A/N This is a Babe story – not Morelli or Helen Plum friendly AT ALL! Although the first chapters don't have smut, it is forthcoming. Language is rough in some areas.
Thanks to Jenny and DAS for their editing skills. They caught the stupid mistakes that got past me. And a BIG thanks to Dee who gave me the encouragement to put myself out there!
(She owns them – I wish I did. Hey, when you dream, dream BIG!)
THE BROKEN ROAD HOME
CHAPTER 10
The drive to Point Pleasant was a quiet one. Ranger was in his zone and Stephanie drifted in and out of sleep.
When Ranger pulled into the garage of his beach front home, he looked over at Stephanie and smiled. He could tell by her breathing that she was sound asleep. He leaned over and with his lips a breath away from hers, gently began stroking her cheek with the tip of his finger, whispering softly to her.
"It's time to wake up, Babe. We're here. Come on, Steph, wake up."
Stephanie slowly surfaced from her slumber to the scent of expensive leather and warm Ranger. She shifted her head slightly, causing her lips to touch Ranger's. He pressed himself against her and the contact sent tingling waves through her body. The kiss was gentle at first but when Stephanie slightly parted her lips, Ranger accepted the invitation with great passion. He plunged his tongue deep into her, exploring her, tasting her. She battled with him for control, delving into his hot entrance and taking from him what he took from her. How she loved kissing this man. All her troubles just seemed to melt away when their lips became passionately locked together.
When Ranger finally broke the kiss, their breathing was heavy and their lips were swollen. It was amazing what one kiss could do to them.
"Babe," Ranger choked out. He took a deep, cleansing breath, swallowed and tried again. "Babe, I think we should go in the house. It's a lot more comfortable in there." He flashed her a wolf grin and she couldn't help grin herself.
Ranger got out of the Porsche and before Stephanie could collect her thoughts, he was opening her door and helping her out. He gave her another light kiss then guided her to a door that led into the house.
"Babe, close your eyes," Ranger said. Stephanie gave him a wary look. "Please." That did it. She could never refuse him when he said 'please.' She did as she was asked, closing her eyes tight so that Ranger knew she couldn't peek. She heard him open the door then he gently guided her into the house.
"Keep them closed, Babe. I just need to open the blinds." Stephanie felt Ranger kiss each of her eyelids then heard the whine of small motors. Although she kept her eyes closed, she could tell that the room had become brighter than before.
Ranger took her hands in his, kissed her knuckles. "Babe, you can open your eyes now."
When Stephanie opened her eyes, she found herself standing in the middle of a large living room. By the style of the room, she could tell that the architecture of the house was modern. The interior design was simple yet elegant, with white walls and carpet with taupe trim. A black leather sectional couch, two matching recliners with glass end tables next to them, and a matching glass coffee table in front of the sectional were the only pieces of furniture, giving the room an open, airy feel. The entire left wall was a built-in bookcase with several books and expensive looking vases on display. In the center of the bookcase was a large flat screen T.V.
Off to the right of the living room was a spacious kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances in black and the same white/taupe color scheme as the living room. The formal dining room was set to the other side of the kitchen. It's main focus, an elegant black dining table which was currently set for six but could be extended to ten when needed. The house had high vaulted ceilings which revealed a loft-like second story.
But the one feature that had Stephanie the most stunned was that the entire back wall of the house consisted of glass windows which revealed a breathtaking view of the ocean.
"Oh, Ranger! This is beautiful!" Stephanie was wide-eyed. She tried to take in all of her surroundings but her attention kept returning to the ocean before her. She walked up to the sliding glass door and just stared out.
Ranger came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You really like it, Babe?" he asked, nuzzling her right ear. All she could do was nod. His hot breath on her skin sent shivers down her spine and she felt like she could melt right there in his arms.
"I bought it with you in mind," he admitted. Stephanie spun around to face him.
"When?" She was stunned that he would have done something like that.
"A little over a year ago. I thought that maybe someday I might bring you here. And now, I've finally gotten my chance." Ranger pulled her in close and placed a very gentle, very promising kiss on her lips. When they pulled apart, Stephanie's eyes were shiny with unshed tears.
"I don't know what to say, Ranger," she whispered. She was afraid that if she put any force behind her voice, it would crack and the tears would flow. She was so tired of crying.
"You don't have to say anything, Babe. Your job this weekend is to just relax and enjoy the ocean." Then he turned her around so that she was looking at the water again. "We've practically got the whole thing to ourselves."
"And who did you have to call to arrange that? Oh, let me guess. God owes you a favor," Steph teased.
Ranger let out a bark of laughter. "My connections are good, Babe, but they're not that good." He chuckled into her hair as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "This is a private beach," he said, waving his hand across all they could see. "Only the residents have access and most of them are gone this time of year."
"You never cease to amaze me, Ranger," she said softly.
