Chapter 36—The Jet
It was a long while before I was coherent again. Eventually I felt the motion of the limo beneath my back and opened my eyes to the sight of Ranger's perfect face. He was still kneeling beside me, and his cheek was resting on my lower belly, his breath tickling my navel, his eyes fixed on mine.
"Better get yourself back together, Babe. We're almost there," he said, sitting back on his heels and reaching for my shirt with one hand while sucking on the fingers of his other. "Mmm, you taste like honey."
I lifted my hips to pull my pants back up over my soaked thighs and sat up to hook my bra, which was still across my upper chest. I looked around as I slid my arms into my t-shirt. It looked like an industrial area.
"Where are we?" I asked, but then I saw the signs and arrows. Philadelphia Northeast Airport. "What are we doing here? Are we flying somewhere?"
"Yup." As articulate as Ranger could be when talking about business, he was still master of the one-word answer.
I started to quiz him but got distracted as we drove through a gate onto the airfield itself. We drove right over to a hangar and the limo stopped. As James opened the door Ranger scooped me up again, still managing to get out of the car with grace and panache in spite of holding me. His strength was amazing to me, making me feel small and weak in comparison.
He carried me around the side of the hangar and up the steps of a medium-sized corporate jet. The jet was a glossy white with a horizontal black-and-gray swirly lightning bolt streak going all the way across the side, and an additional smaller streak sweeping up the tail. Classy looking.
When we got inside we were greeted by a pilot and co-pilot. Ranger set me on my feet long enough to shake hands with them and introduce me, and they then moved into the cockpit and closed the door.
Ranger picked me up again and I giggled, protesting, "I can walk, Soldier. You don't have to carry me."
"I like to carry you, Babe."
"So where did the plane come from? Is it yours?"
"Bought a share in it, along with four other companies. It's much easier than flying commercial, and no airport security, so it's easy to bring along weapons."
I remembered the gun in my handbag. My utility belt and most of my weapons were in a locked cabinet in my RangeMan office, but I'd gotten in the habit of always carrying a gun in my big shoulder bag, even when I wasn't working.
Ranger carried me back to a small galley. All the wood-paneled cabinets had latches on the doors to keep things from falling out while the plane was in flight. Ranger opened a large cabinet door that turned out to be the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of Gatorade, and handed it to me.
"Drink, Babe," he said. "Don't want you getting dehydrated. I'm not even close to finished with you tonight."
A shudder rippled through me at his words. I opened the Gatorade and gulped some down.
The co-pilot's voice came over the intercom. "Please take a seat and fasten your seatbelts. We'll be taxiing for takeoff momentarily."
Still holding me, Ranger opened a door by the galley to reveal a wood-paneled bedroom containing a queen-sized bed covered by a black-and-gray spread with the same swirly lightning bolt design as the plane. Pulling back the covers, Ranger laid me on soft, smooth white sheets and followed me down.
"Where are we flying to, Soldier?" I asked, but his mouth was on mine and the intensity of his kiss made me forget all about my question. As his kisses trailed across to my ear and down my neck, I had a vague awareness of the plane's motion, but in no time the sensation of his mouth on my body overcame any conscious thought.
oOo
A couple hours later we were lying naked side by side on the bed. I was an exhausted puddle of total contentment, and I still didn't know where we were flying. Ranger's respiration had dropped back to normal levels and he stirred beside me.
"Babe, if you want to shower before we get there now's the time." He stood and pulled me up into his arms. My legs were a little shaky, so he picked me up again, carried me to the small bathroom, and started the water running.
"I'm good in the shower, Babe. Need some help?" he asked with a wolf grin.
"I think I've had enough of your kind of help for the moment, Soldier." I grinned back at him. "Besides, I don't think we'd both fit."
The shower was small, but the water was nice and hot, and I quickly cleaned up using the Bulgari shower gel that just happened to be there. Mmm, the scent both turned me on and comforted me.
When I emerged, wrapped in a towel, I found a naked Ranger pulling clean clothes for both of us out of a duffle bag. I had to stop in the doorway and admire his body, all gorgeous brown skin, ripped muscles, and silky hair. No matter how many times I saw him there was always the drool factor.
I finally tore my eyes away and looked at the clothes on the bed. For me he'd laid out jeans, a light blue sleeveless blouse and stack-heeled sandals, plus a Victoria's Secret blue lace bra and matching thong that I'd never seen before. Ella must have gone shopping for me again.
While I got dressed, Ranger hit the shower and was out in no time. He dressed quickly in his faded jeans and navy blue t-shirt and then watched while I made use of the hair products and makeup that were also in the bag. Someone knew exactly what to pack for me. Ella, probably. That woman was a complete gem.
Just as I finished applying lip gloss and a light coating of mascara, the co-pilot's voice came over the intercom. "We're beginning our descent into Kendall-Tamiami. Please fasten your seatbelts. We'll be landing momentarily."
