Chapter 11: Contemplations

"I've got to go downstairs again." I didn't want to leave her, but duty was calling. Steph was sitting sideways against me, long legs stretched on the couch, body warm against me, wrapped in the afghan and my robe. Her cheeks were still red and glowly, but she looked a bit better than last night. She was nibbling on a piece of toast and nodded.

"How do you feel?" she asked me.

"Okay. It's very busy at the moment, so I don't have time to feel tired." I smiled at her. To prove my point, my phone decided to start ringing. I gave her an apologetic look while I answered it. It was Tank.

"Yo, man. Could you come back down?"

"I'm on my way." No need to ask why, I knew he wouldn't call unless it was important. I moved away from Steph with regret and gave her a quick kiss on her hair.

"Take it easy today. I'll try to be back for dinner around 6. Tell Ella what you would like to eat, anything is possible." She actually seemed to perk up at that thought.

Aurelia POV

It was busy this morning in the hospital. Lots of people coming in with injuries from the activities done during the weekend. Lots of swollen ankles and knees from sports, a few cuts and bruises from fights and falls and a few accidents. It was past 2 in the afternoon, and I still hadn't eaten lunch. But it was finally quieting down a bit, and I raced towards the break room to grab something to eat before the next patient would wander through the door. Also, I wanted to call Ricardo, to see how things were going with him and Stephanie. I hoped that Ricardo would get Stephanie to stay with him in his apartment, that would definitely help in getting them together. I called his cell and he answered after the first ring.

"Yo." He sounded like he was in a hurry.

"Ricardo, what a way to answer your phone!" A beat of silence.

"Aurelia." He sounded irritated. It was obvious that he had expected someone else.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine." I didn't expect any other answer from him. He would never say 'I'm half dead', even if he was. Shows you how eager he is to get cared for by me… Wonder if it would be any different if Stephanie asked…

"And how's Stephanie?"

"She is doing better." Another non-committal answer. He was trying to get me to stay away. Lucky for him I can't get away from work until quite late tonight, but he doesn't know that…

"Should I come by?"

"NO!" I swear, he almost shrieked! I snickered.

"Relax, Ricardo. I have to work until 11 pm."

"Good." He sounded relieved. "Steph and I are both fine. And now I've got to go."

"You're working, aren't you?" I could tell from the background noises, but did I tell you that I liked to push his buttons?

"What do you expect, Aurelia. I have a business to run." He sounded defensive again.

"Hey, you're the one who has a beautiful woman in his apartment that needs to be cared for." And with that I ended the conversation. I whished that I had been around to see his face after my last comment, but well… you can't have everything in life.

Stephanie POV

I woke up around 4.30 pm, feeling hungry. I had moved myself to Ranger's bed after lunch and had fallen asleep not long after that. His bed made you feel like you're in heaven, and the sheets were soft and cosy. I turned on my other side and slowly opened my eyes. The other side of the bed was empty. I looked at the bed, looked at his bedside table. There was an alarm clock on it, which also was a radio. It was sleek and black, no surprises there. There was a big book laying next to it, with a piece of paper about halfway sticking out on the top. I looked at the title. 'Special topics in calamity physics' by Marisha Pessl. Didn't mean much to me, but then again, I'm not much of a reader. Also, it contained a small lamp. Apart from that, the bedside table was empty. No pictures, no dust, nothing out of place. Very different from my bedroom, where my bedside table was always full with lots of things. My whole bedroom was always full. Clothes laying around, shoes, empty bags from shopping, papers, you name it. Ranger was in many ways my opposite. I liked his apartment, but only for a while. It always makes me feel like I was staying in a hotel, with Ella providing housekeeping and roomservice. It made me wonder how Ranger viewed my apartment. Probably thought of it as an unsafe, messy old place, although he did come by on regular occasions and he had stayed with me when his daughter was kidnapped, without much comment. I wondered what it would be like to live with Ranger longterm. Would he be as tidy as this apartment? Would he like cooking? Could he laze around for a day, doing nothing? Sleeping in late, breakfast in bed… I imagined waking up next to Ranger every day… Having his beautiful body next to me every night.. Mmmmm, that would be wonderful!

I felt a warm feeling spreading through me and this time it wasn't from the flu… I shook my head a little to clear my mind. What was I doing, imagining living with Ranger? I had no idea how he felt about me. My dream a few days ago at his parents place had been wonderful, and had made me realise that I really was falling in love with him, but I had no idea about his feelings. I know he liked me, but he hadn't lived up to his 'promise' to fill my bed when things ended with Morelli. And he knew that things had ended with Morelli a long time ago, for good. So maybe that meant that he wasn't in love with me, just liked to play around a little. I felt myself getting a bit sad, and decided to stop thinking about this subject. A shower was in order, as well as deciding what to eat tonight. Ranger had said that anything was possible…

After the shower I called Ella.

