Chapter Nine

Ranger waited until the door closed behind Stephanie's retreating back before he reached up and rubbed his neck, trying to ease the tension that was rapidly veering into migraine territory.

"Fuck." He mumbled.

That had been about fifty shades of stupid. If Tank hadn't called to warn Ranger Les was on his way, Les would have walked in on them doing god knows what on his desk. He'd been about thirty seconds away from peeling those tight pants down her perfect legs. He had no idea how Tank had guessed it was more than just a little personnel paperwork going on in his office, but he owed him. Tank had always had his back, and it was clear he still did.

If Les had seen him balls deep in the new RangeMan employee, that shit would have been all over the floor in thirty seconds flat and the last thing he wanted was to embarrass Stephanie. Ranger had no idea what was wrong with him. Ranger didn't lose control like that and he sure as shit didn't have sex in his office at nine in the morning with half a dozen RangeMan employees right outside his door. He gave his head a good shake. That woman was going to be the death of him. She made him question everything he thought, everything he wanted, his own damn sanity.

His eyes drifted to his desk, where the paperwork was scattered haphazardly and the pen holder had been knocked over and the contents strewn across his desk. Yeah, it had been clear Les knew something was going on. He'd given Ranger the look that said what the actual fuck. Ranger knew Les had a protective streak a mile wide and after yesterday, his protectiveness of Stephanie was probably in overdrive, but Ranger had a feeling it might go deeper, and that notion bothered him.

Ranger and Les didn't compete for women, and they didn't share them. Ranger should just step aside, but the thought made his chest constrict. It was clear Stephanie didn't think much of him, but two more minutes and that little angel would have come writhing on his desk. Whatever was going on between them was a problem. He couldn't seem to keep his hands off of her any more than she could keep hers off of him. That just spelled trouble with a capital T.

His eyes strayed back to the desk; he was definitely going to need a new one. There was no way he could ever work at that desk again and not think about Stephanie with those long legs wrapped around him, feel her heat burning through his pants, or hear that breathy little sound she made. The scent of her arousal still invaded his nostrils. She had been so close to the edge; he'd felt it in her body and heard it in the soft mewling sounds she'd made against his neck. When they'd been interrupted, she'd looked about as frustrated as he had felt. Her skin had been flushed, her lips swollen, and that look of confusion. Yeah, that was a look he could definitely relate to.

Ranger was going to be hard all damn day if he didn't stop thinking about what had almost happened. Ranger took a couple of deep breaths and tried to think about something other than how her body had felt molded against him. Ranger raked his hand down his face and methodically put each pen back in the holder.

He could do this. Maybe. She was just a woman. There were plenty of those, nothing special, he assured himself. His gut cramped, and he ignored it. She didn't even like him and she definitely had a temper. Ranger liked his women willing, compliant, and not too needy. He also preferred they didn't look at him like they wanted to stab him in the head with a pen, or worse. She might have the face of an angel and the body of Venus, but she had the personality of a wolverine, he reminded himself. Not his type. So why was it, that every time he closed his eyes it was her face that he saw, her voice that echoed in his head.

Ranger looked down. He was still half hard, but with a minor adjustment, he could probably get away with leaving his office without completely embarrassing himself by looking like a randy school boy. The scent of jasmine and vanilla hung in the air, taunting him. He'd have Ella come spray something in his office to get rid of the smell. Pine Sol or something equally overpowering, anything other than vanilla would work. He might die of chemical exposure, but that would be preferable to his current state. Half hard and all frustrated.

Ranger and Stephanie had a date at the firing range. He winced a little at the word date. It was most definitely not a date. She needed to know how to handle a gun and get comfortable with it. Every time he thought about her chasing down a skip on her own, he felt a little sick. Not his problem and not his responsibility, he lectured himself. She wanted to be a bounty hunter. That was her choice. He owed Connie a favor, and he was paying it back. That was the extent of this ridiculous little scenario.

Of course, after she'd been hurt yesterday, he'd gone a tad crazy and maybe even a little overboard. He'd put trackers in her bags, sneakers, and even that junker of a car while she had been in the shower. He was going to protect her, because he couldn't stomach the idea of something bad ever happening to her, at least not if he could help it. If Stephanie was going to be out there chasing skips, she was going to be trained. It was clear she didn't have a clue what she had gotten herself into, and she was in way over her head. Ranger blamed that idiot cousin of hers. He was more interested in money than her safety. Intuition, creativity, and tenacity only got you so far. She might hate him for it, but it was better she hated him than end up dead.

