NOTE: I wrote this over about three or four days and was so pleased to read through it and feel like it turned out decent. I usually write a chapter all in a day, maybe taking a few breaks for 'real life', but usually it's a one day deal. Breaking it up made me feel like I was writing a disjointed mess, but after reading it start to finish I'm feeling pretty good about it. I hope you like it too!
Sorry it took longer than I thought. I know I said before the weekend was out, but it's just been one of those weekends and I couldn't wrap my head around it.
I'm starving for your feedback. I've turned into an absolute junkie.
Really hoping I got all (most) the typos. It's not four am yet, but it will be soon.
SPOILERS: Up until Plum Spooky, but please keep in mind that the last numbered book I read was Lean Mean Thirteen and I only have a vague idea of what happens in Fearless Fourteen. I've probably got some of the story timeline fuckered up, but we'll go with creative license and you can just enjoy the ride.
RATING: 100%, balls to the wall, SMUT. Grade A, turned on the author, Doomsday Orgasm narration. And language. Oh, and some booze and cigarettes, because I'm a dirty pirate and had to slip some of my own vices in there.
CHAPTER TEN:
She was on the gun range, blasting away. He was watching her on the monitor, running through scenarios for a successful conversation that didn't end in an argument or a blank stare. From either of them. He was feeling argumentative. Not a good sign.
After he'd returned to RangeMan after ducking out of Stephanie's apartment, cursing himself for a fool, he'd been distracted. He kept finding himself reading the same line in a report again and again.
Desk work hadn't been cutting it. He'd needed to do something physical. There were a couple high bond skips that needed collecting and one of them was a regular that usually put up a fight. He'd called Tank to suit up and meet him in the garage. Kicking in a door and handcuffing someone would alleviate some of the tension. Maybe Tank would throw the guy out a window.
The takedown went exactly as he'd hoped. No one injured if you discounted when the skip 'accidentally' slipped on the way out of the house, slamming his head into the doorjamb and again on the way into the SUV.
He'd put up a fight, blasting the door with a sawed-off. Tank had kicked the door almost immediately after, catching the idiot trying to get a look through the buckshot spray in the face.
Ranger went in and let the guy put up a bit of a fight, just so he could put a little more force into subduing him, and that had been it.
Tank hadn't brought up Stephanie and neither had Ranger. They'd worked together with the same ease and trust they'd had for years and that had been a comfort in itself. Ranger knew his actions were affecting his professional life as well as his personal life. Stephanie, while distant and all business with him, was uniformly adored by his men and returned the sentiment.
The guys were impressed with her tenacity and her will to improve. They all loved to watch her eat and so brought her various things throughout the day. Ella would leave take-home bags for Stephanie because she knew Steph had been avoiding her mother and didn't cook much for herself, unless it was microwavable macaroni or grilled cheese sandwiches.
The side effect of Stephanie's complete acceptance into the RangeMan ranks was that all the guys felt like they had to protect her personally. Even from him, if necessary.
After turning in the body receipt to Connie, they'd gone back to RangeMan and he'd called Stephanie, inviting her to his place for dinner. He wanted to tell her how he felt, that he wanted her in his life. To ask for her forgiveness and assure her that she'd have a place at RangeMan as long as she wanted it, even if she didn't want him. And she'd turned him down.
Then the dream that had ended as a nightmare.
Now he was feeling the lack of sleep as he watched her unload clip after clip into paper targets. The camera was behind her booth so he couldn't see her face, but he could see that she was writing something on each of her targets. She was currently writing something on another.
Finished, she stepped to the side to put a new clip into her Sig and her face was shown in profile. She was crying, wiping tears off her cheeks with her fingertips. He swept his eyes to the target she'd left in sight and felt a sickening lurch as he saw "Ranger" printed in block letters across the target's 'face'.
The target was set and he watched her extend her arms, taking aim. He waited with baited breath for her to unload on the target the way she had on the others, but she didn't. After what seemed to be hours but must have only been a minute or two she lowered the gun, holstering it at her hip. She towed the target in, removed her earphones and safety glasses, and then placed her palms on the counter before her, hanging her head.
Stephanie's head went up suddenly, turning toward the entrance to the gun range while she simultaneously tore down the target. Her hands flexed as if to crumple the target up, but she hesitated, looking down at it, and he saw emotions, unrestricted, filter clearly across her face. Loneliness, longing, anger. She folded the target up quickly and stuck it into her cargo pocket on her left thigh just as Santos stepped into view.
Ranger stiffened and activated the volume so he could hear what they were saying, but Santos stepped between Stephanie and the camera, his hands on his hips, head tilted down to look at her. They were keeping their voices low and it was hard to hear anything they said.
After a few moments, Stephanie moved closer to Santos and he wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek on her hair. Her arms were around his waist and then they stepped apart and moved out of sight.
