A/N: I apologize for the delay! We've been passing the stomach flu around our house- bleh! Hopefully you all had a very Merry Christmas! Many blessings to you and yours for a wonderful 2013! :)

Bold from Chapter 24

Ranger's POV

Doug leaned in and said something close to Stephanie's ear, but since none of them were wired, I had no idea what it was. Steph jumped, obviously surprised to have a stranger leaning in and talking to her.

She hadn't seen the file on Doug, so she would have no way of knowing that this was the guy we were here to apprehend. I tried to read her face to see if she was afraid of him, but she just mostly looked confused.

Simms, on the other hand, had seen the file and was well aware of the fact that this was our mark. He casually wrapped an arm around Steph's waist and pulled her back against his chest. To anyone else, it would look like he was being an affectionate boyfriend, but I knew it was a protective gesture. At least it had better be.

Chapter 25

Steph's POV

"I can make you forget all about the guy you're with, beautiful. In fact, I can make him disappear if you want." I jumped and turned around, looking to see who was whispering inappropriate nothings in my ear.

The guy who grinned down at me looked normal enough. He was handsome, his blond hair carefully messed to look casual and his designer shirt unbuttoned at the top.

I was used to guys coming up to me at clubs and dancing with me or hitting on me. That's what clubs were made for- picking up a partner for the night. And while I don't think I'm the next big supermodel, I'm not a dog either. I can fill out a dress and work a pair of heels just as well as the next Jersey girl!

So I wasn't exactly surprised when a guy came up behind me on the dance floor and whispered something sexual in my ear. In college, I would have just rolled my eyes and either danced with him or blown him off.

It was the tone of his voice. The slightly wild look in his eyes. Was he on something? I instinctively backed up towards Simms, relieved when he wrapped an arm around my waist.

The blond guy kept talking, asking if I wanted to dance or grab a drink from the bar. I eyed him warily. I was here to have a good time, but this guy seemed "off" somehow.

Simms leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Nod. Shake your head up and down."

I gave him a confused look but did as he asked.

Looking over at the blond guy, he said apologetically, "Sorry, man. Time to take a hike back to the bathrooms. Maybe we'll catch up with you later tonight."

The guy frowned but nodded, walking towards the bar, and Simms steered me back towards the bathrooms.

I grabbed his arm. "What is going on?" I hissed.

Simms played with my hair, his lips lingering near my ear. "Hang on a few minutes, and I'll tell you."

He moved us through a large crowd of people and then leaned down again. "Ranger is here. He wants us to meet him back by the bathrooms."

My eyebrows flew up in surprise. Of course I knew that Ranger was there somewhere, but I hadn't seen him yet. It sounded like Simms had, though, and that made me curious.

"Why didn't he just meet us out on the dance floor?" I questioned.

"The blond guy is our mark for tonight, our skip. He couldn't take the chance of him recognizing one of our team."

I swallowed hard, feeling slightly panicky. "That guy is a criminal?"

Simms nodded. "Yeah. And a pretty bad one, too."

I fell silent, letting Simms guide me to the back of the building. Ranger was lounging against the wall. Dressed all in black and radiating an image of danger, he looked like a criminal himself.

He nodded at Simms and then turned to look at me. Taking a breath, he reached out a hand. "Babe, I have a favor to ask."

My head tipped to the side. "A favor?"

He nodded. "The guy you were talking with on the dance floor is Doug Newton, our skip. We need to get him out of the club." He paused, looking at me.

I shrugged and lifted my hands, palms up. "I don't know how you think I can help you with that, Ranger. You guys are the martial arts experts, not me. There's no way I could drag a guy like that out of here."

Ranger's lips twitched. "I wouldn't expect you to, Babe. No, I need you to do what we call a distraction."

"A distraction?" I repeated.

He nodded again. "We send a woman in to flirt with the guy and get him to leave with her. When they hit the parking lot, we snag the guy."

I looked at him skeptically. "You want me to try to flirt with him?"

He nodded wordlessly.

I frowned. "I don't know, Ranger. I mean, there are a lot of other girls here, and…"

He reached out a hand and rubbed it up and down my arm. "If you're not comfortable doing this, Stephanie, just say so, but I think you can."

I shook my head and raised my eyebrows at him doubtfully.

Ranger gave me an almost smile. "You see the girl over by the bar? The one with the dark hair and black dress?"

"Yeah?"

"She was supposed to do the distraction tonight."

Now I was really confused. "But she can't?"

