JE owns the rights to anything familiar. All the mistakes are mine and sorry about those. :)
In my last one-shot, Without You, I wrote the following line:
'But all it did was remind me of the time she had one too many margaritas and drunkenly admitted her feelings for me right before she passed out in my Porsche.'
I thought that comment deserved its own story and so here it is. It takes place about six months before the events of Without You. I hope you enjoy.
Lester put his foot to the side of the lock and kicked the door in on the first try. Tank and I were at his back, with weapons drawn, expecting to follow him immediately through the threshold but he paused in the open space with a mumbled expletive and then cranked his head around.
His face held an annoyed expression as he said, "Is this one of Steph's skips or did I do something to piss you off recently?"
Tank cut his eyes to me and I shook my head. To my knowledge, Lester hadn't done anything to warrant retribution and Stephanie hadn't asked for help with an FTA in weeks. My stomach tightened a little at the mention of her name. We'd been keeping our distance lately and I thought it couldn't go on much longer. Eventually something had to give and it would just be a matter of which one of us broke first.
Unfortunately we both had a stubborn streak about a mile long.
"If I was going to punish you I'd send you to work for Vinnie for a week with only Lula for a partner and Stephanie can handle her own captures so grow a set and get in there. It can't be that bad."
Turns out I was wrong about that and if I didn't know better, I would have assumed it was one of the eccentric criminals Vinnie always seemed to bond out too.
Rocco Liston, a fifty-year-old former bank manger who'd been arrested after he held all of his employees hostage at gunpoint for two hours because the deli across the street made his sandwich with mayo instead of mustard, was standing on his dining room table, completely naked, covered in some sort of oil and sporting a substantial erection.
We formed a semi-circle around the cheap Formica table while the slightly pudgy man screamed at us in a panic. "It won't go down and I can't come! What do I do? I've been yanking it for an hour and nothing!" He emphasized the point by grabbing his slicked-up dick and stroking away. "See," he screamed as he pulled, "nothing!"
Lester gave me a what the actual fuck look and I could only lift a shoulder. This was a new one, even for me, and I'd seen my share of strange over the years.
Tank was the first one to speak and his deep rumble seem to calm Rocco down.
"Is that baby oil?" He asked, gesturing to the man's greasy skin. Thankfully he stopped jacking off and answered calmly, like we weren't all standing around watching while he attempted some self-gratification.
"Canola. Should I have used baby? I didn't have any and I thought, it's all oil, what difference does it make, right? But maybe that's why I can't get off, cause I used the wrong oil?"
Lester had to turn around and bite the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't laugh and I suppressed a sigh. This was definitely a Stephanie worthy capture. As Tank continued the conversation, I idly wondered if she was home and more importantly, if she'd protest a late night visit.
"I don't think the oil matters, but why is it everywhere?" Tank wanted to know and I was curious about that as well.
"I like the way it feels," Rocco replied. Reasonable, I supposed, but Lester shook his head and turned away again.
Stephanie probably would have asked the question too and I suddenly realized she and Tank tended to handle crazy situations in the same way. Did she learn that from him or he from her?
Maybe I'd bring it up later...and why couldn't I stop thinking about her right now? It had been a while since I'd been by her place, that whole distance thing, but I really wanted to see her tonight. I guess it would be me to cave first. Interesting. It will probably shock the shit out her.
The thought made me smile.
"Sure," Tank said, "I get that, but next time maybe try some lotion and keep it to the designated area, it's a lot less messy and it feels just as good."
"Is this conversation actually happening," Santos whispered, "or did we fall through a portal into bizarro world?"
"Yeah," Rocco agreed and ran an oiled hand through the front of his salt and peppered hair, making it stand on end. "Hey, what are you doing here and did you kick in my door?"
"I think someone is off his meds," Lester commented under his breath.
"Or needs to get on them," I replied quietly.
"You missed your court date," Tank answered in that same calm tone. "We have to take you down to the station and get you re-bonded and yes we kicked in your door."
"Oh, okay," he said as if armed men broke into his house all the time. "I guess I forgot. Do I have to get dressed?"
"That would be preferable," Tank supplied. "And maybe take a quick shower first."
"Yes, please take a shower," Lester begged.
Rocco climbed off the table, impressively only slipping once and headed for the bathroom. "I'll go make sure there isn't an escape attempt out the back," I said when he was out of sight.
"You said things would be a lot less weird when we contracted with Les Sebring," Lester called to my retreating back. "Lying liar who lies!"
My phone rang when I stepped outside and I answered Hector's call as I rounded the side of the house and headed toward the back yard.
"Yo." There was a lot of background noise, music and talking, so I guessed he was taking advantage of having two days off.
"You should stop by the Manor tonight," he responded without a return greeting and I paused by the back door, listening for sounds of an imminent escape but all I heard was the water turning on in the bathroom.
"The gay bar out on Highway 22?"
"Yes."