Ranger brought up a view of the range from the main entrance and watched them walking together towards the camera, but nothing happened. Santos had hugged her. She'd hugged him back. End of story. Stephanie hugged almost everyone in the building on a pretty regular basis. All the guys had a habit of making themselves available for her hugs as often as possible. Ranger wasn't the only one that had benefited from Stephanie's friendship; he was just the only one stupid enough to throw it away.
#
Ranger moved quickly down the stairs to the third floor. Stephanie was in the locker room and he wanted to catch her before she got in the shower. He didn't want to run into Santos coming out of the elevator on five so he took the stairs instead.
Walking through the gym, he entered the locker room. It was silent but he knew she was in there and he could see that the handicap bathroom door was open, lights off. She wasn't in there yet.
"What's up?"
Ranger looked around. Steph's voice was coming from around the shower bank. She must have been at the sinks. He was quiet for a moment and then stepped forward.
"The silent thing is freaking me out, Ranger. If that's you, just say something."
He felt a smile kick up a corner of his mouth. "It's me," he answered and stepped into her line of sight a moment later.
"I know." She hesitated and he studied her face. She looked tired. "I always know when it's you," she added.
He always knew when it was her, too.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral where he normally would have expected defensiveness.
There were a few scraps of paper on the counter near her hip where she'd hitched it, leaning to the side. A small wastebasket near her booted feet was full of more scraps, torn thin.
Her face remained blank but her eyes dipped down for a moment and she studied the paper before meeting his gaze again.
"We need to talk," he started and she took a small step back, placing her palms flat on the counter. He thought maybe she was going to walk out on him, but instead she hopped up and sat on the edge of the counter, leaning back on her hands.
"The floor is yours," she said quietly, eyeing him warily.
Ranger had Stephanie's attention and could feel the words that described his emotions were all blending together. Focus, Manoso, he admonished himself. Don't fuck this up.
"I miss you," he said, going with the most basic of things on his list to tell her. Fury whipped lightening fast across her face before she could hide it, but she stowed it away and waited for him to continue.
"I miss everything about you. I miss talking to you and listening to you talk. I miss having a reason to smile." That had just poured out. Ranger took a deep breath and, while he could see a sheen of tears in her eyes, her expression didn't change and she didn't say anything.
Keep going. "I fucked up, and no matter what, I want you as my friend again. As much as you're willing to give. I regret every day that I threw your friendship in your face and belittled all that you've done for me. I know you would do anything to help me because you're my friend, and I imagine how I've treated you for the past six months made it seem like none of those things had any worth."
A tear rolled down her cheek and he ached to reach out and wipe it away. She swallowed hard and looked upward, blinking.
When her gaze came back to his her eyes were almost electric blue, shimmering with more unshed tears. "No price, Ranger." Her voice was low, sad. "I didn't know what that meant when you said it to me, and you let me believe whatever I wanted at the time. After Scrog, I thought about you taking those bullets for Julie and me. About having a bomb strapped to my chest. I thought about you swooping in like Batman to save me time and again, in a million large and small ways. I thought about hiding you from the police so I could help you with the Ramos case, help you find Julie. I realized that I'd do it all again, every time, any time, because it was for you and you would always do the same thing for me. Then I knew what it really meant when you'd told me there was no price."
He was about to speak and she held up a hand, gathering her thoughts. "Let me finish. I know I told you to talk, but let me finish." There was panic and desperation tingeing her words and he knew she was on the verge of bolting. He waited.
"That was right after the mess with Petiak. It only took me another month to figure out how to break it off with Morelli in a way that wouldn't lead to a fight. I didn't want to lose him as a friend." She bit her lip and looked down at her boots, and he felt the weight of irony at her words.
Still not looking up she said, "I knew what I wanted, without question or doubt. I was going to take anything I could get, and hope." At that she did look up, and her face was blank but her eyes were full of hurt and confusion, tears sliding silently down her face. "And I didn't even get to keep what I had. You just shut down. Shut me down. Severed the most important friendship in my life with the words that you'd always used to make me feel capable and respected."
"No price and I've been making you pay," he said after a long, intense silence. "I'm so sorry." He stepped toward her slowly, and she didn't stop him when he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, but she didn't hug him back. Her face was tucked against his shoulder and he felt her breathe him in but her arms didn't come up to wrap around his waist the way they once would have and he buried his face in her hair, aching for her, hungry to feel her hold him back.
He knew he should let her go but he couldn't. She smelled like flowers and tobacco, and he was curious about the cigarette smell but didn't say anything. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Stephanie gently reached up and rested her hands on his forearms, pushing him away. He felt a boulder drop into his gut, afraid she was going to do to him what he'd done to her, but she didn't release his arms when he stood back from her.
"I was willing to take whatever you'd give me before, Ranger. When I came to you I was going to tell you we could go wherever you were willing to take me, however you'd take me. I didn't care if all we had was our friendship, as long as I had at least that. I wanted so much more but I wasn't going to beg you for it or try to guilt you into it. I know what it's like to have people guilt you into things you don't want to do and I would never want that for you.
