Not Mine. Just Playing. Rating Mature.

Chapter 10

SPOV

Of all the gin joints in all the world, what would it figure that we'd end up on the same cruise ship as Lula. She was a fantastic magician's assistant, as it turned out. She was funny, and she DEFINITELY kept everyone's eyes trained on her, making her the perfect misdirection. No one had heard a word from her since she left Trenton abruptly a couple years ago. Last we heard she was heading out west, I guess some how she ended up south and was now traveling around the Caribbean entertaining people. I was so happy that she seemed to have found her niche.

I noticed Ranger slip the waitress a note and hoped it was something that would allow us to go backstage and see her.

Sure enough, when the lights came up at the end of the show, one of the cruise ship hosts was at our booth. "Mr. and Mrs. Pardo, please come with me. The cast will be happy to meet with you both." I again wondered how the hell much money Ranger was spending on this trip. I decided regardless of the amount, I was just going to enjoy it the same way I was enjoying Ranger.

"No price, Babe," he said, kissing my temple. Damn ESP.

We made our way backstage and I was nearly bowled over when Lula got a glimpse of us!

"White girl!" she exclaimed, crushing me in a hug. I was afraid her breasts were going to suffocate me. "And Batman!" She turned to Ranger.

"Hey Lula," he said and did some sort of fist bump thing with her. She introduced us to the rest of the cast, who quickly made their retreat.

"Lula, you look great!" I said. "I can't believe you're here!"

"Yeah, leaving Trenton was hard. I missed yo ass more than I can say. But coming somewhere no one knew me was like starting over. Nobody knows about my former profession. I'm just Lula from Jersey. And I'm finally getting to see the world!" She glanced down, taking notice of Ranger's hand at the small of my back. "Glad to see you finally made a decision," she said.

"Its new," I admitted. I wasn't sure how much Ranger would appreciate me sharing. "But yeah." I smiled, and for once in my life I didn't blush.

"Connie owes me $50 bucks," Lula said. "Tell her next time you see her. My Cash App is TheOnlyLula. I hate to run but I gotta get the tricks prepped for the midnight showing."

She pulled me into another hug and spoke into my ear so Ranger didn't hear. "Good to see you, Steph. Don't fuck this up. You deserve to be even happier than me."

Ranger and I left the theatre an made our way back to the room, taking only a short detour at my insistence past the frozen yogurt shop. Ranger surprised me and made himself a Pineapple Sorbet cone. The rest of the cruise passed too quickly. We didn't see Lula again, but Ranger had explained that typically the performers are kept busy behind the scenes.

We spent the next days exploring islands, climbing a waterfall in Jamaica, swimming with the dolphins in Mexico, riding the waterslide on the Lido Deck, and taking great advantage of our private balcony. At this rate I wasn't going to need sugar for a month when we got back to Trenton! We spent enough time on the private sundeck I was sporting an excellent tan and even Ranger's beautiful mocha latte skin was darker than normal. The last night of the cruise was a formal night. Ella had packed a floor length black gown with silver flecks throughout. It had a halter-style neck and slit up to mid-thigh and it dipped low in the back. Ranger looked incredible in his tux. We ate, drank and danced the evening away.

When we finally made our way back to the room, we fell into bed, entwined with each other. It wasn't all speed and urgency tonight, but tender lingering touches. Up until now, we'd had sex, and we'd fucked. This was making love. On the balcony, under the stars I straddled him, my hands wrapped around his neck, his hands strong at my hips. I rode him and looked deeply into his eyes. I was sliding over the edge to pure ecstasy and I knew he wasn't far behind.

"Babe," he ground out. I knew he was on the edge. "Te amo, Stephanie." I felt him explode deep inside me. "No puedo creer que seas mia. Eres la luz de mi oscuridad. (I love you. I can't believe you're mine. You're the light to my darkness.)

Once upon a time, I equally loved and hated when Ranger spoke in Spanish to me, because while it is sexy as sin, I was too curious to know what he was saying. Now, though Hector has been giving me Spanish lessons, I still have no idea what he's saying. But I've learned the intensity of his voice means he's saying things he's not yet able to actually tell me. It's almost like he's saying it without saying it. It might bother someone else, but it felt right for him and for us.

