Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm not making any money, and all the wonderful characters belong to the lovely JE
Rating: R
Warnings: References to LMT so consider yourself warned. I'm a babe. Not cupcake friendly, but no Joe bashing in any way.
Thank you very much Stayce for editing.
Title: Welcome Home
"Most people love you for who you pretend to be... to keep their love, you keep pretending--performing. You get to love your pretense... it's true, we're locked in an image, an act. And, the sad thing is, people get so used to their image--they grow attached to their masks. They love their chains. They forget all about who they really are. And, if you try to remind them, they hate you for it. They feel like you're trying to steal their most precious possession." - James Douglas Morrison, lead singer of the Doors
Chapter Ten ForeverI took one last look at myself in the full-length mirror before leaving the bedroom. The tight black dress and four inch FMPs I was wearing cost me a fortune, but Lula swore up and down that I looked so hot I'd have the FTA begging me to take him home within five minutes. I was doing a distraction job for RangeMan tonight. The FTA had jumped on a $300,000 bond after he defrauded the government of $1,000,000 in taxes. Needless to say Uncle Sam wasn't very happy with him.
Ranger was in a chair, leaned over his laptop typing away when I stepped out of the bedroom. I felt a rush of heat run down my body to my center. We'd been officially seeing each other for three months now, and I still couldn't get enough of him. It seemed like we both walked around in a constant state of arousal, and the fact that we'd had wild hot monkey sex two hours ago in the shower did nothing to stifle the instant need that flared up in me when I saw him. It still shocked me, but I'd never hungered for another man as I did for him.
"You ready, Babe," Ranger asked, his eyes still on the computer screen.
I didn't answer him. I was too busy watching the bunching muscles of his shoulders. A shudder of deep desire rippled over me, as I thought about the feel of his shoulders beneath my hands, warm and moist.
"Stephanie," Ranger said, bringing my attention to him.
My breath gave a little hitch. His voice was warm and masculine, sending a quiver through me almost as if he had touched me. He slowly stood up, his eyes raking over my body as he moved toward me, stalking me like I was his prey, ready to pounce as soon as I let my guard down for even a second.
I backed up a few steps with my hands held up to ward him off. It took me two hours to get ready, and I wasn't about to let him mess up all my hard work. I ran into the doorframe to the bedroom and took two steps to the side. I wouldn't want to tempt him with a bed so close. Not that it mattered. Ranger didn't need a bed to have me singing the Halleluiah chorus.
"Babe," he said, his voice husky.
"Don't you dare, Carlos Manoso," I said, holding my hands out in front of me.
A half-smile quirked the corners of his mouth and moved quickly, with his cat like reflexes, pinning me against the wall, my arms held by his hands above my head. His eyes were on me, black as coal, sucking me in with the intensity reflecting back at me. I felt my nipples instantly grow rigid, pushing hard against the fabric of my dress. He lowered his lips, brushing them against mine softly.
"You look amazing," he whispered against my mouth.
My tongue darted out of its own accord and licked his bottom lip. God help me, but I wanted him bad. Ranger caught my tongue between his lips, sucking on it. The sound that came from me, filling the room, was nothing short of animalistic, and before I knew it, he picked me up and slammed me into the wall. I wrapped my legs around his waist, using my heels to pull him to me and fisted my hands in his hair, pulling his mouth to mine. He kissed me back, hard and demanding. My heart was pounding, and my body was caught in a fever of need.
I pulled away from the kiss, breathless. "Fuck me, Ranger," I said, panting. "Fuck me!"
Ranger's eyes got darker if that was possible, and his hand moved down my body, reaching between us and ripped my panties off. I screamed from the pain mixed with intense arousal. And before I could catch my breath he roughly pushed two thick fingers into me. I couldn't stop the gasping cry at the resulting sensation. My head dropped back, hitting the wall as a pulsating, vibrating need filled my body.