"Hello Stephanie! How are you feeling?"

"Hi Ella. I'm okay, still feeling a bit shaky, though." My voice was still sounding raspy, but it was getting better. The cough medicine tasted really bad, but it did seem to work.

"Ranger told me that your stomach was upset."

"Yeah, but I managed to eat some toast and crackers. I'm actually a bit hungry now." Hint, hint…

"That's great. How about I make some light dishes for you to eat tonight?"

"That would be great."

"And would you like a little snack right now?" This woman is perfect!

"If it isn't too much trouble…"

"No, not at all dear. How about some toast with egg?" That sounded really good right now.

"I'd like that."

"Okay, I'll have it ready in about 10 minutes. Will Ranger be joining you for dinner tonight?"

"I think so." I wasn't sure, Ranger had said that he would try to be back, so I suppose my answer was okay.

"Good."

Ten minutes later Ella was coming through the door with a plate filled with toast and scrambled eggs. It tasted like heaven. She also had some fresh orange juice and another cup of tea for me. After I had finished, I rinsed the plate and glass and put it all back on the tray. I was getting tired again, and I sat down on the couch. I spotted the remote for Ranger's elaborate sound system and pressed play. Soft music filled the room. I listened for a minute until I decided that I liked it. I snuggled into the afghan and felt myself drift off to sleep once more.

I woke up and felt disoriented for a moment. Then I realised that I was on Ranger's couch, I had fallen asleep after my little snack. My spidey sense tingled and I realised Ranger was in the room. I opened my eyes and looked up to find him watching me intently. He was standing next to the couch, still dressed in his usual black outfit.

"Babe," he said softly.

"Ranger." My voice was much better.

"How are you?"

"A bit better. I had eggs on toast."

"That's good to hear. Are you hungry for more food? Ella brought a few things up about 5 minutes ago." I sniffed the air and smelled some wonderful scents. On cue, my stomach rumbled, this time to let me know it was hungry and not because it was sick. Ranger laughed out loud.

"Good to know you're getting your appetite back." I just glared at him. He went into the kitchen and put a few things on a tray before he returned. He placed the tray on the coffee table.

"I thought we could eat here today, that way you don't have to get up."

"Oh, I can sit at the dinner table." I was afraid I might make a stain on his couch or carpet, so I started to get up. He put a hand on my arm and looked at me.

"Babe." I looked at him and noticed that he looked tired.

"It's no problem Ranger, I feel much better." He looked at me for another moment before casting his eyes down. When he spoke, he looked at me again, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"Okay, I don't want to sit at the table today. I'm tired and I just want to relax for a while before I continue my work."

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, just tired. Move over so I can sit on the couch too." I scooted to the right and Ranger put the tray down in my lap and took the lids off the plates to reveal the food. It was rice with beef and some vegetables together in a nice sauce. It looked nice and smelled even better. Ranger grabbed a plate and put it down on his lap, leaving me the tray. He grabbed the remote and switched the tv on. He surfed channels until he found one that he liked and kicked off his shoes and put his feet on the table.

"Mmmmm." I couldn't help myself, this tasted so good.

"Babe." He sounded pained, and when I looked at him his eyes were liquid brown full of fire. I blushed. Oops. Our eyes held and I could see a lot of emotion in them, but I didn't know what that emotion meant. Still, glad to know I affected him this much.

After dinner Ranger leaned back into the couch. He rubbed his face with his hands and then glanced at his desk standing in the office space. I followed his gaze and saw a large stack of folders laying on it.

"I hate paperwork," was all he said. I nodded, I could identify with that statement.

"Inspire me, Babe." Hot images flashed in my mind, and I felt a blush creep itself up towards my face. I swallowed and looked at Ranger. I could see a small smile playing at his lips. He was playing with me again… Sigh…

"Babe." He pulled me to him and kissed me somewhere above my ear. For a moment I relaxed against him, enjoying his warm, hard body and his delicious scent of Bulgari and Ranger. His arms folded themselves around me and pulled me into his lap and we snuggled into one another. He put a hand on my forehead.

"You don't feel so hot anymore. Looks like your body is winning the battle with the flu."

"Yeah, I feel a bit better." We looked at each other, and he slowly moved in for a kiss when his phone rang. He closed his eyes briefly before grabbing it from his belt.

