Building

Chapter 7

The phone rang. I was sound asleep and yet I knew it was him. "Yo," I answered.

"Miss me, Babe?" His voice was deep and his words slightly slurred.

"Ric, have you been drinking?" I was wide awake now.

"Yes, and why I shouldn't I ? Damn, I could be home in bed with you right now, but no... I have to be in Miami fighting with an angry woman who wants to see me miserable. I miss you, Steph. I want to come home."

I had to smile. He sounded like a lonely little boy, something that anyone who ever saw him would never envision.

"Baby, you'll be home soon, right?" I was hopeful. "Can you bring Elena?"

I heard him sigh into the phone. "Gina says she going to fight me on that one, Babe. She doesn't want us trying to convince Elena to live with us instead of her. I'll have to bring you to Miami to meet her. Hopefully, I can get the lawyers to work things out."

"Why is she being so difficult, Ric? Did you say you wanted Elena to move to Trenton?"

"No, I didn't say anything like that, but Gina figures now that I have started to put down roots, it was a natural progression."

Ranger thought he was putting down roots. I had to smile at that.

"You're smiling now, aren't you Babe," his ESP wasn't inhibited by the alcohol he consumed.

"Yeah, I'm smiling. You managed to say the right thing at the right time," I offered, knowing he wouldn't understand.

"I heard that Mary Lou was at the house today. Did you work out your problem?" I swear I could hear him grin.

"How did you know?"

"About Mary Lou or the that fact that you had a problem to deal with?"

"Both." Wise ass.

"Watch that, Babe. Paybacks are hell." He started to chuckle.

"Ric, I'm lying here on your side of the bed wearing next to nothing." I was playing with fire, but it felt so good to be the one in control. I caught the hitch in his breathing.

"Damn, you pay dirty, Babe. Are you wearing panties and a tee shirt?"

"Nope," I giggled.

"Tell me you're wearing my silk boxers," he whispered into the phone.

"Okay," was all I could think to say. I put them on last night after my shower, hoping to feel more in touch with Ranger.

"Babe, you're killing me," he groaned.

I could imagine that he was becoming very uncomfortable right now so I decided to change the subject. "How's Elena?"

I could feel the smile in his voice. "She's wonderful. She is so upset about not getting to meet you though. I gave her a picture of you. She says she's happy I found love. I swear she seems wise beyond her years." Ranger's pride in his daughter was palpable.

"I can't wait to meet her. I hope she's not disappointed." I was nervous about being someone stepmother

"She'll love you, Babe. I know I woke you up. I'm better now that I heard your voice. Go back to sleep and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

He sounded more sober now. "Goodnight, Ric. Sleep tight." I haven't got a clue why I said that.

I fell back to sleep, content in the knowledge that Ranger and I were solid. I slept soundly through the night, something I didn't usually do when he was away. Somewhere in the distance, I dreamed a phone rang.

The ringing phone was persistent. I picked it up. "What?" I demanded.

"I woke you up again," he stated flatly.

"Did you sleep at all?"

"Weren't you supposed to tell me something last night?"

I could tell he was irritated with me. "Listen, Ric, you weren't in any condition to hear about the latest crazy harassing me. Who blabbed? Lester?"

"No, Tank. He told me about the release of Jose Martinez. You should have told me last night, Babe."

I was irritated at being woke up and reached over to see the clock. "Damn it, Ranger, it's only 7 am. I want to go back to sleep. I was having a great dream. You weren't aggravated with me in that dream. Why don't you go take a nap and we'll talk later." I hung up the phone and put the pillow over my head. I'd pay for that later, but right now, I wanted to sleep.

I was in the shower later that afternoon when I heard the door open. I had a feeling that payback had found his way home early. I tried to grab for the towel, but Ranger pulled it away.

"You hung up on me, Babe," his eyes were liquid chocolate and his face was a mask of lust.

"I wanted to get back to the my dream. Want to know how it ended?"

Ranger pulled me close and started to explore my body. His hands were warm as they slid up and down my back., pausing to grasp my ass.

"Reality may be a lot better," he offered.

It was quite a bit later that we finally made it out of the bathroom. My legs felt like gelatin. I was ready for a nap.

"Why did you come home early?" I asked as he was starting to get dressed.

He smiled at me. "I think I just showed you why."

I had to smile back at him for that one. I walked around him, stark naked, and opened my dresser. I selected a Victoria Secret bra and panty set that he bought me last month.

"Nice choice," he said with a grin.

After I finished dressing, he walked me downstairs. At the foot of the stairs, he guided me into his library office.

"Babe, you want to talk about what was bothering you while I was gone?"

He had only been gone one day, although I know he had planned to stay longer.

"Mary Lou claims that I am conflicted," I offered by way of explanation.

"Conflicted about what?" His face gave nothing away.

"I guess the main thing is our relationship and whether or not we need to get married. One minute I'm convinced we should do it and the next, I 'm afraid it will ruin your life. I don't know whether or not I want kids, one minute yes, the next no way. Conflicted." See, one word basically explained it all.

His face took on a hard visage. If I didn't know him as well as I did, I think I would have been intimidated to say the least.

"Where does that leave us then? Are you going to marry me or not?"

I took his face into my hands. "If you want to get married, I'm in; but if you don't, I'm fine with that too. I want us to be together, but I don't want you to have to rearrange your whole life for me. I don't want to make you change and you know I don't want to have to change."

He kissed me softly. "Babe, I'm doing what I'm doing because I want us to be together. I want you to be safe. I actually think I want us to live a nearly normal life. I hadn't thought it possible before, but now I'm starting to feel that maybe we could pull it off. We'll never be the Burg type family, but we'll have each other and that's what matters."

I kissed him back. "I agree."

He walked over to his desk and open the drawer. He removed a ring box. I watched as he opened it and slid the ring from its resting place. He pulled me towards him and lifted my hand to his lips.

"I love you Stephanie Plum. I do want to marry you. I hope you will have me." He placed the ring on my finger without waiting for an answer.

"I love you too!" I fell into his arms and relished the passionate kisses we shared until I couldn't breathe any longer.

"Ric?"

"Yes," he sighed against my hair.

"Who's Jose Martinez?"