Chapter Two

Stephanie showered and did the whole blow-dry thing with her hair, taming it into long sleek waves that would last about three minutes. She did full-face make-up and swiped on an extra coat of mascara. All things were possible with coffee and mascara, and hopefully, the mascara would net her enough money to buy coffee. All in, it seemed too much like a chicken and egg problem she didn't have the energy to worry about.

Stephanie pulled on a black pencil skirt that hit high enough for a man to take notice, but not so high it was indecent. She shrugged into her best miracle bra, leaned forward and adjusted the girls, and dusted some shimmery powder across the swell of her breasts. It wasn't exactly a miracle, but it was damn close. She pulled on a creamy, gauzy button-up blouse with black piping to complete the ensemble.

She took one last look in the mirror, going over her appearance with a critical eye. Not bad. Sexy, approachable. She looked more like a high-end escort than a Stark Street hooker. Stephanie shoved her feet into four-inch FMPs and went downstairs to wait for Ranger. She tried to ignore the buzz skimming across her body and settling in her nether regions. This was a job, not a date.

At precisely six, the deep, rumbly growl of the engine caught her attention as Ranger rolled into her lot. His sleek, black Porsche 911 Turbo glided to a stop in front of her. Ranger's dark head emerged, followed by his perfect body. His movements were all efficiency and grace, more animal than human. The little tingle that buzzed through her body got louder and more insistent.

His dark gaze scanned her from head-to-toe and back again. The slow way he did it, felt like a feather skimming across her overheated flesh. A soft tickle that made heat pulse through her body. The thin material of her blouse made it impossible to hide her reaction, and she saw his eyes darken as they lingered for just a second too long on her breasts before continuing their journey.

"Is something wrong?" Stephanie stammered.

Did she have something stuck in her teeth? He didn't like the outfit? Panic streaked through her. She was going to lose the job before she had even started. She needed this job or, more accurately, she needed the money.

He kept staring at her with that damn blank expression and sweat popped out along her brow.

"I told you to get his attention . . . not start a riot. Maybe you should button one more button." That growly purr of pure appreciation rocketed straight to her core.

"You don't like it?" Now who was purring? Bad Stephanie gave him a slow, seductive smile and looked up at him with a hooded gaze that was just below indecent.

"Omigod! What are you doing?" Good Stephanie shrieked. "Are you nuts?" Bad Stephanie just gave a throaty laugh and ignored her.

She wanted to smack herself in the head to jar some sense into her hijacked brain that was high on hormones, or at least get a little self-preservation. Was she really flirting with Ranger? What had gotten into her? Not Ranger, not yet, the naughty little voice in her head sing-songed. Stephanie's teeth bit down on her bottom lip to keep from saying something else that would sound way too much like an invitation.

Ranger stalked closer and gave her a wolf grin, and Stephanie's breath hitched. Gone was the blank, remote expression. He was all heat and fire. She stood frozen like a terrified rabbit that was about to be eaten by the big bad wolf. Stephanie watched as his exquisitely long fingers reached out and flipped the next two buttons open, exposing her to mid-belly. She vaguely realized even his fingers were sexy. It was possible she'd lost her damn mind.

"That's the way I like it," he said, the smile still in place.

The air crackled and sparked, everything around them frozen. Stephanie stood rooted to the spot, staring at him. Her mind completely devoid of any rational thought. His sheer maleness swamped her senses.

Stephanie pulled in a shaky breath. Oh shit, she was pretty sure she was going to faint. Stephanie gave an audible gasp when he took another step towards her and raw desire settled low in her belly, liquid and hot. He halted and they were toe-to-toe. Stephanie angled her head up to look at him. His eyes locked with hers, the heat staring back scorched her. Ranger took dangerous and sexy to a whole new level. One she was not equipped to play on.

Okay, so he called her bluff. No reason to panic, not really. Just file it away for future reference. Not ready for Ranger! Stephanie looked away and quickly re-buttoned her blouse, taking a step back to give herself some much needed distance.

"Cute." She tried to give him the burg death glare, but she practically had little cartoon hearts popping out of her eyes, ruining the effect. His face told her it didn't intimidate him. Amused, maybe even intrigued.

Her neighbor, Mr. Morganthal, came out and shook his finger at them.

"I think I just sullied your reputation," Ranger said without a hint of remorse. It was clear he'd like to do a lot more sullying.

"More like you helped me live up to expectations." Stephanie tried for a smile, but ended up licking her lips instead. His gaze darkened, and tension swirled around them.

"You ready?" Ranger asked.

Now that sounded liked an invitation if she'd ever heard one.

"Ready for what?" Bad Stephanie breathed. Hot, sweaty, no-holds-barred sex. She was definitely ready for that.

Ranger cleared his throat, giving her a questioning look.

Stephanie realized he was standing there with the car door open, waiting for her to get in. She gave him a tight, apologetic smile and poured herself into the seat, swinging her legs in, praying she didn't flash the neighbors or Ranger. He was probably regretting the job offer about now.

The warm seat brushed against her bare legs, and she eased back into the buttery soft leather. It molded to her, almost like it was hugging her. The soft sound of classical music drifted from the speakers, and seemed entirely out of place in a car with a cockpit that rivaled the space shuttle driven by a mercenary that dressed like night itself. She rested her head on the seat and squeezed her eyes shut, looking for her sanity. Get it together and stop staring at the boss like he's dinner. OK, who was she kidding. That was dessert, not dinner. The problem, dessert, was Stephanie's favorite thing.

