Chapter 16

They awoke at the same time. Somehow during the long night's conversation, she and Ranger had become intertwined. Now his arms were tightly around her and her legs were laid over his. How had this happened, she wondered. Their conversation had been awkward at first. Gradually they'd become more comfortable in one another's company.

He asked her about her life, and she'd tried to tell him. She'd tried to explain how afloat she had been after she left Trenton, but it was hard to find words that conveyed her feelings at that time. She was completely on her own. Her family knew she was alive, she told him, but she didn't contact them because her daughter, her beautiful cherubic baby, was everything to her and she couldn't do anything to endanger her. She grieved her husband and she grieved her mentor, and it took several years before she began to work toward a future without them.

She was proud of her success with the gyms and so she told him about her partnership with Nora, and how she'd based some of her business practices on things he'd done at RangeMan. She would give him a tour of both gyms, and he said he'd look forward to it.

Ranger told her how RangeMan had grown, and the role that Tank had played taking over the day-to-day duties while he was gone on ops. He grew quiet for a moment before he told her that if not for Tank, RangeMan would have fallen apart because news of her death had rendered him nonfunctional for months.

He told her of his recent accident and his stint in rehab, about the smart, beautiful young therapist who had from the first time they'd met reminded him of her. He told her about introducing Cally to Tank and how she'd put everything together.

Ranger persisted in talking only about their past lives, quietly and efficiently skirting any reference to the event that caused the separation, with one exception. He'd wanted to know the name of her WITSEC contact and when she'd told him Brian Gregg he'd become unusually quiet, even for Ranger.

Even through the night of conversation, as they began to know one another, there had been a distance between them. She felt it and she could tell he did, too. He wasn't the Ranger she had known all those years ago. He'd changed. She'd changed as well, and way more than just physically. She was no longer the bumbling bounty hunter he'd mentored. She was the capable CEO of a growing physical fitness enterprise.

But when exhaustion had claimed them both, they subconsciously seemed to recognize one another. How else could she explain the close physical contact between them? As she awoke, her realization of the intimate contact came simultaneously with a soft groan from Ranger. She felt him shift under her and watched as he stretched his leg out along the sofa. His injured leg, no doubt. She moved to accommodate him.

"I know," she told him in answer to his groan. She sat up separating herself from him and stretched. "I need to get up and move around to work the kinks out. We're too old for this—I mean sleeping all scrunched up instead of in a bed."

"Are you inviting me to your bed, Stephanie?" He reached out and wrapped a curl around his forefinger and gave her a small smile. Just a hint of a smile truthfully, but it was enough for her to know he was teasing.

"I'm not," she said blushing. "It's uh…"

"Don't," he said. "You don't owe me an explanation."

Deciding it would be wise to change the subject, she stood from the sofa and went to the foyer where she found her purse on the credenza. She reached in to pull her phone from the inside pocket and moaned.

"What's wrong?" Ranger asked, from directly behind her.

She startled and spun around. "How do you do that?" she asked.

"Move silently?" he asked, and she nodded. "It's an acquired life skill, and it has kept me alive, on more than one occasion. What's wrong? What were you moaning about?"

"I was going to get my phone, but I think I left it in my office. It's still early, but I'll have to call Paul eventually. I'm not going in this morning and he'll need to know. I have a couple of classes I'm scheduled to teach."

"You can use my phone," he offered.

"Thanks, I will," she said. "It's early yet so I'll wait a bit before I call." She knew Paul would be surprised at her call. It was rare for her to miss a day when she had to teach. She was tired from her short night, but more than that, she couldn't leave Ranger yet. They still had so much to discuss, so Paul was going to have to step up and cover for her today.

She took a close look at Ranger. The signs of age were evident and in the way peculiar to men they made him look even more handsome if that was possible. His hair was silver and neatly banded. That made her consider her own hair. She knew there would be nothing neat about it this morning.

"I need to take a shower," she said abruptly. She pointed across the hall. "That's the guest room. There's an ensuite bathroom. You can use it, or maybe you'd rather go back to where you're staying."

"I'm staying here," he said. "I'm not leaving you until we get everything lined out."