"Yo," he practically barked into the phone. It actually made me smile. Seemed to me that Ranger was trying to distract himself from work, but didn't want to say flat out: I don't want to work tonight. Seems Mr. Discipline was having an internal argument.

"Oh, Aurelia." He looked apprehensive. That woman was fearless! And she seemed really keen to get Ranger and me together. According to Aurelia, Ranger and I would be perfect together. I would like to believe that, but… Hang on… What if she was right? She knew Ranger all her life… And she seemed to be convinced that Ranger was in love with me… Maybe I should take a chance… Maybe I should go for what I wanted… Maybe I should find out if Aurelia was right… Maybe I should talk to her…

"I'm fine," Ranger barked.

"She's fine, too." Hey, was he talking about me? I looked at him and made a move to let him know that I wanted to talk to Aurelia myself. He looked surprised and nodded 'no'. Excuse me? I pointed once more at his phone and he mouthed 'why?' I mouthed back 'question' and looked halfway angry at him. He seemed to consider this for a moment and then his shoulders sagged and he spoke to Aurelia.

"Steph wants to talk to you," and handed me the phone. Whoa, that was abrupt.

"Aurelia?" I asked. I got up and walked to Ranger's bedroom, closing the door behind me. This was a conversation that I didn't want to share with Ranger.

"Stephanie, hi. How are you?"

Aurelia POV

When Ricardo put Stephanie on the phone I was a bit surprised, but happy that I would get a chance to talk to her personally rather than listening to Ricardo's one word answers. Steph asked about her throat and how long she would have to stay in bed for. I told her that she should stay in bed for another 2 or 3 days at least, preferably at Ricardo's place, so she had someone to take care of her (and I hoped that having more time together would get Ricardo to finally make his move, but I left that part out). Then, when I thought she wanted to end the conversation, she suddenly surprised me.

"Aurelia, do you really think that Ranger is in love with me?" I couldn't stop the grin forming on my face.

"Oh yes, dear. I'm sure."

"How can you be so sure?" She sounded very serious. I wondered what brought this on.

"Steph, I've known him my whole life. I've never heard him talk about any woman the way he talks about you. His eyes light up, he smiles. He might not realise it, but everybody in the family knows. Mom has been dropping hints for a few months now." She drove Ricardo nuts on occasion, but Mom and Dad were so hoping for him to find that final bit of happiness to make his life complete. His life wasn't always easy, and he had gone through tough training in the army, but now Mom hoped that a woman would soften him up a little. He still lived his life like a soldier, with rigid discipline. A woman would get him to loosen up a little on occasion. Hell, we all were hoping that! Apart from that, there is just nothing better to watch than two people in love.

Stephanie was silent.

"Why did you ask?" I asked her. More silence. I decided to take a risk and push her a little.

"You love him, don't you?" A sudden sharp intake of breath told me I had scored a hit.

"Stephanie, I'm very serious about this. I know that I like to tease you and Ricardo, but I only do that because I want you guys to end up together. You two are perfect!" Come on, girl! Tell me I'm right and I'll do anything in my power to get you two together! And believe me, I have considerable power.

"Yeah, I love him…" she almost whispered. Yes! Oh, this was great, this was perfect, this was all that I needed, this was… Okay, let's just say these words made my day. Ideas were flying through my mind at warp speed, when Steph spoke again.

"Will you help me?" What exactly was she asking?

"Help you with what?"

"Help me get Ranger."

"It would be my pleasure, Babe."

Chapter 12: Push and pull

I couldn't believe myself. I had just asked Rangers sister to help me get Ranger… The very sister that promised him she would back out of his private life, the very sister that he was desperate to stay away from. The sister that had tricked me into taking care of Ranger… The very sister that was apparently aware of his nickname for me… Probably Ranger would never forgive me, probably I would be on the first flight to Africa as soon as he would find out. And probably he would find out, because Aurelia didn't strike me as the type of person who could keep a secret. Oh SHIT!

On the other hand: I wanted Ranger. And it was time to find out if he really loved me or not. I mean: we could do this dancing around each other for several more years probably, but wouldn't that be a waste of time if he said in the end: I don't want you? Yes, it was time for me to find out if Ranger loved me or not, and it was time that he found out that I loved him. He had played unmercifully with me, it was time to let him know there were consequences… Am I sounding a bit revengeful? Maybe… Will it be fun to play with Ranger… Hell, yeah!

Aurelia told me that she had to work late today, but would call me back tomorrow to discuss some ideas. She sounded very enthusiastic when she said this… Mmmm. She told me to take care of Ranger tonight, because he was still recovering from the flu as well. I gave her my number and we ended the conversation. I walked back to the living room, to find Ranger sitting behind his desk, working on the stack of files that I had seen earlier.