As was often the case with Hector, no other information was provided so I had to pull it out of him. "I can't think of a single reason why I would want to do that."
"Oh, there is," he supplied, continuing to be more than vague.
"Yeah, and it's a really good one!" Someone else said in the background. It was slightly muffled as if he'd leaned into the phone and Hector had tried to cover his mouth.
"Was that Zip?" I asked, knowingly. They'd tried to be discreet about the relationship but it was very hard to hide things from me.
Hector was quiet for a beat and then ignored my question. "Just come by the bar if you can. It will be well worth the drive." He disconnected after that and I slid my phone back into my pocket.
Either he was extremely drunk or a certain blue-eyed bounty hunter was inexplicably at a gay bar tonight. Since Hector rarely overindulged, I thought I had my answer. Normally the Manor would be the last place I'd ever even think about going but I was already calculating how long it would take to get the skip secured and then get home to change before I made the forty minute drive. Though, if I took the Turbo, I could cut that time considerably.
While I waited at the back door I ran a quick GPS route on my phone and found a shortcut. If we got done here soon I could make it to the bar before midnight. Knowing Hector he'd keep her there until I arrived, because he knows I will after that phone call, so I didn't need to rush.
But I wanted to. The more I thought about her the more I wanted to see her, and the sooner the better.
I abandoned my post at the back entrance and made a phone call to control for a ride as I reentered the house through the front door. "What's the hold up?" I demanded of Tank and Lester who had taken up vigil outside the bathroom door.
"Did you see how much oil he slathered on himself?" Tank answered. "I'm not getting that shit on my upholstery."
"You have someplace else to be?" Lester inquired with a sly grin. Sometimes I wanted to punch that smile right off his face.
"Yeah, anywhere you aren't. I trust the two of you can handle getting Mr. Oily down to the station on your own; Manny is on his way to pick me up."
"Tell Steph we say Hello," Lester called as I left the small bedroom. Instead of shooting him I flipped him the bird took my exit.
Manny arrived five minutes later and ten after that I was freshly showered and dressed in black jeans and a deep burgundy button down shirt that made Stephanie's bright blue eyes darken with desire every time I wore it.
I left word with the control room that I'd be offline and unavailable for the next twenty-four hours before I exited the building and eased my 911 Turbo out of the garage.
It took just under twenty five minutes to reach the crowded parking lot of the Manor and I found an empty space in a secluded area at the back. I cut the engine and headed for the entrance, contemplating which dress Stephanie might be wearing.
There was a silky blue one she wore on a distraction job once that I think did a better job on me than the lonely skip drowning his sorrows in a bottle of vodka. Then there was the short black one comprised of some sort of shimmery material that clung to every curve like it had been made only for her body...it was also nearly backless and that was my favorite feature.
I'd had more than one fantasy of her in that little black dress. And getting her out of it. I was so engrossed in imagining what she would be wearing I was almost startled when the door burst open and the object of my affection stumbled out with Hector and Zip on her heels. Her very high, sexy as hell heels.
"No more," she was saying as she peered over her shoulder at the two men. "I can't dance anymore, my fucking feet are killing me."
Because she wasn't looking, she tripped on the second step and tumbled fortuitously right into my arms.
"Ranger!" She gasped as I kept her from falling. She was wearing the aforementioned dress and I slid my hands around to the fully exposed skin of her back. It was smooth and soft and would be difficult to let her go.
"Babe." My standard one word response had the desired effect of making her smile.
"What are...what are you doing here? Do you know this is a gay bar?" She was careful with her cadence, slowly forming each word, a habit she had when she consumed too much alcohol.
"I do know. I thought maybe you might need a ride a home so I stopped by to check." Hector lifted a sculpted eyebrow at the comment and Zip was grinning at me, enhancing the dimple in his right cheek.
"Well...Zip brought me," she said as she tipped her face back so she could see mine. With her heels we were eye to eye and hers held a slightly glazed look. She'd definitely had too much to drink. "I should ask him if it's okay."
"I'm going home with Hector anyway," the man in question responded. "So it's okay with me as long as you get home safely." The admission earned him a laser beam glare from Hector but there wasn't a lot of heat behind.
"Yeah you are!" She replied with a grin and turned her head to peer at the two men behind her.
"Thanks for coming out to dance with us, Chica," Hector said with an almost eye roll at both of them. "It was fun, and we'll have to do it again. Have a good night and be safe," he added before kissing her on the cheek and then taking Zip's hand to tug him around us.
I gave him a nod of thanks for the call and he winked at me, pulling Zip behind him.
"Goodnight," Zip called with a goofy wave as they walked away. Apparently Hector had been the designated driver because Zip was just as plastered as Stephanie.
"How did you know I was here?" She queried, bringing my head around.
"I know a lot of things."
"Yes, you do," she agreed with a slight curve to her lips.
"You ready to go home?"
