Chapter Eight

The wailing of her alarm pulled Stephanie out of a sweaty, sexy, completely inappropriate dream about Ranger and she blindly slapped her hand around until the blaring alarm went blessedly silent. She rolled over on her back and popped one eye open and then the other. It was barely six-thirty in the morning, but apparently zero dark thirty was her new wake-up time, now that she had hitched her wagon to RangeMan.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and gave a pitiful, low moan. Bobby had been right. She was stiff and a little sore. She forced herself to sit up and then stand. Stephanie padded into the bathroom and took a look in the mirror, and cringed at her reflection. The swelling was gone. Left in its wake was an ugly purple shadow under her eye and across her cheekbone. She pressed her fingertips along the side of her nose and under her eye and winced at the sharp prick of pain.

Stephanie popped her pill and the antibiotics that Bobby had given her and climbed into the shower, wondering what new adventures awaited. She'd been blown up on her first day, not much could top that; she scrunched up her nose, well hopefully. Now that she thought about it, she might be overly optimistic.

Stephanie toweled off and raked a comb through her hair, pulling it into a functional ponytail. She patted a little concealer under her eye and along her cheekbone in a futile effort to camouflage the bruise, and swiped on a couple of coats of mascara. It was more armor than anything, but she'd take what she could get. Ranger's unexpected visit had left her unbalanced and confused. He seemed so sure that they were going to fall into bed together again, yet he seemed loath to be around her. He confounded her senses and challenged what she thought she wanted.

Stephanie dropped a couple of hamster crunchies in Rex's food dish and gave him fresh water. He sat on his haunches and sniffed the air, his little whiskers twitching wildly before he retreated into his soup can. Stephanie could relate.

Her phone dinked while she was making coffee and her brows furrowed and a little skitter of apprehension bolted through her. Burg etiquette dictated you didn't call before nine unless there was an emergency. She yanked up her phone, her breath stuck in her lungs, terrified something had happened to her grandma.

Stephanie blew out an irritated breath when she read the display. It was Ranger. Apparently, he hadn't gotten the etiquette memo. Wear gym clothes and bring street clothes. No please, no thank you, no explanation; just a command. Her eyes narrowed and her fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to pound out a snarky reply; instead, she just smacked the phone down. She was an adult, and she was going to act like it. Yeah, OK good luck on that one, her little voice snickered.

Alrighty, this day was already looking bleak. He was crazy if he thought she was going to run with him. She'd rather slam her hand in the car door, she thought bitterly as she went to change. Surely getting blown-up netted her a one-day pass out of crazy land.

Stephanie pulled on a sports bra, t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants. She stuffed jeans, underwear, and a henley in a ratty old duffle bag with a broken zipper. She grabbed her coat and headed out into the frosty January morning, blowing into her hands for warmth as she made her way across the parking lot that felt more like the artic tundra at this hour. Stephanie wrenched the door of the Nova open, and it gave a grating screech of protest as she mentally cursed herself for forgetting to buy WD-40 or at least steal a can from her dad, since she didn't actually have any money.

Stephanie wedged herself behind the steering wheel and turned the key. She was greeted by a sluggish grrr sound and then silence. She tried the key again. Click, click, click. Stephanie blew out a frustrated breath that hung in the air like a frozen cloud taunting her. She gave the wheel a little whump and tried not to cry.

OK, so it was the battery, the alternator, or maybe just her shitty luck, but the car was dead. She shouldered her way out of the Nova, tears of frustration shining in her eyes. She didn't have money to fix the stupid car, let alone money for a cab ride to RangeMan. Think, she told herself. Maybe she could call her dad for a ride. She fished around in her bag for her phone, dreading the conversation. She could already hear it in her head. Stephanie Michelle Plum, why are you calling so early. What's happened? Are you hurt? Who died? It would take ten minutes just to get her dad on the phone. She'd get to listen to the long list of shortcomings that apparently had stalked her into adulthood. She'd always been a little impetuous and wild. Like the time she'd jumped off the garage, convinced she could fly. That had turned out about as well as yesterday, when she thought she could be a bounty hunter and work for RangeMan. Maybe it was time to give up that charade and accept that the button factory might be the way to go.

Stephanie was too busy having an existential crisis to notice the big black SUV that pulled into her lot.

"Hey miss Stephanie. Need a ride." Hal asked as he rolled down the window.

Stephanie yelped and whirled around, hand clutching her chest.

