Senior Prom 5

It all happened so fast that I have no idea what came over me. It must have been a bout of temporary insanity. Or maybe I hadn't sobered up after all. Whatever it was, I didn't know how the hell I was going to be able to explain it to Stan.

His arm was across my upper chest and he yanked me behind him, staring into the barrel of the gun pointing at us. He tensed his muscles, and I raised my stun gun to the side of his neck and tagged him.

It was like watching a tree fall in the forest. He stood perfectly still for an eternity and then tipped forward in slow motion. The man in black dropped his gun onto the chair behind him, reached out both hands and caught Stan under the arms, swiveling toward the couch and depositing him on his side. Stan gave a loud snore and lay there, his mouth hanging open and drool dripping out the corner, down his cheek and onto my navy blue throw pillow.

"Omigod, Ranger," I said. "Thanks for catching him. He might have hit the coffee table and cracked his head open."

"De nada, Babe," Ranger said, the anger gone from his eyes, replaced by something I couldn't quite decipher as he picked up his gun and holstered it in his utility belt.

"What are you doing here? When did you get back?" I asked over my shoulder as I reached through the bathroom door to grab my box of tissues.

"Wanted to see you. Just got back a few minutes ago and came straight here," Ranger said as I walked back pulling tissues from the box.

I looked Ranger over as I shoved a wad of tissues under Stan's flaccid cheek to catch the drool. Ranger had dark circles under his eyes and lines of exhaustion creasing his face. And his buff body had thinned to ropy muscle over sharp bone. I looked closer. There was a new scar on his left cheekbone, a thin red line with pieces of tape holding it together. And the way he stood there, just a hint of tension in his jaw, a smidgen of stiffness in his posture, told me there was something wrong.

"Are you okay?" I walked over to him and placed a hand on the side of his face, trying to read his mind through his eyes. "You look like you could use a good meal and about a week in bed." And then felt the blush suffuse my face as his wolf grin appeared.

"Is that an invitation?"

I dropped my hand, backing away as he looked me up and down and then glanced at Stan on the couch, still snoring and drooling. "I just meant you look tired." I was flustered and looked down at Stan, not meeting Ranger's eyes.

"Who's the stiff?" Ranger asked, jerking his head at Stan, still grinning. "New boyfriend? Because I don't think the way to a man's heart is through your stun gun."

My face grew even hotter. "I can't believe I did that. I just…" I trailed off. How could I tell him I was afraid Stan was going to hurt him? He looked so exhausted. "I had some wine with dinner and I guess I just reacted without thinking."

"Not exactly the reaction a guy expects when he asks you out, Babe." Ranger's teeth looked very white against the swarthy darkness of his face. "And what prom was he inviting you to?"

"Oh, the seniors, you know, senior citizens, are having a prom Saturday night, well, a formal dance, really. I got drafted as a chaperon."

"As in trying to keep your grandma out of trouble?" he asked.

"You got it." I nodded at him. "I have to serve refreshments, you know, plates of finger sandwiches and cookies and little cups of punch."

"You gonna go with tall, dark and snoring, there?"

Before I could answer, Stan twitched and smacked his lips, beginning to wake up. I looked at Ranger and jerked my head toward the front door. "Why don't you go home and sleep now? I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Stan groaned and opened his eyes. "Wha… What happened?" He squinted at me. "Steph?"

"Are you okay, Stan?" I hurried over and took his hand to help him sit up. "Just take it easy for a minute and I'll get you some coffee."

There was a piece of tissue stuck to the side of his face and I snatched it off before turning around. Ranger was seated in the chair opposite, staring at Stan with the empty face that scared the shit out of his men. His expression was frightening if you didn't know him. Or even if you did.

"Can I see you in the kitchen for a minute?" I gritted through clenched teeth, giving Ranger my best death glare. He rose and followed me.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked when we were safe in the kitchen. I yanked open cupboard doors, pulling out coffee and filters and slamming them down on the counter.

"Helping you get coffee for your date."

I turned my back to the coffee pot and scowled at him. "Ranger, I'm begging you please, go home. You need a good night's sleep, and I need to get Stan coffee'd up and out of here. Go home and rest."

Ranger stepped toward me, trapping me with his hands on the counter on each side of my waist. He leaned in, dark eyes boring into mine, and said one word.

"No."

TBC