"I'm not willing for that anymore." She paused and closed her eyes, thinking, her brows drawn together in a frown. "I love my job here. I love the men. They make me feel accepted and they take me seriously. They invest their time in me and I'm seeing the benefits. With them, and with my other friends, I've got all the acceptance and support I could ask for." Her thumbs were tracing circles on his arms and he placed his hands to either side of her on the counter, hanging his face before hers. "I can't do that with you, though. I can't let you keep me at arm's length when I want so much more. So you either have to be all with me or just my boss. I'll continue under my RangeMan contract and hope that you let me renew it based on my performance as an employee when the time comes."
He moved to take her back into his arms but she stopped him with a lightening quick hand pressing against his chest. "You need to know what this means, Ranger. This means a partnership between us both. I understand there are aspects of your life, past and possibly present, that you can't always share with me. I'm hoping those are only things that have to do with your career and not with who you are."
She swallowed hard and he could see that laying it all out like this was terrifying her. She looked like she was giving up her last hope. "You can't order me around when we're dealing with my life outside of RangeMan. I will always accept your authority as your employee, and will contribute my input to situations and to the job just as the other guys do, but you can't make decisions about my personal life, even issues of my safety, without talking to me about it. All of it. Nothing held back. I don't need that sort of protection anymore.
"And if any part of you is thinking you can't give me what I want, then you don't really know me at all. It should be obvious I don't want the 'Burg life."
Her gaze was fierce and her jaw was clenched, waiting for him to turn her down.
"You know I love you," he told her, reaching up and cupping her cheek.
"That's not enough anymore," she whispered and gently pushed him away from her. "Think about what I said. I could ask you tell me right now one way or the other, but I've waited this long. Call me when you know which way we're going to finish this, Ranger." She slipped off the counter, standing in front of him and he watched her face go blank even as she slid her hand up his chest to hold the side of his neck. Her thumb brushed against his pulse and he wanted to crush her to his chest and kiss her until she melted against him, but she was looking tapped out.
Even though he wanted to tell her he'd give her everything she was asking for, he wanted her to know he had thought about it. And he wanted to do it somewhere he could get started on making up for all their months apart.
"Will you have dinner with me tonight?" he asked, hoping she'd accept, worried it would push her away. "I'll have Ella cook something and we can talk."
She studied him carefully but she'd successfully repressed any expression. "Okay," she answered after a short pause. "I'll be here at seven. I think I'm going to go home now, if that's alright."
"Whatever you want to do," he replied and brushed a curl that had escaped her ponytail away from her eyes.
Her mouth and eyes tightened slightly and then she was gone, disappearing around the corner, and the sound of the door shutting behind her.
Ranger looked into the trash can and picked up a long strip of paper from the garbage can, recognizing it as the target she'd written his name on but had been unable to shoot. He hoped that was a good sign.
#
Stephanie stayed calm as she took the elevator to the garage. She didn't acknowledge the cameras and felt bad because the guys were probably worried about what might have happened with Ranger in the locker room. She couldn't talk to anyone about it yet, though. Not even Lester. She just had to get out.
Just before the doors slid open in the garage she sent a tight smile to the camera and headed for her car. She drove home and had to park near the dumpster. It was still too early for the seniors in her building to have gone out anywhere yet, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get inside.
"Back so soon?" Diesel called from the living room when she came in the door.
"You haven't smoked all those cigarettes, have you?" she asked, hanging her pocketbook in the foyer.
"No, why? Need a few more?" He was sitting on the couch and it looked like he'd been vegging out to Sponge Bob. She sniffed to make sure he hadn't been smoking in her apartment, but the air just smelled faintly of his own, mind-boggling scent and coffee.
Stephanie entered the kitchen and found that Diesel had indeed brewed another pot of coffee. She laced a mug heavily with Irish Cream and then poured her coffee in over it before heading back into the living room. Diesel had a mug that looked similarly doctored on the coffee table before him, still steaming.
"Grab your coffee and the smokes. We'll go sit on the fire escape," she invited and he stood, snagging his mug and followed her to the window in her bedroom.
Stephanie handed Diesel her mug so she could climb out and then took both cups from him so he could follow. Stephanie sat facing the parking lot, sliding her legs between the rails and dangling her feet over the edge. Diesel leaned back against the building, his boots hanging over the ledge.
"Give me one of those cigarettes." He handed her one and stuck one between his own lips. She held her hand out for the lighter but Diesel touched his finger tip to the end of the cigarette, lighting it.
Stephanie raised both brows. "I didn't know you could do that," she said, impressed.
He repeated the move with his own cigarette and shrugged. "So what's up?"
"I have a date with Ranger tonight."