"Aurelia says to tell you not to work too much."

"Aurelia doesn't have my job." Do I detect a bit of anger there?

"Aurelia means well, I think." He looked positively shocked when I said this.

"Aurelia needs to mind her own business." And with that he turned his attention back to the file laying in front of him. Discussion closed.

"Would it disturb you if I turned on the tv?" I asked.

"No." I grabbed the remote control and turned the volume to a soft background murmur while I surfed for something nice to watch. I found a documentary about baby animals. They were so cute that I couldn't help myself but keep watching. Slowly I fell asleep again on the couch, snuggled up in the afghan, my head on a pillow.

I woke up sometime later to find the documentary about baby animals replaced by some violent movie. Mmm, not half as appealing. I looked up and saw that Ranger was still working behind his desk, the stack of files considerably smaller than before. He was reading something, while he was holding his head in his left hand, a pen in his right hand making notes on occasion. I looked at the wall clock and saw it was almost 11. Time to move to the bed. I was feeling tired and still a bit sore, and I had a sneaking suspicion that my fever was returning, if the pounding in my head and the hot feeling were any indication. This was also part of the flu. You could wake up after a good night sleep, thinking you were doing much better, and then at the end of the day you felt yourself getting worse again. Oh well, the thought of Rangers bed was appealing anyway. Rangers' bed with Ranger in it sounded even better… Mmm, let's see if I could persuade him to join me. I slowly sat up and he watched me with soft eyes. He looked tired.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"It's going slow." Lovely, non-committal answers.

"You look tired."

"Long day."

"When will you be finished?"

"Later." Jeez, would it kill him to just give me a straight answer once?

"Don't you want to go to bed?" Fish, fish… He gave a quick look in the direction of the bedroom and I swear I saw some longing to throw down his pen and just go to sleep.

"After this is finished." This was discipline talking. I slowly got up and walked towards him. He looked wearily at me, probably wondering what I was up to. I smiled at him, but he didn't return it. I stopped when I was standing next to his desk.

"What is so important that you will pass up the opportunity to sleep in the same bed with me?" I asked playfully. Surprise flashed in his eyes for a moment.

"Babe." I moved to stand behind him and immediately he closed the file in front of him with one hand, while he moved to get up. I put my hands on his shoulders and pushed him to sit back down. I knew I was able to push him back because he allowed me too.

"Babe." It sounded like a warning. This guy really needed to learn how to relax! I squeezed his shoulders with both hands, feeling his strength.

"Relax, Ranger. I'm not going to kill you." I gently dug my fingers in his shoulders again, my thumbs making circular movements. I could feel the tension radiating of him, he wasn't giving in the massage at all.

"You just look like you could do with some sleep," I said, while looking at the back of his head. His hair was short at the moment, like he just had it cut. His neck was exposed and I moved my fingers further up, touching the bare skin of his neck. It felt very soft. Ranger still wasn't talking. Mmmm… Time for more persuasion… I leaned forward and planted a soft kiss just above the collar of his t-shirt on the side of his neck. He went rigid and his hands moved up to cover mine on his shoulders, stopping their massaging movement. I had no idea what was going on here, but my little massage didn't have the desired effect, at all! Better to withdraw before someone got hurt. And since that someone would most likely be me… I once again moved forward to whisper in his ear.

"I was just trying to get you to go to bed." I planted a soft kiss on his cheek and pulled my hands away and walked towards the bedroom. What the hell did just happen here?

Ranger POV

When Stephanie placed her hands on my shoulders, there was nothing more that I would like to do than to lean into her. But I had to finish this, my work was important. When she started massaging me it took all my discipline to stay still because it felt really nice after this long and tiring day. Maybe Aurelia had been on to something when she got Steph to take care of me. No, I am an independent man with a dangerous life. I don't need anybody to take care of me. Suddenly I felt her soft lips kissing my neck and my whole body responded to her sensual touch. I had to put a stop to this quickly, or I would be following her to the bedroom like a little dog tonight. I was surprised that such a little touch could get me so close to breaking point and it scared the hell out of me so I quickly stopped the delicious movement of her hands, trying to get myself back under control. Shit, my body was acting like I was a teenager again! When she whispered in my ear, I almost gave in, but somehow managed to stay in my seat. When the bedroom door closed softly behind her I finally let out the breath that I had been holding. It took some serious breathing exercises and relaxation techniques before I was able to concentrate on work again. It took me another 2 hours to finish all the paperwork and Steph was asleep when I crawled into the bed. I tried to keep my distance from her, but after 40 minutes of laying awake in the dark I gave in and cuddled her into me. She gave a small contented sigh and settled herself against me while I was left contemplating how to survive the next couple of days with her around. I felt like a hypocrite. I had admitted to myself that I loved her, but I still didn't want to give in to it. I was wishing everyday she would say she loved me, but when she came close I tried to push her away. I wanted her to spend time with me, but I didn't want her to interfere with my life. I really needed to finish that paperwork tonight. 'Yeah, right, Manoso. It's not like you couldn't do it tomorrow', I thought sarcastically. Why hadn't I followed her to the bedroom? It was what I had wanted, and to be honest, it was what my body needed. 'Yeah sure', a little voice in the back of my mind said, 'but you don't let somebody else decide for you. You planned on finishing that paperwork, so you finish it. You don't give in to the first sign of temptation'. And for the first time since a long time I cursed my military background.