"And you never disappoint, Babe." He wrapped his arms around her and wished they could stay like that forever.
"That depends on who you talk to," she flatly stated. She could hear her mother's voice bouncing around in her head and felt her mood begin to spiral downward.
"Hey!" Ranger said forcefully, making Stephanie jump a little. "There will be none of that in this house."
"Sorry." Steph sounded dejected, even to herself. Would she ever see in herself what Ranger saw? She could feel Ranger give a deep sigh as he tightened his hold on her.
"You've been spoon fed that load of bullshit for so long, how could you not believe it?" Ranger nuzzled her neck and pulled her even closer to him. If he could pull her inside of him, keeping her safe and protected, he would.
But that wouldn't be good for her either. Ranger knew that Steph needed to be strong, stand on her own two feet. She was an independent woman and if he sheltered her from life, he would be no better than Morelli or her mother. Neither of them wanted her to live her own life or follow her own dreams. He'd be damned if he was going to do the same to her.
Ranger pulled away from Stephanie, turned her around and studied her for a moment. She began to feel a little uncomfortable under his scrutiny when he finally spoke.
"Babe, do I do anything half-assed?" he asked. He waited until she realized that he actually wanted an answer.
"No, Ranger, you don't," she stated calmly, not quite sure where this was coming from or where it was going.
"And don't I usually set high standards for myself and my employees?" Again, he waited for an answer.
"Yes." What the hell was he up to, she wondered.
"And don't I usually have the best of everything?" A small smile tipped his lips. Ranger was not materialistic but he saw no sense in suffering either.
"Considering you have more money than God, yeah, your stuff is usually top of the line. Why are you asking me all this?"
"So given the facts that we have just established, wouldn't it be safe to say that the woman in my life would also meet those criteria?" Ranger cocked an eyebrow at her, knowing that it would drive her crazy.
"Yes, but..." she started. But Ranger held up his hand, cutting her off.
"You meet those criteria, Babe." His statement was so absolute, one would be crazy to argue with him. However, Stephanie had never been accused of being sane.
"I hardly see how I…." Again, Ranger cut her off.
"When you set your mind to something Babe, you go after it with the tenacity of a pit bull. Nothing can stop you when you are on a mission. You forget, I've seen you in action and I've been impressed more than once. And I don't impress easily." Stephanie opened her mouth to speak but Ranger raised his hand again, quieting her.
"Please, let me finish." He knew the 'please' would get her and she backed down. "Your performance as a RangeMan employee has been nothing but stellar. You learned how to navigate the search programs and use them to our best advantage. And with your instincts and added Burg connections, you've managed to obtain information in which we normally wouldn't have had access. In short, having you on the payroll has increased revenue. As the company owner, this is not only advantageous but it's also one of my goals."
Stephanie looked down, not quite sure what to do with herself. She'd never had anyone tell her that she was an asset of anything, let alone a company.
"And as for having the best of the best, Babe, for me, that's you." Ranger closed the gap between them and took her in his arms again. "You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. And I've met a lot of women, most of whom I was completely unimpressed. But you," he paused for a moment just to take in her beauty, "you are everything I need. You are the best of the best." Ranger bent down and lightly brushed his lips across Stephanie's. When he felt her press herself into him, he deepened the kiss, running his tongue across her lips until they parted, granting him entrance. He plunged his tongue deep in her wet mouth, tasting her, drinking her up like a man parched from the desert heat.
Ranger slowly dragged his hands down her back until he reached her ass. He grabbed one cheek in each hand and pulled her into him, pressing her against his hard aching length. Stephanie couldn't stand it. She broke the kiss and tilted her head back and gasped. Panting from the breathtaking kiss, she ground her hips into Ranger's, wishing like hell she was naked and on her back instead of clothed and on her feet.
Losing what little control she had left of her senses, she began to beg. "Oh God, Ranger, I need…" Her stomach chose that exact moment to voice its opinion of what Stephanie needed with a very long, very loud growl.
"Dinner?" Ranger asked, through laughter. Stephanie just looked down at her stomach and shook her head. Couldn't a girl get a break?
"We had better feed the beast, Babe. You want to eat in or out?" Ranger asked, still chuckling.
"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not be around a lot of people right now." Stephanie wasn't yet ready to face the world. In fact, she would have been happy if the world consisted of only her and Ranger.
"In it is. Make yourself at home. I'm just going to get the stuff from the car and fix dinner. It won't take long."
"Don't you want help? What are you making for dinner?" Stephanie was a little confused about Ranger making dinner. She figured that when he left here months ago, there wouldn't have been any food left behind.
"I've got a cooler in the car that Ella put together. We have enough food for the entire weekend if you don't feel like leaving at all." Ranger grinned when he saw the look on Steph's face. Ella-food. There was only one thing on the planet that was better than Ella-food and that was Ranger-anything; Ranger-smiles, Ranger-laughs, Ranger-kisses, Ranger-naked body, Ranger-induced orgasms…
"Earth to Babe."
