****I don't own any of these characters and am not making any money. I'm riding down the road on the way to Pensacola thinking "ain't technology grand!!!" Use to be travel time was wasted time. But now – just plug in the power cord of the ole' laptop into the van power source and voila – I can write away!!! I hope you enjoy "Surprises in the Hammock". Remember, reviews are love so send me some!!!
I had a feeling that he had something special planned so I was giddy with anticipation. I was in no way prepared for what was waiting for me at the pool. The pool was surrounded with lit tikki torches and citronella candles. There was champagne chilling with dome covered plates sitting on the table by the hammock. Soft music flowed in the air and the man of my dreams was walking towards me with a rose in his hands.
Chapter 25
"Surprises in the Hammock"
Carlos leaned down to brush whisper soft kisses across my shoulder, up the curve of my neck then moved his mouth to nibble on my ear. "You're so beautiful," he said softly with a warm breath that sent chills down my back. My heart was pounding so hard at the tenderness in his voice and I couldn't seem find my voice. Alicia Keys "No One" vibrated through the air and we swayed to the music. The words of the song replicated what I was feeling. "No one can get in the way of what I feel for you." It made me think about my mom and Joe and how I had almost let them as well as me get in the way of facing my feelings for this wonderful man. Never again would I allow fear and expectations to get in the way of my love for Carlos.
"I love you Carlos," I told him with all the emotion that I was feeling. "And I you, amante, and I love to hear my name on your lips." My stomach rebelled loudly and we both laughed. "Babe, we need to feed the beast, because I have plans for you and I don't want any disruptions." Ranger led me over to the table and pulled out my chair. The delicious smells from the covered plates swirled in the air making my stomach growl even more. Ranger uncovered each dish to display one of my favorite dishes, shrimp fettuccini covered in Alfredo sauce with steamed vegetables on the side. Since living with Ranger, I had found a new appreciation for vegetables (mostly!!).
We ate in comfortable silence only commenting occasionally on the food (of course Ranger was having grilled chicken instead of pasta), champagne and daily events in our lives. It felt so normal to be sitting out by the pool, eating in our pajamas, listening to music by candle light. Ranger had on a black silk lounge set similar to mine except the top was more like a t-shirt. It hugged his sculpted muscles and made my mouth water. Ranger and I carried our dishes to the kitchen, rinsed and loaded them in the dishwasher. He led me back out to the patio where he pulled me into his embrace. Once again we just held each other and swayed to the music. I listened to Ranger's heartbeat and knew that there wasn't a more beautiful sound. We had agreed to not think about his upcoming mission, but I couldn't help but worry. I don't know what I would do if I lost him. He was fast becoming my whole world.
After dancing for what seemed like hours, Ranger and I lounged in the hammock eating strawberries and drinking champagne. The evening had turned cool so Carlos started a fire in the chimnea. As he crawled back on the hammock with me, he spread out a fleece blanket to cover my legs. Once we were settled again, Ranger turned to me and I could tell that his eyes were serious. "I have a surprise for you Babe." I watched as his eyes darkened with desire, bringing his mouth to kiss me deeply. The feelings that I felt in that one kiss told me what Ranger was feeling, love mixed with burning desire. He was drugging me with a simple kiss. Our tongues battled for supremacy. I was too far gone to know who won or to notice what Ranger was doing with his hands.
When Ranger pulled back from the kiss, there was a little blue box resting in my hand. I stared at it transfixed holding my breath. I knew this box; it was one of the elegant ring boxes from Tiffany's. I know I must have been giving a great impression of a fish when I finally looked up at Ranger questioningly. "Babe, I love you more with each passing day and want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are my love, my life. Stephanie Michelle Plum will you do me the honor of becoming my wife." I still couldn't formulate a coherent thought. I looked back at the unopened box and then back at Ranger. My heart screamed "YES" but my mind was reminding me that Ranger's love didn't come with a ring. That is exactly why I tried to never get my hopes up. I was afraid to get them squashed and opening the box was the pinnacle of standing on the ledge. If I opened the box and took a leap of faith would my hopes and dreams get squashed in the end?
