Chapter 7

She awoke the next morning to the sound of steady pounding from another room. Disoriented, Stephanie sat up and looked around the bedroom. It looked the same as it had the night before, dark and windowless with only the nightlight for illumination. Looking at the clock she saw that it was just after nine in the morning. She turned over and studied the other half of the bed. The blankets had been straightened but Ranger's pillow was bunched up and overlapping the edge of hers, indicating he had come to bed at some point. Perhaps he'd even held her.

Standing from the bed, she made her way out of the room and as she glanced down the hall into the den, she saw that Ranger was running on a treadmill, his back to her. She didn't remember seeing a treadmill anywhere in the bunker last night but clearly he'd had one stashed somewhere, maybe folded up in a closet. She was surprised he didn't hear her when she came out of the bedroom but perhaps he couldn't over the hum of the machine and the steady clip of his feet. She took a moment to watch the graceful form of his body, studying the pronounced contrast between the breadth of his shoulders and the narrowness of his lean waist and hips. His body was gleaming with sweat, which only emphasized each cut and ripple of muscle beneath his caramel skin. When she realized she had been staring at his ass for more than a minute, she shook herself out of her stupor and ducked into the bathroom.

She turned on the light and was surprised to see that Ranger had unpacked her toiletries as well as his own. The sight of their toothbrushes side by side on the counter screamed domesticity. The birth control packet lying innocuously near the toothbrushes spoke of intimacy. She noted a small amount of her cosmetics, as well as his deodorant, shaving cream and razor were on top of the counter. The rest had been put away under the sink.

Tugging back the shower curtain, she reached in and adjusted the water before brushing her teeth. She then took care of other necessities and undressed before stepping under the hot spray. Once her hair was completely saturated with water, she lathered it with shampoo, then rinsed. Then she applied conditioner from root to tip. When she placed the conditioner bottle back on the ledge, she saw that there were two body wash bottles side by side. One was Bulgari and the other was a Japanese cherry blossom scent made by a popular bath and body chain. It was the only item he'd brought for her that wasn't a replica of something she already owned.

Though her first inclination was to go with the familiar; his Bulgari gel, she was intrigued that Ranger might have spent even a moment thinking about what he would like to smell on her skin. Knowing that a person could only smell their own skin initially after applying a scent, she realized that in a way, he had chosen this scent almost exclusively for his benefit.

She opened the cap on the bottle and poured a generous portion into her palm. Then she smoothed it across her arm and closed her eyes as the rich, sensual and decidedly feminine scent permeated the steamy air. Deciding she approved of his choice, she took her time cleaning her body and shaving. When she finished, she rinsed the conditioner out of her hair and turned off the water. It was then that she realized that she had forgotten to grab a bath towel. She remembered seeing a few stacked under the sink along with some washcloths, but she hadn't thought to grab one. Looking up, she saw that Ranger had left his towel from last night to dry on the curtain rod. She tugged it down and held it to her face, nearly moaning at the scent of him clean from the shower. She used the towel to wick the worst of the moisture from her hair, then dried her skin and wrapped the towel around her torso, tucking the end between her breasts.

Stepping out of the shower, she flipped on the exhaust fan and cracked the bathroom door open to help the steam dissipate. Then she rooted around drawers coming up with her hair serum and a comb. Twenty minutes later her hair was still damp but was blessedly tangle free and falling in wet ringlets over her shoulders and down her back. On the sink she saw her brand of deodorant next to a tube of cherry blossom lotion. She applied the deodorant and spent a few minutes slathering the luxuriously thick lotion on every inch of her skin. After nearly a week of nothing but generic hotel soaps and lotions, the two surprise items from Ranger seemed both decadent and heart-wrenchingly thoughtful.

When she stepped through the bathroom door, she nearly collided with Ranger who was walking briskly towards the office. He clasped her shoulders automatically at the same time she laid a hand on his naked chest. They both stood there frozen a moment. She saw that he had an iPod strapped to his massive bicep and ear buds in both ears. She could hear bits of tinny music blasting through the ear buds and she gently tugged one from his left ear and inserted it into her own. It was the end of Bulls on Parade by Rage Against the Machine. She knew he listened to classical music at times and rap at others, depending on his mood. She had no idea his musical taste ran in this direction. When the song faded out, the opening chords to Ain't no Right by Jane's Addiction came on. Ranger had a penchant for angry anti-authority music and she didn't know why she was so surprised. She supposed when the songs were popular he might have been quite the resentful young man.