Ranger smiled and shook his head. "No, she can't."

"Why not?"

"Because our skip has been interested in someone else all night long."

He looked at me pointedly, and his words sunk in. Me? The skip was interested in me?

My eyes grew wide as I stared back at him. "Me?" I squeaked.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest. His lips skimmed my neck and settled on the shell of my ear.

"Yeah, Babe. You."

I bit my lip and fisted my hands in the front of his shirt. "It must be the dress." I whispered.

"It is a nice dress." He replied huskily.

"Just nice?" I teased.

"Very, very nice." His teeth gave my earlobe a gentle tug, and I let out a gasp.

Smirking, Ranger leaned back. "So what do you think? You think you can get Newton to leave with you?"

I blinked to clear the fog from my brain. "I can try." I managed.

Ranger kissed the top of my head. "There's my girl!"

Ranger's POV

After Julio delivered a wire from one of his team, I pinned Stephanie's back to the wall and positioned the transmitter. With my mouth on her neck and my hands exploring under the top of her dress, it would look like a hot make out session to the rest of the club. From Stephanie's moans and wiggles, I was guessing that she was enjoying having my hands on her chest as much as I was.

Pinching her nipple hard one last time, I flipped on the wire.

"Go get him, tiger!" I whispered before disappearing back into the crowd.

I watched as Stephanie shook her head, took a deep breath, and smoothed out her ridiculously short skirt. Squaring her shoulders in a sign of determination, she grabbed Simms' hand and led him towards the bar.

"How are we gonna play this?" Simms asked in a low voice.

Steph answered in an unsure voice. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that Newton thinks the two of us are a couple. How are we gonna get him to believe that you're really interested in him and that I'm out of the picture?"

"Oh."

Stephanie stopped walking, causing Simms to run into her. "I didn't realize we had to come up with a script and everything!" she panicked.

Simms laughed. "Not a script. We'll wing that part. But we need some kind of an idea."

They were both silent for a minute before Simms spoke up again. "What if you flirt with him a little, and I get jealous. I'll give you an ultimatum like it's me or him."

Stephanie broke in. "And I can say that I don't like how controlling you always are, so I choose him?"

Simms shrugged. "Yeah, something like that. Sound good?"

Stephanie took a deep breath. "I guess we'll find out!"

They headed back over towards the bar, and Steph giggled and gave Newton a little finger wave when she walked past him. Sure enough, he followed the two of them to the other end of the bar.

He sidled up next to Stephanie and leaned down close to her ear. "So did you think about my offer to make your date disappear?"

Stephanie flinched slightly at his words, and I balled my hands up into fists. She recovered quickly, running her hands up and down her arms as if she had the chills.

Doug smiled. "Cold, honey?"

Steph nodded wordlessly.

"Let me get you a drink that'll warm you up." He motioned for the bartender and ordered two shots of tequila.

Our guy, Brian, promptly returned with two shots and two lime wedges and sat them in front of Doug.

Simms frowned. "I think you've had enough, Steph."

Stephanie stuck her hands on her hips. "What are you, my mother?"

Simms leaned in closer. "No, but I don't want to see you drunk off of your ass either. You've already had two drinks since we got here. You know that's your limit."

I raised an eyebrow. Stephanie had had a glass of wine with me at dinner. If she'd had two drinks with Simms, he was right. She was already past her limit.

"I'm a big girl, Ron. I can take care of myself." She replied in a snotty voice.

Doug slid a lime and one glass over to Steph. He winked at her as he grabbed her hand and the salt shaker.

My jaw clenched as I watched him lick her hand and shake the salt on it before doing the same thing on the back of his own hand.

Simms frowned. "This is really stupid, Stephanie. I'm not going to stand around here and watch you drink with another guy all night."

Stephanie picked up her glass and lime. "Who asked you to stay? Go if you want to!"

Doug grabbed his lime in one hand and his shot of tequila in the other.

"Ready, darlin'?" he gave Steph a charming grin.

Steph's voice sounded a little panicky. "We're racing?"

He chuckled. "Oh yeah. I already have my prize picked out for when I win."

"What's that?" she asked nervously.

"A kiss from the lovely lady sitting next to me."

Simms made a frustrated noise and banged his fist on the bar.

I slid further along the wall so that I could see Stephanie's face more clearly. She grabbed her glass and lime wedge determinedly. "Go!" she yelled.

They both licked the salt off of their hands and shot the tequila. Steph crammed the wedge in her mouth just a fraction of a second before Doug, her face making a disgusted expression as she slammed the glass down on the bar.