Ranger slid in. His unique scent wafted over her and the tingle turned into a full body hum. Whatever that scent was, it was enticing and clung to him like an invisible cloak. Crisp, clean and smelled like citrus and something a little woodsy. Every time, it made her think of Ranger bathing in some waterfall with the sunlight glinting off all of his perfection. It was a weirdly specific vision. Stephanie almost cracked the window for some fresh air, but it was December and she thought it might look a little odd, and she definitely didn't need to seem any weirder than she already did.

Ranger put the car in gear and they cruised out of the parking lot. He handed her a file.

"That's your target. Dylan Brady."

Stephanie scanned the picture. A big guy, with thinning light brown hair, average looks.

"I just need you to get him to leave the bar with you. Get him outside, and we'll take it from there."

"What did he do?"

"Embezzlement."

Ranger didn't elaborate and unease slithered up her spine.

"Why not take him in the bar?"

"He's carrying. Last guy that tried to take him in a public place took one to the gut and got a civilian shot."

"Oh." Boring, bland, average Dylan wasn't quite so average after all.

Stephanie stole a couple of glances at Ranger as they drove. Even in profile, he was perfection. Dressed in his usual uniform of all black. No jewelry, definitely no wedding ring. Bad Stephanie gave a fist pump and even good Stephanie seemed a little pleased. Just a black watch with a nylon strap. She'd never been this close to him before, and his masculine energy dominated the space. She had to remind herself to breathe. Being near him intoxicated her, and robbed her of her brain-to-mouth connection, which was iffy on a good day. She mashed her lips together to keep from saying something stupid or babbling to fill the silence. Ranger was in the zone with that eye of the tiger thing going on. The little hairs on her neck took note.

Ranger slid into a spot about a block from the bar and turned to her. His gaze hit her full-force, and she would have sworn she saw hunger in his eyes. She blinked a few too many times to clear her head. When she met his eyes again, it was gone. No doubt it had only been her runaway imagination.

"Let's get you wired up." He held up a tiny microphone and some tape.

Stephanie turned to face him and tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, but her mouth was as dry as the Sahara. She gave him a nod because her words were stuck.

Ranger reached over and flipped open one button, sliding the wire between her breasts. His knuckles stroked across her collar bone, and heat pooled between her thighs, adding to the slow, steady, building ache that had taken root from his first touch. She gave herself a little pep talk. This was all business, nothing more. Just a routine thing. She could do this. Sweat misted her skin, and she prayed the tape would stick. Ranger made a couple of adjustments and re-buttoned her blouse. He had been efficient, but not impersonal with his touch. The way his fingertips brushed against her, it felt like a lover's caress. That touch had promised the single-minded focus that could drive a woman mad.

Ranger clearly knew how to touch a woman, and Ranger was an alpha male, the clear leader of the pack. Always. She had no doubt that would spill over into the bedroom, and a delicious little shiver went through her. Ranger would take control, set the pace, play her body like a finely tuned instrument. He would turn that laser focus on the prize, their mutual pleasure.

"Babe, are you OK?"

Stephanie's eyes snapped to his and what came out of her mouth sounded more like a trumpeting elephant than an answer. His brows furrowed in a little crease, like he wasn't sure exactly what was wrong with her, or how she managed not to accidentally drown in the rain. Stephanie desperately wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. Save her from this slow-motion train wreck. Embarrassment colored her cheeks.

"We can hear you, but you can't hear us." Ranger explained with the same slow cadence one might use with a toddler.

Stephanie nodded. Her voice had fled right along with all the blood to her brain. At least he thought she was worried about the distraction, and not about the fact she was half a second away from leaping over the console and riding him like the prize stallion he was.

"Babe, don't worry. I've got you. Nothing is going to happen to you."

Ranger ran his finger down her temple, pushing her hair behind her ear. His soft, gentle touch was comforting. She had the most perverse feeling that nothing bad would ever happen to her with Ranger watching over her, except for maybe a broken heart. A man like this would be easy to love, but hard to hold.

She sucked in a little breath and shook her thoughts away from fantasyland and back to the now.

"I'm good," she assured him. "My name is Stephanie; in case you didn't know."

"Why would you think I don't know your name?" Ranger seemed genuinely confused.

Stephanie shrugged. "Because you call me babe all the time. I just assumed you didn't know my name."

The finger tracing her temple slid down and ran across her bottom lip. The air between them pulsed with a life of its own, and Stephanie wished he'd just kiss her already.

"That's not why I call you babe." His eyes locked with hers, and Stephanie leaned towards him.

Ranger's phone dinked, and he pulled back, the moment broken. Shit, that had been close. Ranger was her employer and shagging the boss was bound to be a mistake, and mistakes were the only thing Stephanie had plenty of. She didn't need another, no matter how brain meltingly sexy he might be. Stephanie sat back in the seat and tried to get her heart rate under control.

"Brady is in the bar." Ranger confirmed. "You've got this."

Stephanie nodded and swung out of the car. The heat of his gaze followed her as she made her way up the sidewalk. Awareness throbbed through her and sent little tingles up the back of her neck, causing goosebumps to blanket her arms. She'd never been quite so attuned to a man before, and it left her unsettled. Stephanie focused on putting one foot in front of the other, adding a little extra swing to her hips. She told herself she was just getting into character, not playing with fire. She'd always been good at make-believe.

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.A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!