She didn't know what there was to get lined out, but it was clear that Ranger had more to say, and she needed to know. "I'm going upstairs to shower," she said. "I won't be long and then I'll call Paul and see if I can find some breakfast for us."

She turned and hurried up the stairs. He was staying with her. He must have broken back into her apartment and left his things in the guest suite already. As she turned the corner into her bedroom, she came to an abrupt stop. This new discovery was unsettling. She'd have plenty to think about during her shower, which was going to be quick. She went into her bathroom and locked the door behind her.

A short time later she was feeling more herself. She'd resisted the urge to take a little extra time with her hair and make-up. She had come to terms with the aging process years ago, and in truth she was in better shape now than she had been in her thirties. If she didn't look thirty-something any longer, she knew she looked less than her actual age.

She stood quietly at the foot of her bed and stared at the black suitcase. She'd assumed that Ranger would have claimed the guest room, but she should have known better than to assume. The entire situation still seemed like a dream to her. One thing that wasn't a dream was the memory of the devastation she'd experienced at his loss. She couldn't allow him to come back into her life in the way it seemed he wanted to.

Ranger, at least the one she knew, could never bring himself to make a commitment to her. She'd borne the pain when he sent her to Joe, and she'd tried to make a good life with her husband. To let Ranger back in at this stage of her life with no commitment would be opening herself to the possibility of a pain she'd never recover from. She'd fought hard to make a new life for herself, and as much as she still cared for him, she couldn't let him destroy it. She picked up the suitcase and carried it downstairs.

Ranger was sitting on her sofa, one leg stretched out in front of him. Of course, he hadn't showered. His suitcase and presumably his toiletries had been upstairs with her. She set the suitcase down in front of him.

"I found this in my room," she said. "I don't want to know how it got there, but the fact is…" she hesitated only a moment before she gathered her courage and said, "it can't stay there. The guest room as I showed you earlier is just off the hallway and you're welcome to use it."

He looked up at her taking in the jeans and the close-fitting workout shirt. It was her standard uniform away from the gym and she knew it suited her. As his gaze moved up from her body and met her eyes it intensified. When he raised an eyebrow as if to question her statement she wanted to look away, but she concentrated on keeping her wide blue eyes in direct contact with his. He stood, picked up his bag and made his way across the room into the hallway.

"My phone is on the table," he said. "Make any calls you like, but if it rings, don't answer it. Tank has been trying to get in touch with me, but I'm not quite ready for him to know I'm with you." He gave her one last long look before he disappeared into her guest room.

Stephanie picked up his phone and then collapsed on the sofa where he'd been sitting. It may have been years, but she recognized the look of desire she'd seen in his eyes. Her resolve to hold Ranger at arm's length might require more self-control than she had. Ranger would never force himself on her. He'd wait for her acquiescence. The worrisome thing was he'd never had to wait very long, and from the heat sliding through her, that probably hadn't changed.

She waited until she heard the shower start before she called Paul.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Yeah?" she responded. "What about 'Antiope. This is Paul. Can I help you?'"

"Aww, Boss. I'm busted! The caller ID didn't say it was you. I'd have answered better, uh, more professionally."

"That's an explanation, but not an excuse. You shouldn't answer differently for the boss than you would anyone else. Just out of curiosity, what did the caller ID say?"

"It said Private Number," Paul replied. "Are you calling to tell me you're running late? You're usually here by now."

"I'm calling to tell you I won't be in this morning," she said. "I'm feeling a little under the weather. I'll probably make it in sometime today, because I left my phone in my office. I'm calling on a friend's phone." There was silence while that sunk in. She wasn't feeling well, but there was a friend handy with a phone she could use. She knew what Paul must be thinking, but he didn't comment.

"No problem, Boss. I can teach or I'll have Libby do it. She really digs those old folks."

"Either way is fine," Stephanie said. "If you have any problems you can call me back at this number."

"Will do," Paul said. "And if you don't make it in, I can bring your phone by on my way home."

"Thanks, but I think you'll see me before the day is over." They disconnected and Stephanie mentally ran over the class schedule for the day. Libby was a new employee, but she might be better suited to the Silver Sneakers than Paul. And while it was good she had Ranger's phone, she'd have to get hers.

