Cal's POV
I woke up Monday morning to the soft beep of my watch. Steph's hot little body was curled around mine and I wanted nothing more than to bury myself inside her again. I knew Steph wasn't a morning person, so I tried to slide out of bed as quietly as possible, despite how badly I just wanted to lay there with her in my arms. Duty called, though, so I took a quick shower, dressed, strapped on my gear, and gathered my things. I stepped into the bedroom for a minute, watching Steph sleep, and then leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.
I'd snuck out of many bedrooms in the past, and I wanted to make it very clear that wasn't what I was doing now. I walked into the kitchen and set the coffee maker to brew just before Steph's alarm would go off and then found a piece of paper and left her a note. Then I forced myself out the door, locking up behind me, and headed back toward Trenton. I was in my zone all the way there, being vigilant to watch the area around me, but also thinking about Steph.
I actually agreed with her when it came to not letting the world into our little bubble yet. Some of the guys had seen her briefly, but I wasn't ready to share her with them yet. The last time I'd felt this way about someone, it ended horribly. I'd been head-over-heels, ready-to-give-her-my-last-name in love with a girl named Madison. I'd been shipped out on a mission and came home to find her in bed with someone who I'd once considered a brother – another soldier from my unit. I was crushed and angry at the world and had only kept it together because of Les. He kept me from doing anything I would regret and became my closest friend. I trusted Les with Steph – despite what almost happened at the club Friday night – but I wanted to keep her to myself a little while longer.
I pulled into the garage at 0559 and ran up the stairs to the control room floor. I chucked my bag into my cubicle and sprinted into the morning meeting as the clock struck 0600.
"Cutting it a little close this morning, Cal?" Tank asked with a stern look. Tardiness was not tolerated at RangeMan, and I'd never even come close before.
"I will ensure that I'm earlier going forward, sir," I responded, hoping to take the tension down a notch.
"Very well. Now, let's have the overnight report," Tank barked.
I listened as everyone went through important information from the last 24 hours, doing my best not to think about the gorgeous brunette who I'd left in bed this morning. As the meeting was winding down, Ranger stood at the head of the table.
"I will be working with one of the agencies we contract with the next few weeks locally on a sting operation. Tank is in charge. For all intents and purposes, I'm in the wind. Any questions?" We all sat silently. "Dismissed!"
I got up to walk to the break room for a cup of coffee on my way to my cube. I was scheduled to work on the bond enforcement side this morning, so I plugged the information that Steph had given me on Marty Castello into my computer. Within seconds I had confirmation of the address that Steph had given me for his uncle. I checked my gear and walked over to Les's office.
"Want to go pick up a skip with me?" I asked, and he nodded.
"Hell yeah, I need to get out of here. Who we after?"
"Castello. I got some information this weekend that will lead us right to him," I explained.
"He's been like a ghost. I don't think we'll find him, man," Les said as he followed me out to my company Explorer. I waited until we were buckled inside and pulling out of the garage to reply to him.
"I almost missed picking Steph up for our date Saturday afternoon because of work. We started talking about what I do, and it turns out she knows this guy. She got me the uncle's address and confirmed he was staying there for me. I checked the address out with our systems this morning and it's good," I explained.
Les stared at me in shock, a rare thing for him. "So she's gorgeous, funny, and she's helping you with your job?" Les asked with a smile.
"Affirmative," I replied while I tried to hold back the smile that wanted to break loose.
"Please tell me that your sorry ass was almost late this morning because you spent the rest of the weekend with her," he deadpanned, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"I didn't leave her until I had to drive back here this morning," I confessed. Les was the one friend who really knew me and who I trusted completely.
"So…how was your weekend?" he asked with an eyebrow wiggle.
"It was perfect. We spent Saturday evening at my house in Point Pleasant, and then I spent last night with her in Newark."
"You doing okay? You haven't really dated since Madison," he asked.
"I'm doing great. What you've seen of her? That's only a tiny part of why she's so amazing, man. She's smart and a little mouthy and…hell, I sound like a damn Hallmark card," I said with a laugh.
"That you do, man," Les teased. "Think she'll stick around for a while?"
