A/N: Smut warning.
Chapter Twenty
Ranger gestured with his head. "Bathroom is that way."
Stephanie moved further into the apartment. One bathroom, one office, and one bedroom. Uh oh. Danger her mind was screaming. There was no way she could stay here and sleep in his bed. It would smell like him, and make her think things that didn't lend themselves to sleep. Did he think she was staying with him?
Ranger reached around her and turned on the shower. Steam started curling through the air, filling the space. Ranger adjusted the temperature.
Stephanie pulled off her socks, and then stood there frozen. What was she doing? Exactly what you want to do, bad Stephanie whispered back.
"What about your legs?" A small voice from deep inside her brain murmured. "You haven't shaved your legs in two days." She'd almost been gunned down, drowned, and strangled and she was worried about the hair on her legs. Did every woman in the world worry about hair on her legs? Why was she the one worrying about hair on her legs. Really where was the justice in the world?
Stephanie could feel Ranger behind her. His body skimming hers. She could feel the heat radiating off of him. Every nerve in her body was attuned to him, and screaming for him to touch her, yet he didn't.
Stephanie could feel his breath on her neck, but he didn't touch her and he didn't make any moves.
""Babe. The ball is in your court." She heard him whisper against the shell of her ear. "I can get Ella, my property manager, to help you, if that is what you want."
He wasn't giving her an easy out, no excuses. She wouldn't be able to claim she got carried away in the heat of moment and lost her head. No, Ranger was making her choose. She was the one that decided what happened next. Or didn't.
Ranger knew he should probably step back. Give her some space, yet he felt rooted to the spot unable to move away from her magnetic pull. Stephanie needed comforting, reassurance. She'd been through an ordeal. Yet, it didn't feel like that's what she wanted. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was something else. The energy radiating off of her was igniting his blood, making it almost impossible not to touch her.
When she looked back over her shoulder, those gorgeous blue eyes full of invitation, Ranger knew he was lost. Desire hit him like a punch to the gut. The familiar twitch became a demanding throb, as he worked to control himself.
"No." Stephanie stated. "I want you."
OK, that had been clear. No hedging, no room for misinterpretation. Ranger had no idea why she wanted him, but he realized he had been holding his breath. He knew he should have talked to her, tried to explain, told her the truth. Something really, anything but what he'd done. He'd been a coward, mainly because he wasn't even sure how to explain, so he'd said nothing.
Everything he'd told her that night had been true, except for his name, and even that was kind of true. Marc Pardo was a name he used, just like Ranger. He hadn't lied about anything, not really. He had been with her because he wanted to be with her, pure and simple. Maybe it didn't start that way, but it had definitely ended that way. And, that is what he should have told her just now.
He had given her a peek inside his life, because he wanted her to know him. As crazy as it was, and it was crazy, he reminded himself. They both needed a shower and some rest, but he knew he should just tell her. Before this went any further, whatever this was. Ranger was a little afraid he knew exactly what this was, and it terrified him, so he chose to pretend it was something else, because it couldn't be what he thought it was.
Ranger's thoughts went from comfort to something far darker and more carnal in the space of a heartbeat, when he felt her push back against him and rub her perfect ass against his now throbbing cock. Any thoughts of comfort, went right out of his head, replaced with a burning need to taste her, feel her, possess her.
"Help me take the t-shirt off."
That was definitely something Ranger could do. His fingertips grazed the hem of her t-shirt, and he slowly started dragging it up.
Ranger's fingertips trailing over her felt like fire burning her skin. Stephanie could feel the slight roughness of his fingers as the slid the shirt up over the swell of her hips, higher to her ribs. Ranger's hand briefly splayed across her rib cage, resting just below her breast. His touch sent little tremors through her body, and she desperately wanted him to keep touching her. Her breasts felt heavy and her body ached for more. Stephanie couldn't quite control the needy little sound that escaped. Ranger grasped her elbow and gently pulled her injured arm out of the sleeve, and with one quick motion the t-shirt was over her head and carelessly discarded in the corner.
His hands rubbed her arms, and he leaned down and pressed his lips to the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder. Instinctively Stephanie pressed back against him and tilted her neck to give him better access. She let out the breath she didn't even know she had been holding, as she felt his warmth and strength seep into her.
He felt strong and solid. Everything about him felt right. There was no other word for it really. Wrapped in his arms was where she belonged. Where she was always meant to be. She knew it was absurd, but when you knew, you just knew. She'd known Morelli her whole life, and had never once felt like this with him. She'd known Ranger a couple of days, and everything about him felt familiar.
Ranger's hands slid down her ribcage and over the swell of her hips, his fingers hooked on the edge of her panties. A beat went by and Stephanie wondered what he was waiting for. Did he not realize she was about to explode with need?
She whimpered and pushed back against his hard length. The material of his cargo pants rough against her backside and she ground into him. She heard the growl of pleasure and Ranger raked her panties down her legs with one swift motion.
Stephanie stepped out of them and into the shower under the spray, letting the hot water wash over her.