Unbidden, the thought came to her that she could use Ranger's phone to call Cally. He probably even had her listed in his contacts. The thought of scrolling through his contacts was intriguing, but her conscience niggled at her that it might be a violation of his privacy. But what the heck, wasn't breaking into her condo a violation of her privacy? She was still debating the issue when she realized that she could no longer hear the water of his shower. Opportunity lost, she tossed the phone gently onto her sofa cushion and went to the kitchen to make coffee.

Mentally, she inventoried her food supply. Normally she had yogurt and fruit for breakfast and if Ranger still ate the way he used to, that would be fine for him. Maybe it was the stress of having a long-lost love come back to life, but she was craving a donut. There wasn't a Tasty Pastry in her life any longer, but there was the Donut Taste Good Shop, and they delivered. She'd used them occasionally for staff meetings.

Meetings! Suddenly she remembered that she was supposed to have called Alan last evening to confirm their date. They were going to meet and discuss her financing options for the new gym and then they would go to dinner and most likely return to her condo. That couldn't happen. She'd have to call him on Ranger's phone. There was no way she could explain Ranger to Alan. She set the coffee mugs she was holding back on the counter, but in her haste to get to Ranger's phone she misplaced one and watched as it fell to the floor. It didn't break but clanged loudly as it hit the tile. Leaving the mug lay, she hurried back to the living room and the sofa where she'd laid Ranger's phone.

Before she could call, she looked up to see Ranger standing in the doorway to the guest room. Black sweats rode low on his hips. His chest and his feet were bare. There was a towel slung carelessly around his shoulders. And his hair was unbound, slightly damp and mussed from where he'd towel dried it. He looked good—very good. His brow was furrowed with concern.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "I heard a crash."

She took in a shaky breath and smelled Bulgari. The old stuff. The kind she couldn't find any longer. And it occurred to her that maybe it never was the Bulgari. Maybe it was just essence of Ranger.

"Babe?"

"Uhm, yes, I dropped a mug. It's fine," she said. "You…you have new scars," she finished on an exhale.

He glanced at his left side. "Chest tube," he said. "I told you I'd had an accident, but I didn't mention that I had broken ribs and a collapsed lung. And I imagine there are a few more that you haven't seen."

"Yes," she said. She pointed to his right shoulder.

"Gun shot," he said. "A souvenir of a trip to Colombia. It just grazed me, but the wound got infected before I could get back to civilization."

"Recently?" she asked.

"No. A long time ago. I'm too old for those kinds of ops now. But I went as often as I could after…I lost you. Tank says he's never seen someone with a stronger death wish than I had."

His statement hung between them for a moment. She had grieved him always, and she was suddenly aware of how hard it had been for him as well. Her eyes widened as he moved toward her, and instinctively she moved back toward the kitchen and nearer to the hall. It had been a long time, but she remembered what that purposeful stride meant.

"Ranger, I don't think we should…I mean, we're different people…" She stopped as he stopped in front of her, his bare chest millimeters away from her stretchy t-shirt. He reached down and took the phone from her. He walked over to the credenza at the end of the entryway hall. When he turned to look at her again, he was smiling, and she blushed. The credenza was almost identical to the one he'd had in his apartment. She wanted to explain that she was adrift when she'd come to Brunswick and recreating parts of her life from Trenton had helped. And the parts of her old life that had held the utmost importance had involved him.

She watched as the expression on his face changed. The humor he'd shown had morphed into something else. Raw desire. She's seen it before, many years ago, but it wasn't a look she'd ever forget.

Her nipples pebbled in response. She hoped her bra would hide the evidence but judging from the dilation of his pupils she could see that he knew.

"I, uh, I don't think this is a good idea," she said.

"You do think it's a good idea, Babe." He reached out and drew a forefinger across her breast. She couldn't control the spasm of desire that shook her body. He closed the space between them and slid his hands along her jawline and under her hair, exerting gentle pressure to bring her face close to his. This was crazy. Twenty-four hours earlier she had just begun to wrestle with the idea he was alive, and now he was here, looking very much like he planned to make love to her.