She smiled softly and looked up at Ranger. His shoulders were rapidly rising and falling, his breathing obviously elevated from running on the treadmill. A few tendrils of his hair had come loose from his low ponytail and they clung damply to the edges of his face. She looked up at his eyes and saw that they were dilated black and feral, making her heart skip a beat. She tugged the ear bud from her ear and took a step in retreat only to watch Ranger take a step forward, backing her into the wall.

Suddenly, her heartbeat increased along with her breathing as though she were the one who had run miles and miles on the treadmill. Looking at her mouth, Ranger pressed himself insistently between her legs. With only the thin barriers of her towel and his loose basketball shorts, she could feel the heat and length of his erection jutting into her abdomen. Why now? They had showered together every single morning when they'd been on the road and he'd never made a move to touch her. As far as she could tell, he barely even looked at her.

He raised his hands and placed them on the wall at either side of her head. His intense focus lifted from her mouth to her eyes and he leaned in until his lips were a breath away from hers. When she unconsciously licked her dry lips, her tongue briefly flicked across his. A groan tore from his chest and he angled his mouth across hers as a hand snaked up the back of her neck and tugged sharply at her hair.

When she moaned into his mouth he thrust his tongue inside brutally. It was erotic and primal and for a moment she stopped thinking and let herself be claimed. Her hands skimmed up the contours of his abdomen, curving over his pectorals, and then gripping so fiercely at his chest, her nails bit into skin. He groaned again and changed the angle of the kiss and thrust his tongue deeper. His other hand fell from the wall. She heard the faint sound of the iPod dropping to the floor and then he clasped her thigh, pulling her leg up to curve around his hip, opening her to him.

As he grasped the full cheek of her bottom, she dropped her head back from the kiss, thudding her head against the wall. He bent at the knees and thrust his fabric-covered cock against her naked sex, dragging a moan from her throat. His lips, tongue and teeth moved to her neck and shoulder as her hips began to sensually undulate in concert to his thrusts. When his hand slid slowly from her ass toward her sex, she jerked and grabbed his wrist.

She gasped out, "Ranger stop … we can't-"

On a growl, he said, "Oh, I think we can."

"I have my period."

"I don't care," he whispered into her neck.

"I do."

He pulled his head back slightly and impaled her with black eyes, the lust still shimmering in them. "Is that the only reason?"

Their eyes locked and both were still very aware of the intimate way they were pressed together, groin-to-groin, sex-to-sex. She looked away first, moving her gaze to a point over his shoulder. "You said I could speak with my father today… and call Joe."

His blank face slammed down. He released his grip on her thigh and took a step back. "Dress in clothes comfortable for exercise. I have about thirty more minutes to my workout. You can call them while I finish. Then we'll work on defensive maneuvers and I want you to run at least a mile on the treadmill." With that, he walked into the office and came back out with the phone. After handing it to her, he turned and went back into the office, effectively dismissing her yet again.

Walking into the master bedroom, Steph dropped her towel and quickly pulled on a bra, panties, a pair of black spandex bike shorts and a t-shirt. Then she sat at the edge of the bed and dialed her parents' house with a shaky finger.

Her mother answered on the third ring.

"Mom? Can I talk to Daddy?"

"Stephanie! Where are you? What have you done? Did you know that Gladys Majeski is telling everybody-"

Stephanie hunched over with her hand on her forehead. "Mom, please stop."

"How could you do this to poor Joseph? He's worried sick about you! I'm not sure he'll ever take you back after you-"

She heard the phone being fumbled and then a long pause. Then she heard a door click shut. Her father's voice came on the line. "How are you doing, Pumpkin?"

Steph let out a shaky breath. "Fine, Dad."

"Manoso taking care of you?"

"Yes."

"Good. Good. Are you in a safe place?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"That's okay, baby. I understand. I don't want you to worry about us. I just want you to take care of yourself."

"Thank you, Daddy." She felt her eyes burn at her father's trust and unflagging support.

Her father cleared his throat. "I think you should call Joe, sweetheart."

"Does he know that you…"

"Pumpkin, I don't really know anything, do I? But I think he knows that I'm aware things are not as they seem. He's angry, sweetheart. But I know he's worried too."

"I don't know what to say to him."

Her father was silent for a moment. "Just let him know you're safe."

Stephanie dragged her hand through her hair and nodded. "Okay. I'd better go. I love you Daddy," her voice trailed off with a crack.

"Love you too, Pumpkin." And he disconnected.

She stared down at the phone in her hand and took several deep breaths. Then she dialed Joe's cell phone number, praying it would roll over to voicemail. No such luck.

