Okay...Merry Man review below. I hope some of you aren't too disappointed.

Much to my dismay, she removed her hand from my arm and eased back in her seat. Even in the dark I could see her eyes go wide with concern. I hit the button on the steering wheel connecting the call. "Yo."

"Yo," Les replied. "I'm sorry to bother you when you're on vacation, but Steph never came back from her apartment. I sent Hector and Cal over to check on her and they reported that the place was locked up tight. Gene said he saw you carrying the rat up to Seven for her. Since you were apparently the last one to see her, we're hoping you might know something about where she went."

I glanced over at her, looking for permission. No way would I divulge her whereabouts without her consent. Her nearly imperceptible nod was enough for me to reply honestly to Lester's question. "Steph is with me."

Silence met my statement, and after a full thirty seconds passed; I spoke. "Les? Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, but why is she with you?"

"She needed to get out of Trenton for a few days and I offered to take her with me."

"Is that the only reason?"

Steph sucked in an audible breath. "I can hear you, Lester, and I don't care for the implications attached to that question."

"Oh, come on, Beautiful. You know you have a track record of running when situations get bad."

"I'm not running, Les. I called Grandma Mauzer and told her I was going out of town for a week and to let mom know not to bother you guys."

"What about Morelli?"

"I haven't talked to him in months," Steph replied. "If he shows up at Rangeman looking for me you have my permission to shoot him."

I chuckled at her statement, and she shrugged. "What? He lost his right to know what goes on in my life six months ago. At this point I don't care what happens to him."

"Point is noted," Les said. "Just out of curiosity, does Ranger know you two are together?"

The inference in the way he said the word together had me ready to defend her honor, but she beat me to it. "You say together like that again, Lester and when I get back, I'm personally going to kick your ass. Neither you nor any of the other guys have a right to be hurt over the decisions I make in my bid to be happy."

"Steph," Lester started to say only to stop when she steamrolled right over him.

"And as far as Ranger goes, he lost any right to know my personal business when he decided he couldn't give me anything beyond friendship."

"Stephanie!" Lester shouted through the speaker.

"What?" she snapped.

"I didn't mean to upset you or imply anything. I'm sorry."

"Well…okay," she said after a moment.

"Enjoy your time away from Trenton and don't worry about the rat. We'll take care of him."

"He's a hamster," she said on a sigh as she glanced over at me. "I swear you guys call him a rat just to get under my skin."

Lester's laugh carried through the speakers into the cabin of the vehicle. "You might be right. Either way, don't worry about Rex, or Morelli, or your mother. We'll handle everything here. Just relax and enjoy yourself."

I could see her relieved smile even in the dark. "I plan to do just that."

"Good," Les replied. "And Ram?"

"Yeah?"

"Take care of our girl."

"You know I will," I replied, then disconnected the call.

A good minute of tense silence followed before she finally let out a sigh. "I guess that could have gone worse."

I reached across the console and patted her knee. "Don't be too hard on him. We all just want to see you happy."

She shook her head. "It's just the way he said the word together. Like it pained him to say it."

"It probably did," I replied. "I'm sure it's not easy for him to know he missed his chance with you."

She snorted at my statement. "He's had months to make a move and he's done nothing. Neither have the rest of the guys. So, I don't want to hear it."

"You know, it's not easy for men like us," I replied. Maybe it was because of who I was, that I could so easily relate to Lester's feelings.

"What's not easy?" she asked.

"Working up the nerve to share our feelings."

"Is that with me or any woman?"

"Any woman," I replied, "But even more so with you."

She folded her arms across her chest in a defiant stance. "Why more so with me? What makes me so special?"

I had to resist the urge to pull to the side of the highway and slam the Explorer into park. "You really don't see how special you are, do you?"

She smirked. "Don't get me started on just how wrong you are."

Her statement had me doing exactly what I resisted just moments ago. Watching for traffic, I angled the Explorer into a pull off area along the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" she protested.

I pulled to a stop, put the truck in park, flipped on the interior light, then turned on my hip to face her. "Let's get something straight, right now," I began. "I know you've spent your entire life being told that you're a disappointment and you need to change, in order to fit some incredibly warped and grossly out of date mindset, but none of it is true."

She opened her mouth to argue, and I reached out to press a finger to her lips. "Hush. I'm not done yet."

Her eyes widened, but she remained quiet.

"There's a reason Lester calls you beautiful, and it has less to do with your looks and more to do with your personality than you think. Don't get me wrong. You're breathtakingly gorgeous, but you're even more beautiful on the inside." I removed my finger from her lips and reached for her hand. "You have a tender heart and a generous soul. You never judge a person based solely on how they look or hold their past against them. When you look at us, you don't see the battle-hardened soldiers we've become. Instead, you see the men we were before the military, and the men we all want to be again. Do you have any idea how special that makes you?"