"Are you coming?" She queried. Stephanie didn't even recognize the woman with that voice. That woman sounded confident and in control.
She couldn't help but smile when she heard the sound of his zipper. A pulse of desire zipped through her, from her head to her toes and back up, pooling between her thighs.
A minute later she felt his hard, naked body press against her, and she sucked in a sharp breath at the contact. His body was unyielding as he wrapped his strong arms around her. He felt like steel throbbing against her backside.
He kissed her just behind her ear. "Do you trust me?"
She realized the answer was yes. Even though he was hard, throbbing and pressed precariously close to what she had always considered a no-go zone, she didn't feel apprehensive, she felt quite the opposite. The feel of him pressed against her made her almost feverish with desire.
"Yes." Sher turned slightly so she could press a kiss against his lips. She felt him smile against her mouth.
"Good. Close your eyes and lean your head back."
Stephanie complied, the water washing over her. She heard him pick up a bottle. A second later she felt his hands in her hair, gently massaging her scalp. It felt like heaven. She had no idea how he did it, but the way he washed her hair, the gentle pressure, the sounds of pleasure he made as he touched her, seemed far more like foreplay than him washing her hair. Desire liquid and hot pooled low in her belly, and she really wished he'd move those magic hands somewhere else, but she forced herself to remain relaxed as he worked the lather into her hair.
"Keep your eyes closed." His voice was low and rich, causing a tingle to go up her spine. He tilted her head back and rinsed all the shampoo out of her hair.
She heard another bottle open, and then she smelled it. That scent. The one that smelled like him, and suddenly the wetness on her thighs wasn't just from the shower.
The clean crisp scent, with just a hint of citrus invaded her nostrils. It should be illegal for a man to smell quite so good. A scent like that could make a woman lose her head, and do all kinds of things. Things she was contemplating right this minute, as he ran the sea sponge over her body. The silky, slightly rough texture of the sponge heightening the sensation.
He started with her back, giving it a good scrub, then her arms, taking care around her bullet wound. He took his time scrubbing and squeezing her backside. His fingers sliding between her legs just enough to tease her, but not enough to give her what she needed. What she wanted. Stephanie thought it was entirely possible she was going to go up in flames.
He ran the sponge all the way down her legs, and then back up again. She dropped her head back against his shoulder and exhaled a slow ragged breath. Then he turned her around, and her knees went weak at the sight of him. Hard, wet and utterly magnificent.
Her hand reached out of its own volition and wrapped around his most perfect part, stroking him from the base to the tip. Ranger's hips flexed forward. His eyes were closed and the look of pure pleasure on his face was intoxicating.
She took a minute to drink him in, exploring his hard abs and his broad chest. She loved the little valley in the middle of his chest. She remembered laying there listening to his heartbeat. It was almost like he could read her mind. His hand caught hers and held it over his heart. Their eyes locked, and the look of raw desire and possessiveness stole her breath. They stared at each other for a beat. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
"Mi corazón está en tus manos." He whispered, more to himself than to her.
Ranger leaned forward and kissed her. An unrestrained kiss that explored and teased her, setting her senses on fire. She hungrily kissed him back. Mouth open, her tongue stroking him with long and slow licks, her tongue mimicking what she wanted to do to his body. She heard his guttural groan against her mouth. She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and gently bit him before delving back in. Stephanie wanted him to feel her desire. To know what he did to her.
With one last masculine sound of pure pleasure, Ranger pulled away and continued to wash her, dragging the sponge down the column of her throat, around and across her aching, straining breasts. His eyes were dark, and she gasp when he abandoned the sponge for his hand brushing his thumb across her taught nipple, gently tugging and twisting. His hands slid over her soap slicked skin, down to her abdomen and then lower.
Stephanie bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out, or maybe from begging, when his hands slid down her inner thighs, coming so close to where she desperately wanted to be touched, but not quite close enough, causing her to clench and flutter with frustration and desire.
He worked his way down to her ankle and then back up again. A little quake went through her, as he turned her away from him and nudged her back under the hot spray to rise off.
She let the water wash over her, feeling some of the tension flow away with the cascade of water. He quickly washed his own body and then stepped under the spray with her to rinse them both off. She felt him flush against her again, and her body suddenly felt like a tightly wound coil. Not from tension, but desire. She could feel him hard and demanding against her backside. She loved his sharp intake of breath as she rubbed against him. She could tell his control was shredding. About time she thought. Hers had been gone since he opened that bottle of heavenly smelling body wash.
She felt him run his hand down her spine and over the swell of her backside. When he palmed the back of her thigh urging her leg up, and placing her foot on the tile shower bench spreading her legs, giving him unrestricted access, she thought she might actually faint. Ranger anchored her hips in place with his hands as he pressed his long length against her, gliding back and forth teasing her, but not entering her. It was sweet agony and delicious pressure. Stephanie felt her knees go weak, and desire pooled between her thighs as he continued to tease her. A frustrated sound escaped her throat, and he gave her a sharp nip on the shoulder. He continued the tortuous teasing until Stephanie was dangling on the edge of reason.