Stephanie gave her head a slight shake and looked up at Ranger. He was smiling one of his rare 200-watt smiles and his eyes were laughing.
"Oh God! Please tell me I did NOT just say that out loud." Stephanie's face turned several shades of red as she buried it in her hands. Ranger wrapped one arm around her waist and tried to tip her head up by the chin with his other hand. But she pulled her head away from him and buried it in his chest.
"Babe, look at me." Ranger was still smiling and she could hear it in his voice. She just shook her head. The poor thing had no filter between her brain and mouth which had caused her to embarrass herself more than once in front of Ranger. But this slip had to be the grand-daddy of all slips.
"Babe, you know I'm willing to give you anything you want," he said, with sadistic glee.
Stephanie's face flamed even hotter. "You're not helping!" she yelled into his chest.
"Oh, but I'd love to." He couldn't help but tease her just a little. She made it so damned easy for him. Stephanie removed one hand from her face and smacked Ranger in the chest. When she felt the rumble in his chest from his laughter, she tried to pull away from him but he tightened his grip on her.
"Let me go, Ranger." She tried to struggle free but his arms around her were like a vice.
"Babe, settle down."
"No! I can't believe I said that. God, I'm such an idiot!" Steph lightly pounded on Ranger's chest again but this time out of frustration towards herself.
"What did I tell you about the rules of this house, Babe?" The laughter in Ranger's voice diminished.
"I forget," she mumbled softly, her face still buried in Ranger's chest.
"There will be no self-degradation in this house of any kind. Do you understand?" This time when Ranger raised Steph's face to his, she didn't resist him. She just nodded in response.
"Besides, it's not a crime for you to want the best of the best, Babe." Ranger gave her a lecherous lopsided grin.
She leveled her gaze at him before giving him her opinion of his statement. "You arrogant ass." But she was smiling now. After all, Ranger did have a point. The problem was, he knew it.
Still smiling, Ranger bent down to kiss her. "Yeah, I know." But before his lips could reach hers, Stephanie placed her fingers across his mouth. Not letting that stop him, he began nibbling on her fingers.
"I thought you were going to get us food, Ranger." Stephanie was becoming a bit breathless as Ranger's mouth did evil things to her fingers.
"Just having a little appetizer before the main course, Babe." Ranger dragged his tongue the length of her fingers and then sucked them into his mouth. He'd rather be dragging his tongue across other parts of her body, but for now, this little game of cat and mouse was enough.
"And spoil your appetite? That's so unlike you, Batman." Stephanie couldn't believe that she was actually baiting Ranger. A game like this would only lead to one thing. Was she ready for that? She had asked for time but she never stated how much.
"Babe, I could devour you whole and still want more." Ranger trailed his mouth down to Stephanie's wrist and bit down on the tender flesh.
Stephanie cried out, not so much from pain but from shock and pleasure. "Ranger," she choked out. God, what this man did to her. As her body began to hum with desire, Stephanie's stomach remained unimpressed and let out another growl. Ranger chuckled and Stephanie groaned.
"Sounds like the beast is a bit impatient tonight, Babe. Guess we had better pacify it." He bent down and gave her one last kiss before turning around and heading for the garage.
Stephanie closed her eyes and could still feel his mouth on her fingers, wrist and lips. God, but how she loved kissing that man. She could grow to be one hundred years old and never grow tired of how he made her feel.
With a deep cleansing breath, she turned around and gazed out the windows again. She noticed that the sound of small motors she had heard before had come from the floor-to-ceiling metal shutters which covered the windows. Although the shutters were decorative, Steph figured they were bullet proof. And knowing Ranger, the glass was probably bullet proof as well.
She tried the sliding glass door and it opened. When she stepped out onto the deck, she was met by a cold blast of ocean air. It chilled her but it didn't stop her from inhaling the salty air into her lungs. She stood there for a moment taking in the sounds and smells of the Atlantic Ocean until she began to shiver. It was early evening and the sun had almost set cause the temperature to drop.
Stephanie stepped back into the house and grabbed a throw blanket from the back of a recliner, wrapped herself up and headed back outside. When she looked around she saw that the patio deck ran the entire length of the house. On one side of the deck there was a patio table with four chairs, two chaise lounges and a large barbecue. The other side of the deck contained four chaise lounges with small tables in between. But what she loved the most was the set of steps that descended from the deck to a small path which led to the ocean. Standing on the deck, looking down the path, Steph felt that she had just been handed a small slice of Heaven on Earth. She realized then that she could live here full time and be quite happy.
Steph pulled the blanket closer to her body and stretched out on one of the chaise lounges and contemplated her future.