Ranger whispered, "Christ" in my ear as the final shocks of ecstasy ripped through him. We collapsed into a pile on the bed. His arms tangled in mine with my legs draped across his body.

We both continued to pant until we each fell asleep.

Eleven Days Later

Chapter 2

I woke up the next morning with the same feeling of dread as the day before. It was the morning-after my night with Ranger. I cringed at the memories of our last morning-after experience. It hadn't been pretty and it hadn't felt good.

I rolled over slowly in the bed, tangled in the sheet, and felt a slight wave of relief roll over me when I realized I was alone. I told myself that as long as I was alone, then he couldn't say something stupid and the amazing feelings left over from last night.

As I gathered myself out of bed I noticed a note on the nightstand. There was only one letter on the outside. 'S'. Figuring that ruled out Rex, I grabbed the paper and ripped it open.

Sorry I had to go, early morning meeting I couldn't miss. See you around 8:00 tonight, I'll bring Chinese.

R

I read the note again. And then again, and for good measure once more. There were no instructions for me to return to Joe. There was nothing about him not doing relationships, and even more odd, there were arrangements to get together later that night. Maybe the note wasn't from Ranger? Maybe Rex had sprouted arms during the night and had miraculously gained the ability to write.

Ok, so that probably wasn't a real possibility. But would that scenario seriously be any less likely than Batman himself writing a note like that?

I contemplated the note for 30 more minutes then finally dragged myself to the shower.

Around 7:30 that night I was curled under a blanket on the couch when I heard the locks on the door tumble open. My stomach immediately began doing flip-flops and I tried to convince myself that it was simply hunger pangs.

"Foods here." said Ranger as he walked through the door carrying two steaming bags of takeout.

"Yummy. Smells delicious. Did you buy the whole menu?"

Ranger laughed, "Just about. Today isn't a 'temple' day and I love Chinese food. I wanted to be prepared."

"Prepared for what?" I asked.

"In case something happens and I need to replenish some energy."

That was all it took. The bags were tossed on the table, the blanket was thrown to the back of the couch and the two heaping masses of our bodies were soon rolling around on the floor.

Ranger's foot hit one of the dining room tables and caused it to overturn. He grabbed the foot of the coffee table and gave it a firm shove, clearing us a path. We continued to fight for position. I was on top, then he would flip me and pin me to the ground. When I shoved my hand down his pants and grabbed his cock, his strength weakened and I once again took the dominate stance.

"You cheat." panted Ranger.

"Maybe, but at least I always win." I cooed back at him.

"Actually babe, I think we're both about to be winners."

And then, we were.

45 minutes later, laying in the floor among our scattered clothing Ranger and I enjoyed a picnic of Chinese takeout.

"Pass the fried rice." asked Ranger.

After handing him the carton, I asked in return "Are there any more of those wantons?"

Ranger looked around then shook his head. "Nope, I think I just had the last one."

"Sheesh. You could have saved me one."

"Me! What about you? I only had two. There were six, so it's obvious who should have been saving some."

I crossed my arms in mock anger and tried to prevent the inevitable smile from spreading across my face.

Ranger tilted his head back and laugh. "That's ok, next time I'll get two orders. That way neither of us will have to share."

I felt my face immediately soften. I wasn't sure what to make of this new behavior from Ranger. He obviously thought this would be happening again and he seemed pretty relaxed about it, so I told myself that I could do the same.

"Deep thoughts babe?" Ranger asked after I had stayed quiet a little too long.

I recovered quickly, "Just wonder what you brought for dessert?"

Ranger's sexy wolf grin quickly appeared. "I assumed you would be in charge of dessert."

Gulp. So I didn't recover quiet as quickly that time, but I did give it my best try. "Oh really? Well, I guess you will just have to wait and see what I offer you."

I lifted myself from the floor and sauntered towards the kitchen, putting an extra ounce of sway in my hips. When I turned back around, I realized Ranger was also on his feet.

"Who said I needed to wait for you to offer?" he teased.

My body gave off a small tremor of anticipation. "Oh yeah Manaso? Well I guess you will just have to catch me first."

Ranger reached back and pulled his hair loose from the ponytail and shook it out until it fell gently across his shoulders. As his eyes darkened, he took a step towards me and said. "Well then, let the games begin."

I made a rush for the bedroom, squealing in delight the entire way.

Eleven Days Later

After nearly two weeks of spending every night with Ranger I was beginning to feel pretty cocky. Great sex will do that for you. And great sex with a Cuban hunk of man-meat will lift your self-esteem to off the chart proportions.

