Ranger kissed me deeply and I didn't want to stop. He looked at me and I could see the heat in his gaze. This was the time to act not think. I kissed his neck and he growled low and put his arms around my waist lifting me up onto his lap.
"Let's go in the bedroom." He carried me, with his face buried in my neck.
Ranger was undressed quickly and deftly pulled my shirt off and then my bra. He kissed one nipple and then the other, and then licked the space between my breasts. I gasped and he laughed, obviously pleased. Tracing his tongue from my breasts to my neck he kissed me. "Your pants."
"Hmm." I realized he was removing my Pumas and jeans. I think at that point he probably could have removed my spleen and I would have been okay with it. I never noticed my undies being removed, but there we were naked on the bed.
Ranger ran his hands down my hips and my thighs and kissed me. First he kissed my lips with his tongue dancing circles around mine. Then he worked his way down trailing kisses along my breasts and between them and going back to lick the places he kissed.
He rubbed my thighs and followed his hands with his lips. I thought I might die from feeling on fire. I reached for him. "Ranger."
"mmm"
I reached for his hard cock and guided him inside me. I heard my sigh as he filled me. I arched my back reveling in the sensation of the hot pleasure.
I woke the next morning tucked against Ranger with his arm around me. The first thing I thought was omigod I did it again. Did I see the sign? I didn't know about the sign, but I wasn't feeling a wave of panic, so I figured I was off to a good start. I turned over to look at Ranger who was still sleeping. He stirred and pulled me towards him. I slinked away from him and went into the bathroom and took a shower.
"Are you going to work today?" I asked Ranger over breakfast. It was Saturday and I did not usually work on Saturday unless I had a lot to do.
"I just have some phone calls to make. I have someone covering me the rest of the weekend. Did you want to do something?"
Ranger's phone went off and he answered it.
"Yo. Here? Now? Shit, I'll be right down."
"Barnes and Tartino are here." Ranger did not look happy. He pressed a button on his phone. "Drake, it's Carlos, Barnes and Tartino showed up at the office this morning. Okay thanks."
"Who was that?" I wanted to know.
"My lawyer. He'll be here shortly." Ranger leaned over and kissed me. "I'll be back."
I waited on pins and needles until he returned. I considered going down to work on searches but I knew I would be too tempted to try to find a way to eavesdrop. I stayed upstairs and found ways to do nothing. I arranged my clothes in Ranger's dressing room again. I channel surfed seeing none of the programs whiz by. I was not really watching a show on vultures when Ranger finally came back up.
"They didn't arrest you?"
"Obviously not." Ranger gave me a half smile. He had something in his hand, a piece of paper it looked like. "They got a letter for me." He handed it to me.
Not another letter.
Dear Mr. Manoso.
These games have been great fun. We hope you have enjoyed them. The next move will be yours. We'll be letting you know what we want you to do next.
"They told me that the body in Tank's truck was the foreman for Bruzniak Contractors. A man named Ken Thomas I don't think they can find any connection to the other two or to me or Hal."
Ranger noticed the invitation I left on the sideboard. He picked it up and read it. "Where did you get this?"
"From Paula Gumbazzi. I told you about her remember? She's Mary Lou's sister-in-law. Her husband is Stan Gumbazzi and his father owns Gumbazzi Construction. "
"We're both invited. This is tonight." He observed.
"Yup."
"When were you planning to mention this?" Ranger asked.
"I haven't decided if I'm going yet."
"And what about me?"
"You?" I never considered Ranger actually going to the party.
"Yes. My name was on the invitation too." Ranger looked slightly amused.
"Do you want to go?" Batman going to a Burg party? My mother would be hiring an exorcist for the wedding.
"Who is going to be there?"
"Paula said that Perry Bruzniak usually makes an appearance."
"I think I should go with you."
"You do?"
"Do you have a problem with that? Would you rather go with Morelli?"
"No I don't want to go with Morelli. Its just." I don't know what happened. I just started crying. Temporary insanity.
I just started thinking that once I went to a party like that with Ranger every one would assume that we had a relationship when what we were having was sex. Granted it was really amazing sex, but it was just sex. What was wrong with me that I couldn't have a decent relationship with a man?
I felt Ranger's arms come around me. "Babe, what's wrong? We don't have to go to the party if you don't want to. Do you want me to send Tank to trail you instead? "
God, having Tank as a bodyguard would be a worse spectacle than going with Ranger.
