I ended the call and felt a subtle tickle at the base of my neck.

"How much of that did you hear?" I asked without turning around.

"Enough."

Ranger was leaning against the wall in the hallway. For a fraction of a second, I thought about spinning some absurd lie. Insisting the call wasn't what it sounded like. Instead, I shoved a massive bite of Snickers into my mouth and confronted him like a grownup. Minus the mouthful of Snickers maybe.

"I had an idea," I said between bites.

"So it would seem." His eyes weren't playful, but they weren't dark either. I was almost positive he wasn't mad.

"We want to lure this big-name prostitution mastermind out into the open, right?"

Ranger gave a nod. "That's mostly the idea."

"Judging by experiences at the Macy's Semi-Annual Clearance Sale, the best way to lure the higher-ups out of their secluded offices is by making a scene."

"Personal experience?" he asked, his mouth twitching at the corner.

"Had to take Grandma with me a few years back. She got into a heated debate with a sales clerk over the mislabeling of the sizes for their lingerie. Things kind of got interesting."

"Babe."

"Bad mental picture, right?"

Ranger smiled. "So you want to create a scene big enough to make the head of a top-secret prostitution ring take a step out into the open."

I shrugged. "That's the gist of the plan that sounded pretty good a minute ago."

"Does it still sound good?"

I shoved in another bite of Snickers for an added boost of confidence. "I think it's got some potential."

Ranger slung an arm around my neck and began steering me down the hall. "It sounds impulsive to me. Not to mention dangerous. And I never like the thought of you in danger."

"Shouldn't leave me in a room with your sister then," I muttered.

Ranger grabbed my hand with the Snickers and leaned down to take a bite. My jaw dropped a second before my feet went stupid and got tangled up in the carpet. Thankfully Ranger has reflexes like a cat. He snatched me up before I completed my untimely face plant.

I righted myself and smoothed my clothes. "Did you just take a bite of my candy bar?" I asked, pretty convinced the last thirty seconds hadn't actually happened.

"Yeah."

"Did you think it was a granola bar?"

Ranger gave me a funny look. "No. I thought it was a half-eaten Snickers bar. Was I wrong?"

I blinked twice and stared at the partially wrapped candy still in my hand. Then I blinked twice again and looked back at Ranger.

"You seem confused. Or are you just mad about the candy bar thing?"

How could I be mad about something that was still registering as an event that defied the laws of nature? I pulled back the flap of wrapper covering the nutritional information. My eyes skimmed the list of ingredients. "There's sugar in here," I stated, assuming Ranger was unaware.

"Kind of figured there would be. It's candy, babe."

"And it's processed."

"Uh huh."

"And you ate it."

"Yes."

I took a step toward him and traced my fingers over his hard, muscular stomach. His hand caught mine just as it began an impromptu journey south. He gave me a warning look. "Not a good idea."

"I was just making sure you hadn't thrown your whole diet and exercise routine out the window," I explained. Yeah, I didn't believe a word of that explanation either.

"That's funny," he said, raising a suspicious eyebrow. "Could've sworn you just wanted an excuse to feel me up."

That too. "Nope. Abs are still intact, so you're obviously sick or something. Want me to call a doctor?"

"Can't a guy just want a bite of a Snickers?"

"Well, sure. If you were any other guy." I gave him a look. "But you always pass up desserts and sugar. Always."

Ranger leaned down and kissed me with just enough heat to make me wish I was naked. "Not always," he whispered against my lips.

The statement wasn't inaccurate. I'd seen him eat a chocolate chip cookie before. Once. Just before we…

I saw a flash of a wolf grin before Ranger turned and continued down the hall. My feet followed a step or two behind, but a rush of butterflies in my stomach had me wondering if being alone in a hotel room with Ranger was a good idea right now. Okay, the good part wasn't in question. But the safe part was.

Next thing I knew, we were back at the room. I heard the lock on the door click, but my mind wasn't registering normal things like that anymore. It was wholly occupied with some heated negotiations with my hormones. Judging by my current rise in body temperature and the slight tingle between my legs, I had a feeling the hormones might be winning. Oh boy.

"So what's the plan with Williams?" Ranger asked, taking a seat on the bed.

I took a hesitant step into the room and did a quick scan for Izzy. From the looks of it, she'd inconveniently left. Crap. Thanks for nothing Izzy.

"The plan?" I repeated.

Jeez. Did Ranger always look this good fully clothed sitting on a hotel bed? I licked my lips.

"Babe?"

"The plan was a date with Williams," I said, my eyes already starting to glaze.

"Then what?"

Then what indeed. If my current predictions were correct and the stars cooperated by aligning just right, I was about to get my favorite doomsday orgasm.

Ranger's expression changed, his eyes stern and dark. Possessive. "You're not sleeping with Williams," he growled.

Whoops. Must have said that previous thought out loud. Except it had nothing to do with Williams.

I went and straddled Ranger's lap and leaned in close. "Not Williams," I breathed seductively against his neck. "I had someone else in mind."

Ranger seemed to get the implied message because I've never seen clothes come flying off so fast. Damn. He looked even better than I remembered.

His arms did this sexy flip maneuver that had me on my back in a matter of seconds. Convenient for me. It was right where I wanted to be.

I was so turned on by Ranger's dark, dilated eyes, I swear I had a mini orgasm. He sat staring at me, scanning me slowly from my head to my toes. The look was sheer desire. Then a flash of something else. Something I didn't like.

His mouth tipped into a frown. No!

"Sorry," he apologized. No! No! No! "I can't do this."

I sat up and started kissing his chest. He hissed when my lips grazed his skin. He could do this, and I was bound and determined to make him forget his reservations.

"Steph," he moaned, begging me to stop and begging me not to at the same time.

I felt a small twitch of guilt.

"Steph, I'm begging you, please."

Damn. The magic word. I reluctantly pulled away and collapsed into the pillows.

"We need to talk," he said.

I suddenly felt very naked laying there on the bed. Exposed and foolish. Ever the mind-reader, Ranger crawled off me and retrieved his pants from the floor. He tossed me a shirt.

The bed dipped next to me, and I felt him reach for my hand. I pulled it away.

"I guess I deserve that. But I can't have you regretting this later. I'd never forgive myself."

Funny. Since when did the opportunist care about regret?

"I'll always want you, Stephanie," he continued.

I pulled the covers over my head just in time to hide the sudden rush of tears. I already knew Ranger wanted me. But I also knew the want came with certain restrictions. I'd foolishly ignored them back in Trenton. Convinced myself if I put it all out there, he would too. So I said it one night as he was headed out the door. The three little words that have always scared the hell out of me. I said it and meant it. And all I got in return was silence. He didn't even look back.