"You're so fucking tight, Babe," he murmured, scraping his teeth across my exposed neck as his fingers pounded deep inside me, and I shamelessly rode them, feeling the orgasm building all the way from my toes in a slow burn.
His thumb rasped over my clit in enticing circles, bringing me quickly to the edge, and right as I started to fall over he pulled his fingers away, and sheathed himself inside me in one deep thrust, shattering me into a million pieces as the orgasm suddenly ripped through me. I grabbed onto his shoulders, desperate for something to hold on to as the incredible pleasure hummed through every cell of my body, making my head spin.
Ranger gripped my hips, thrusting into me, fast and frantic, prolonging my orgasm. My mouth was open in a silent scream, as I was taking agonizing gasps, fighting for more oxygen. Finally he jerked violently and groaned long and low, spilling himself into me.
My head dropped forward onto Ranger's shoulder and I buried my face in his neck, placing soft kisses every so often as my breathing came back to a controllable rate.
Ranger's hands left my hips and tenderly moved up my back, holding me close as he backed up and sat on a chair at the dinning room table. His heart was thundering against mine, and he felt damp with sweat through his clothes. I snuggled in closer, breathing in his warm scent. He was muttering Spanish in my ear and caressing my back and shoulders. I didn't know what he was saying, but it sounded sexy, and I was getting all hot and bothered all over again.
Ranger laughed softly, his chest vibrating against my already aching breasts. "You're insatiable, Babe."
"It's not my fault," I whispered in his ear. "I just can't get enough of you." I nipped his earlobe, and then sucked it into my mouth, rolling my tongue around it.
Ranger swore softly, his breathing turning ragged again, and I could feel him growing hard inside me.
"We don't have enough time, Babe," Ranger said.
But his body seemed to have another idea. I felt his hands run up my back and his fingers curled over my shoulders, pulling me back. My back arched, following his lead, and my head fell back. He leaned in and licked up the plunging v-neck of my dress to my mouth. His tongue slipped between my parted lips and found mine, dancing together in time with the sensual rhythm of our lovemaking.
Ranger slid a hand up to my hair, gently holding the back of my head in his palm as he brought me back up, never breaking our kiss and held me close to him. The franticness from earlier was gone as we moved together as one, kissing and touching in soft caresses until we found our release simultaneously.
It was a few minutes later, while we were still joined and lightly kissing when a cell phone rang from somewhere on the floor. Ranger reached down next to the chair leg and grabbed his cell, flipping it open.
"Yo," he said, sounding like he could care less about talking to anybody at the moment. I laid my head on his shoulder, satisfied and thinking about going to sleep.
"I know," I heard Ranger say. "Give us fifteen minutes." And he snapped the phone shut, dropping it back onto the floor.
His arms came around me and he let out the tiniest sigh. "That was Tank. We're late and he thought somebody might've abducted us." He laughed a little and kissed my temple. "I'm never late, but there seems to be this blue-eyed burnet that makes me forget all about work."
I smiled against his neck. "I tried to stop you from the get go, but you had that look in your eyes. It's your fault all this happened to begin with," I said.
"Yes, but I only planned on kissing you senseless. It was you that pulled out the big guns with the 'Fuck me, Ranger.' I was simply following orders," Ranger said. "But this second time was entirely your fault."
I brought my head up, looking him in the eyes. "Are you complaining?" I asked, knowing perfectly well that he wasn't.
"Not a chance," he said and gave me a lingering kiss. "You have ten minutes to get yourself put back together again."
I jumped up with a yelp and ran to the bedroom while tugging my dress back over my ass. Ranger laughed as I made my exit and suggested that I might want to grab a new pair of panties. That's a good idea, I thought. I wanted to get the guy out quickly, but going in commando was drawing the line.
I grabbed a black silk thong from Ranger's dresser draw, slipped it on, and rushed into the bathroom to assess the damage, fully prepared to scream, but it wasn't that bad. New lipstick, a few eye touchups, and mellow the hair out a bit and I'd be ready to go.