Hal was giving her a sympathetic smile, like he felt the pain of her predicament, or maybe it was her stupidity. It wasn't entirely clear.

"What are you doing here?" Stephanie asked as she tried to get her heart rate somewhere below stroke level.

"On patrol." His eyes cut to her car and she watched his lip curl back. "I can give you a ride."

It wasn't like she had a better option, so Stephanie nodded and climbed into the SUV. It was toasty warm, and she put her hands in front of the vents to thaw them.

"How long have you worked at RangeMan?" Stephanie asked as they cruised out of her lot towards Haywood.

"About a year."

"Do you like it?"

"Oh yes ma'am." Hal was nodding enthusiastically. He reminded her of an exuberant puppy. "The pay is good, the work is interesting, and Ranger is a good boss."

Stephanie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that one. Seemed like Attila the Hun would be a better boss than Ranger. At least a nicer one. Attila probably didn't break into people's houses on a regular basis, either. As soon as she got enough money, she was getting new locks. Better ones. Of course, that was somewhere below coffee maker, toaster, car repairs, and rent. She sighed and reminded herself why she was doing all of this.

"What did you do before becoming a bounty hunter? Were you in the military, too?" Hal questioned.

"Lingerie buyer."

Stephanie watched a pink flush go up Hal's neck and color his cheeks. That had rendered him mute. Hal clearly didn't know how to respond to that little revelation, and she could almost see the wheels in his head turning, trying to figure out how one went from lingerie buyer to bounty hunter. She was tempted to tell him if he had any ideas he should share, because she sure as hell didn't know.

"Trust me, it sounds more glamourous than it was."

Stephanie gazed out the window. Businesses were opening and people were hustling down the sidewalks on the way to work. When she said lingerie buyer, men always thought of Victoria's Secret, but the truth was the biggest sellers were granny panties and boy shorts for discount retailers. Her eyes flickered over to Hal. What the hell, she wouldn't ruin his fantasy. He probably jerked off to the Fredericks of Hollywood catalog as a teen. She squinted her eyes. Yeah, he probably still did.

Hal waved a little fob in front of a sensor and the steel gate to the parking garage opened and he pulled into the underground lot at the RangeMan building on Haywood. It was a seven story, nondescript building. No signage, no logo on the outside advertising its existence. She wasn't even sure she would have found it on her own.

Hal radioed the control room and told them Stephanie was in the garage.

"Copy that." Hal turned to her. "Les will meet you at the elevator." He motioned in the direction of the elevator with his head.

Stephanie climbed out of the SUV, dragging her dilapidated duffle bag with her.

"Thanks for the ride." She gave him a smile, and he blushed.

He might not be the brightest bulb in the pack, but he was nice.

Stephanie headed to the elevators. The doors opened and Les gave her a big grin. He was dressed in the standard RangeMan uniform of black cargos tucked into black boots, and a black t-shirt that was painted on. She took a moment to admire the view. He was taller and a little leaner than Ranger, but the t-shirt did nothing to disguise his broad shoulders and washboard abs. Her eyes trailed a little lower, admiring how the cargo pants showcased his muscular thighs and did nothing to hide the fact Les was definitely packing, in addition to the gun that was holstered at his hip.

Stephanie just shrugged when he caught her looking. His eyebrow tilted up, and he gave her a look that said, what you see is exactly what you get. She felt a little hum go through her. Les was looking every bit the delicious bad boy player that no doubt he was.

"I won the betting pool." Les told her as she stepped into the elevator with him.

"What pool was that?" Stephanie glanced over and noticed the RangeMan logo embroidered on his shirt.

"That you wouldn't show up for a second day." He was still grinning at her.

Stephanie gave an unladylike snort. "It's called poverty. What's your excuse?"

"I'm on desk duty today." He rolled his eyes, conveying just how unnecessary he thought that was.

"How long?"

"Until Bobby clears me."

Stephanie didn't have the heart to tell him desk duty didn't sound all that bad to her.

"Out of curiosity, how much was the pool worth."

"Five hundred."

Stephanie nodded her head. "Hmmm."

They got off on the fifth floor and Stephanie looked around. The walls were painted a light taupe complimented by a darker tile floor. Monitors lined one entire wall, and the space was carved up into a bullpen surrounded by cubicles. Several offices lined the back wall. She trailed after Les, taking it all in as they headed towards one of the offices in the corner. Stephanie had a sinking feeling it was probably not HR.