Chapter 13: Planning!

When I woke up the next morning, I felt better again. I had fallen asleep as soon as my head had touched the pillow and I hadn't woken up at all, so I had no idea if Ranger actually had been in bed with me or not. When I looked at the alarm on the nightstand I saw it was already past 9 o'clock. I stretched and decided a nice long, hot shower was in order. I enjoyed the Bulgari shower gel and the lovely soft towels and found a clean t-shirt in the bag that Tank had dropped off and pulled it on together with jeans and a sweatshirt. I shuffled into the living room and found that Ella had left some breakfast for me. Living with Ranger had its perks! I was just munching on the final piece of bagel when my cell rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi Stephanie. It's Aurelia. How do you feel?"

"Hi Aurelia. I'm much better."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that." There was a small silence. I realised I was the one who had asked for her help yesterday, and deep down I still wanted it, but I was afraid to ask for it, because Ranger would be soooo pissed off if he ever found out. So how to proceed? Luckily Aurelia went right to the heart of the matter.

"Now, about you and Ricardo…"

"Yeah?"

"I think it is wonderful that you are finally going after him. You two will be such a wonderful couple. I mean, it is about time that Ricardo found a woman. He's been a hermit long enough." I almost choked on my coffee… Hermit??? Ranger??

"Um… yeah…" Really, what could I say to that?

Aurelia POV

Okay, maybe the hermit comment was pushing it, but I needed to make sure that Stephanie realised that Ricardo wasn't playing around anymore. If Steph ever found out about the number of women that Ricardo had paraded in front of us… well, lets just say she wouldn't like it. And I had formed a few wonderful plans to get them together. It wouldn't be difficult at all, since they already had the hots for each other! There were a few things that Ricardo didn't like. One of them was our annual family reunions.

We have a large family and once a year we gather together to catch up with everybody. The next one was planned 2 weeks from now, and so far Ricardo usually showed up just in time for dinner and left right after dessert. This would get mother of his back because he had been there, and he at least got dinner while listening to the endless questions about his life. Everybody in the family knew about his military background and his current business, and everybody always wanted to know about his exciting life. Ricardo always said that there was very little fun in fighting wars or dragging murderers back to prison, but everybody else thought differently. Hell, I saved lives on a daily basis, but you only needed to look at Ricardo to know that his life was still in a completely different league.

And of course non of the female family members were blind to his looks, much to Ricardo's irritation. Three years ago there had almost been a fight. Marco, a nephew, had brought his girlfriend. As soon as that woman had laid eyes on Ricardo, she was a goner. Marco was forgotten when she found out that Ricardo was single, and she had followed him wherever he went. First, Ricardo had spend some time talking to her, until her hands had wandered under the table during dinner. When he had made it clear to her that he wasn't interested because she was the girlfriend of a family member, she had started shouting he was molesting her. Marco, already pissed off at the lack of attention that he got from her, lunched at Ricardo. No need to tell you that that fight didn't last 5 seconds. Ricardo had made it clear to Marco he never laid a finger on his girlfriend, and that it was the woman who had been molesting him. (I'm sure he used other words, but well, you get the picture) He had left immediately after, saying he had gotten an emergency call from his company. We all knew it was a load of crap, but well… who could blame him? After that incident, he only came to eat and left immediately after, making sure he was always seated between male members of the family or his sisters or mother. Poor guy… Okay, maybe not.