Diesel lifted a brow, taking a long drag. "How'd that come up?"
"He followed me to the locker room. I would have been in the shower already but I was tearing something up and throwing it in the garbage."
"What sort of thing were you tearing?"
"A range target with Ranger's name written on it," she replied and felt that sick twist in her stomach she'd had as she was scrawling his name across the target, trying to concentrate on being angry but just feeling lost. When she'd pointed her gun at it, ready to fire, she'd found she couldn't even shoot something that represented him. Her mind's eye was playing a vivid video of him going down under a hail of gunfire from Scrog's gun and she'd immediately been disgusted with herself.
"I didn't want anyone to see it so I shredded it. I wasn't expecting him to come out of nowhere like that."
"Did he see the target?"
"I don't think so, but it wouldn't have mattered. I couldn't shoot it."
"And then he asked you for a date?" Diesel prodded.
"I kinda spelled it all out for him and then told him to think about it. He told me he misses me and I told him friendship wasn't going to cut it. All or nothing." Stephanie sighed and chugged down half her coffee. "Then he asked."
"Did you say yes?"
"Yeah. I thought I wasn't living in Ranger limbo anymore, but I'm still right there, at least in my heart. I have to know if this is going to go somewhere or if I should just let it go. I can't keep torturing myself over it." The cigarette was rapidly meeting its end and Stephanie flicked ash over the edge of the fire escape.
"I was thinking about vegging to recharge. Help you finish this pack. Maybe take a nap. We could get some lunch. I don't know. I definitely want to finish the pack though, but we gotta save one for in case the thing with Ranger goes badly. Then I can come home and do a little more slow suicide in self-pity."
"I say we do all those things," Diesel agreed and popped another cigarette into his mouth, lighting it with his previous smoke.
"No fancy finger trick?"
"That one comes and goes. I could show you one I'm always good at, if you'd like." His tone was suggestive and his leer was wolfish.
"Maybe I'll abuse you if Ranger falls through," Stephanie countered, sucking another drag out of her Camel Filter, keeping her tone conversational.
"That plan works for me."
"Good to know."
#
Stephanie smoked a second cigarette and then they headed back inside to get started on the remainder of the coffee and to space out in front of the television. They loaded the coffee table with food and Stephanie was able to push her anxiety for the coming evening out of her mind as she gorged on TastyKakes, soda, cheesecake, and leftovers from her parents house.
A few more cups of coffee and she had a decent buzz going. Her rule to not smoke in her apartment went out the window when she discovered her AC unit had an intake-outtake feature. They opened all the windows in the apartment, grabbed an empty beer bottle for an ashtray, and alternately ate and smoked while watching OnDemand cable.
She absently thought about how nice it was to have the cash to sock some away in the bank and still buy everything she needed and most the things she wanted.
Around three in the afternoon Stephanie realized she'd been dozing on the sofa when Diesel gently shook her awake.
"How about that nap, Honey?" he asked and she stood, rolling her shoulders to get the kinks out.
She shuffled into the bedroom and fell into bed. She stiffened slightly when Diesel stretched on his back next to her and then rolled against his side.
"Can you be my friend and hold me for a while?" she whispered.
Diesel slid an arm around her shoulders and gathered her against his chest. "I'm always your friend," he replied quietly and she felt him kiss the top of her head. "Sleep."
Stephanie closed her eyes, relaxing into his warmth, and did as she was told.
#
Ranger heard Ella enter the apartment with dinner and looked at the clock for the nth time. Six forty-five. Stephanie was due in fifteen more minutes and he felt like a teenager getting ready to take out his first date.
He left his bedroom and headed for the dining area to thank Ella. She was arranging place settings and covered dishes, lighting candles and placing linen napkins folded like lotus blossoms on the two plates. He had no idea what she'd cooked for the meal, but he'd told her Stephanie would be dining with him so he had no doubt Ella had gone all out.
"Thank you, Ella. I appreciate this," Ranger said as he approached the table.
Ella looked up and smiled at him. "De nada. I hope you have a lovely evening." She gave the table a once over and then quietly let herself out.
He checked his watch. Six fifty-six. He was certain he'd checked it another eight times before he heard the door opening once more.
Stephanie stepped into sight and he felt his breath catch at the picture she presented. She was wearing a pale blue cotton sundress with spaghetti straps, the hem falling in a full skirt to just below her knees. Her shapely calves were accentuated by strappy little wedge sandals and he could see that her toe nails were painted the same color as her dress.
His gaze wandered up to her face, taking in the minimal makeup and her glossy pout. Her corkscrew curls were loosely pulled back from her face and cascading to just below her sun kissed shoulders.
Something like a smile touched her lips as she walked toward him, her hips swaying seductively. He wanted to pull her against him and see if her lips tasted as good as she looked. He already knew that she would.
"Hi," she said and her voice was slightly wary.