"I love you, Carlos." I said, leaning forward to rest my cheek on his shoulder. So far I'd only called him Carlos a handful of times. I knew from the way his eyes darkened anytime I said it that he liked it, but I wasn't sure if it was his "day to day" name yet. We were chest to chest, his legs straight out on the chaise while mine were folded on either side of him. I'm not sure how long we sat like that, but soon I felt Carlos Jr. waking back up and I was suddenly on my back seeing fireworks explode behind my eyes as he drove us both over the edge again. We lay on the chaise lounges, napping, and watching the sunrise over the horizon. This morning would be our last morning on the ship, and I knew we'd fly back to Trenton this afternoon. I was a little sad that I'd have to say goodbye to Vacation Ranger – at least for now. I also had some trepidations on how "real life" was going to go with him back from the wind and apparently in a relationship with me. I suppose we'd have to discuss them on the plane. A part of me wished we could just live on the ship forever, never having to go back to "real life".

"I'm sad to be leaving paradise, too, Babe," he said. My eyes flew to his face. How can he read me so damn well? "But as far as I'm concerned, it's paradise anytime I'm with you."

"We probably have a lot to talk about," I said, mentally putting on my big girl panties and acting like an adult.

"Babe. We don't have to figure out everything now."

"Seriously?" I said. "We're just taking it as it comes?"

"I'll go as fast or slow as you want. I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted it all. I want you. And I'll do it however you want to do it." I knew he was talking about the relationship, but heaven help me, I wanted him again. I ground my hips at him suggestively and that effectively ended the conversation as we had one last hurrah before we had to pack up and leave our villa.

We were just settling into our seats on the Rangeman jet when I turned my phone on. It has been nice to have it off for a while. I glanced at Ranger's screen and grimaced. He'd been offline too, and his unread messages and emails were enough to give me an eye twitch. They were exponentially more than my unread messages. I was glad I wasn't the boss.

"I just texted Tank to let him know we were back online," Ranger said. "He said he has some bad news for you. We'll go straight to Haywood when we land."

"Oh, God, Rex!" I said, clutching my chest.

"No, he said it was something to do with your car."

I immediately relaxed. A car could be replaced, and I was a little bit happy that Ranger wouldn't have to actually see me driving the minivan. The flight was smooth, and Ranger and I worked in companionable silence, each working through our emails and messages thanks to the WiFi on board. I knew there were a couple new cases at Trenton that were on my plate, and I'd also gotten an email from Chad, the Managing Director of Rangeman Boston, asking when I could come over to help with a few cases. I messaged him back, telling him to schedule something later in March. I wanted a few weeks back home before I went on another assignment.

The flight landed and we came down the stairs to find an Expedition waiting on the tarmac. Vince was behind the wheel. We put our bags in the back and climbed in. It was a quick ride to Haywood, and my anxiety was through the roof. We took the elevator to the 5th floor. Lester and Ram were on the monitors. I was relieved to see Rex happily running on his wheel at the Monitor station.

"Welcome back, Boss. Bomber." Ram said.

"Beautiful! We missed you around here! You too, Boss," Lester said.

I saw Tank standing in the door to his office, and I made a beeline for him. He surprised me by picking me up and giving me a hug. "It's about time," he said. "We do need to talk, though."

I followed him into the office, it never occurring to me that I should wait for Ranger. A few minutes later he joined us, carrying 2 cups of coffee. He handed me one with cream and sugar. He had an amused look on his face.

"I'm not used to Tank waiting to meet with you," he said. "That's new."

"She's a contractor, Ranger. I often have meetings with the contractors. Go catch up on your paperwork." Tank said. Ranger sat down, blank face in place.

Tank gave an almost imperceptible eye roll and turned to me. "I don't know how to say this, other than just saying it. There was an explosion."

Oh, for the love of all that's holy!

I took a breath. "And?"

"It appears the Sorento got in the middle of a BB gun fight between some of the local high schoolers." Tank began. I closed my eyes and waited while he continued. "It was parked pretty close to the back door of your apartment, by the dumpster. Well, a couple of the pellets nicked the gas tank and it sat with a slow leak for a few days. We didn't hear about it, or we would have removed it right away. Then I guess Mr. Armund tossed his cigarette out the window and, well, the sparks hit the gas on the ground, and the Sorento is no more."

Ranger laughed out loud. "You were driving a minivan?!" he asked turning to me. His face was turning red and his shoulder were shaking with laughter.

I hung my head. "Yes. It was a good price. And I always had room for plenty of skips." I said. "I guess I'm going to need to take you up on that company car for a while, Tank."