But the upcoming reunion would be my first target. If I could get him to come AND bring Stephanie, that would be a huge victory. I already knew how to do it. Mother. I would mention to her that she shouldn't forget to ask Ricardo to come, and bring that lovely woman with him that was here around Dad's birthday. Of course Ricardo would protest gravely and then I would mention to him he should reconsider. Coming would mean the world to Mum and Dad, his true weak spot. Bringing Stephanie would deter any other women and he would get to show off a wonderful woman in front of his family. He would never admit it, but he liked to show off. He is a man, after all.

I explained it all to Stephanie, and she somehow seemed apprehensive about the whole reunion idea. I suppose meeting a whole family can be a little intimidating, but come on, you want Ricardo or you don't. In the end she said that she would come if Ricardo asked her. Good enough for me. I told her I would drop by later to check on her and Ricardo and mooch dinner. Stephanie asked if Ricardo would be okay with that. I answered: "Girl, we're a Cuban family. He doesn't have the option of saying no."

Chapter 14: Hot food

I knew that Aurelia was in my apartment when I entered, but I still didn't like it. She knew I didn't want her around, and she just kept coming back. She had never been this persistent in the past… It probably had to do with Stephanie being around. And because Stephanie was around, I wanted Aurelia miles away. She was spoiling the few quiet moments I could have with my Babe and it irritated me. I was tired and had a bad day, I didn't want to spend the evening watching every word I said. I wanted to spend the evening on the couch, in front of the tv, with Steph in my arms. And I sure as hell wouldn't be able to do that as long as Aurelia was around. Because if I so much as touched my Babe when Aurelia was near, I would never hear the end of it. I spend a few extra minutes in the shower trying to control myself, but it was a lost cause. I stepped out and grabbed a towel. My stomach was sore from the bullet that had lodged itself in the vest 2 days ago and I wasn't feeling really good at the end of the day. I knew this was the price I was paying for going straight back to work. I would feel tired longer because my body was still fighting the flu while I was out fighting with criminals. But I had a job to do and as long as I wasn't dying I was doing it. I realised my temper was flaring again when I pulled my t-shirt on with harsh moves, feeling my stomach muscles protest. Relax, Manoso. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. Jezus, I had faced life threatening situations for years without so much as a flinch, and my sister could get me riled up in 5 minutes. I was seriously lacking in skills.

When I opened my bedroom door to go into the living room, Aurelia was talking to Ella while they were laying the table together. Stephanie wasn't in the room. My guess was that she was using the bathroom in the hall.

"Have you cooked for the two of them before, Ella?" Aurelia was asking. That little #!#

"Yeah, Stephanie stayed here for a few days when her life was in danger." Oh no! Shit. Nobody in the family had known about those days.

"Oh really? Does Ricardo ever have other women up here?" Surprise was clear in Aurelia's voice.

"No, of course not, Aurelia. Ranger isn't like that at all. There has never been anybody but Stephanie. They make a lovely couple, don't they?" God, Ella was even a bigger gossip then Aurelia!

"Yeah. Shame they don't see it, huh?"

"Yes, real shame." I heard some sounds coming from the hall and Steph appeared, ending the conversation between Ella and Aurelia. Her eyes found mine and Aurelia and Ella turned to look at me.

"Dinner is ready, Ranger. I even made a nice fruit salad for desert," Ella said.

"Thank you, Ella." What else could I say?

Ella had indeed made a nice meal with chicken breast, mixed vegetables and wild rice. Even my Babe seemed to like it. I was busy trying to think of ways to get rid of Aurelia when she broke the silence.

"You have it all, Ricardo. A lovely house, money and the best cook in the world." I just gave her a look. Where was she going with this?

"The only thing missing is a woman." I glared at her, but still didn't say anything. Steph was suddenly very interested in her food.

"But then I heard from Ella that you have stayed here before, Stephanie?" Steph looked up with a 'deer caught in the headlights' expression.

"Eh… what?" she asked, flicking her eyes to me and back to Aurelia.

"Ella told me you were here when you're life was in danger." Dangerous gleam in the eyes of Aurelia. I was wondering how to end this without bloodshed.

"Oh, uhm. Yeah… But Ranger wasn't here then," Steph said, adding that last part as a quick afterthought.

"Ricardo, what's this? This woman's life was in danger and you're not around?"

"Aurelia!" It was the best I could do, adding a warning look. She just laughed at me and raised an eyebrow. Steph was back to studying her food.

"But Ella said you two were staying here together, Steph?" Aurelia was a master at this. She knew she wouldn't get anything out of me, so she turned her energy back on Steph. Steph choked on a piece of vegetable and turned bright red again. You got to love this woman, she flushes so easily. And I was happy to see that it was the memories of our time spend together here that brought it on. I responded instinctively.

"Babe," I said while grinning at her. She just flashed me an angry look.