When she was sure she couldn't take any more, Ranger eased inside her with slow, deliberate thrusts. Pushing in inch by glorious inch. Pushing and withdrawing as he eased into her, letting her adjust and accommodate him. It was exquisite torture as his long length filled her and stretched her. She felt impossibly full and he felt impossibly deep. His commanding rhythm stroking that aching, tender spot deep within her.
She heard herself say "oh god." She didn't even recognize her own voice.
When he slipped his hand down her abdomen and settled between her legs, starting those delightful little circles with just the right amount of pressure, she was lost. Stephanie closed her eyes and pressed back against his hard chest, her hips bucking and circling begging for release. As her desire continued to build, her mind shutdown to everything but the pressure building between her thighs and the aching inside of her
"Oh god, please don't stop." She cried. Her voice sounded frantic even to her own ears.
He cradled her breast in his other calloused palm, stroking, massaging and tugging, until she was clenching, trembling, and saying his name over and over. A far away part of her, realized those mewling cries were coming from her.
Dizziness, heat, and adrenaline surged through her. Her orgasm roared through her like a freight train. Stephanie arched and threw her head back. She felt Ranger continuing to stroke her through her climax, wringing every last tremor of pleasure from her body. A few more hard thrusts and she felt his release deep inside of her. His head arched back and he said her name with such ferocity that it shook her to her core.
They stood there under the water for a minute, spent and breathless. Ranger's strong arm was wrapped around her middle and his face was buried in the crook of her neck. Finally, he pressed a soft kiss to her neck and eased away from her. Stephanie immediately missed the feel of him wrapped around her.
Ranger rinsed off one last time and moved away. "I'll get us a couple of towels."
And then he was gone. Stephanie washed up and turned off the water. Unlike her apartment, Ranger's shower had plenty of hot water. She could get used to this co-ed shower thing if she wasn't careful. Their coupling had been hot and urgent, but gentle at the same time. She supposed it was a testament to the fact they were both desperate to feel alive, but pretty banged up. It was like he knew instinctively just what to do, just what she needed. He could read her body better than she could. The subtle shift in tension, the change in breathing. He always knew just when he hit the right spot, and just how to exploit the friction and the angle to drive her wild with need.
She opened the shower door, and Ranger pulled her out wrapping a soft towel around her. He gave her a slow, deep kiss that had her toes curling. He had a big white fluffy robe on, and she missed being able to see his seriously perfect body.
She gave a startled squeak when he grabbed her by the waist and sat her on the counter like she weighed nothing. He crouched down in front of her.
"I need to check your feet." Ranger told her as he took one foot in his hand and gently inspected it, and then moved to the other. She had absolutely no idea how he made rubbing antibiotic cream on her feet seem sexy, but he did. The man could probably read the want ads in the newspaper and make it seem sexy. Everything about him lit her on fire and made her burn white hot. That kind of heat was combustible and dangerous. It could save you or it could destroy you, and Stephanie wasn't sure quite yet which one it would be.
He stood up sliding his hands up her leg, sending a shiver through her. She was pretty sure she'd become sex crazed, because right now all she was thinking about was having him again.
Ranger moved between her legs, and her breath hitched. He was so close. She could feel the heat of his body, and the scent of his damp skin made her mouth water. It was all she could do to keep from nuzzling into his neck and wrapping her arms around him. The only thing that stopped her was the death grip she had on the countertop.
Ranger leaned in and inspected her arm, quickly redressing it. It was pretty clear he was adept at wound management. She really wanted to ask him how and why he knew all those things. She knew he had been special forces. Montero had mentioned it, and now she understood a little better why that mattered.
She was disappointed when he stepped back and handed her a robe. It was clear playtime was over.
"Food or rest?" He asked her. The sound of his voice causing a little flutter low in her belly.
Stephanie thought about it for a second. Food sounded good, but she could feel fatigue pulling at her. Her limbs felt heavy, and she remembered Bobby's warning that she would crash.
"Rest." She replied. Stephanie slid off the counter and wrapped the robe around her, dropping the damp towel.
Without warning, he scooped her up in his arms, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. The intimacy and possessiveness of the action felt entirely natural, and it was at that moment Stephanie realized she was in big trouble.
Ranger carried her into the bedroom and deposited her on the bed. He pulled back the covers, his dark eyes soft as he watched her.
She shrugged out of the robe and crawled in.
They locked eyes. "Are you coming?" her voice was low and soft. She watched a thousand emotions cross his features. Finally, he dropped his robe and her eyes scanned his body. The man was art. Hot-as-fuck masculine art. He climbed in, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. Her back to his front in the perfect spoon. Stephanie's head was resting on his arm. She felt him kiss the top of her head, and he murmured something to her in Spanish. It felt soothing.
A/N: Mi corazón está en tus manos - my heart is in your hands
You will notice some snippets of dialogue that may feel familiar, but not quite right. I've taken snippets of dialogue from canon and modified it to fit the story. I hope it helps thread a feel of authenticity to the characters.