"I'm not doing anything other's wouldn't do," she replied, her voice just above a whisper.

"You're wrong, sweetheart. For men like me and the guys at Rangeman, you're like a rare gem, a unicorn. It's why we all love you. It's also why the guys may be disappointed to find out we're together."

"Are we?" she asked. "Together I mean."

"I want us to be."

Her attention shifted from my face to where our hands were joined and the creases in her brow deepened. "I'm a walking disaster magnet. I have a mother that would test the patience of the Pope himself, and a grandmother that makes even Ranger cringe. Are you sure you want to sign on for the mess that is my life?"

I wanted to laugh at her question. There were times when I swore my family was just as dysfunctional as hers. Instead, I schooled my features and considered exactly how to reply to her question.

"My family is no picnic, Steph. Because of the career choices I've made, my sister Emily hates me with a passion, and has made it clear that she thinks I'm a dangerous killer."

Steph sucked in a breath as she lifted her gaze from her hands to meet my stare. "That's horrible."

I gave her statement a shrug. "She's always been extreme in her views. Guns are bad. The military is bad. Everything should be free, and all criminals should be rehabilitated and not jailed."

"But life isn't that black and white," she replied.

"I know that, and you know that, but when you grow up in, and never leave a town where they get one murder about every ten years, it's easy to become arrogant and a bit delusional."

"But the rest of your siblings aren't like that, are they?"

I shook my head as I thought about my other two sisters. "Emily was the favorite in the family because she was the smart one in school, and the perfect always well-behaved child. So, she's a bit spoiled. Elizabeth moved away for college and didn't come back. She's head of thoracic surgery at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville."

"Wow," Steph's eyes widened. "Sounds like she was the smart one."

"You'd think that, but she fought for every good grade she got. It's a huge accomplishment for her and I'm damn proud of my sister. Erin too," I added. "She lives in California and heads the HR department for one of the major automotive manufactures."

"And you joined the military," Steph added. "What about your brothers? Are they military too?"

"No," I replied. "They both stayed to work the farm with dad. From what I understand, they've pretty much taken it over from him, and have even bought up some of the smaller surrounding farms to expand it."

"Honestly, with the exception of your sister, your family doesn't sound so bad," she replied.

I smirked at her observation. She had no idea of what we'd be walking into. "Oh, believe me, they are. My brothers take every opportunity they get to remind me how I let mom and dad down by not staying to work on the farm with them. My mom is probably going to interrogate you more thoroughly than some of the after-mission debriefings I've experienced. And Dad is going to hound us about when we're getting married and when we're going to give him a grandchild."

Her attention slowly shifted from our joined hands back to my face and a slow smile claimed her lips. "Sounds like fun."

Even as my own smile began to form, I leaned further across the seat and tucked a hand behind her neck. "And that right there is what makes you so special," I said, then pulled her in for a kiss. Her lips were soft and yielding as I moved my mouth against hers, savoring the moment. When her tongue darted out to touch mine in a sensual embrace, I couldn't stop the groan that followed. I shifted, taking the kiss deeper as we took turns exploring and enjoying what each other offered without reservation.

If she was as uninhibited in bed as she was with her kisses, then Ranger and Morelli were complete idiots for not capitulating to her every need.

When we finally pulled apart, the tension inside the cabin had ratcheted up several notches. If we hadn't been parked on the side of the Turnpike, it was possible…. Hell! The look in her eyes conveyed that her thoughts were riding along the same path as mine.

"Ready to get to the hotel?" I finally managed to ask.

"More than ready," she replied, her voice husky with desire.

Reluctantly, I released her, turned back to face the steering wheel, locked my seatbelt in place and shut off the dome light. Then, I put the truck in gear and pulled back onto the road. Thank God we only had about an hour left until we reached the hotel. So much had happened in the last twelve hours and I was both exhausted and fucking horny as hell.

When I finally pulled into the parking lot of the Hampton Inn, Steph was once again sleeping, with her head against the window. I angled into a parking spot, put the truck in park and shut of the engine, then turned to wake her. She looked so peaceful as she slept, I hated the idea of disturbing her, but we'd both feel better stretched out on a bed to sleep. "Steph, sweetheart." I reached out and grazed a knuckle along her cheek. "I need you to wake up. We're here."

"Mmmm…" She turned her head towards me but didn't open her eyes. "We're here?"

"Yeah, baby. We're at the hotel. I need you to wake up so we can check into our room and get more comfortable."

"M'kay," she replied as she slowly opened her eyes and reached for the door handle.

I chuckled. "Sweetheart, you need to unbuckle your seatbelt first."

"Oh, yeah," she murmured and released the latch for her belt. Then she opened the door, but didn't move.

"Stay there and I'll come around to get you."

