A/N: I don't own anything you recognize.

No beta for this story, all mistakes are my own. If you're currenlty reading Domestic Bliss I will be continuing to update. I've been slamming my beta with lengthy chapters so please bear with us! Thanks for all the love and support!

Chapter 1

Lester's POV

It was a gorgeous day. Blue skies, light breeze, sixty-five degrees of perfect. It's like God was mocking my pain.

The entire RangeMan staff was standing on a beach in Point Pleasant, waiting for the bride to walk down the aisle. It was a simple affair, the bride insisted that she already had one gaudy spectacle, she did not need another.

My cousin was standing at the end of the aisle with Tank standing next to him as his best man. Ranger was nervous; he was wearing what Steph likes to call our "blank face" to try and hide it.

The guitar player changed tunes and we all turned towards the aisle. Valarie Plum made her way down wearing a simple, long, dark green dress with golden sandals. She stood to the side as Stephanie and Frank Plum began their descent.

My breath caught.

She was stunning. Her chocolate colored hair was down in waves. She had a simple head piece without a veil. Her gown was asymmetrical and hugged her body in all the right places, it was sexy but classy. Just like her. The worst part, the part that made me feel like a hot poker was being shoved through my chest, was her eyes. They are a deep aqua, such an unusually color, and right now they were shining with love and unshed tears as she looked at her future husband. Who's not me.

I swallowed hard and slammed down my blank face. Ranger's own face changed when his eyes met hers. A thousand emotions quickly ran across his face but the one that finally settled was love. Unconditional unequivocal love.

Ranger was not only my cousin, but also my partner in business, a brother in arms and one of my closest friends. But he was marrying the one woman that I've ever loved and the worst part is I've never told her. I never took a chance, even before they got together I held back, knowing that they had feelings for each other. He pushed her away so many times and I could've stepped up and made my feelings known, but I didn't. I didn't deserve her; it's hard to imagine a man that does.

Ranger treats her well and makes her happy but I still feel like she deserves more. She is the best woman I've ever met. She's smart, kind, loyal, adventurous and damn she could make me laugh! Most of the time it was completely unintentional but her energy was so amazing. Just her presence at RangeMan changed our entire dynamic. We had always been close but we really became a family once Steph came aboard.

I watched as my cousin and the love of my life recited their vows with teary eyes and shaking voices. Next thing I knew Ranger had his arms around Stephanie was kissing her with everything he had. I swallowed hard as I clapped and cheered along with everything else.

"Come on, man. It's time to get drunk," Bobby said as he clapped me on the back.

I gave him a tight smile in return.

We all headed over to the tent set up on the beach where Bobby and I began to pound scotch.

"She's happy man. She's finally happy and we all need to be happy for her," he said quietly.

Bobby has feelings for Stephanie too. I think we all do in some way; she was the first woman that really understood and accepted us. We're mercenary bounty hunters. Most people around town run the other way when they see us. We're large and intimidating which servers our profession well, unfortunately it doesn't do much for our social life. We can certainly pick up a woman for a night of fun but it's the next morning that seems to be the problem.

Most women looking for a real relationship bolt for the door once they figure out what we do. I was supposed to have a date a few years ago and a takedown ran late. I stopped by her office to ask her if we could reschedule and when she saw my gun and other weapons she politely told me it wasn't necessary.

Other women figure out that our profession is lucrative and try to latch on, trust me when I tell you we can smell it from a mile away. This is one of the reasons that most of us prefer to hook up and then bolt. I don't take women back to my place, I don't leave them my number and I don't make promises that I have no intention of keeping.

Vince, Manny, Ram and Zero walked up to Bobby and me at the bar.

"Have you checked out the talent?" asked Vince.

"It's a tough one, small wedding, no bridesmaids. Bombshell needs more female friends," Ram commented.

We nodded our agreement. I turned around to the bartender to get another scotch. Might as well not let an open bar go to waste.

The bartender was a tall, tan brunette. I don't usually hit on bartenders and staff at events, I figure they must get it a lot and are probably sick of it. But then she tossed me a sexy smile… Well if she's willing I certainly am.

"Lester!" called Stephanie running over to me. "Will you please dance with me?" she asked with a giant smile.

"Of course, Beautiful. You never say 'no' on the bride's day," I said as I offered her my arm.

"You don't usually say 'no' to most things on most days," she laughed as she took my arm and glanced at the bartender.

"I say 'no' all the time, just never to you. It's hard for a man to deny you anything," I said as I took her in my arms on the dance floor. She flushed slightly and batted me lightly on the arm.

"I'm a married woman now, Lester Santos. You better behave," she warned.

"Don't remind me," I groaned playfully.

"Ever think about settling down?" she asked me.

"Not my style, Beautiful. I'm a man who likes options and variety," I explained.

"If you continue to keep your options as open as they currently are, it's going to start burning when you pee," she laughed.

I chuckled. "That is why man invented condoms and penicillin," I responded.

I felt a tap on the shoulder. "May I steal my wife back?" Ranger asked.

"Sure. Thanks for the dance Beautiful," I said turning to Steph. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed my face.

"Thanks for dancing with me Les," she said as Ranger took her hand and let her away.

I felt a pain in my chest as I watched Ranger lead her away from me. Story of my fucking life.

I returned to the bar, the guys, the scotch, and most importantly the hot bartender.

The evening past by in a blur, mostly because I was shit faced.

The bartender was packing up and I began helping her carry glasses to the catering truck. What can I say? I'm a gentleman. Once we finished the last round of glasses, I pulled her aside and pushed her against the wall of the hotel and kissed her hard.

"You're coming back with me," I whispered. She moaned in response as I continued to kiss her.

"Lead the way," she said in a sexy whisper after I broke our kiss.

I grabbed her hand and we went back to my hotel room. I wasted no time stripping her and she was just as desperate to remove my clothes.

She pushed me back on the bed and climbed on top. I'm usually cool with foreplay to get a woman in the mood but this chick was not having it. She wanted me NOW. I stopped her to get a condom, before things got outta hand. I may be drunk but I'm not stupid.

She climbed on top and took control, moaning loudly. I closed my eyes and my mind began picturing someone else. I thought about aqua eyes looking back at me and I moaned at the thought of Stephanie. My random was enthusiastic in my response and finished quickly, making my life easier as I found my own release.

We both feel asleep, not touching. I woke up about thirty minutes later and began finding the chick's clothes. I called a cab and then woke her up.

I politely explained that I had an early checkout and needed to get some sleep. She kissed me goodbye before she left.

I went back to bed where I continued to dream about aqua eyes looking back at me.