Ranger stepped in the bathroom five minutes later and leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes watching me as I touched up my makeup. I set the lipstick back on the counter and ran my fingers through my hair trying to fix it.
"Leave it, Babe," Ranger said, softly. "I like your hair just the way it is."
I met his eyes in the mirror. "It's a mess, Ranger. It looks like …"
Ranger smiled. "Like you've been thoroughly fucked," he offered, pushing off the doorframe. "It's sexy."
He came up behind me, pressing me into the counter. His hands went to my hair, tangling his fingers in my curls. My eyes were locked with his through the mirror, and I was amazed at how much love and affection he openly displayed to me. There was a time, not so long ago, when I thought I'd never be here. Never be wrapped up in his arms every night that we weren't working. Never feel his hands on me, touching me all the way to my heart.
My eyes drifted closed, and I leaned back into his chest. His fingers were magic making it so easy to forget the outside world and get lost in each other.
"You up for this tonight, Babe?" Ranger asked, his voice serious.
I opened my eyes, meeting his again. "Yeah, I am. We need to get this guy. Our time is running out, and tonight is the perfect opportunity," I said.
"You'd tell me if you're head wasn't in it, right. I can't and won't risk your safety for any job," he said, wrapping his arms around me.
I whirled around and brought his mouth to mine, thoroughly kissing him and leaving us both breathless.
"I love you," I said with ease.
It was strange to me now, how saying the three words to him was once hard for me. And though I still didn't say it often, when I did say it there was no mistaking how deeply I meant it.
A slow smile spread across Ranger's lips and he leaned down, brushing a soft kiss against my forehead. He worked his way down my face, kissing my eyes, my nose, my cheeks, and finally my lips.
"And I love you," he whispered against my mouth. "Let's get going.
I followed Ranger out of the bathroom, grabbed my little handbag that I stashed all my goodies in earlier, and we left the apartment.
When we exited the elevator Tank, Ram, and Manny were leaning against their SUV, arms crossed, clearly waiting on us. I felt the heat rise up my neck to my ears. The apartment was sounding better by the minute. They were going to tease me for weeks about this. There was no way they didn't know exactly why we were late. I knew none of them were stupid enough to ask, but the cat-caught-the-canary grins plastered on their lips said it all.
"Shit," I said, trying to step back in the elevator. Ranger's hand on the small of my back stopped me and gently pushed me forward.
Ram pushed off the SUV and held something up in his hand, smirking at me. "Where should I put the wire?" he asked.
Manny and Tank laughed, but turned it into a fake cough when Ranger growled from behind me.
"Mine," I heard him say, and I didn't need to see the look on his face to know how serious he was.
Ranger took the wire out of Ram's hands and escorted me to the Turbo. We got in and lead the way out of the garage, arriving at Mike's Sports Bar ten minutes later. Ranger quickly hooked the wire in place with the minimal amount of finger wandering as I looked over Craig Skaug's file one last time.
"Go get 'em Tiger," Ranger said and kissed me softly.
I got out of the Turbo and sashayed my ass across the street and through the door to the bar. I located Lester right when I walked in at the back of the bar. He'd been watching the FTA and was my inside protection, if I needed it. He flashed me a sexy smile while shaking his head. I felt like maybe I should spin for him. I threw him a wink and headed for the bar.
My guy was on a bar stool right in the middle of the bar, and he looked like he was well on his way. The bar stool right next to him was empty, but I didn't want to be too obvious, so I plopped down on one two down from him.
"What can I get you, Beautiful?" the bartender asked me.
"Corona with a lime," I said, flashing him a smile.
When the bartender moved to get my beer I met the eyes of Craig Skaug. He was watching me, and I didn't like the look in his eyes. It wasn't I-think-you're-hot-and-want-to-take-you-home. He looked like he was trying to remember something.
The bartender brought me the Corona and I handed him a five. I casually took a drink while I looked around for Lester. I had a really bad feeling that the guy recognized me some how. I just caught Lester's eyes when Skaug slid down the two stools that separated us. Lester smirked, and I saw his lips moving. I subtly tried to shake my head, telling him I wasn't comfortable. The smirk left his lips, and he started to get up talking quickly to the guys outside.