Ranger approached her carefully, drawn in by her eyes. He reached for her hand and she let him take it, watching him as he lifted her palm to his mouth and placed a tender kiss in the center. He felt her fingers brush gently against his face and her eyes were soft.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, lowering her hand to hold it against his chest, over his heart.
She smiled and looked away, scanning the apartment. "It smells delicious," she observed before meeting his eye again. "But, no. I'm not hungry." Her expression became guarded and she gently pulled her hand away from his. "I think I want to get to the talking part."
Ranger swallowed and silently expelled a short breath. "Would you like to sit down?"
Stephanie nodded and he led her to the couch. They sat side by side, her with one leg folded beneath her so she could turn toward him.
She was so beautiful that he found himself staring at her face, drinking her in.
"I thought about what you said earlier," he began. "All I can do is offer an apology for the cruel way I treated you and for shoving you away. I never should have done that."
Ranger reached for her hands and held them in his own, studying her fingers. "I was wrong. I kept telling myself I couldn't offer you what you deserved without even considering what you wanted. I know you don't want the 'Burg." He smiled slightly. "I can't even picture you doing the picket fence and the two-point-five kids. I don't think that's what you picture for yourself either."
Stephanie's fingers tightened around his slightly. "I've never wanted that. I'm doing what I want to do. I'd like to think I'm even getting pretty good at it."
"You are. I've noticed and so have the guys. You're more than earning your keep here and all of RangeMan has benefitted from your presence on a variety of levels. We-" he paused, wanting to make it clear what he meant. "I would hate to lose you."
"And the rest?"
"My life is dangerous, Stephanie. My government contract was up two months ago, but I could still get seriously injured or killed on the job. I have a dark past that could cause problems for me at some point."
"Because my life has been so safe? Because I'm not ever in danger of injury or death on the job, Ranger?" she questioned, a thread of incredulity wrapping her words. She tried to tug her hands away but he held on, keeping her captive before him.
"That's what I've realized," he continued. "I'm not protecting you by avoiding a relationship with you. I'm just protecting myself."
She ceased tugging against his hands and he felt her squeeze his fingers before she rested their clasped hands on her lap. "What have you decided?"
"I love you," he said, searching her eyes. "My heart is cold without you in it."
"But?" she whispered and he saw her lower lip tremble slightly before she brought it under control.
"No buts. No qualifiers. No price." Ranger lifted one hand to cup her jaw and brushed the pad of his thumb over her lower lip. "Let me be a part of your life. I'll give you everything I have to give."
A tear trickled down her cheek and she leaned into his hand. "No more running away? For either of us?"
"No more running," he agreed. "I want to be with you. Forever, Stephanie."
He leaned toward her and gently touched his lips to hers, feeling her breath on his lips, tasting the cherry of her gloss. His eyes were locked on hers, watching her expression, and he could see the wealth of emotion there, slowly bubbling up to erase the blank walls she'd constructed against him.
"This is real?" she breathed and he could see that there was still fear there. That she still wasn't convinced.
Instead of telling her, he decided to show her and slanted his mouth across hers, reaching forward to splay his hands over her ribs, his thumbs stroking just under her breasts.
Stephanie sucked in a breath and suddenly her fingers were in his hair, tightening around the strands to hold his head against hers as he gently traced the seam of her lips with the tip of his tongue. Stephanie opened her mouth and he felt her tongue slide against his, demanding more.
Ranger lifted her and slid back into the couch, pulling her astride his lap, holding her tightly against him, unable to stop his hips from rocking up against her. She moaned into his mouth and wound her arms around his neck, crushing her breasts against his chest.
Groaning, Ranger dipped his head to taste the skin at the hollow of her throat, pressing his tongue against her hammering pulse. The little whimpering noises she was making were driving him wild and he let his hand slide over her ribs and hips to rest on her thighs so he could push the skirt of her dress up around her waist.
Her sex was pressed against his straining zipper and he could feel her heat seeping into him.
"Ranger," she moaned and he hooked his left arm behind her back, arching her over it so he could lick one hard nipple through the thin cotton of her dress. He moved the fingers of his right hand to rest against the lace of her panties, stroking her slit up and down as he tongued her.
Stephanie peeled the straps of her dress down her arms and then lifted them free. Ranger grabbed the neckline of the dress with his teeth and pulled it away from her breasts, exposing them to his view. They were as perfect as he remembered, pale and soft, the creamed coffee color of her nipples begging to be kissed.
"Dios mio," he groaned and captured one taut peak with his lips, suckling gently, rolling his tongue over the distended flesh. When he gently grazed it with his teeth she shuddered against him, pressing down hard against his cock, her hips rolling suggestively.
"Slowly, Babe. I've been wanting to do this for a very long time." It was sweet torture to slowly let his mouth drift from one breast to the other. He wanted to tear away the sparse lace of her panties, rip open his own pants, and thrust deep inside of her. His hips were rocking against hers of their own accord and the friction was driving him mad.
