A/N: I know this storyline has been done in the past. However, it kept screaming at me to be written and refused to give me any peace until I did. So here it is, I hope everyone enjoys it. Many thanks to Sharon, who not only urged me to write it anyway, but beta'd for me. You're the best, Babe!
Warnings: This story contains smut (it wouldn't be me if it didn't) and butt-load of angst. Oh yeah, JE owns them, blah, blah, blah.
LOVE IN THE WIND
CHAPTER 1
Stephanie woke up to the feeling of someone watching her. In the still of the night, she rolled over and saw that someone was sitting in the chair in her bedroom. She should have been terrified with the possibility that it was another stalker, but instead, she breathed a sigh of relief. The man watching her in the dark was no stalker.
It was Ranger.
She rose up on her elbows and focused on his silhouetted form. She had a sinking feeling that this wasn't just a social call. One, it was the middle of the night and two, Ranger had been moody for the last week. At first, he would hardly speak to her and kept her at a distance. Then that prior morning, Ranger had pulled her into the alley behind the bond's office and held her so tightly she thought her bones would break. He never said a word, he just held her. When he finally pulled away, he bent his head down and placed the sweetest, most tender kiss on her lips.
Then he turned and walked away.
Now with him here, she was determined to find out what was bothering him.
"Ranger?" Steph asked. "What's wrong? What's bothering you?"
Her concern for him broke his heart. He should have never come here. He should have just taken care of business and let her be. No good was going to come of this.
"Go back to sleep, Babe. I'm sorry I woke you up." Ranger got up from the chair and began to leave the room, but Steph grabbed his wrist before he could make it out the door.
"You're not leaving until you tell me what's got you so upset," Steph said. "Talk to me, Ranger. Maybe I can help."
There was no helping him with this problem. It was something Ranger had to handle himself. He couldn't even pull Tank in on this one, not that he would anyway.
"There's nothing you can do, Babe. So don't worry about it. I'll be fine," he lied. That tore his heart apart. Ranger made it a point to never out right lie to Stephanie. He would withhold information or not divulge any at all, but he had never deliberately lied to her until just then.
He tried to pull away from Stephanie but she held fast, refusing to release his wrist.
"You're leaving, aren't you?" she asked. Ranger didn't answer her. He just continued to stare into the darkness. His silence told her everything. Normally when Ranger would leave, he'd give her some kind of an idea as to when he would be back and told her to see Tank if she needed anything. The fact that he was saying nothing at all told her more than she wanted to know. More than she wanted to hear.
Her grip on Ranger's wrist tightened even more as she pulled him down to sit on the edge of her bed. He kept his head down, avoiding the look in her eyes. He didn't want to see the same pain and sadness he felt in her beautiful blue eyes.
Stephanie cupped his cheek and raised his head so that she could see his face. "When do you leave?" she asked.
"Tomorrow afternoon," he replied softly. Just telling her that much ripped his guts to shreds.
"Then stay with me," she whispered.
Ranger froze. He stopped breathing and was pretty sure his heart had missed a few beats. What he wouldn't give to get lost in her passion just one more time. He hadn't been intimate with her since the night of that stupid-assed deal. He'd kicked himself for months over the poor way in which he had handled that, wishing he would have had taken the opportunity to make things right by her.
But he never did. Even after Steph and the cop had broken up this last time and it appeared to be a permanent break, Ranger did nothing. Even his own men tried to get Ranger to make a move on Steph, but he wouldn't budge. When Ranger almost put Lester in the hospital for announcing that he was going to make a move on Steph if Ranger didn't, Ranger still did nothing to claim her as his.
And now she never would be. The phone call he'd received the prior week saw to that. Sure, the General tried to gloss things over by telling Ranger that it would be his last mission, that upon completion he would be a free man. But as Ranger read over the orders which had arrived the following day, he saw the one statement that changed everything; probable chance of survival – minimal to none. He was going to spend his freedom inside a pine box, considering there would be enough of him left to ship home.
Ranger choked back his emotions at Stephanie's offer. It was an offer he should have made to her months ago. But then, would it have made his leaving that much more difficult now? Probably, but he would have at least known true love once in his life, however brief.