"Wow, Steph. Has my brother been that nice to you?" Aurelia said with an insinuating laugh. Shit, I had forgotten about Aurelia for a moment.

"Aurelia!" I said, my voice making it clear that this was her last warning.
"Hey, no need to get upset, big boy. Just making conversation here."

Yeah right. Just making conversation, my ass!

Stephanie POV

Why was Aurelia doing this? I thought she was supposed to help me get Ranger, not to make him mad at me! And all these questions were making him mad as hell, I could see that. The muscles in his jaw were tight and his whole body was rigid. He was doing his level best to stay calm but he wasn't fooling me. Aurelia seemed oblivious, and that made me seriously wonder about her health insurance. Did this woman know what Ranger could do when you pissed him off? Well, you had to hand it to her, she had guts. But it felt very uncomfortable to me! I tried to send her some kind of signal to end this, but she just smiled at me and gave me a wink. Oh shit, why did I ever think it was a good idea to let her help me get Ranger?? She's gonna get me killed!

Aurelia POV

I'm bad, but loving every moment of it. Ricardo and Stephanie are sooo easy to tease when they are together, it's almost no challenge anymore. Stephanie was sending an angry glare my way, but I just smiled back at her. No worries girl, I know what I'm doing. I think so, anyway.

"So, how are you feeling Stephanie?" I thought a change of subject was in order, to let Ricardo cool off a bit.

"Good," she mumbled. She's probably wondering where the catch is in that question. For me it was just nice to see Ricardo taking a good hard look at her to see if she was telling the truth.

"I'm glad you got your appetite back."

"Yeah, me too," she answered.

"I could do with a donut though," she said with a dreamy smile on her face.

"Babe, that stuff will kill you." My brother, the party man. She just glared at him.

"And how are you feeling, Ricardo?" Now it was Steph who was looking at him with a bit of worry in her eyes. God, they were sooo made for each other, it was almost scary.

"I'm fine." Yeah right. Even Steph gave a small snort at his answer, but then quickly returned her attention to her plate again when her response registered with her.

"I'll check both of you after dinner and then I'll let you enjoy your evening together," I said.

"Now, what's for desert?" I asked, to get the conversation going again.

"Ella brought fruit salad," Ricardo said. I got up and gathered the plates and walked into the kitchen. I returned with the fruit salad and 3 bowls and spoons. Steph seemed to think about declining, but in the end accepted the bowl I held in front of her. After I gave all three of us a bowl I sat down again. The salad had several types of fruit in there, mostly red summer fruit such as strawberries, raspberries and red currents. Steph picked out a large strawberry and took a bite out of it, looking at Ricardo. Ricardo actually had been doing the same thing and for a moment the air sizzled with electricity between them. Their eyes got this sexy look in them and I was obviously forgotten. Yikes… Talk about attraction! You could see them undressing each other in their minds, moving this little party into the bedroom.

"You guys want whipped cream with that?" I asked innocently.

Chapter 15: Getting closer

Stephanie's head snapped back up, blushing furiously again, while Ricardo slowly bowed his head and closed his eyes, breathing slowly. I had to try real hard to smother my laughter. This was just so amusing. I had never seen Ricardo react to a woman like this. It was like he was a horny teenager again, following his you-know-what around. (And according to my friends he had an excellent you-know-what. I had screamed through any other information regarding that particular body part of Ricardo, but several had mentioned it so I think it is only fair to let you know, despite the 'yyyeeeeewwww, he's my brother, do not tell me these things!' factor in it.)

"Don't you have to leave?" Ricardo gritted out. Oh, he wanted me gone alright.

"No hurry, I have the evening off," I said with a smile. Huge glare from Ricardo.

The rest of the dessert was eaten in silence. I suspected that they were both afraid of what might come out of their mouths when they opened it. Me, I was just letting them stew for a while, enjoying the tension that hung in the air thoroughly. After we were finished I sent them both to the couch while I cleaned up.

"It's no problem, guys. Just take it easy. You're both recovering from the flu."

I was curious to see where they would sit, and more than happy to see that they sat down next to each other on the couch. There was still a decent space between them, but at least Ricardo hadn't opted for the cowards' choice of a chair. This choice held potential. I washed everything up and put it back on the tray so Ella could take it down later tonight. I might have taken a bit longer then absolutely necessary, but that had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Stephanie and Ricardo seemed to scoot closer and closer on the couch. Not at all, I just like to wash the dishes thoroughly. Honest! It's my biggest hobby, washing up! Mmm, didn't think you'd believe that one either, but still.