Doug took the lime out of his mouth and looked over at her, disappointed. "Double or nothing."

Steph shook her head. "I don't know. Ron's right. I'm not really a big drinker, and I've already had a few tonight. I should probably quit at the one shot."

Doug smirked. "You're gonna let him tell you what to do? Come, baby. One more."

He motioned for Brian. "Another round. In fact, set us each up with three."

Brian returned with six more shots of tequila and a bowl of limes.

Simms stuck his finger in Stephanie's face. "You're done. Let's go."

Stephanie stood up on wobbly legs. "Fuck you, asshole! You're not the boss of me!"

Simms snorted. "Real mature, Steph! I'm not the boss of you! You're already drunk. Let's go."

Stephanie swayed a little. "I'm not ready to leave yet!"

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not!"

Simms fisted his hands at his sides. "I refuse to stand here and watch you do this. I'm leaving. Right now. Are you coming with me or not?"

Stephanie grabbed a shot glass defiantly. "Not!"

Simms waved his hand in frustration. "Fine! But don't expect me to come and bail your ass out of jail again!" And with that parting comment, he stormed off into the crowd.

Doug gave Stephanie a wide smile and picked up the salt shaker. "Three shots each. First to finish wins. If I win, you come home with me tonight."

She raised her eyebrows. "And if I win?"

He grinned. "I'll go home with you."

I snorted. Fucking egotistical bastard.

She plastered a fake smile on her face. "Sounds like I win either way."

Doug leaned close. "Oh you do, baby. You do."

He covered the back of both of their hands with salt once again and yelled for them to begin.

I watched Stephanie grimace as she shoved the first lime wedge in her mouth, and a sinking feeling took over my stomach.

I cupped my hand over my mouth and spoke into my mike. "Did anyone tell Brian to give Stephanie virgin drinks?"

There was silence over the wire as everyone realized that Stephanie was working her way through 4 shots of tequila after the drinks that she'd already had with Simms and the glass of wine she'd had with me at dinner.

"Fuck." Brian muttered. "Sorry, Boss. I didn't realize she was the new girl."

I let out a frustrated breath. There was no time to be angry right now. Doug had just beaten Stephanie and was looking at her triumphantly.

"You ready to head out, honey?"

She nodded and stood up. Wobbling just slightly she giggled and reached for the bar. "I may need a little help. I told you I'm not a drinker, and I swear that tequila went straight to my brain!"

Doug grinned and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I'm right here. Just lean against me."

My hands clenched into fists as I followed them to the door. I knew that right now we wanted Doug to be interested in Steph, but that didn't mean that I had to like it.

I covered my mouth. "On our way out the side door."

Immediately I heard several quick confirmations that teams were moving into place.

They passed through the door, and Julio grabbed Doug. "Bond enforcement," he whispered in a menacing tone right before he snapped the cuffs on his wrists. It happened so fast that Doug still looked stunned as they led him to the SUV.

As soon as Julio had Doug, Stephanie had turned around and flung herself at me.

"I did it!" she squealed gleefully, an ecstatic expression on her face.

In spite of myself, I grinned at her. "Yes, you did, Babe. You did a good job."

I shook my head as Stephanie giggled and wobbled drunkenly. Wrapping my arm tightly around her waist, I walked her to my car.

I was going to kill Simms. And then I was going to kill Brian. The two of them were supposed to be watching out for her during this whole operation, and instead they had managed to get her totally drunk.

R&S R&S R&S R&S R&S

We walked into my apartment, and I stared at Stephanie in amazement. She was trashed!

Letting go of my arm, she stumbled towards the bathroom.

I shook my head in amusement. "Babe, where do you think you're going?"

"I have to get a shower!" She rolled her eyes at me as though that should have been obvious.

"A shower?" I stared at her incredulously. "I don't think so, Steph. Let's just go to bed."

She pouted. "My hair smells all smoky! I won't be able to sleep like that. Plus then it'll make your sheets all smelly, too!"

She swayed, and I grabbed her shoulders to steady her. I tried to reason with her. "Stephanie, you can't even stand up. How can you possibly take a shower?"

She stuck her tongue out at me. "I'll lean against the shower wall."

The image of her naked and wet, leaning against the wall of my shower was just about more than I could handle. "Or I could give you a hand." I offered huskily.

She giggled. "You'd give me more than a hand, Ranger!"

True.