His fingers were still sliding gently over her mound and she reached down and grabbed his wrist, pushing his hand more firmly against her. "Please," she whispered. "Touch me. Please."
Ranger took her mouth in another kiss as he pulled her panties aside and carefully spread her wet lips with his thumb and middle finger. He gently brushed her clit with his forefinger and she jerked hard against him, sucking his tongue, one hand tangled in his shirt, the other still holding his wrist, pressing his hand against her.
She undulated against his fingers and he stroked her again, drawing a shivering moan from her chest. He continued the movement until she was clutching him with both hands fisted at his shoulders, her hips tilted and pressing against his hand.
"Tell me when you're gonna come," he rasped against her mouth and she whimpered, her body tensing, her back arching. He watched her face, taking in her dilated eyes, the high flush in her cheeks and throat and her mouth open like she was going to cry out. Her expression was so erotic he felt a primal urge to mark her as his and he caught her throat in a diving kiss, sucking the delicate skin that joined shoulder to neck between his teeth, nipping and licking.
"Don't stop," she gasped, her head thrown back. He felt her fingers in his hair once more, urging his mouth to stay at her throat. "Don't stop."
Ranger continued stroking her clit, feeling her juices soaking into his pants, feeling the tiny shivers that were pulsing through her body with every pass of his finger over her swollen flesh.
Her grasp on his hair was bordering on painful and by the humming tension of her body he could tell that she was on the brink. He bit into her throat a little harder, hard enough to sting and she cried out, hips bucking against his hand as her orgasm tore through her.
He crushed her against his chest, slowing his strokes as he took her mouth in a tender kiss, feeling her body turn boneless and soft.
"I need to be inside you," he growled against her lips. "Let me make love to you, Stephanie."
She deepened the kiss and her hips began to move with more purpose once more, pressing against his hand and down on his throbbing length.
"Yes," she urged. "Take me to bed, Ranger."
He didn't need any further urging. Standing in one smooth movement, he lifted her off the couch, hooking his palms under her thighs as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked into the bedroom, not once pulling his lips from hers.
Ranger lowered Stephanie to the mattress and she came up on her knees before him, hair wild and her eyes dark and hooded. Her pink lips were parted and slightly swollen from his kisses and there was a darkening mark on her throat where he'd claimed her. He felt himself tremble when she lifted her hands to his waist and grabbed the hem of his shirt, lifting it slowly, her hands sliding over his abdomen and up over his chest. He took over, pulling the shirt off the rest of the way and groaned when she pressed her lips between his pectorals.
Her tongue moved over his skin, tasting him, and her breath was hot. Ranger tangled his hands in her hair as she moved her mouth lower, placing hot, open-mouthed kisses on his stomach. His abs were twitching under the onslaught of sensations that her mouth evoked and when he felt her tongue trace a line from his navel to the waistband of his pants he'd had enough.
Ranger discarded his pants in a moment. He heard Stephanie gasp as her eyes devoured his nude form and then he was pulling her dress over her head. She was still wearing her wet, lacy panties and the strappy little sandals. Her pale skin was flushed, her nipples hard little points just begging for his mouth.
He knelt on the bed before her and gathered her into his arms, catching her mouth in another mind numbing kiss. He kissed his way down her throat, pausing at all her favorite spots, lapping the hollow below her ear, the tendons and dips of her throat. He used the pressure of his mouth to bend her back over his arm and continued his downward movement, focusing once more on her breasts until she was writhing in his arms.
He laid her gently on her back and hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties, pulling them down her long legs and over her heeled shoes. He used his hands to push her thighs apart and she arched her hips under his gaze, silently asking him to touch as well as look.
"You are so beautiful, Steph," he whispered as he drew one finger from her clit to her wet opening. He slowly slid the finger into her, feeling her clench around him and groaned at her heat. "Christ, you're so wet," he managed, feeling his heart pounding hard in his chest, smoothly urged her legs over his shoulders.
Ranger dipped down and slowly licked from his finger to her clit. Stephanie arched up off the bed, crying out.
"Yes," she hissed, her hands finding his head, stroking his hair from his face. "Please."
"Mmm, I like when you say please like that, Babe," he rumbled against her, circling her clit with his tongue, adding another finger to the first that was stroking in a come-here motion deep inside her.
"More," she gasped.
"More?" he mused and moved his tongue in a few rapid strokes, flicking it back and forth. "Like that?"
"Yes!" Her voice was breathless, gasping.
"Or like this?" And he sucked her clit between his lips and began flicking just the tip of his tongue against the hard little nub again and again
She made an unintelligible noise that was all the agreement he needed and he continued to work her with his fingers and mouth, his free hand sliding up to palm one of her breasts, rolling the nipple between thumb and forefinger, rasping the rough pad of his thumb over it, back and forth. She was gasping, her hips arched off the bed, only her upper back and shoulders still in contact with the mattress as he brought her closer and closer to the edge.