"You'll meet with Ranger first. Then I'll show you around, get you settled. You'll have training this morning and then Silvio will run through how to use the search programs this afternoon."

"When will we go after skips?" Stephanie asked. It wasn't that she was all that eager to get started, but no skips meant no money.

"Probably first thing in the morning. I know you think Ranger is being a stickler, but you do need some of the basics first." Les tilted up his shoulder in an apology for siding with Ranger.

They stopped outside of one of the offices and Les knocked on the closed door.

Stephanie winced when she heard Ranger bark, "Enter!" She tried not to think of it as heading in to see the principal.

"Here, hand me your duffle, and I'll take them to your cubby." Stephanie handed it over and tried not to be embarrassed that her underwear was peeking out through the broken zipper.

Les opened the door and ushered her in. Her eyes whipped to Les, and she threw him an accusatory look for abandoning her. He gave her an encouraging nod and closed the door behind him. The sound of the door snicking closed reverberated through her and reminded her of the clanging of bars on a jail cell. Not that she'd actually been in jail, but she had seen prison break on HBO a time or two.

Ranger glanced up from the paperwork on his desk and his eyes traveled over her. Stephanie tried not to fidget or pull at the collar of her shirt that was suddenly strangling her.

"I'll have Ella order some RangeMan shirts for you. Even if you decide to only work for Vinnie, you can keep the shirts." Ranger almost smiled. "I like the idea of you wearing my name on your breast."

Stephanie did a little eye narrowing, and he waved her towards the chairs in front of his desk. She figured now wasn't the time to point out the finer points of sexual harassment since her nipples had perked up and taken notice and were now straining against her t-shirt.

His eyes drifted down and his tongue ran along his bottom lip, and Stephanie was afraid her panties were going to burst into flames. She perched on the edge of the chair and clenched her thighs together in an attempt to ease the building ache, wondering why she was so ridiculously attracted to him. Sure, there was the obvious. He was drop dead gorgeous, but he was also an ass. Except when he wasn't. She let out a slow breath and gave in to the urge to cross her arms over her chest and save them both from future embarrassment.

Ranger reached into his drawer and handed her a laminated ID badge attached to a lanyard. It had her picture on it and she vaguely wondered where the picture had come from. She promptly filed that under better-not-to-know.

"You're required to carry a gun, your phone, and the ID with you at all times. You don't have to wear the ID. It's for fieldwork, but it's a good idea to keep it on you in case you're questioned about the gun."

Ranger slid a manila file across his desk. "Standard company paperwork. It gives me Power of Attorney to make medical decisions for you in the field and it includes your health insurance forms." He gave her a pointed look and held out a pen. "I have a feeling that's something you're going to need."

Stephanie gave him her best death glare and yanked the pen from his hand, signed the forms, and pushed the file back across the desk to him.

Ranger handed her a key fob. "This will get you into the garage, the fourth and fifth floors and the basement. The gym on the fourth floor is open to you. The rest of the floor houses corporate apartments. Unfortunately, the locker room is men only. I'm sure they'd be happy to share, but I don't think it's a good idea. You can use the ladies' room here on five for now. RangeMan doesn't employ any women, so we aren't set up that way."

Stephanie tilted her shoulder up. "Oh." There went her chances of long-term employment. "Why not?"

"Until recently we did mainly field work, but with the expansion that is changing." He said noncommittally. "Mostly too distracting, I guess." Ranger gave a dismissive wave of his hand like he really didn't want to be having this conversation.

"You mean to tell me you don't employ a single woman, well, besides me."

He gave her an odd look. "Just one. Ella, she and her husband manage the office and the apartments."

"So this," Stephanie made a gesture around his office. "Is just temporary?"

"Yes." Ranger nodded and Stephanie's stomach sunk a little. "Maybe. I don't know. Let's see how it goes." He clarified.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"I hire people who have the skills I need. Right now, I could use someone in the building who can do phone work and paperwork. Nine to five, five days a week. If you are interested, you can discuss salary with my business manager. You said yesterday you wanted to be a bounty hunter, that being chained to a desk was soul sucking." His shoulder tilted up. "Maybe you should consider it."

A beat went by. "Are you interested in working for RangeMan?" He prodded.

"Would it be a pity position?"

Ranger had basically just said he didn't hire women and now he was offering to create a full-time office job for her. Confusion swirled through her and she pushed it away. It was easier to keep him in the asshole box, far less dangerous anyway.