I raised my eyes back to Ranger showing him my shock and fear, "Why?" Ranger laughed out loud, "Only God knows, Babe, but I do. I love you with all my heart and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to go to bed with you in my arms and wake up with you sprawled on top of me for the rest of my life. Babe, open the box and say yes, please, because you are killing me here." I could see the humor in his eyes. Of course he knew I was going to say yes, but I was kind leaving him hanging with all of my self-doubt. No fear, I reminded myself. I took a deep steadying breath, looked Ranger in the eyes. This time there was no fear in my expression but only pure unadulterated love. "Yes, Ricardo Carlos Manoso, I will become your wife. I want to go to sleep in your arms and wake up with your chest as my pillow." Then I attacked him peppering kisses all over his face.
Our kisses of happiness quickly turned passionate. Our clothes seemed to disappear and our bodies melted together. Ranger made love to me in the hammock and I wept with happiness when he entered me. There was no hurry or flurry of desperation to our love-making. Instead, it was more like an affirmation of their love and the pledge that had been made to each other.
As Ranger and I lay in the after-glow of our love-making, I was hesitant to pressure him for details of how long an engagement or what "kind of wedding he wanted. I really wanted to just enjoy the moment; the rest could wait. Ranger had other ideas. "Babe, I bought this ring with the intention of asking you to marry me towards the end of our getaway. However, I have reasons for asking to early." He took a deep breath and seemed hesitant about his wording. I waited patiently, well as patient as I can be. "Stephanie, I would really like it if we could get married before I leave for this mission." I just gawked at him. I sure hoped that that wasn't the reason he asked me to marry him, because he wanted me taken care of in the event that something happened to him. I turned to argue that nothing was going to happen to him and that I didn't need him to marry me out of duty.
Ranger lay his hand over my mouth to cut off my tirade. "Babe, I have had this ring for about six months. For me, I have just been waiting for you to decide that it was me you wanted. So, I am not asking you to marry me out of any kind of sense of duty. However, this mission will be dangerous and ….I really need to know that you be taken care of in the event of…." This time I stopped him from speaking. I couldn't bear the thought of living without him. Ranger looked soberly at me, "Please, Stephanie, it would mean everything to me to know that you are protected by my name and reputation, as well as being ensured all legal claims to my benefits and estate."
I closed my eyes and tried not to think about the ugly reality of the mission that Ranger would be sent on. Instead, I nodded my head. Then my eyes popped as the realization of getting married in three days hit me. "Ranger how in the hell are we going to swing a wedding in three days? You know that I would never be allowed in my mom's house again if I eloped, right?" I was starting to have a full blown panic attack, when Ranger laughed out loud at my tirade. "Babe, if you will permit me, I will take care of the arrangements. We can have the wedding here at the pool under the gazebo and I have Ella to help with all the arrangements." I relaxed and thought about what a wonderful man that I was going to marry.
We lay silently in each other's arms as the evening breeze kissed our skin. Ranger was pressing small kisses to the top of my head and worked his way to my forehead until he saw the worry lines. "Babe, what has you worried now?" I seemed to be a worry wart tonight. "Ranger, if we have the wedding here, won't that interfere with your privacy?" Ranger turned to face me to play with my curls. "When we marry, it won't be just my house. It would be difficult to have a normal married life to you if I couldn't allow you to have friends and family in your own home. Besides, I no longer feel the need to hide from the world and….I am very confident in my security measures." He smirked at his last statement since the security system was his and linked to RangeMan. "Babe, the only thing that worries me if whether or not you will be happy with all the security measures that life with me will require." It was my turn to smirk, "Oh, yeah, I get Batman. How could I not be happy?"