Ranger took a deep breath and headed out of his office across the bullpen towards her cubicle. Les had his hip propped up on her desk and they were chatting. And she was smiling. Ranger's eyes narrowed a little, and he forced himself to keep walking.

When Stephanie caught movement and she turned to face him, he watched the smile evaporate off her face, and it felt like a punch to the gut.

Les had assigned her a cubicle on the far side of the office where it was quieter and she had a little more privacy. His cousin might be a lot of things but stupid wasn't one of them. He was good at reading people and he was good at making them feel at ease. Right now, Ranger envied Les.

Les gave Stephanie's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I'll come find you later," he told her and ambled off, giving Ranger a pointed look that said try not to fuck it up too much.

Ranger thought Les was probably a little optimistic. It was far too late for that. Mistaking her for an escort and sleeping with her anyway, had probably already put him square in the minus column in Stephanie's book.

Stephanie watched Ranger advance with a wary gaze.

He stopped at her cubicle. "We have a date."

Ranger resisted the urge to cringe. Had he just said that? His brain to mouth connection had clearly snapped. Ranger had never been great with words, but this was veering towards a new low, even for him.

Her eyebrow cocked up and her arms crossed over her chest like she was trying to protect herself from him.

"We are going to the firing range." Ranger realized that sounded like a command and not an invitation, but his patience was stretched thin. She was an employee, and he was going to treat her like he would every other employee from here on out.

Stephanie stood up and took a step around him, out of her cubicle.

"Are you forgetting something?" Ranger asked.

A look of confusion crossed her face, and Ranger swallowed a sigh. She was definitely going to give him a stroke.

"Your gun. This is important. And I don't want to find your gun in your desk drawer when you leave. If you work for me, you carry a gun. That's non-negotiable."

"I don't have permission to carry concealed."

"Then you carry exposed."

"I can't do that. I'll feel like Annie Oakley."

"You'll figure it out. Get your gun. We have the range for an hour."

Stephanie opened up the drawer and pulled the gun out. It was way too big for her, but it would have to do for today.

Without thinking about it, Ranger settled his hand on her low back. He felt her stiffen under his touch and quickly removed his hand. Just another employee, he reminded himself.

They took the elevator to the basement, and the lights flickered on when they entered the room. The practice range stretched the length of the building. It was small, but convenient. In his line of work, long-range targets were not the norm, so it also had the benefit of being practical. Ranger and some of the other guys did long-range sniper practice at a gun range just outside of Trenton a few times a month, and the rest of the time they practiced here.

Ranger had spent many sleepless nights in the basement shooting rounds at paper targets in a futile effort to keep the demons at bay. They had a way of creeping out after dark and invading his dreams. He'd woken up sweating, heart racing, head pounding, shouting the names of those he had lost on far too many occasions.

There were two lanes for shooters, and remote-controlled targets at the far end. Each lane was equipped with shelves, hearing protection, and a supply of targets. A bulletproof glass partition separated the shooters. Ranger led Stephanie to the lane nearest to the entrance.

"With a little effort you could turn this into a bowling alley," Stephanie told him and Ranger had to purse his lips together to keep from smiling.

"This is more fun, and you don't have to wear weird bowling shoes."

"It's not fun. I don't like guns." She groused.

"You don't have to like them, but you have to feel comfortable with them and know how to use them and be safe."

Ranger handed her a headset and a box of ammo. "We'll start with the basics. You have a nine-millimeter Sig Sauer. It's a semiautomatic. This is bigger than your baby Glock I brought over last night. It also has more recoil, so be careful not to let it hit you in the face."

Ranger removed the magazine, showed it to her, and shoved it back into the gun. "Now you do it," he said.

Ranger watched as Stephanie removed the magazine with ease, ejected the round in the chamber, shoved the magazine back in and chambered a round. That should have been his first indication that things weren't exactly as he thought.

Ranger pointed her towards the range and stepped in behind her. "The best stance is feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent." Ranger's hand rested on her hip, and he used his foot to ease her legs a little wider. "Good."