Ranger gave her a pointed look. "If I gave you a pity position, it wouldn't be in the office."

Heat flushed across Stephanie's cheeks and Ranger's lip tipped up and suddenly the desk between them felt less like a safety barrier and more like an opportunity. Her mind took a brief detour and imagined sex on Ranger's desk.

"I'll think about it." She was pretty sure she was talking about the job offer and not sex on Ranger's desk.

Ranger nodded. "Les will show you to your cubicle and around the office. Then we will do firearms training."

Stephanie shifted a little in her seat. She knew she had forgotten something this morning.

"I expect you to carry a gun. And I expect it to be loaded. We have a practice range in the basement. I've reserved practice time for us at ten. At least once a week, I expect you to visit the range and work on your skills."

Stephanie squirmed a little more. There was an awkward pause while Ranger came to terms with the possibility that she didn't have the gun he had dropped off last night.

Ranger looked like he wanted to whack his head on his desk. "Let me take a wild guess here," Ranger said. "You forgot to bring your gun."

"You didn't say I needed to bring my gun."

"I said be here by eight for firearms training." Ranger gritted out between his clenched teeth.

OK, so he had a point. Stephanie gave him a weak smile and a hands-up gesture.

"Where exactly is your gun?"

"My apartment." Stephanie hedged.

"Where exactly in your apartment." Ranger reared back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. Stephanie couldn't help but admire the bulge of his biceps.

"Cookie jar." Stephanie mumbled.

Ranger's eyebrow hitched up. "Did you say cookie jar?"

She could tell he was struggling with some sort of emotion. Either he was trying hard not to laugh or else he was trying hard not to choke her. The odds were fifty-fifty.

"Tough guys always keep their gun in the cookie jar." Stephanie informed him as her chin tilted up.

"Name one." He challenged.

"Rockford."

Ranger grinned. "I stand corrected."

Ranger reached into his drawer and pulled out a gun, placing it on his desk. It sat there taunting her like some sort of harbinger. He stood up and moved with single-minded purpose, his body relaxed, his gait even, his eyes unswerving and fixed on his quarry. In this case, the quarry was Stephanie, and sweat pooled at the base of her spine as he rounded the desk and held out his hand to her. Without thinking, she placed her hand in his. His bigger hand engulfed hers and heat snaked its way up her arm at his touch. A little whimper built in her throat and she stared, transfixed, wondering what was happening. Her heart skipped wildly against her ribs.

He pulled her to her feet and instinctively she took a step back and felt the hard edge of the desk pressed against the back of her thighs. Her sharp intake of breath echoed in the office that suddenly seemed far too small for the both of them, and Ranger was far too close. Her head tilted up to look at him, and she pulled her hand free and gripped the edge of the desk in a futile effort to keep them to herself. He was barely a foot away, and his inviting scent wafted over her and pulled her in. She could feel his energy humming around her, and she wondered what it would be like if Ranger just lifted her on the desk and stepped between her thighs. It seemed like the desk would be the perfect height, and she was pretty sure that thought was stamped on her forehead.

His eyes locked with hers and the heat in them burned with an intensity that scorched her skin. His hand snaked up and his thumb stroked across her bottom lip and the whimper that had been building escaped. She watched his nostrils flare, and his eyes darken, as he reacted at a primal level to the sound of her pure feminine need.

"A beautiful, dirty girl. So perfect." The velvety sound of his voice wrapped around her, and Stephanie's tongue snaked out and licked the pad of his thumb.

"Dios, you are going to be my undoing."

His hands gripped her hips, and he effortlessly deposited her on his desk like he had read her every dark, decadent thought. His hands slid down her thighs and gripped her knees, pushing them apart. She let her legs fall open, beckoning him closer. He stepped between them and rested his hands on either side of her, caging her in.

Stephanie traced her fingers down across his sculptured jaw, marveling at the smoothness of his skin.

"This is a bad idea." She whispered as he leaned in and inhaled deeply, nuzzling against her neck.

"Terrible." He concurred as he placed an open-mouthed kiss on the sensitive spot where her neck and shoulder met. His tongue touched the spot, and need flashed through her.

"Oh god." Stephanie breathed as she tilted her head to give him unfettered access to her throat as his wicked mouth continued its journey, stopping to tongue the hollow at the base.

His hands cupped her backside and pulled her forward, pressing into her, his reaction unmistakable. Stephanie had been right; the desk was the perfect height and her back arched and she canted her hips forward to meet him and exploit the friction between their bodies.