We hadn't stopped to discuss what was going on between us, instead we just did it. Somehow, one of us would invite ourselves over to the others place and the next morning it was just a given that a repeat performance wouldn't be far behind. So when I woke up in my bed this morning, I smiled when I noticed another one of his notes on the nightstand.

S,

About time you got up babe. Sorry I had to run this morning but Tank called and needed help with a takedown. The day should be pretty light so I thought I'd stop by your place around 6:00. Call me if that doesn't work.

R

I smiled to myself and thought about exactly how good that would work.

I did a full body stretch then finally rolled out of bed. I threw on a shirt and padded into the kitchen. I was surprised when I noticed a second note on the counter.

The temple is taking the day off. Donuts and coffee in the microwave.

R

I laughed out loud then proceeded to heat up the coffee and gooey pastry. While I waited, I grabbed the phone and dialed his number. He didn't answer so I left a message on his voicemail.

"Yo Ranger, just wanted to thank you for the coffee and donuts. 6:00 sounds good to me so see you tonight."

Feeling extra happy, I decided to treat myself to a day off. After calling into the office and explaining to both Lula and Connie that everything was fine I decided to straighten up the apartment.

At 3:00 that afternoon I was barely able to hear my phone ringing over the stereo. I muted the sound and lunged to grab it in time.

"Hello?" I practically yelled.

"Yo babe." I could hear the weariness in his voice.

"Hey Ranger, what's up?"

"Change of plans. I'm in New York. Tank's takedown went badly this morning and we've been chasing this fool all over the damn place. We finally caught him about thirty minutes ago but now we're stuck here at the police station waiting to get permission to bring him back to Jersey."

"Well that sucks." Feeling my mood deflate slightly.

"Tell me about it. I just wanted you to know that I won't be getting back in town until pretty late so I doubt I'll stop by." I could practically hear the disappointment dripping from his voice.

"That's ok." I said while hoping my disappointment wasn't as obvious as his.

"Babe, I've got to go. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Ok Ranger. Be safe."

"You too." he replied just as he disconnected.

"Well damn." I said to the empty apartment.

I walked over to the couch and prepared for a night of self-pity. I grabbed the remote and clicked the TV to life. After channel surfing for awhile, I stopped on Oprah. Normally I'm not a fan of psychobabble and I was just about to flip channels again when she said something that caught my attention.

"…make it happen. That's what I told myself right before my last diet. I said, 'Oprah, you just need to do it. Nobody's going to loose weight for you, so you better buck up and make it happen'."

Hmmm. Maybe Oprah was pretty smart after all. I turned the TV off and ran for the shower.

It was after 11:00 when I finally heard his apartment door open. I glanced around the room one last time and felt confidant that everything was in place.

Ranger walked through the door a few minutes later, carrying the note I had taped to the outside of his door. He stopped and leaned against the doorjamb.

"So give me one reason why I shouldn't shoot?" he laughed. I had written only one thing on the note. "Don't shoot."

I laughed as well and slowly slide from the bed where I was positioned. I walked across the room to him and took him by the hand. "Because Mr. Manaso, I'm about to be very, very good to you."

His eyebrow rose slowly as he gave me a questioning look. "Oh really?"

"Yes really." I said in my sexiest voice. "Now be quiet and follow me."

He did as he was told and allowed me to led him through the bedroom and into the bathroom. I had scattered candles all around the room and we both stood in the flickering light looking at one another. He moved forward as if to kiss me, but I stepped away just in time. "Nuh huh. Not yet. You are too stressed to do anything properly, so I'm going to get you relaxed first."

Ranger let a smile cross his lips as he watched me move to the large tub and begin filling it with water.

When the tub was nearly full, I began to undress him. I slowly unbuttoned his shirt, pausing at each hole to kiss the newly exposed skin. When I had reached the last button, I let my fingers work their way back up his chest. The shirt fell smoothly off his shoulders as I nudged it with my lips.

I took his nipple in my mouth as I began to unbutton his pants. I rolled the top of it between my teeth when I let my hand push his pants to the floor.

Almost instinctively, Ranger placed his hands on my shoulders and began pushing me towards the floor. I backed away and smiled at him. "Something you want me to do?" I laughed.

"Are you being a tease Stephanie?" he growled with desire.

"Maybe. What would you do about it if I were?" I countered.

Ranger dropped his head and laughed. "Nothing babe, nothing at all."

I took his hand again and lead him to the tub. I stood back and watched as his body slowly lowered into the water. When he was completely submerged he held his hand out to me to join him.