"I'm gonna-" she began but was cut off by him pinching her nipple.
Ranger didn't need for her to finish her sentence. She was so close and he wanted to feel her come undone against his mouth, to taste her as she came for him.
A moment later, she did, screaming his name, hips writhing. He grasped her hips in both hands, holding her still as he licked her, lapping her juices from her skin.
Her breath was coming in little desperate gasps and he quickly moved his body up hers, her slick skin facilitating his movement so that his flesh moved easily over hers until he could capture her mouth with his, sharing her taste with her.
Stephanie whimpered, arching against him, feeling the head of his cock pressed against her. He moved his hand over her hip and down her leg until he could hook a finger in the heel strap of her sandal, pulling it off her foot. He caressed the arch and then repeated the motion with her other foot.
Her legs wrapped high around his back and he stared into her eyes. "Watch," he commanded, taking his cock in his hand and sliding the tip up and down against her opening, rocking his hips slightly every time it brushed her clit.
He turned his attention away from what he was doing to her face and watched her watching them. Her breath was coming in little pants and a moan caught in her throat. Her legs tightened around him.
"Ranger, please," she begged, rocking her hips. She lifted her shoulders off the bed and bit into his shoulder. "Now. Please."
"Mmm," he groaned. "I love 'please'." Then he rocked forward hard, sliding into her hot, wet walls in one smooth motion.
Stephanie flexed around him, squeezing him like a fist and he pressed his hips hard into her, holding onto his control by a thread.
"Christ, Babe, you're so tight," he growled, holding himself perfectly still.
Her teeth were still against his skin and she nipped him sharply. "Now." Her voice was raw, demanding.
Ranger slid his cock out of her slowly and then slammed himself back in to the hilt. "Now," he agreed, his voice guttural. He picked up a pounding rhythm and grasped a handful of her hair, pulling her face to his so he could watch her expression.
Stephanie's lips were parted, her breath panting across them and warming his face. Her eyes were hooded and the blue of a midnight sky. Her pale skin shone like alabaster under a fine sheen of sweat and when she licked her lips he captured them in a kiss, mirroring the thrust of his hips with his tongue. Her own tongue leapt to meet his, swirling and sliding against him, her hips rolling, rocking his cock against her G-spot with every inward glide.
She was making the little noises in her throat that he loved so much, nipping and sucking at his lips and tongue, her lips impossibly soft and still tasting faintly of cherries. He slid a hand between them and found her clit with his middle finger, pressing against it hard and stroking it up and down in rapid little flicks.
"Ranger," she gasped and threw her head back, her hips straining against him. He buried his face against her throat, ravaging her with his mouth, feeling her tighten around him.
"Come for me, amada," he commanded and she went taut like a bow beneath him, crying out as her release tore through her. Her fingernails were digging into his shoulders and the mixture of pleasure and pain drove him to thrust harder than ever, pounding through her orgasm until she was writhing again, crying out, her eyes clamped shut. He pressed his teeth into her throat and she came again.
He rode through the pulsing of her body around his, determined to take her farther than she'd ever been. To imprint himself on her body and her soul and show her that he belonged to her, too.
Stephanie was shuddering beneath him, and he studied her, admiring the way her skin almost glowed, occasionally dipping his head to taste soft little patches of skin, drawing the salt of her sweat into his mouth, causing her to shiver and moan.
Ranger took her mouth in a tender kiss, pouring his adoration for her into every stroke of his tongue against hers, caressing her jaw with one hand and tracing little circles with his thumb on her hip.
A little moan passed her lips as she returned the kiss, tangling her fingers in the long strands at his nape, pressing her other hand to his heart.
"I love you, Stephanie," he whispered against her lips, rocking his hips slightly, feeling her tighten around him. He was drowning in her eyes and her lips curled into an amazed smile.
"And I love you, Ranger," she whispered in return and he kissed her again, slowly, reverently.
Moving slow he began to deepen the kiss, grinding himself deep inside of her. When she was gasping, arching against him again he pulled out of her, shushing her protests as he turned her to her stomach.
Stephanie looked back over her shoulder at him, her hair falling around her face in riotous curls, her lips almost red from the passion of his kisses, her eyes intense. She drew her knees up, arching her back and offering herself. He dipped his head, pressing his mouth against her, tasting her, sucking on her when she moaned and ground herself back against him.
Ranger continued to taste her and slid a finger into her dripping heat. "Mmm," he hummed. Her movements were becoming more frantic and he quickly drew himself up behind her, grasped her hips in his hands and thrust deep into her.
Stephanie pressed her face into the pillow, bucking back against him, her hands clenching in the sheets as he began slowly rocking into her.
He wanted to see her face. "Look at me," he commanded and she turned to watch him. He leaned over her back, wrapping an arm around her waist, pressing his chest into her. He was tall enough to kiss her swollen mouth as he drove himself into her again and again.