She prepared herself. He was going to kiss her, and she was going to let him. It was just a kiss, right? And there was no way it would be as good as she remembered. Years of hopeless fantasy had, no doubt, magnified her memories of what a magnificent lover he'd been. She had to prepare herself for less than she remembered.

When his lips touched hers, it was more than she remembered. Electricity zinged through her and she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth more firmly against hers. She wasn't sure who deepened the kiss, and it didn't matter. His mouth was making love to hers. She felt his arms drift from her face, past her shoulders and slide across her back. He found the hem of her shirt and moved one hand underneath, caressing her skin as the other held her close.

Ranger drew back slightly, and they broke the kiss. Stephanie used the opportunity to breathe, but when he parted his lips, she moved forward and reclaimed his mouth with hers, her tongue making its way past his lips. She sensed a hesitancy, a drawing back from him, but before she could formulate a thought as to why, she knew.

"Mother!" There was surprise in the voice, followed by incredulousness when Cally exclaimed, "C-Carlos!"

Ranger kept her in his embrace but turned them slightly, so Stephanie was more fully facing her daughter. It took a moment for Stephanie's desire-clouded brain to remember exactly where she was.

"Cally? What in the world…what are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."

"Obviously," her daughter replied. "You called and told me to call you. You sounded as if you were having another panic attack. I tried to call back and you didn't answer. I was worried and we came down early."

At the "we", Stephanie realized there was someone standing behind her daughter. "Lester!" she exclaimed, astonished to see another familiar face from her past.

"His son," Ranger murmured softly in her ear.

"Uh, no ma'am," the incredibly handsome young man said. "I'm Luke, his son. I'm working for Ranger." Stephanie opened her mouth to respond but found no words. Her daughter didn't have that difficulty.

"And Carlos!" Cally said. "You said you were applying for a job in Washington D.C. What are you doing here?" There was accusation in her tone. And maybe hurt. Ranger had said he'd grown close to her daughter and Stephanie could see the truth of that statement.

Ranger turned slightly to respond to her, still holding Stephanie against him, and suddenly Stephanie knew why. She could feel the evidence of his desire, pressing firmly against her. Ranger was giving himself some time to recover. He was trying to save Cally from some embarrassment.

"I did have an interview," Ranger said. "You assumed Washington, because that's where Tank has been. I spoke with Homeland Security, here in Brunswick."

There was a moment's silence while both women considered his news. And then their attention was directed to a different problem.

"What the hell is going on here?" a male voice asked. Stephanie looked behind Luke to see Alan standing in the still open doorway to her condo. She rolled her eyes and groaned. This wasn't going to go well. Alan pushed his way around Luke and stormed into the room. "I've been trying to call you since last night. This morning I tried at the gym and Paul said you were ill."

"Alan, I…"

Alan clamped his hand on her shoulder and attempted to pull her back from Ranger who was still holding her tightly. His other hand went to Ranger's shoulder and he attempted to separate the two. "Get your hands off my woman!" he growled.

At that Ranger stepped back and Stephanie recognized the new expression on Ranger's face. It was funny how she still could read him so well. She knew she had to act quickly. Ranger had seen her grimace when Alan had grabbed her shoulder and he was getting ready to take Alan out. She couldn't let that happen. Acting on instinct she executed her best-ever two-handed shoulder throw. Just as she expected, Alan flew over her shoulders and landed neatly on the floor, uninjured and out of Ranger's reach. What she hadn't expected was that on his way down, Alan's leg would hook Ranger's injured leg and that both men would end up on the floor glaring at one another.

Immediately, Cally came forward. "Carlos, your leg!" She reached out to feel the area of his fracture through his pant leg and sighed in relief. "Thank God! You're wearing your brace."

"I'm not hurt, Cally. I dropped myself to the ground to keep his leg from putting pressure on the fracture site. It's fine." His eyes went to Stephanie who was helping her lover back to his feet.

The room darkened and everyone turned to look at the still-open doorway which was now filled by a large black man. If he'd been wearing white, Stephanie thought he'd be mistaken for Mister Clean. Tank's white teeth flashed in a broad smile. His low baritone rumbled through the room.

"Ho-lee shit!"