"Nope Ranger. This is just for you. Just lay there and relax. I'll be right back." Then I quickly slipped out the bathroom door.

I rushed around the bedroom lighting all the candles I had arranged earlier. When the lotion was warming in a bowl of hot water I quickly undressed then slipped back through the bathroom door.

Ranger was laying in the tub with his head tilted back. He looked so peaceful I almost thought he was asleep.

"Are you finally going to join me?" he asked when he heard me enter.

"Not exactly. I'm just here to make sure you reach all the important spots."

This got his attention. He opened his eyes and let them travel the length of my naked body. "God babe, you look good."

I walked over to the side of the tub and took a seat. I reached across and grabbed a washcloth and a bar of soap. After I had sufficient lather working, I began to caress his shoulders with the cloth. After a moment of silence, Ranger grabbed my fist and looked me straight in the eyes. "Why are you doing this Steph?"

"Because I could hear the stress in your voice this morning. I just figured I could do something to help relieve a little of it."

He took my answer in stride, released my hand then slide back down into the water.

I ran the cloth across his chest, across his stomach, down his legs, around his feet and then back up his legs. He moaned with delight when I let the cloth skim across his erection.

I tossed the cloth aside and grabbed the bar of soap. I followed the same path as I ran the soap across his skin applying just enough pressure to feel like a massage. On the path back up his legs, I stopped at his groin. I reached down and cupped his balls in one hand while the other hand stroked the soap up and down his shaft.

I squeezed his balls a little harder and his legs jerked in reaction. I smiled briefly as I looked up at his face. His head was thrown back, his eyes shut, and the warmest smile was spread across his lips.

I continued to work the soap up and down his shaft, causing the lather to build and build until his cock was completely white from the suds. When I dropped the soap between the crack just below his balls he thrust forward in my hand. I gripped him tighter and pumped faster as his orgasm shot through his body.

Water splashed across the wall of the tub and into my lap as he writhed in pleasure. "Fuck yes." slipped from his mouth as I continued to stroke his rigid shaft.

When his body finally came to rest he began to laugh. Our eyes met, "God babe, that was the best bath I've ever had."

I laughed too, not because he was funny, but because for the first time I felt completely responsible for his happiness.

I grabbed his hand as he stepped out of the tub and into the big fluffy towel I was holding. I lead him back into the bedroom and pushed him down on the bed. When he went to grab my hips I pulled away from him.

"Your turn babe." he explained.

"Nope. Tonight's about you. You can return the favor sometime, but right now I want you to roll over on your stomach."

Ranger smiled and did as I asked but not before discarding the towel in the floor. When he was settled I reached for the lotion and poured some on his back. Her jerked when it first made contact with his skin.

"Mmmm, that's warm." he cooed.

"Yup, now shut up and let me get you relaxed."

Ranger rumbled in laughter as I straddled his body and took a seat on his ass. I leaned forward and put my weight into the warm lotion massage. I let my knuckles outline his spine, then cross over from one shoulder blade to the next. I opened my hands and let me fingers dig into his tense muscles. I felt his whole body start to wither as I worked out the knots.

When I was done with his back I stood off to the side of the bed and gave his legs the same treatment. I took my time as I ran my hands across the smooth muscles of his thighs. His skins was still glistening from the bath, and it took all my willpower not to stop and lick him dry.

After several minutes of the leg massage I asked, "Do you feel relaxed now?"

He couldn't speak. He merely shook his head to nod yes. I laughed then asked him if he had the energy to roll over onto his back. He nodded again, and slowly rolled onto the center of the bed.

His eyes remained shut as I crawled on top of him, straddling his cock. I moved him into position then slowly lowered myself over his erection. I leaned down and put my lips near his ear, "I don't want you to do a thing Ranger. I'll do all the work, you just lay here and enjoy it."

He mumbled an incoherent 'ok' and allowed me to do my thing.

I rocked slowly at first then occasional switched speeds and went a little faster. I let my fingers tug his nipples while I rode him.

When I dropped further, forcing him to go deeper my nails dug into his skin. He placed his hands on my hips and let his hands press into my flesh. We both clawed and rubbed at one another in an attempt to reach climax. And when we finally did, we did it with such force and magnitude that we both went lightheaded.

His handprints remained on my hips long after our lovemaking was over as did my nail marks on his chest.

When his breathing was finally back to normal he looked down at me draped across his chest. After a kiss to the top of the head he whispered, "Thank you babe."

I rolled my head over and gave his chest one final kiss. "Anytime Ranger."

Then wrapped in his arms, I feel asleep on his chest.

To be continued…