"I know you from somewhere," Skaug finally said.
I saw Lester move quickly out of the corner of my eye, but I smiled at the guy in front of me. "Really? I've never seen you before," I said, taking another pull from my beer.
He continued to stare at me, and I had to fight outwardly shivering under his scrutiny. I needed to get away from this guy. He wasn't dangerous that we knew of, but he was making me nervous as hell.
"I know I've seen you before. What's your name?" he asked, leaning into me.
I picked up my beer bottle, stalling for time, and took a long pull while I watched him. There was a very subtle change in his eyes, but I saw it. He knew who I was. The question was what was he going to do about it? Would he go with me quietly, or was he willing to hurt me to get away? I needed to say something, to warn the guys that he knew me, but the pressure in my chest was too great to allow the words to escape.
Skaug reached forward, touching my cheek, and it took all my will power not to flinch. "Pictures do you no justice. You're a stunning woman. I think I'm quite flattered that I rate high enough to deserve your attention," he said, taking his hand away. He took a drink from the glass in front of him without taking his eyes off me. "Let me take a guess here. You're job is to come in, turn on the charm, and lead me out by my dick."
The knot in my stomach was tightening. I didn't know what I was hoping for. Maybe that he'd just figure he was caught and go out the door with me. It was silly really, since nothing ever happens that easily for me. Granted since I'd been back at RangeMan and slowly working my way back into fieldwork things have worked out great. I figured that had more to do with the Merry Man I was riding shotgun with, though.
"So tell me how this works. I walk out the door with you, and you take me to jail?" he asked, taking another sip from his drink.
Relief flooded my body, but I quickly squashed it. He hadn't said he'd go with me, he was just wondering how it worked.
"Yes that's how it works," I said, keeping my eyes on him.
"And if I don't let you take me?" he asked.
I almost snorted thinking about the Merry Men waiting outside the door and listening to everything we said. "You don't really have a choice in the matter. You either come quietly or by force, but either way, you're going to jail tonight."
He tipped his head back and laughed. I gave a hard swallow wishing that just once a man wouldn't laugh at me. It pissed me off and suddenly I felt something snap inside me. I grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face into the bar. There was a crunch and glass breaking and a low scream of pain. I didn't care anymore. I was beyond sick of being a joke. The little girl that always fucked up and nobody took seriously.
I leaned in letting my lips skim his ear as I stood up. "You should never laugh at a woman. We tend to take it as an insult."
Moving around Skaug, I held my hand out to Lester. He placed the cuffs in my hand with a smirk, and I immediately attached them to Skaug's wrists, tightening them a little too much. I grabbed his elbow and helped him from his stool. The bar was covered in glass and red liquid where the blood mixed with his drink.
"I'm sorry about the mess. I'll be happy to pay for any damages," I said, looking at the bartender.
He smiled at me. "Don't worry about it, beautiful. No harm done."
I nodded and led Skaug out the door. Lester was close behind us, watching for any sudden movements. I could tell Skaug was pissed as hell, but he was cooperating. I wasn't cocky, so I knew it wasn't because he was afraid of what else I might do to him. No he was worried about the big man breathing down his neck. I couldn't help but chuckle thinking about the other four big men we'd see in another second. We stepped through the door and came to a solid wall of muscle. They lost their scariness, though, since they were all grinning like idiots. I rolled my eyes and handed Skaug off to Ram and Manny. I pulled the wire out of my dress, handing it to Tank and walked across the street.
Ranger was leaning against the Turbo, eyes watchful. The corners of his lips were tipped up, and I knew that it wasn't about me being entertainment. All the guys thoroughly enjoyed that I didn't allow Skaug to make me his entertainment, his joke. I walked to Ranger, never taking my eyes off him. I was starting to shake a bit. The adrenaline rush was starting to fade, and I wasn't used to it. Ranger pulled me to him once I was within reach, wrapping me up in his warmth, lending me his strength.