"Little girl, unfortunately, there's more." Tank said. Ranger stopped laughing.

"The fire spread from the van to the dumpster which caught the building on fire. Thankfully it was early in the day, so everyone got out and no one was hurt. But the building was a total loss."

Oh god. OH GOD. I had nothing. Not a single belonging. It was just like when I'd left the Dick after 3 months of marriage. Only this time I didn't even have a piece of shit car to call my own. The only thing I had to my name was a suitcase full of clothes – and technically they weren't mind, Ranger had bought them. Deep Breath, Stephanie. Ok, let's look at this objectively. I can use a Rangeman car as part of my contract. I probably can find a new apartment…. Somewhere. I bet Ella even has extra uniforms already on hand for me, so I won't be naked tomorrow. I can do this. I can just think of everything I lost as my fat clothes now that I've lost some weight, I can buy all new things a size smaller.

Then I thought of my shoes and I couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"Babe," Ranger said. "They're just shoes." He ran his hand possessively down my back and I shivered.

"Can I finish now, Steph?" Tank asked.

"What else could have possibly happened?" I wailed. I was a woman on the edge.

"You need to go to the Conference Room." Tank said. "The guys have a surprise for you."

Tank and Ranger did an ESP thing I saw Ranger smile. We left Tank's office and Lester was waiting for us outside the door. He handed me a key fob.

"What's this?" I asked.

Lester smiled. "Tank got your insurance check, so I went car shopping for you. It's a Hyundai Santa Fe. It's in your space in the garage. I splurged and got leather."

Well, that was one less thing I had to deal with. "Thanks, Les. That was really kind. I appreciate it." I brushed at the tears still lingering in my eyes. Ella was waiting in the hallway, behind Lester.

"Oh, Ella! I loved all the clothes you sent with me for the trip!" I said, smiling.

"I'm glad, Dear," she said. "I also spoke with Tank and I took a portion of the payout from your Renter's Insurance Policy and I purchased you several new basics. I'm sure you'll have some other things you want to pick out yourself, but this way you don't have to start from scratch." I hugged her too. "It's nothing, Dear one. I enjoyed myself." I couldn't believe it. I had clothes and a car, and had "bought" them both with my money. It was like having the most incredible personal shopper.

We made it to the Conference Room. The doors were closed, which was odd. I looked at Tank. "Go on," he said.

I opened the door, having no idea what to expect. I went inside and my mouth fell open with a pop. On the Conference Table were dozens of shoe boxes. From boots to running shoes to flats. And lots and lots of sky high FMPs in every style and a variety of colors. It was like the best of the Macy's shoe department had exploded in the Conference Room. I turned around, but instead of Tank and Ranger I saw a door full of faces of the Rangemen: Ram, Junior, Woody, Hal, Cal, Hector, Lester, Binkie, Slick, Zero, Brett and more behind them. "Explain!" I barked.

Hector stepped forward. "Estefanía, when we hear your apartment go fwoosh we want to show you how much you mean to us," he said. I couldn't speak.

Hal smiled. "It seems we all had the same idea of how to cheer you up. A few of us asked Ella for your shoe size, thinking we'd give you a couple pair to get you started. Then they just kept piling up. We've missed you around here, and we don't want you to leave for so long again," he said.

There was a chorus of agreements behind him. I was floored. These guys really were my family. The acceptance, the love, the fun we had together. This was how a family was supposed to operate. Hector was closest, so I hugged him first, dropping a kiss as I always did on the two teardrops that were permanently inked beneath his eye. Hector passed me to Hal, who lifted me off my feet to hug me. I went down the entire line of Rangemen giving thank you hugs and receiving welcome home hugs in return. Slowly the group broke up and Ella was stacking the boxes efficiently.

"There are tags in each box to let you know who they're from," she said. "They all picked them out themselves and will be anxious to know which ones you like best. There may or may not be a bet on which ones will be your very favorite."

Ranger stepped to me. "Babe," he said, capturing my face in his hands. "Can Ella take the shoes upstairs?" he asked.

I looked at him, absorbing what he was asking. And the answer that would have made me go into a cold sweat six months ago fell from my mouth without a second thought.

"I'd love that," I said. He smiled and walked to the conference room door.

"Then I'll see you upstairs at home in about an hour," he said.

"Should I make dinner?" I asked, a tone of teasing coloring my voice.

"I'd prefer Ella make dinner," he said. "But I wouldn't mind finding you naked and waiting."

Oh boy!