"Yeah, I think my girlfriend will stick around for quite some time," I said, laughing when his eyes shot up at that word.
"Good for you! Maybe I can meet her sometime? I mean, I know I met her Friday night, but that was different. Shit man, I still feel bad about that," he apologized.
"It's alright, man. I know you had no idea who she was. Hell, it took me a while to realize it was her. We're good," I reassured him.
We pulled up outside the address Steph had gotten for me then, and we both went into business mode. Marty didn't stand a chance, and we had him cuffed, stuffed, and back in jail before he even knew what happened.
"Tell your woman I said thanks for the intel," Les said as we got back into the Explorer.
"Will do, man."
Steph's POV
I woke to my alarm and the smell of fresh coffee and was confused for a minute. I rolled over and my bed was empty, just as I'd expected it. Cal had reminded me just before I drifted off to sleep that he had to leave early this morning. I could still smell his cologne on my pillow and sheets, and it made me feel warm all over. I walked blearily to the kitchen and smiled when I saw the full pot of coffee. I was such a lucky lady! I snatched up the note in front of the coffee pot and smiled when I read it.
Angel,
Thank you for sharing a perfect weekend with me. I wish I could be here to hold you as you wake up and kiss you good morning. I'll be thinking about you and can't wait until I can see you again. Call or text me when you can.
Cal
Damn, he was good! I was in deep trouble if I was already this far under his spell, but as I thought about it that didn't actually seem like a bad thing. It seemed like I was right where I belong. I poured myself a huge cup of coffee and doctored it up with sugar and creamer and then walked back to my room. I sat the cup down and picked up my phone, thinking about what I wanted to say. I found my last text from Cal and hit reply.
Leave it to you to be able to make me feel like you're here this morning even though you have to be at work. Thank you, sexy. Good luck finding Marty today! I can't wait to see you either. XO-S
I could probably stand here and swoon all morning long, but I needed to get ready for work. I showered and dressed quickly, still blissed out from my weekend with Cal. Once I was ready I poured the rest of the pot of coffee into my thermos and headed out the door to face the day with a spring in my step.
I walked into the office and Emily and Karen were on me instantly.
"You look like you had a very good weekend," Emily teased. "You're glowing and look all relaxed. If I didn't know better I'd say you met someone."
Karen stepped up and handed me a Boston crème and then pushed me down into my chair. "I think you did, didn't you? Spill!" she demanded, and I laughed.
"You guys remember me mentioning the guy who saved me from Morelli at the club and that I saw again at Pino's? I asked, and they both nodded. "Well, I ran into him again Friday night at the club. We ended up grabbing dinner and talking for a few hours, and then I went to the beach with him Saturday afternoon. We stayed at his house in Point Pleasant, and it was just perfect," I gushed.
"Oh my gosh. This is like when I met Patrick!" Emily exclaimed excitedly. "You really like this one, don't you?"
I nodded and smiled, unable to hide my happiness. "I really, really do. I hear that it's best to really like your boyfriend," I let slip purposely, and they both squealed and jumped around.
"What's your guy's name?" Karen asked.
"Cal."
We were hushed by our boss walking into the room to begin our informal morning conference, and I had to pull my mind away from the gorgeous man who I'd spent the weekend with, at least temporarily. I focused on what Mr. Shaw was saying until I saw my phone light up out of the corner of my eye. I looked at it and saw Cal's reply to my earlier text.
We got Castello, thanks to you. Les says to tell you thanks for the intel. Can't wait until I can get those hugs and kisses in person, Angel.
"Are you paying attention, Ms. Plum?" Mr. Shaw barked, and I jumped and nodded.
"Yes, sir," I affirmed.
"Very well. I have a project for you. My office!" he demanded.
I emerged from his office an hour and a half later, trying to figure out what in the world my boss was up to. Something was screwy, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I was thinking through what I knew when I returned to my desk and was surprised to see a beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting in front of my keyboard. I picked the card out of the middle of the flowers and smiled when I read it.
For my beautiful Angel. XO Cal
Swoon. Seriously, this man is good.