He tried to ignore the hum of electricity that skipped and sparked up his arm every time he touched her.

"Now put the gun in your dominant hand and support it with your other hand like this." Ranger's hands slid down her arms, and he moved her hands into the proper firing position. Her hair tickled his chin, and her scent drifted over him like the flow of a lazy stream on a summer day. He felt the familiar tightening, and he forced himself to focus.

"Extend your arms out straight, but don't lock your elbows." Her skin felt like spun silk under his fingertips, and he caressed her softness a little more than absolutely necessary. The hitch in her breathing told him she had noticed.

"Lean forward a little. It will help counteract the recoil." He placed his hand between her shoulder blades and pushed her forward ever so slightly.

"That's it." He praised. "When the top of the front and rear sights is level, that tells you where the bullet will go. Line it up and slowly squeeze the trigger straight back."

Ranger took the headset from around her neck and settled the muffs over her ears and put on his own.

Stephanie lined up the sights and pulled the trigger. The shot went wild, and the recoil knocked her back into Ranger's chest. His arms went around her to steady her, and she relaxed against him for just one moment, like she had forgotten to hate him. The moment passed, and she jerked away from him.

"Move your legs wider and try again."

Stephanie complied. Her backside brushed against him as she adjusted her stance, and his eager cock jumped to attention. Ranger thought this might be the definition of hell, but then if it was hell, he would have the home court advantage and it was pretty clear he was out of his depth.

Stephanie lined up her sights and squeezed the trigger again. Her stance remained steady this time, and she unloaded the clip.

Ranger's mouth was hanging open, and he snapped it closed with a clack of his teeth. That was his second clue, and Stephanie had just taken him to school. Stephanie ejected the magazine and checked the chamber before she sat the gun on the shelf, and pulled down her headset.

She turned around and gave him a doe-eyed, innocent look. "Like that?" Her lip worried along her bottom lip in an effort not to smile.

If she used that voice again, Ranger was in real danger of going off like the fourth of July, and his breath hissed between his teeth. The smirk on her face told him she knew exactly what that voice did to him. The little wolverine was toying with him, and damn if that didn't make him tingle in all the wrong places. His fingers itched to tangle themselves in the wild tumble of gorgeous curls framing her delicate, perfect features, while he kissed that smirk right off her face.

Ranger fumbled for the button to bring the target closer. Her nearness was overwhelming, and he was fast losing his battle for control.

Every single shot had hit center mass. Ranger pulled the paper target down and held it up to her, giving her a questioning look.

Her shoulder tilted up. "I said I didn't like guns. I never said I didn't know how to use one."

Ranger grinned. "Babe, you never disappoint. Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"It's Jersey. Everybody owns a gun." She gave him a look that said only an idiot didn't know that.

Ranger figured she had a fair point. He had underestimated her, and he wondered what else he had gotten wrong. He'd had a banner couple of days starting with mistaking her for an escort, and his deductive reasoning and powers of observation didn't seem to be improving.

She was still standing close to him, and the space between them was charged with awareness. Ranger could see her pulse beating at the base of her throat, and his eyes fixed on that perfect mouth. Her lips were a rosy pink, roughed up from his demanding kisses. He wondered if her nipples would be the same rosy color or if they would be dusky and darker, and his gaze dropped lower, and all the blood in his body headed south of the border when he watched them pebble under his scrutiny.

The conservatory had been shrouded in darkness and they had come together fast and frantic. He wanted to spend time and explore every inch of her luscious body. He wanted to learn everything about her, all her tells until she didn't have any secrets, not from him. The hitch in her breathing when she liked something, the way she tasted, what made her lose control. He wanted to know every sound she made. Especially the one she made when he hit just the right spot. He wanted to learn exactly how to touch her so his name was the only thing that echoed in her head.

Ranger yanked his eyes back to her mouth. He could almost feel those soft, delicious lips. Her eyes widened in surprise and her nostrils flared. She had correctly read his thoughts, and she tried to take a step back, but there was nowhere to go. Desire and hate. It was surprising how often those two things mimicked one another.

Ranger reminded himself that, unlike in his office, there were cameras in the basement. He willed his hands to remain at his side. He didn't need an audience, neither of them did, and he had a feeling the odds were about even on whether she would kiss him or slap him. Or maybe both, and he was surprised to find that just made his blood hum. It had been a long time since a woman challenged him. It was clear she wanted him, and she hated that she did.

