Mistletoe Mayhem

Chapter Six

Stephanie trailed after Ranger. It felt like a trip to the gallows, but she forced her breathing to remain even. So what if he fired her? At least she had enough money to pay the rent, and that was all this had ever been. A way to get some quick rent money. Her job was a bounty hunter, not a researcher for RangeMan.

She would not beg for mercy. If Ranger couldn't take a joke, she didn't want to work here, anyway. She tilted her head up defiantly and waited.

Ranger gave her an odd look and gestured for her to have a seat. Stephanie bit the inside of her cheek to keep from blurting out something stupid or begging him not to fire her. She really enjoyed working here on a part-time basis. She hadn't rolled around in dog poop or been shot at in almost a week. Stephanie had enough money to buy peanut butter, olives, hamster crunchies, and beer. That felt downright luxurious. And she really liked the guys. They were funny, sweet, and very good at their jobs. Of course, that's why she probably didn't fit in.

"Stephanie!" Her full name barked at her, startled her out of her stupor.

Her eyes cut to Ranger, and he stared at her with an expectant look on his face. Oh shit. He'd asked her a question, and she had no clue what he had said.

"Um, could you go over that again?"

Ranger looked around the office like maybe he was looking for someone more reasonable to talk to. His eyes came back to her, since she was the only other person. He looked a little resigned.

"Are you firing me?"

Now Ranger just looked confused. "Why would I fire you?"

Stephanie raised her shoulder. "No reason I guess."

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Babe, a woman that can distract a room full of trained mercenaries while wearing a pair of worn-out jeans and a RangeMan crew neck t-shirt, is a keeper."

Well, that answered that question. Ranger had definitely seen her little performance. Heat flushed up her neck. Her face was so red, she was glowing, and she felt lightheaded. Her mind filtered through what he had just said, trying to piece it together and make sense of it.

"You think my jeans are worn out?"

The minute it popped out of her mouth, she knew how incredibly lame it sounded and it took all her willpower not to whack her head on his desk. But really, this was one of her better pairs. They might be a little threadbare in places, but they were broken-in, not worn-out, and that had to count for something. She was a tiny bit offended.

He flashed her his 1000-watt smile, and her panties went up in flames. She forgot all about her jeans or being offended. The heat in her face went from embarrassment to something far more dangerous that radiated all around her. Ranger all serious and broody was a sight to behold, but Ranger sporting a smile was downright breathtaking. Temptation and sin all rolled into one, and Stephanie was feeling very tempted.

A moment went by and she still didn't answer him, mostly because she didn't know what he had been talking about. Her mind had taken a vacation imagining all the ways Ranger might tempt her. Most of them involved Ranger naked, a few involved chocolate, the best ones involved both. Ranger finally spoke, yanking her back to the present. She blinked a few more times than was absolutely necessary, looking for clarity. She didn't find any.

"Can you do it? Can you stay late and run Gorman? I know everyone is heading to Gunny's but Les said you weren't going and I thought…." Ranger snapped his mouth closed with a clack of his teeth, like he knew he was babbling. Stephanie thought that might be a skill to learn.

Intense relief flashed over her, and she felt a little shaky. Ranger wasn't firing her; he was just asking her to work late. Being in his office face-to-face with him again made her brain go haywire. She told herself her reaction in his car had been a one-off, driven by adrenaline. Stephanie thought she would be immune with six feet of space between them. She'd been wrong. It felt intimate, like they shared a secret. He took up too much space and all the oxygen. He made the room feel tiny, even though it was a good-sized office. The man dominated the space and her senses.

She started to say my pleasure but thought better of it because she was pretty sure the words would come out all breathy and sound like the sinful invitation she really wanted to make. The problem, her pleasure at his hands, just might kill her. At a minimum, it might ruin her for all other men, and that would just be a tragedy since Ranger was off-limits, and barely knew she existed. Whatever was going on was all in her head and one-sided. Now she was just staring at him with her mouth hanging open like some weird stalker chick. She suppressed a sigh.

Stephanie held out her hand for the file. "Of course. I'll get started." Stephanie tried for her best professional voice, pleased when she choked out the words without further embarrassing herself.

Their fingers brushed ever so slightly as she took the file and electricity raced up her arm and hummed through her blood, setting her nerves on fire. His mere presence caused her body to overheat and her brain to slip into neutral. He probably thought she was an idiot or brain damaged or, now that she thought about it, probably both.