"I still don't like the idea of you taking a shower by yourself. I practically carried you into the apartment."

She held onto the wall and inched her way into the bathroom. "I'm drunk, Ranger, but I'm still with it enough to know that the two of us naked in the shower is not a good idea right now."

Well why the hell not? That sounded pretty damn near perfect to me! I let out a frustrated breath. Alright. So maybe this was not the best way to start out that particular aspect of our relationship.

"At least let me sit in there while you take a shower then." I offered.

She gave me a wide grin. "On one condition."

"What's that, Babe?"

"If I fall down in the shower, and you have to call your company medic…"

I raised an eyebrow at her, not sure where this was going. "Yeah?"

"Dress me first!" She giggled and closed the bathroom door.

She'd better believe I would dress her first! There was no way in hell that I'd call one of my guys up here to see her wet and naked in the shower! I banged my forehead against the door. Fuck! Now I had that image in my brain!

Steph's POV

After making my best effort at showering last night, I had collapsed into bed wrapped in a towel but otherwise completely naked. Dressing had just seemed too impossible to even attempt. I was sure that if I bent over to put anything on my lower half, I would end up standing on my head. And every time I tried to pull something over my eyes, I would lose my balance. So, I had given up and opted to sleep in my birthday suit.

I wiggled a little and felt Ranger pressed against me, hard. I gasped, my eyes flying open wide. It felt like he had opted to go without pajamas as well!

I turned to look at him, and the breath caught in my throat. The look on his face was one of pure desire. He wanted me. And he wanted me now.

He closed his eyes and sucked in a ragged breath. "I need you, Stephanie." He rasped.

Moaning, I pressed myself against him. I needed him, too. My hands tangled in his hair and drew his lips towards mine.

His hands explored my body from my shoulders to my hips. I felt like I was made of clay, and he was molding me. He felt every dip, every curve, tracing back over every piece of my flesh until I was practically panting with need.

I pulled my lips away from his.

"Please!" I gasped.

He looked into my eyes, concerned. "Please what, Babe?"

My heart was almost beating out of my chest, and my breath was coming in shallow pants. I could barely speak. There was no way that I could use words to tell him what I wanted right now.

I thrust my hips up against his. "Please!" I managed again.

Ranger studied my face for a split second, making sure that this was what I wanted. His eyes locked on mine, and I gave him a small nod. That was all the confirmation he needed.

With a growl, he leaned down and captured my lips. His hands grabbed my hips and pulled them upward, pressing me against his long, hard center.

My hips arched as he dipped one finger inside, teasing me. He thrust a second finger in, and I came completely undone. My body shuddered as I screamed out my release.

He slowly stroked my orgasm to completion and then leaned down to capture my nipple with his mouth. He licked, sucked, and tugged, moving back and forth to give each breast equal attention.

My hands fisted in the sheets, my body humming as he continued his delicious torture.

His lips moved slowly up my chest to my neck and jaw line. And then he stopped.

Breathing shallowly, I forced my eyes open and found him staring at me. His eyes were dark and intense.

He opened a drawer on his nightstand and pulled out a foil packet. Ripping it open, he quickly slid the condom on.

He lined himself up against me. "You're sure?" he asked in a low voice.

I nodded, my eyes wide, and he thrust deep inside of me.

Oh, God! He felt so good! I wanted to tell him that, but all I could choke out was "Ranger!"

His chin fell to his chest and his hands gripped my hips as he stayed buried within me for what felt like hours.

Pulling out, he lifted his head up to look at me.

"You feel so good, Babe!" he rasped as he plunged back inside.

I moaned my agreement, my hands searching for something to grab onto. Finally I grabbed his forearms and held on tight as he thrust into me over and over.

I came again, and now I was so sensitive that every thrust felt like he had hit thousands of nerve endings. It was intense; pleasure bordering on pain.

His thrusts began to speed up, and I knew he was close. His fingers found my swollen nub, and I screamed when he gave it a firm tug.

He collapsed on top of me, and I lay sprawled out underneath him, boneless and completely exhausted.

As my breathing and heart rate slowly returned to normal, Ranger repositioned himself so that he was laying next to me, chest to chest, instead of on top of me.

One of his fingers slowly traced across my cheeks and swollen lips.

"You're so beautiful, Stephanie." He whispered before leaning down to give me a gentle kiss.

I pulled back and stared up at him, my heart just about ready to burst. This was so different than anything I'd ever done with Joe. For the first time, I really understood the difference between having sex and making love.

TBC