"Breath, Steph," he whispered in my ear, tightening his arms around me.
I was shaking a bit, but I'd dealt with worse. I took a few deep breaths and my heart rate slowed down.
Ranger brought my head out from the safety of his shoulder and kissed me softly. "You did a good job, Babe. You kept your cool and handled the situation like a pro."
"I'm hungry," I told Ranger, suddenly remembering we'd skipped dinner for a more enjoyable activity.
"Where do you wanna go?" he asked, opening the Turbo passenger door.
I smiled, still feeling a bit brave. "Pino's," I said.
I hadn't been there since before the breakup with Joe. I'd been staying away from Burg restaurants, but I figured it was time to move on with life. Ranger took my hand and gave it a squeeze. He didn't even have to say it anymore. I knew when he was proud of me.
Ranger pulled into the parking lot at Pino's a few minutes later and we got out, going inside. We hadn't taken more than four steps when I saw Joe, leaning against the bar, waiting for a takeout order. Our eyes met, and I was suddenly very aware of how many people were in the restaurant right then, watching us, ready to report the fight as it happened.
I moved forward, being guided by Ranger and came to a stop in front of Joe. Ranger brought my hand to his mouth and brushed his lips across my palm. The action normally had me instantly hot and needing to feel him buried deep inside me, but this time it filled me with strength and love.
"I'm gonna grab us a table, Babe," he said, quietly. He met Morelli's eyes and gave him a small nod before moving to a back booth.
I watched him walk away for a moment, and then turned my attention to Joe. I wasn't sure what to say, but I knew I was glad to see him. I'd missed him. We may not be compatible as a couple, but we'd always made excellent friends.
Joe's eyes left mine and followed Ranger. "How long?" he asked, keeping his eyes on Ranger.
I didn't answer him right away. I really wasn't sure how to answer the question. There was no doubt what the question meant, but was there a point to giving him the exact time frame? He turned away from Ranger and looked at me, his cop face in place. It was at that moment that I knew we'd never be able to be friends. Hot tears blurred my vision. I tried to blink them away, but they kept burning my eyes.
"A few months," I finally answered him, my voice breaking slightly.
"Just do me a favor and don't send me an invitation to the wedding," he said.
I flinched as the harshness in his voice. "There won't be a wedding," I told him.
The cop face slipped off, and a small smile appeared on his lips, but it faded quickly. I watched as he figured out that that's exactly what I wanted, a relationship without the marriage. Something he wasn't willing to do. He wanted the wedding and a family and a quite Burg life. I was an adrenaline-junkie, and so was Ranger. We didn't need the wedding, and our life wasn't going to be normal in anyway.
"A match made in heaven," Joe said.
He reached up and tucked a curl behind my ear, kissed my forehead, and turned me to Ranger. I looked over my shoulder and gave him a soft smile before walking away from him. A single tear slid down my cheek. I wiped it away and sat down across from Ranger, but couldn't help from looking back at Joe. He gathered his takeout and walked out the door without a backward glance. I felt the hurt return to my heart again. He didn't deserve what happened. He was a good man, and he loved me the only way he knew how. It had to end, though. I was doing more damage by keeping the lie going. But I still couldn't help but wonder, which would hurt the most: telling the truth and walking away, or saying nothing and living a lie.
I looked away from the door and to the man sitting across from me. Ranger's face was set and expressionless. I reached across the table and entwined our hands, his fingers filling the space between mine. His eyes softened and we leaned in, meeting in the middle of the table for a tender kiss. I rested my forehead against his for just a moment before returning to my seat. He was my present, my future, my forever. I knew that without having to ask and without second-guessing myself. There'd never be another man to complete me the way he did. I knew he wasn't perfect, and I knew he wasn't a superhero, but he was my hero. And those hero types were few and far between. I planned on holding onto mine.
THE END