Stephanie resisted the urge to press her fingertips to the corner of her eye that was twitching like a metronome. Being near him threw her off balance. It caused her heart to race and her palms to sweat like she was in junior high. He didn't even seem to notice she was still in the room. He'd turned his attention back to the stack of paperwork on his desk, effectively dismissing her like the inconsequential stalker chick she was. Ranger probably had a lot of practice with women tripping all over themselves and nearly fainting in his presence.

Stephanie didn't dare look at his face or catch his eye. If she did, she would be doomed. She got up and headed for her cubicle, forcing herself to walk slowly and not bolt out of his office like a startled deer.

The RangeMan office had cleared out and by the time she finished the searches, only a skeleton crew remained in the bullpen. The rest of the office was vacant and dark. Most of the employees had left for the holiday party at Gunny's or taken advantage of the time off to get an early jump on their holiday plans.

Stephanie gathered the various pieces of paper and typed up a quick summary of relevant facts, stapling it to the top of the stack. It was almost seven, but if she hurried, she could still get a couple of solid hours of shopping in before the mall closed. She'd been mentally running a list of gift options in her head since lunch, and had a battle plan.

She hurried towards Ranger's office. Distracted, she barreled into Ranger coming out of his office with all the grace of a stampeding water buffalo. She heard his soft grunt at the contact, and she gave a startled yelp as she slammed into the solid wall of his chest. Papers went flying in all directions, momentarily suspended in the air around them, and then began drifting down like mutant snow.

She would have landed on her ass, but he caught her with his body. He reached out to steady her. When his firm hands touched her bare arms, tingles ignited on her skin, dancing and skipping, as they travelled up her arm. His scent blindsided her, and she inhaled deeply drawing in the heady combination of citrus, bergamot, and the raw maleness of him that alternately caressed and clawed at a part of her that had been dormant, or maybe, if she was honest, never truly awakened.

"Sorry," she mumbled, thinking a meteor strike would be useful about now.

She couldn't look him in the face. One look at her and he would know that the slightest touch made her tremble and short-circuited the rational part of her brain. Her eyes stayed stubbornly fixed on his chest. The T-shirt accentuated every well-built inch of his body, and her fingers reached out to steady herself.

Her brazen fingertips glided over his chest and stomach, bumping over his hard abdominals. He gave a sharp inhalation, and she wondered what he would sound like when he lost control and fell over the edge. She couldn't get it out of her mind, the image of their sweaty, naked bodies intertwined. She edged closer; her eyes remained fixed on his chest. She could feel the slow, steady beat of his heart, while hers stuttered and skipped in a wild, erratic rhythm.

He grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilted her face until her gaze met his. Those deep, intense eyes looked like they had seen way too many bad things, and not enough good. For one irrational moment, she wanted to be the one that changed that. She watched as his eyes darkened and heat blazed to the surface. He was staring at her as if they knew each other intimately, like two old souls that had finally found their way back to each other. Her brain told her to look away, break the connection, but her body rebelled. He was looking inside of her, reading her deepest desires and darkest thoughts.

She watched his nostrils flare as he warred with his own thoughts, wrestling for control. A moment went by and they just held each other suspended in time, everything else fading away into nothingness.

"We're under the mistletoe." His voice finally broke the silence.

It took a moment for Stephanie to register what he'd said. The deep rumble of his voice vibrated through her. Ranger pointed up and her gaze followed.

Her eyes narrowed, and she realized she'd been played. They both had. Tacked over the door was the wayward mistletoe she'd helped Les kidnap and hold for ransom. A small smile broke across her face. It had all been a set-up. She was definitely going to kill Les, or thank him. She wasn't sure which just yet. If she was a betting woman, Stephanie would wager Les had just won the thousand-dollar pot. A pot that had been all about her and Ranger, not Tank and some woman at Gunny's.

Stephanie licked her suddenly dry lips, and her eyes drifted back down, stopping at his mouth. For the thousandth time, she wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Would his lips be as soft as they looked? Would he control every breath, every stroke of her tongue with the same precision and focus he showed everything else? She should make a joke, back away, get some perspective.

She pressed closer.

"I'm going to kiss you now. Are you OK with that?" That deep, rich, rumbly purr slid over her like an intimate caress, and a shiver snaked down her spine.

OK with that? Was that really a question? She was practically begging him with her eyes and her body. A strangled little sound came out of her mouth. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat.

"It's tradition." She finally managed.

Ranger's lips curved into a small smile, softening the hard perfection of his features. "I'm going to take that as an enthusiastic maybe."