"I am." Stephanie ran her hand down the front of my shirt and I had to bite back the next comment the gesture brought into my head. She was definitely too drunk for what it implied and I wasn't a big enough asshole to take advantage.
"I love this shirt," she breathed and trailed her fingers across my chest again. Her eyes darkened to a deep indigo and I had to get my hands off of her before she tested my restraint any further.
"I know," I said and released my grip on her back so I could spin her beside me and take her hand. "Let's get you home."
We slowly made our way to the Porsche, Stephanie teetering on the heels that hurt her feet and when we reached the passenger door, I popped it open and helped her slide into the bucket seat. When I bent to lift her legs inside she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled my head to her waiting lips. The kiss was long and slow and did nothing to quell the burning desire I had to take her directly to bed. Maybe if I took the long route back she'd be sober enough by the time we got there...
"Mmmm, you taste good," she said when the kiss eventually had to end.
"You taste like Margaritas," I told her as I dislodged her hands from my neck and buckled her in. "How many did you have?"
"Maybe too many," she admitted.
"Probably. Tuck your arm in." She did as instructed and I closed the door, using the few seconds I had to get around to the driver's side to get my body under control. Stephanie had no idea how very much she affected me and that made her even more attractive. I wanted her, badly, but not while she was full of half the Manor's store of tequila.
When I slid behind the wheel, I made the mistake of glancing her way. The little black dress had ridden up her thighs almost to the point of not covering the important bits. It was going to be a very long drive. I inhaled a small breath and let it out slowly while I turned over the engine.
"I love this car," Steph said as she tilted her head back against the seat. "It's so powerful... like you."
Jesus, the woman was killing me.
"I'm glad you like it. Did you have fun tonight, Babe?" I needed to get her talking about something else.
"Absolutely. Aren't Hector and Zip just the cutest couple? And they sure love to dance. I couldn't keep up with them...oh shit," she breathed and it brought my head around again.
Her eyes were wide and slightly panicked. "What's wrong?"
"I don't think I was supposed to tell you they're a couple. I think they're trying to keep it on the down low."
I flashed her a smile. "I already knew about Hector and Zip so don't worry about it."
"You did? Wait, of course you did. You're Batman, you know everything. That's why Zip told me I should just tell you I'm in love with you because you probably already know anyway. I told him no way and that you'd freak out and avoid me even more than you already do but he just laughed and said I should try and see. Would you freak out if I told you?"
My whole body had gone still at the inadvertent confession and I almost had to pull the Porsche over so we wouldn't crash. I knew she loved me, that was true, but she'd never said it out loud, not even once and I knew this shouldn't count because she wouldn't even remember she'd said it in the morning, but I wanted it to, and I wanted her to say it again so I stopped the car and turned so I could see the truth of it in her eyes.
But those big baby blues were closed and her chin had dropped to her chest. Stephanie was asleep but I tried anyway. "Babe?" I shook her shoulder a little bit but she was completely out.
It figures; just when I think we might finally be on the same page...of course I'd never told her I loved her either, at least not without a stupid qualifier that would guarantee she'd never think I wanted more with her than a few nights in her bed, but I did. I wanted more than I could probably ever express and I thought this might be my chance to finally get my head out of my ass and tell her. Fucking tequila; Stephanie could not hold her liquor.
I put the car in gear and drove the rest of the way to her apartment. She didn't even wake up when I carried her up the two flights of stairs but had a moment of lucidity when I placed her on her bed and pulled the comforter up over her perfect body.
"Ranger?"
"Yeah, Babe?"
"Are you staying?"
"Do you want me to?"
"Yes."
She was out again after that exchange, but I stayed. I kicked off my shoes and curved my body behind hers as she slept off the booze. In the morning, when she was clear-headed and able to retain information, we were going to have a long overdue discussion about the current state of our pseudo-relationship and where we both want it to go, and if I'm lucky, that will be in the exact same direction.
I had no way of knowing the call I'd receive at three in the morning would, once again, delay that much needed conversation.
The gentle buzzing against my leg where I'd left my phone inside my pocket woke me slowly. Stephanie didn't stir when I extricated myself from around her and quietly left her bedroom.
My heart stalled when I saw Rachel's number in the display. I hadn't talked to my ex in months and a call this late couldn't be anything good. Not wanting to wake Steph,I spoke quietly when I answered. "What's wrong?"
"It's Julie," she said and then began to cry in earnest. It took me ten minutes to calm her enough to get the story and when she was done, half of me wished I hadn't answered the phone, as if not hearing the words would make them not be true.
Leukemia. My little girl had leukemia. I promised Rachel I would be on the first flight out and then I went to say goodbye to Stephanie. When I got back in the room she was still sound asleep and I still didn't want to wake her. My chest ached at the thought of another missed opportunity but that's how things always seemed to go with us. One day, I hoped, we would be able say everything I knew we both wanted to, but right now wasn't that time.
I leaned over her sleeping frame and pressed my lips to her forehead. "Soon, Babe. Someday soon."