"Let's get started on your self-defense training." He knew his voice was gruff and the sudden shift had been abrupt, but his control was shredding fast.

Ranger desperately needed to get away from her before he did something stupid, like kiss her, because he really wanted to kiss her until she breathed his name and forgot any other man had ever touched her. The possessiveness of that thought shocked him, but damn if there was something seriously sexy about what had just happened and he was afraid in about thirty seconds that was going to be obvious. She'd done something very few people had ever done. She'd surprised him, and that made her damn near irresistible.

Ranger turned and strode off, leaving a flustered Stephanie in his wake.

She got on the elevator and gave him a look that said she thought he might be deranged, and he was thinking she might be right. Ranger stared straight ahead and pretended like his head wasn't going to explode right along with the rest of him.

The doors to the elevator opened and Ranger motioned for her to exit, taking care not to touch her. Stephanie stepped around him and out of the elevator giving him a wide berth. Her gaze swung up and down the hall taking it all in.

"The gym is this way."

Ranger pushed through the doors, only mildly surprised to find Les waiting for them. Les seemed to think he was the unofficial ambassador to RangeMan, and it was his job to make sure Stephanie got settled in. A pain stabbed behind Ranger's eyeball and he worked to ignore it. This was better, anyway. The faster he dumped her off on Les, the quicker he could get things back to normal. If there was one thing that had become abundantly clear, it was the fact he could not be around her. She challenged his sanity and short-circuited his self-control. He could not risk being alone with her, and he definitely couldn't risk touching her.

"Pair her up with one of the guys." His gaze swung around. Cal was punching away at the bags. He might not be too of bad of a sparring partner, if he'd taken his meds.

Ranger's gaze cut to Les and Les gave a negative shake of his head. OK, so Cal was out. Hal strolled in, fresh off patrol, and Ranger motioned to him with his head. "Pair her up with Hal. Show her some basics."

Ranger had every intention of heading back upstairs and finishing the paperwork that was currently scattered across his desk, courtesy of hurricane Stephanie. She'd blown into his life, destroying everything he thought he knew, everything he thought he wanted. He stalked towards the door as Les and Stephanie headed to the mats, but his legs refused to cooperate. He had a hundred things he needed to be doing, but he couldn't seem to make himself leave the gym. Stephanie was fast becoming a problem, and Ranger didn't like problems. Ranger liked order. He leaned against the wall and watched, knowing full well he was screwed.

With each passing minute, Ranger's annoyance grew. Hal was handling Stephanie with kid gloves and even letting her land a few blows. While Hal might be reluctant to hurt a woman, the skips she was chasing wouldn't be.

Ranger pushed off the wall. "Out!" Ranger barked at Hal.

Hal looked relieved and Ranger could see Les tense and step forward. Ranger threw him a glare that stopped him in his tracks. If Les thought he was going to save Stephanie from a lesson about the real world, he was wrong.

A wariness passed across Stephanie's face, and Ranger realized she really did have good instincts, but she stood her ground, hands on her hips, waiting on his first move.

"Come at me, show me what you've got." Ranger instructed.

Stephanie came at him, and he batted her away with ease.

"Again."

Stephanie lunged at him, and he sidestepped her.

"That's it? That's all you've got?" Ranger taunted.

Stephanie circled him and let Ranger come closer. Her knee came up lightening fast, but Ranger was faster. He turned and narrowly avoided being kneed in the balls. Her knee connected with his thigh and a grunt of pain escaped before he could stop it. Those knees might need to be registered as deadly weapons.

It was a decent effort, but she'd made a fatal mistake. She'd gotten within striking distance of Ranger. With one fluid move his arm snaked out and took her down. He followed her to the mat. Stephanie was on her hands and knees and Ranger held her down by her neck, pressing her cheek firmly into the mat.

She twisted and bucked and tried to fight against him, clawing and scratching, but her struggles were useless as he held her immobile. A frustrated cry escaped her lips as she flailed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ranger saw Les moved towards him. Tank had joined ring side and put his massive arm up and blocked Les.

Ranger let Stephanie go and stood up. She fell back on her butt and scrambled away from him. Color was high on her cheeks, and he could see the shock and hurt on her face, and his gut twisted in response. He ruthlessly pushed his regret down because her opponent wouldn't hesitate to take her out.