Ranger splayed his hand across her belly and slid it down to her sex, rubbing his fingers against her wet folds, finding her clit and stroking it.
"Mine," he growled, nipping at her lips. He held his hips against her, grasping her shoulder and pulling her back against him. She tilted her hips and he went deeper, grunting as she clenched around him, her eyes locked on his.
"Mine," she returned, her voice possessive. She tightened even more, rocking, her eyelids flickering. "Mine," she repeated.
"Forever, amada," he agreed.
"Come," she urged and reached back, grabbing his hip. "Come with me."
His gut clenched, his body responding to her words. "Babe," he gasped, her command dissolving the rest of his resolve. He clasped her hard against him and came, pouring himself into her, his release setting her off again.
Her face was contorted in pleasure and he pulled her upright, holding her back to his front so she was sitting on his lap, impaled on him with her knees on either side of his legs. He cupped her breasts in his hands, pressing his face into her throat as the most intense orgasm he'd ever experienced rolled through him.
Stephanie lifted her arms up and behind her, grabbing the back of his head and neck, holding his mouth against her throat as she pulsed around him, her hips rolling, her inner walls milking him.
When he felt like he could move again he fell to the side, holding her tight against him, keeping their bodies joined. She pressed back against him, crossing her arms over his, holding him.
Her voice was breathless as she turned her head and placed a kiss under his jaw, flicking out her tongue to taste his skin, rasping it over the stubble growing there. He groaned and squeezed her tighter, feeling his cock throb inside of her and she clenched down around him.
"I love you."
"I'm so sorry I didn't let you love me sooner," he told her, burying his face in her hair. "I'm never letting you go. I'll do anything to keep you."
She slowly pulled her hips away from his and he shook his head, pressing against her again, but she kept moving until he slid out of her body and she could turn in his arms. She slung a leg over his hips, bringing their lower bodies back into contact and he felt his cock twitch against her, already readying for more. He didn't think he'd ever get enough of her.
Stephanie traced the lines of his face, her expression incredibly tender, her eyes full of love. "Just be you," she said quietly, her eyes following the movement of her fingers as she drew a line down his nose, over his eyebrow. She traced along his jaw and then the outline of his lips and he caught her finger between his teeth, biting down gently, sweeping his tongue around the tip.
"Don't go away," she continued, watching his mouth on her finger.
"I didn't go away," he replied but she nodded her head sadly.
"Yes, you did. My Ranger was gone and there was a stranger in his place." Her voice was quiet and full of the pain he'd caused her by shoving her out of his life. Her eyes rose back to his. "I feel like this is a dream," she admitted in a barely-there whisper.
Ranger gathered her against his chest, fighting to not crush her in his arms, wanting to squeeze as hard as he could with the intensity of the emotion clutching his heart.
"No dream. Forever, Steph. This is real. I just hope I can give you enough." His voice was rough, muffled against her hair as he absorbed her scent.
"Promise?" she mumbled against his chest and he tightened his arms fractionally.
"Every day for the rest of my life. I love you, Stephanie. Have for years, will forever."
He pulled back when he felt tears against his throat. "Babe?"
She sniffled slightly and he watched fat tears roll down her cheeks. "It's okay," she whispered and pressed a sweet, slightly salty kiss against his mouth. "These are happy tears."
Ranger bent his head and gently kissed the tears from her face, capturing each one with his lips, feeling a profound tenderness for this woman in his arms. When the tears were gone he pressed his forehead to hers and stared into her eyes.
He watched a slow, deviant smile begin to turn up the corners of her mouth and he felt an answering smile curve up his own lips then growled as she suddenly rocked against him, rubbing against his cock.
"Mine," she whispered and he rolled to his back, pulling her down on top of him, feeling himself slip deep inside her.
"Yes," he agreed.
"Forever."
"And ever."
#
YO: So? Was the reconciliation okay? I didn't want to rush it, but I figured Ranger had spent enough time beating himself up and I didn't think another meeting between him and Diesel would have turned out well for anyone involved. They're only men... well, mostly men. Diesel is also something else, but he seems to have all his man-brain hardware wired in most the usual ways.
Did you enjoy the smut? I got a little hot and bothered writing it and then re-reading it. That's usually a sign that it's decent, but I'd love to hear your thoughts. I haven't busted out a sex scene like that in a while. Not on paper, anyways ;)
Don't worry. I'm not going to just leave Diesel sitting in Stephanie's apartment. There's going to be another chapter/epilogue bit to wrap up the loose ends (er, men) and stuff and sort of lead into the Santos story I'm going to write next.
Should have the first chapter of that up as soon as this is done, since it's almost finished now anyways. I was kinda stuck on this for a minute and wrote some of Lester's next bit.
I'll shut the fuck up now. Thanks for reading.