and did just that. "Hi." I breathed out when I came face to face with him under the warm water stream.
He arched his right eyebrow as he shot me a sexy half grin. Ranger wrapped his arms around me, pressing me against his solid form. "Hi yourself." He dipped his head to capture my lips, instantly turning the kiss heated when his tongue slipped inside my mouth to play.
"Mmmm…" I moaned against his lips when we finally broke the kiss. My entire body was sizzling and it wasn't because of the water cascading over our heads. "I've missed this." A soft groan escaped me when his hands moved from my lower back to cup my ass.
"Babe." Ranger chuckled, low and throaty. "It was only two days." He gave me a squeeze and the movement caused his erection to poke my hip.
He had some business to take care of at the Boston branch. Sleeping without him by my side for one night seems like an eternity now, even though we haven't been sharing complete nights for very long. I guess after all the back and forth I'm having some separation issues. I want him all of the time, but the desire and lust usually spike a couple of notches whenever he returns from a trip. "That was a long time." I rubbed against his body, eliciting a harsh groan from him in the process.
"Couldn't sleep?" He teased, taking the opportunity to kiss me again.
I shook my head. Ranger loves to reach for me in the middle of the night. That round of lovemaking usually leaves me waking up very relaxed the next morning. "It was horrible." I murmured, sneaking my hands between our bodies to cup his hard length.
"Babe." He whirled me around and backed me up against the glass. "Is that why you sent me those naughty texts?" His breath ghosted along my neck while his hands caressed my front freely, moving from my breasts to my abdomen and down below to my doodah.
A small giggle tumbled past my lips. "Naughty?" All I did was tell him how much I missed him sleeping next to me.
"I spent all night picturing you in our bed, tossing and turning." Ranger placed open mouthed kisses along my neck and jaw, moving until he found my lips. "And I missed you too." Apparently, I'm a bit of a talker in my sleep and he seems to love my sleepy mumblings.
"Yeah?" I could feel his taut body leaning into me and suddenly words felt unnecessary. Twisting around, I faced him again so I could kiss him very thoroughly. Without words I told him what I wanted, what I need: him.
Did I mention that Ranger is magic?