Ranger put out his hands and made a come here gesture. She launched herself at him, landing a couple of glancing blows, before he managed to subdue her. Her back was to his chest, and he caged her with his arms. He could feel the tension as her body trembled and hear her ragged breathing. He thought she would give up and tap out. Instead, she did something entirely unexpected.

Stephanie dropped like a dead weight, taking Ranger by surprise. He lost his balance, and they went down, rolling like a couple of snakes. Legs and arms intertwined, battling for dominance. Her sweat slick skin made her slippery as an eel, and Stephanie landed a couple of decent blows before Ranger managed to pin her underneath him.

She was on her back and Ranger held her arms above her head and used his body weight to hold her down.

"Get off of me." She growled and Ranger gave her a teeth baring snarl, goading her on.

There it was. The little wolverine coming to the surface. He could see the fury blazing and snapping in her blue eyes, turning them into a dark shade of stormy.

"Good. That's it. Now make me." Ranger pressed into her harder.

Her heart pounded in her chest and if looks could kill, Ranger would be six feet under. She jerked forward and head-butted him. He narrowly avoided the worst of it, but pain exploded behind Ranger's eyes and white dots danced in his vision. She pushed and scrambled out from underneath him and almost got away. He grabbed her ankle and jerked her back, straddling her. He took a couple of blows to his torso before he pinned her arms above her head again. Her attack had been uncoordinated, but she had good instincts. She was stronger than she looked, and he kept some distance between them. Ranger wasn't taking any more chances with another headbutt. She'd almost broken his nose with the last one.

He could see the frustration, anger, and betrayal written all over her face. Their eyes locked. Maybe she even hated him just a little, too.

"You're a monster." Stephanie hissed.

"Yes, I am. But I'm the monster you need right now." He growled, giving her wrists a squeeze as he pressed into her harder.

He wasn't sure why her words had stabbed him in the gut and twisted like a dull knife, but they had. Irritation washed through him. He wanted to exert his dominance and make her feel helpless and overpowered. She needed to know what it felt like, so she would vow to never feel that way again, and take her safety seriously. This wouldn't win him any points, but coddling her could get her killed.

Les stepped forward. "You've made your point. Now get the fuck off of her."

Ranger whipped around. It was probably a good thing Les was injured, or he'd take him to the mats and beat the shit out of him. Or maybe Les would beat some sense into Ranger. Either way, Ranger was spoiling for a fight and they both knew it.

Tank stepped between them. "That's enough for today, Primo." He crossed his arms over his massive chest. His message was loud and clear. Ranger needed to end this little demonstration or Tank would do it for him.

"I'll be taking over Stephanie's training." Ranger announced.

Stephanie sucked in a shocked breath and Ranger gave her a look challenging her to contradict him. Stephanie mashed her lips together and glared back, conveying she was not happy about the arrangement, but not saying no. Relief slithered through Ranger. Clearly, he was suffering from terminal stupidity. Instead of putting distance between them, he had done the opposite.

Ranger got off Stephanie and held out his hand to help her up. She looked at it like a poisonous snake and scrambled to her feet and marched off. Ranger threw Les one last dark look and took off after Stephanie.

He caught her at the door. "Come on. You can shower and change in my apartment."

Stephanie threw him a look like he was slightly lower than pond scum.

"Or you can sit around smelling like a gym locker all day. Your choice," he snapped.

Stephanie whirled to face him. Anger and something else far more dangerous swirled around them, pulsing and retreating. A beat went by. "Fine." She gritted out.

"Fine." Ranger hissed and gave her a narrow-eyed glare that had caused terrorists to wilt.

Stephanie seemed entirely unfazed, and for the first time since meeting her, Ranger had a whisper of a thought that he just might be in over his head. Entirely unequipped to deal with a woman like her. She was maddening, intriguing, and totally kissable. His whole body thrummed from their little tussle, and he had come perilously close to embarrassing them both. Lucky for him, the day was still young. He would have plenty of time to make an even bigger ass out of himself.

Ranger marched to the elevator and stabbed the button with vicious force. Maybe setting himself on fire and ending this misery would be a better choice, since surviving Stephanie was starting to look like a longshot.