"Aha! Miami," I said to Ranger as we walked out to the main cabin to buckle into comfortable leather recliners. "Your secret is out. And I should probably have guessed, since you come down here to the office and to see Julie. Will we see Julie this weekend?"
Since the Scrog mess last year I knew Ranger had increased his visits to Julie from the once a year he'd been doing since he split up with Rachel. I asked him about Julie a couple of times over the past year, and although he didn't specifically say so, I got the feeling he was struggling to develop a real relationship with her. He was so used to keeping his emotions shuttered that I expected he was having a hard time opening up.
"I don't know, Babe. I didn't make any plans."
"I'd love to see her. It's been over a year, and she must have grown a bunch."
Ranger looked pleased. "If you really want, I can give Rachel a call and see if Julie will be around tomorrow or Sunday."
"Yes, please. I'd like that very much."
He nodded, and as soon as we touched down he pulled out his phone.
"Rachel, it's Carlos. Sorry to be calling so late." It was a little after ten. "I'm in town and Stephanie's with me. We were wondering if we could see Julie either tomorrow or Sunday."
He listened for a moment. "Just for the weekend… Sunday evening… At my house… Yes, we're together." He listened a little more. "Okay, sounds good."
He flipped the phone shut. Guess it doesn't matter who he's talking to, he still doesn't say goodbye.
He turned to me. "Julie's in bed, but Rachel will talk with her tomorrow and see when would be a good time. She'll call in the morning."
"Great."
oOo
The plane taxied to a stop, and we unbuckled and arose. Ranger grabbed the duffle bag from the bedroom and a small rolling suitcase from a closet and we descended into high humidity and heat.
"This way, Babe," Ranger said, shifting both bags to one hand and snaking an arm around my waist.
Parked at the side of a small building was a gorgeous black Jaguar XKR convertible with the top down. I looked at it and had to wipe a little drool off my lower lip. The car was bold, muscular, sexy and gorgeous, just like Ranger, and I wasn't at all surprised when he led me to it.
There was a tall, well-built man in dark khakis and a tan shirt with a RangeMan logo standing next to it. As we approached he opened the trunk and then handed the keys to Ranger, who'd moved his arm from my waist to my shoulders to take them.
"Sir, Ms. Plum," the Rangeman said, nodding and studying me with curiosity and a little smile, no doubt reading my flushed face and satisfied expression.
"Thanks, Dawkins," Ranger said, dropping the bags into the trunk and opening the passenger door for me, kissing me on the side of the head before helping me in. After slamming the trunk, he angled into the driver's side and started the engine.
He grabbed a couple of leather ties from the console and handed one to me, saying, "Here, Babe. It might get a little windy."
I quickly braided my curls and tied off the end while Ranger tied his hair back as well. "Okay, Soldier, I'm ready," I told him, and he leaned over to give me an affectionate kiss before putting the car in gear.
Dawkins was still standing to one side watching. I wondered how he knew my name, and if RangeMan Miami had the same kind of grapevine that Trenton had. Would everyone in the Miami office know by Monday that Ranger brought a woman down for the weekend?
Or was it a common occurrence? I wondered, feeling a sharp pang in my chest. For all I knew he could have brought a different woman with him every time he came down for years. Or even worse, the same woman.
I don't know how the hell he knew what I was thinking. "You're the first woman I've ever brought here with me, Babe," he said quietly, leaning toward me to be heard. "You're the only woman I've wanted since I met you, and there hasn't been anyone else."
The ache in my heart quickly turned to a pitter patter and I smiled at him, silently thanking him for his explanation. He always knew exactly what I needed, every single time. It made me love him all the more. It also made me regret all the times I'd gone back to Morelli, even if Ranger was the one who sent me.
We took off smoothly, the engine oscillating from a powerful rumble to a throbbing roar and back down again as he shifted through the gears.
I leaned back, relaxed. The warm humid air caressed my body, feeling just like Ranger's breath on my sensitive skin. As satisfied as I was from the mile-high-club experience, the vibration of the car's formidable motor resonated through me, ruining my clean panties. I slid a hand over to Ranger's thigh and rested it there.
He was in his driving zone, but he dropped a hand over mine and drew it further up his lap onto a throbbing erection that pulsated in time with the engine. Him, too, huh?
He moved my hand back down to his thigh and held it there, only releasing it when he had to change gears. After about a half hour we were in a residential area and we turned into a gated community. Ranger pulled a key card out of his wallet and waved it in front of the card reader and the metal grillwork whirred smoothly open.
We drove down a winding road until we reached a high iron gate between thick stone pillars attached to a stone wall running off in both directions. Typical Ranger security, having a gated house within a gated community. Ranger clicked a remote at the barrier and we watched it swing open, passing through to follow a long, curving driveway lined with tall trees.
In front of us was a large house with lights blazing. Ranger pulled around the circular drive to the front door, stopped the car, and pulled me against him for a blistering kiss.
"We're here, Babe."
TBC