"No I don't want to go with Tank.." I sniffed, pulling away from him. "It's just if you go with me people are going to think that we are you know i-involved."
"And you have a problem with that?"
"It's just not exactly the truth is it? You don't do relationships. You just want me to report to you in times of crisis and to fuck me."
"Babe I don't look at it that way. I love you. But I can't give you the life that Morelli can."
"I don't want the life that Morelli would give me. I was married to Dickie Orr and that failed miserably. I tried again with Morelli and it was different but it still didn't work. So either I'm not meant to be with men or I need a different kind of man." I blew out a sigh. "I finally figured out that I love you. But I want more than just sex and a bodyguard."
Ranger reached out and stroked my jaw. "What do you want?"
"First of all I want you to trust me the way I trust you."
"You don't think I trust you? You have the keys to my apartment." His voice was very quiet.
"That's true. I think you trust me to an extent. But you haven't told me anything about your past. You don't come to me and tell me things."
"I've told you some. I will tell you more about myself. I don't talk about myself to other people. It's not a personal slight against you. I just have a hard time doing it. But I do come to you. You probably don't realize it. There have been times when I needed to see you. Maybe I just looked at you or stole a kiss or a touch. I never told you happened or why I was there. I guess that's selfish of me. I never felt I had the right to ask you for support and I never could find the words anyway."
Ranger's words made me feel a little sad and warm and gushy inside. Made it hard to stay angry with him. But I had to stay focused on the conversation at hand.
"How can you say things like that and tell me you love me and then tell me you don't want to have a relationship with me?"
"Did I say I didn't want a relationship with you? I think what I said was my lifestyle wasn't really compatible to relationships. You know what I do for a living. You are the first woman I've met and been involved with who really seems to understand how I live my life. I always thought it would be too much to ask someone to tolerate my job. Do you think you could tolerate living with me?"
"Living with you like for real?" I asked in surprise.
"Yes."
"Where would we live?" Would I get to see the Bat Cave?
"We can work that out." Ranger said.
"You mean like I would be your girlfriend and you would not have sex with anyone else?"
"And you wouldn't have sex with anyone else either." Ranger trailed a finger across my belly.
"I don't like sharing."
" Neither do I. I don't want you to decide to go back to Morelli after a month. You need to be sure this is what you want. Stay here with me and think about it for a while. Then we can decide where we will live if you want to stay with me."
What was I agreeing to? Ranger pulled me into his arms and kissed me. I didn't feel very indecisive anymore.
My phone rang and I ran for it. I looked at the display. It was Morelli.
"It's Morelli." I announced. "He's been trying to reach you. Did you call him back?"
"Not yet."
"Do you want to talk to him?"
"Not now. Tell him I'll call him later. I'll be back in a bit." Ranger kissed me again and walked out of the apartment.
"Hello." I answered the phone.
"Hi Stephanie. I know Ranger is back. Barnes and Tartino just left there." Morelli said he had his cop voice on.
"Ranger says he will call you later."
"You're staying at his place aren't you?"
"Yes I am." I decided there was no reason to hide it,
"There's a chance that Ranger might not be innocent in all of this. There's more going on here than you realize."
"Oh come on Joe. Either tell me what you know or don't start. You don't really believe Ranger is a criminal, you are just stirring up trouble."
"Can we get together? I don't want to talk about this on the phone."
I needed to go to my apartment to pick up clothes for tonight. I could meet him there. It felt mildly deceitful but I would tell Ranger about it afterwards so it would be okay. Wouldn't it?
"I'll be at my apartment for a while in about an hour." I informed him.
"I'll meet you there."
I had a dress selected and a suitcase full of more clothes to move to Ranger's when Morelli knocked on the door.
Morelli looked at the suitcase on my bed. "Going somewhere?"
"Never mind that. What do you want to tell me? Do you know anything about the murder of Ken Thomas?"
"Barnes wants to pin it on Ranger but it looks like it is gang related. Ranger has been seen talking to the Slayers, to the Ramos Family and to a representative for Marcos and Teddy Sanchez. Some think he took a bribe to let Ames take the fall for all the problems going down at the Morrison Center."
"Do you really think Ranger would do that?"
"I think something is going on that I don't know about. And Ranger is not returning my phone calls. The Ramos Family is afraid of losing their edge to the Sanchez brothers. They are fighting among themselves about it. If they provoke a gang war over this it could get very ugly on the streets of Trenton."