I pushed out of the driver's door and crossed in front of the vehicle to her side. Without hesitation, she reached for me, allowing me to pull her out of the seat to a standing position. "Stay right here and let me get our bags."

"Okay," she said as she shifted her gaze to the building.

I grabbed the overnight bag I'd packed for myself, leaving my big bag in the car. Then I reached for both her bags.

"The dress bag can stay," she said. "I just need my duffle."

Once I had the bags adjusted on my shoulder, I turned back to her. She allowed me to tuck her against my side as I closed the passenger door with my foot, then hit the fob to lock the vehicle.

We made our wait to the front desk, where an older woman sat reading a magazine. She looked at us and smiled. "Welcome to the Hampton Inn. My name is Amanda. What can I do for you tonight?"

"We have a reservation," I replied, as I shot a quick glance at Steph, making sure she was still somewhat awake.

"What's the name?"

"Eric Ramsey."

"Ah yes. Mr. Ramsey. I see your reservation right here." She began typing on the computer, while glancing up at us from time to time. "Long trip?" she asked.

"Long day," I replied. "We left after work and have been driving for the last five hours."

"Where you headed?"

"Illinois. My parents fiftieth wedding anniversary."

"Oh, that's nice. So many people now a day barely make it to their tenth. Fifty has become something really special." She shifted her attention between me and Steph. "Maybe one day you two will be celebrating your fiftieth also."

A smile tipped my lips as I cut a quick look at Steph. Her eyes were still half-lidded from sleep, but she was smiling up at me. The strange thing was, I could very easily picture us together, old and gray and celebrating our own fifty years together. The image should have scared the hell out of me. Instead, it provided a sense of security and love I'm not sure I've ever experienced. "God willing," I replied.

When I turned back, I found Amanda smiling at us. "Well, then let's finish getting you love birds checked in, so you can rest." She clicked something with her mouse and paper began spitting out of the printer.

"We'll be going paperless and contactless soon," she said as we waited. "They just don't have it set up yet." Once it was done, she grabbed the papers and turned back to me. "Okay, I just need you to sign here." She pointed to the first paper where I wrote my name. "And here, and initial there."

I did as she asked, and she handed over the keycards. "Room three o' four." She pointed toward the elevators. "Fitness center opens at six. Pool at nine. Breakfast is from six to ten."

"Thank you," I replied.

"You're welcome. Have a good night."

"You too." I turned and as if it was something I did all the time, I pressed a kiss to Steph's temple. "Let's get you upstairs, so you can sleep."

We stepped into the empty elevator and when the doors closed, she glanced up at me. Her sleepy smile threatening to melt my heart. "The lady at the front desk thought we were a couple."

"She did," I replied, wondering where she was going with her thoughts.

"You didn't correct her."

"You're right. I didn't."

"Why?"

"Because I like the idea of us being a couple."

Her smile grew as she shifted against me, tipping her face up. "Me too," she whispered before she planted a kiss on me that had my body instantly shooting into arousal territory. A growl tore from me, and the bags hit the floor as I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against me.

I'm not sure how long the elevator doors were open before we realized it, but we eventually broke apart. Once again, I was rock hard and in desperate need of a cold shower. I scooped up our bags and with one arm still wrapped around her, we quickly made our way to our room.

We stepped inside and I quick locked the door behind us and turned back to see her shifting her attention between the single king size bed and me.

Damn!

"Um…When I made this reservation, I was planning on driving alone. Asking you to come with me had been spur of the moment and I honestly forgot I'd reserved a single." I motioned to the door. "I can go back down and see if she has any doubles available. If they do, I doubt it would be much of an issue to switch."

Steph shook her head and reached to take my hand. "Then you'd have to admit we weren't a couple."

I grinned at her. "It wouldn't be the first time I'd been caught in a white lie. I'm sure it's no big deal."

"Don't," she replied, her tone emphatic. "I'm the tag along. I'll just sleep on the floor."

"You will not," I replied.

"Ram," she sighed.

"No, Stephanie. If anyone is sleeping on the floor it will be me. I invited you to come with me. I'll be the one to make the sacrifice."

"I'm not kicking you out of the bed," she argued, then held up both hands. "Okay, wait a second. Let's think about this rationally. It's a big bed. There's no reason we can't both sleep in in it and just stay on our own sides."

I could think of one big reason, and I still needed a shower to resolve it before bed. "I suppose we can do that. So long as you won't be uncomfortable."

She appeared to lift her chin in defiance. "I'll be fine. How about you?"

I pursed my lips, fighting hard to hide my smile. The little minx was blatantly tempting me. Let's just see how far she was willing to go with her teasing. "I can handle it."

She smirked and deliberately brushed against me as she replied. "I'm sure you can, but it might be more fun if you let me handle it instead."

Holy Hell!