Her heart galloped like a runaway horse and when his eyes traveled to her mouth, her knees felt weak.

"I don't have to kiss your mouth." He murmured.

Ranger feathered the lightest kiss on her forehead. His lips were soft and warm and her eyes fluttered closed as they brushed against her. It was brief and gentle and one of the sweetest kisses anyone had ever given her. Her lips parted, and she exhaled a delicate sigh of pure feminine satisfaction. Her arms snaked around his waist, drawing him closer.

"What about … here?" He asked.

He swept her hair away from her neck, his touch leaving a trail of fire as she tilted her head, exposing the column of her throat. His head dipped and his lips brushed her neck. She let out a low moan as he dragged his teeth down her throat, slow and sensual as they grazed over the sensitive flesh.

"Do you like that?" He whispered against the side of her neck.

"Yes."

"What about here?" His breath ghosted over her cheek as his lips traced along her jaw towards her ear.

Stephanie could only nod. Her voice was nowhere to be found.

He nipped her earlobe with his teeth, and a low, sultry whimper spilled from her lips. His tongue touched the soft, sensitive part of her neck that pulsed with excitement, and he pressed a soft kiss to the same spot.

He pulled his head back and his eyes cut to hers. She was still flush against his magnificent body, warm, hard, and inviting. The corner of his mouth lifted; he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

His hand came up and his thumb stroked lightly across her bottom lip. "What about here?"

"Yes." It sounded far more like a plea than permission.

His mouth descended and his lips traced along hers in a gentle caress, whisper soft, meant as a tentative exploration, a chaste kiss. It started out soft, sweet, and teasing. His tongue stroked across her bottom lip, eliciting a shock wave that rocketed through her and stole her breath. The sound of male appreciation erupted from low in his throat, telegraphing the fact he'd felt it too.

Ranger stared down at her, his eyes half-hooded, filled with want. His restraint snapped, and he tangled his hands in her hair, tilting her head back, anchoring her in place. He nipped along her bottom lip, coaxing her mouth open. His tongue touched hers and his kiss became demanding. With each stroke of his tongue, each playful nibble, time suspended. The entire world fell silent around them as he folded her into his arms.

Ranger was doing something delicious to her mouth as he rocked his body against hers. Stephanie kissed him back like she had nothing to lose and everything to gain, even though she knew she should stop. Kissing him was pure madness and had fifty shades of bad idea stamped all over it. But at that moment, she didn't care. Then he did something with his tongue she didn't even know was possible and that made her whimper. Every last vestige of restraint snapped, and she was lost to his touch, his taste.

Stephanie's own hands took part in her betrayal. They pawed at his shirt, mapped the contours of his perfect body, and one might have even snuck around and grabbed a handful of his perfect ass. Her senses were on fire, and desire pulsed through her like a living, breathing creature with a mind of its own. The air around them sizzled with pure, raw need.

When he stopped, it left her panting and gasping for air. His hands went to the sides of her hips and he made a low noise in the back of his throat. He rested his forehead on hers, his breath coming in ragged pants.

In all of her years on this earth, she'd never once been kissed like that. All molten fire and the promise of so much more. That kiss had put all other kisses to shame.
"I don't think I've ever been kissed like that," Stephanie whispered, before she could stop herself from blurting out the truth.

"Then you've never been properly kissed." Ranger gazed down at her and gave her a meaningful look. "Maybe you've been kissing the wrong men."

"Maybe."

"I could fix that." The silky rumble of his voice wrapped around her.

"That's a generous offer."

"Is that a yes?"

"More like an enthusiastic maybe."

His fingers traced down her temple, and he tucked an unruly curl behind her ear. He gave her a soft smile. A good one that reached his eyes. She studied him, taking in everything about him. She wanted to commit this one perfect moment, this one perfect first kiss to memory and let it wipe every other boring, tepid kiss from her mind.

He leaned down and brushed his soft, delicious lips over hers. "It felt more like an enthusiastic yes." He whispered against her mouth.

Stephanie just smiled. They both knew he was right.

"Happy holidays, Stephanie. I'll see you next week."

Stephanie floated out of the office and down the stairs with a dreamy look on her face. It felt like she'd been grabbed and kissed in the best of ways. Oh wait, she had! Heat spiked through her blood, and her fingers touched her slightly swollen lips that had been so thoroughly and properly kissed.

Merry Christmas to me, she whispered.

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A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I read and appreciate every single review.