Now he would never know and he doubted that one night with Steph would ever be enough.
Steph could see the battle Ranger fought with himself. All his shields were down and she could see the emotions flying across his face. His anguish over her offer to stay the night with her was so tangible she could almost taste it.
Maybe it was because she was feeling the same way. The thought of losing Ranger almost sent Steph into a panic, but she knew that would make him leave and that was the last thing she wanted.
What she did want was one last night with Ranger. She wanted to feel his gentle touch and taste his warm kisses. She wanted the love they felt for one another but were too damned scared to admit existed. And she wanted their passion to burn through her, for she knew it would have to sustain her for the rest of her life. She knew that when Ranger finally left, Steph would never again have half the love and feelings for anyone else as she had for Ranger.
Her mother was always complaining about her last chance at love, well this was it and she wasn't about to let it walk out her front door without a fight. So Steph slid her hand from Ranger's cheek to the back of his neck and pulled him in close. She placed a light kiss on his lips, lingering for a moment to judge his reaction.
Ranger's reaction was clear and quick. He grabbed her with powerful arms and pressed her against his hard body. Then he devoured her lips as he kissed her blind. All self control and sense of duty disintegrated. The only thing that mattered to Ranger now was the woman in his arms.
He had to have her this one last time. He had to know what pure bliss felt like. He wouldn't be able to leave without knowing the feel of her body under his as he worshiped her, loved her. He wouldn't be able to walk away from her without her knowing just exactly what she'd meant to him all these years.
Her body was warm from sleep and it melted the chill he'd been feeling around his soul. But feeling her body heat through thin cotton material wasn't enough. He needed more of her.
He needed all of her.
In one fluid motion, Ranger grasped the hem of her Snoopy night shirt and pulled it up and over her head. He tossed her shirt to the floor which was quickly followed by his own. Finally, he had her bare skin against his. Her breasts were full and her nipples were hard and they rubbed against his own naked chest, tearing a moan from his throat as he kissed her again.
Steph held on to Ranger as his mouth made love to hers. She felt the muscles of his back ripple and shudder as she dragged her nails down his spine. His scent and taste filled her head and she purred her pleasure as his tongue battled with hers.
Ranger broke the kiss and stood up. When Stephanie reached for him to keep him from leaving he took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles.
"Shhh, querida. I'm not going anywhere," he whispered. Ranger released her hands then removed his weapons, pants and shoes. He stood before her in the moonlight completely naked. The shadows moved across his body in an erotic dance.
Stephanie tossed back her covers so she could get out of her bed. She stood in front of Ranger in nothing but her sweat pants taking in the sight before her. Ranger stood proud and strong his erection full and ready to take her. He was all hard-bodied male and for this one night, he belonged to her.
She laid one pale hand on his dark chest and could feel his heart beating under her palm. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the rhythm of his thundering heart as it pounded in time with hers.
Her eyes still closed, she felt his body move moments before his mouth claimed her breast. His hot, wet mouth scorched her skin as he rolled her nipple with his tongue and grazed it with his teeth. She held Ranger's head as he suckled her, reveling in the feel of their passionate embrace. He released her breast only to move to the other to give it the same loving attention.
When he was satisfied, Ranger released her breast and sank to his knees. He slid his fingers beneath the waistband of her sweats and slowly pulled them down her legs. When he reached her feet, he gently took one ankle and lifted her foot from pant leg then did the same with the other foot.
He continued to kneel before her, inhaling her feminine scent. Ranger nuzzled his nose and cheek in the soft curls between her thighs and felt his erection swell even further. Wanting to taste her sweetness, Ranger tilted his head and ran his tongue across her outer lips.
She was pure heaven.
He raked his tongue back and forth stopping only to swirl it around her swollen nub. He rubbed as much of his face as he could across her wet heat hoping that her essence would soak into his skin and stay with him for a long as he lived.
How ever long that would be.
Ranger could tell Stephanie was about to come so he tightened his hold around her waist with one hand and inserted two fingers into her core with the other.
Stephanie blew apart immediately. She threw her head back and screamed her release as her orgasm tore through her. Her knees buckled and if it hadn't been for Ranger holding onto her, she would have fallen to the floor.