Soft music was playing and by now Ricardo had pulled Steph against him. Her head was on his shoulder and his arm was around her, softly stroking her arm. Sweet. I didn't want to disturb them, so I made some coffee and tea without asking if they wanted any. I made some herbal tea for Ricardo and guessed that Steph looked more like a coffee person. I took the mugs with me and walked into the living room. Steph shot up and pulled away from Ricardo. Damn. It earned me anther glare from Ricardo, probably missing the contact with Stephanie already. Don't worry, dear brother, it won't be long before you can hold her all you want. If you would just work with me!

"Feeling tired, Steph?" I asked softly while placing the mugs on the coffee table. Stephanie just nodded.

"It's normal, you're still fighting the flu. Listen to your body." She just nodded again. I grabbed my bag and extracted a few items, feeling both Stephanie's and Ricardo's eyes on me.

"Let me check you guys and then I'll be on my way." I kneeled in front of Stephanie and asked her to open her mouth. I looked at her throat and listened to her heart and lungs. Finally I took her temperature, which was still elevated, but nowhere near fever. She was doing much better.

"You feeling better?" I asked her.

"Yes, my throat is almost back to normal and I don't feel as hot as before."

"That's good. Your fever is gone, but your temperature is still elevated. Give yourself another two days to completely recover, okay?" Steph nodded, but I could see her thinking about how fast she could start working again, so I turned to look at Ricardo.

"I'll make sure she rests for another 2 days," Ricardo said. Steph glared at him, but he just smiled.

"Humpf."

"Babe," Ricardo said.

"Steph, just enjoy another 2 days in Hotel Manoso. You have room service, all luxury you could wish for, and Ricardo himself. What more do you want?" I gave her a meaningful glance and saw her go through the list that I just named.

"Okay, if you think it's necessary…" she sighed. I couldn't believe my ears! Girl, do you want the guy or not? My friends would kill for a situation like this, and she was trying to get away! Ricardo laughed softly and pulled her against him.

"Babe. Yes, it is necessary and I'll make sure you rest for a few more days."

"That's easy for you to say, you're working again, making money and chasing criminals. I sit here, watching television, waiting to get better."

"Patience, Babe." He gave her a quick kiss against her forehead, and Steph relaxed in his embrace. And I saw the perfect opportunity to push Ricardo's buttons again.

"Why don't you lay down on the couch, Steph? Take a nice nap," I said, while I grabbed the afghan. Steph seemed unsure of what to do and Ricardo made a move to get up.

"No need to get up, Ricardo. Steph, just use him as a pillow, he won't mind." Steph looked at Ricardo, unsure, but just as I suspected, Ricardo gave her a small nod. He wanted her close, I could tell by the look in his eyes! She slowly put her head on his leg and pulled her feet up on the other end. I put the afghan over her and she snuggled in. Ricardo's hand found her hair and he played with it absentmindedly while I pretended to be busy with something. Just as he was comfortable I turned around again and said:

"Your turn, Ric."

"I'm fine, Aurelia," he said. And for once Steph helped me.

"Oh, that's not fair, Ranger. I have to do everything Aurelia says and you won't even let her check you." Yes, you go girl! I looked at Ricardo's face and he seemed surprised for a moment. I was just hoping that Ricardo wouldn't want to leave his place on the couch, with Steph cuddled against him.

"That's right, Ricardo," I said. He glared at me, but I could see that I was going to win this one. He really didn't want to leave his position on the couch. He was in luuurrrvvee! Aw, sweet.

"Fine. But make it quick," he gritted out.

"Sure. Just take your shirt off." With a deep sigh he moved his hands up and pulled his shirt over his head. Steph looked at him from her position on his lap and her eyes glazed over. She had it bad for him too.

I listened to his heart and lungs and took his temperature as well. Heart and lungs were fine, but his temperature was slightly higher than normal. Mmmm. Then I looked at the bruise on his stomach once more. It was dark and large, but there appeared to be no further damage. The man is made of steel.

"Your temperature is a bit high," I said. He didn't say anything, but Steph was looking at him with worry on her face. They were so caring towards each other it made my heart warm up.

"You should take it easy for a few days," I continued. He just nodded, and we both knew it wasn't going to happen.

"The flu could return, you know," I added. He just looked at me, willing me to leave.

"I'm fine, Aurelia. Really." Yeah, he looked fine, with Steph laying on his lap and his hand tenderly going through her curls.

"Well, I'll be leaving now. No need to get up, I'll find my way out." I gave both Ricardo and Steph a quick kiss on the cheek and grabbed my stuff.

I didn't fail to notice that Ricardo had left his shirt off.