"I can feel your heat." He punctuated that statement with a thrust of his hips. The sultry purr of his voice stroked over her, and the slow thrum of awareness filtered through her and settled between her legs, liquid and hot.

He groaned against her neck, letting her feel what it did to him. It was all too easy to imagine what it would be like underneath him. She had no doubt he would make love with the same single-minded focus he did everything else, and she vaguely wondered if she would survive an entire night with him. He might shred her self-control, dominate her senses, and obliterate her proper self, but wouldn't it be delicious, and it just might be worth it. His mouth trailed along her jaw, whisper soft, promising pleasure and destruction in equal measure. A shiver trailed up her spine.

Without intending to, Stephanie's legs had wrapped around his waist, drawing him closer, and she could feel his hard length pulsing against her core. The muscles in his stomach fluttered and contracted as her fingertips explored him. All the hard planes, ridges, and contours. His mouth dipped down and hovered over hers and her eyes fluttered closed as her arms snaked around his neck, her surrender complete. His lips were soft and warm as they brushed against hers, teasing and nipping until her mouth opened, inviting him to deepen the kiss. There was an underlying hardness to his kiss, just like the rest of him, that both thrilled and terrified her.

His hands palmed the back of her thighs, anchoring her against him as she rubbed and bucked shamelessly. She was perilously close to lift off, and with just a little more pressure, she would be there.

The phone rang, and they both jumped, startled.

Ranger reached around her and yanked the handset up. "What!" he barked, and Stephanie flinched at the harshness of his tone.

His hand automatically went around her and rubbed her back in a light, soothing caress. She wondered if he even realized it, as she tucked her face into the crook of his neck, her soft pants warm against his skin. His crisp, clean scent tickled her nostrils and she let her eyes close and for just one moment, with his arm wrapped protectively around her, cradling her against his broad chest, she felt like the most precious thing to him. Like maybe she mattered.

"Copy that." He slammed down the receiver and raked his hand through his hair. "Shit." He said conversationally, like they hadn't almost ended up naked on his desk and his erection wasn't cushioned between her legs, prodding insistently. "That was close."

His eyes collided with hers. "Next time, we should probably lock the door."

He stepped back, and she quickly scrambled off the desk and away from him. Their fragile connection shattered into a million little pieces right along with her pride. She could barely stand the man, yet he could make her legs quiver and her knees buckle. She'd been a millimeter away from an orgasm from just his touch and the smug look on his face told her that fact wasn't lost on him.

Ranger picked up the gun on his desk. Stephanie's mind was in neutral and she let him pull her flush against him. He reached around her and slid the gun under the waistband of her pants, so it nestled at the small of her back.

The cold metal of the barrel against her skin shocked her out of her stupor. It was clear he was back to being all business and irritation rocketed through her at his dismissal, like nothing had happened, or worse, what happened didn't matter.

"This is uncomfortable. It's going to give me a bruise." She huffed, ignoring the throbbing ache that threatened to be her undoing. She was on edge, unsatisfied and frustrated.

Ranger reached around and removed the gun, and before she realized what he was doing, he had the gun tucked into the front of her yoga pants resting against her hipbone. "Is this better?"

"No, but I can't imagine where you'll put it next, so let's just leave it where it is and forget about it."

He gave her a wolf grin. "Kinky. I like that. I can be very creative." The sultry purr was almost her undoing.

"It wasn't a challenge." Stephanie snapped and tried to put some distance between them.

She was never going to survive working for Ranger. The sooner she got trained and out on her own, the better.

A knock sounded at the door and Stephanie jumped like she'd been shot. Ranger seemed to be expecting it and her eyes narrowed a little. Les poked his head in. His eyes slid between Stephanie and Ranger, but for once, he didn't seem to have anything to say.

Stephanie knew her skin was flushed, and she looked like a woman that had almost been fucked on Ranger's massive desk. Ranger wasn't in much better shape. His pants were still suspiciously tented and his jaw was clenched like he was in pain.

"Did you want something Santos?" Ranger challenged. A look passed between them, along with a silent conversation.

"Ready for the grand tour?" Les turned and asked Stephanie. He looked like he was trying desperately not to smile.

"Yes." Her voice sounded high pitched and strained.

Stephanie followed Les out of Ranger's office and tried to ignore the half dozen sets of curious eyes that followed her across the bullpen. This had disaster written all over it.