Ranger held Stephanie as her body trembled in his arms. When her climax had finally subsided, Ranger rose to his feet, picked Steph up and gently laid her back in bed. He gently placed his body over hers and settled himself between her welcoming thighs. Stephanie continued to pant as Ranger nuzzled her neck and rocked his engorged shaft across her drenched center.
When Ranger began kissing her again, Steph could taste herself on his lips and tongue. Instinctively, she thrust her hips up which caused Ranger's swollen crown to breach the entrance of her core.
Both of them stopped and stared at each other, barely breathing. Then without warning, Ranger drove himself completely into Stephanie. She cried out at the fullness of him as he sank his cock all the way to her womb. Ranger cursed himself and his stupidity. This was where he had wanted to be since that first night. This was where he had belonged. But his selfish pride had kept him at a distance and this one night would be all he had left. This one night was going to have to last him for the rest of his short life and he had no one to blame but himself.
Stephanie wrapped her legs around Ranger's hips as he continued to thrust deep inside her. She scored his back with her nails and he drove into her harder. But it was when he felt her inner walls clamp down on him that finally pushed him over the edge.
They came together, each giving and receiving all the other had to give. When their bodies calmed they still continued to cling to one another. Neither willing to let go, both terrified of losing the other.
"I love you," Ranger said, breaking the silence. "I always have."
"I know, you've said…" Steph started, but Ranger cut her off.
"No. I am in love with you. Plain and simple with no bullshit conditions. I am in love with you, Stephanie Plum, and I've wanted this for a very long time."
"Then why didn't you ever say anything?" she asked.
"Fear," he replied. "Fear that I would lose you, fear that I couldn't give you the life you wanted or deserve. Fear that I wasn't good enough for you and that I would disappoint you."
Stephanie was stunned. After all her bumbling antics and half-baked adventures, he was the one in fear of disappointing her. She wrapped her arms tightly around Ranger, her heart breaking for the man whom she had thought wasn't afraid of anything.
"You could never disappoint me. You amaze me. You always know just what to do or what to say. You always know when I'm in trouble and you've always been able to make things right. You are the one person I know I can always count on, the one person I trust above all others. And I love you with everything that I am." Stephanie had tears streaming down her face as she poured her heart out to Ranger.
Seeing her cry tore at his heart. All he wanted to do was hold her and make all her pain go away. How ironic though, that he was the cause of most of her pain and sadness.
"We have tonight, Babe, and I don't want to spend it being sad or hashing over 'what if's.' I want to spend it making love to you. I have very little time left and I don't want to waste a second of it." Ranger bent down and kissed Stephanie then wiped away her tears.
He felt like crying with her but knew that would only upset Stephanie more. So he choked back the tears that threatened to fall and kept his promise.
He made love to her all night long.
They took turns exploring each other's bodies, committing to memory every curve, every muscle, every taste. With every orgasm that ripped through their bodies, their hearts broke a little more at the thought that this would be the last time either of them would be truly happy, truly loved.
It was finally time for Ranger to leave. Steph had eventually fallen asleep and was curled up against Ranger's chest. The sound of her even breathing mesmerized him. Often, there had been times when Ranger had sneaked into Steph's apartment and just listened to her breathing. It relaxed him like nothing else could. Most of the time, she had never been aware that he had been there.
He always left before she woke up. But when he left, he knew that he would be able to face the coming day. It was a gift she always gave him but never realized it. This would be the last time he'd ever receive that gift.
Placing a feather light kiss on her forehead, Ranger quietly slid from her bed and got dressed, foregoing a shower since he wanted her scent on his skin as long as possible.
He stood in her doorway and watched her sleep one last time. For an agonizing moment, Ranger considering chucking the whole mission and running off with Stephanie. He knew the world well enough to know where the best hiding places were. But that wasn't the kind of life he wanted to put her through, the kind of life she deserved. Stephanie deserved fun and freedom and he wouldn't be able to give that to her if they were always looking over their shoulders.
No, Stephanie deserved so much more than a life on the run.
So he whispered one more 'I love you, Babe' and walked out of her apartment. He left behind his love, he left behind his freedom, he left behind his life as man to become the property of the U.S. Government.
Property, which apparently, was expendable.