"Morelli."

"It's me, Joe."

"Cupcake?"

She sighed, "Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Where are you?"

"You know I can't tell you that, Joe."

"How much longer are you going to be gone?"

"As long as it takes."

"He hasn't told you anything?"

"Joe, he doesn't talk much. You know that."

"I guess he has better things to do with you than talk."

"Joe."

"I'm sorry. This is … I know this isn't easy for you but you have to know it's hard on me too."

"I know. I'm sorry, Joe."

He let out a weary sigh and she could just picture him looking down at his shoes. "Steph, I know this isn't the time, but…"

"But?"

He stalled as if searching for the right words. "I don't know if we can reconcile after this is all over."

"Reconcile? We've broken up?"

"Shit, Steph. It's all over the 'Burg that you ran off with Manoso in the middle of the night. You've been gone nearly a week. It doesn't look good."

"So you have to break up with me to save your pride?"

"Christ, Steph, if it was about my pride, I would have ended things a long time ago. Maybe the first time I stopped by the bonds office and saw you in the alley with him. Or the times I've driven by your apartment and seen his car parked there at odd hours in the middle of the night. Or maybe when the guys at work rag me about what you must be giving Manoso to get those cars from him."

"He doesn't give me those cars for sex! I've never cheated on you Joe!"

"Have you kissed him while we've been together?"

"Joe."

"Have you? Have you thought about having sex with him? Have you almost had sex with him? Have you thought about why you jump every time he snaps his fingers? Is it because you're just that good of a friend or is there another reason you can't say no to him?"

She wanted to deny it but she couldn't. She'd cheapened their relationship enough. The least she owed him was the dignity of knowing that he was the one who decided to end things.

"I don't know what to say, Joe. I-"

"Steph, there's a reason it's so easy for everyone to believe that you could just run off with Manoso. It's plain as day that the man wants you and has wanted you for a long time."

She said nothing so he continued. "And it's clear to me you have feelings for him. I don't get it, but it's there. I can't do this, Steph. I committed to you a long time ago but the most you've been willing to do is straddle the line, one foot in his world and one foot in mine. I think if you loved me the way I love you, Manoso wouldn't even be a blip on your radar."

"But, Joe-"

"Steph, stop. I love you and I'm worried sick about you. I want you to be safe and I want you to come home. But I just can't do this anymore."

She closed her eyes against her tears and nodded. She hated that it had come to this and she hated that he had to finally make the decision, when she should have come to the same conclusion on her own a long time ago. But what she hated most right now was herself. Joe was a good guy, and she loved him, but the way she had been handling her indecision was unfair, even cruel to Joe.

In a voice thick with tears, she said, "I'm sorry Joe. I do love you."

"I know you do Cupcake. Just not enough."

Steph spent a few minutes staring at the phone and trying to collect herself. When she felt ready, she decided she needed to wash her face and pull her hair back into a ponytail so she headed out of the bedroom intent on going back into the bathroom.

She stopped short when she saw that Ranger was hanging upside down from the office door, feet in some sort of boots suspended from a bar mounted in the upper part of the doorway. He was facing out, into the hallway, but his eyes were closed and he had his ear buds back in. Arms crossed at the wrist over his chest, he was doing slow inverse crunches that made every line, hill and valley of his abdomen stand out like a relief map.

When her eyes dropped to his face again, he was watching her. He swung back slightly like a trapeze artist to get momentum, then swung forward and curled up, grabbing the bar with his hands. Efficiently, he dealt with the buckles

He swung his feet down and lifted the bar out of the brackets that had been screwed into the doorframe, but painted white so they wouldn't be noticeable. Walking into the office, she heard him drop the bar and the boots into the closet and then close the closet door. When he came back out, he had removed both ear buds and the iPod was in his hand.

Studying her face, he said, "Calls not go well?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and pivoted on her heel, heading to the bathroom. After flipping on the bathroom light, she turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face. Blindly, she grabbed for the towel she knew was hanging on the wall and was surprised to have Ranger hand it to her. She thanked him quietly. After she blotted her face dry, she replaced the towel and scraped her hair back into submission while trying to ignore the man leaning in the doorway watching her.

"You talk to your dad?"

"Yes."

"Everything okay?"

"Not really, but he told me not to worry about them."

She rooted around in the drawer for an elastic with one hand, while holding her hair back with the other. What she found was a packet of unopened elastics. She let out an aggravated sigh. Ranger leaned in and grabbed the packet from her. He opened it quickly and gave her one.

"And Joe?"

She winced when she tugged her hair too tight. "I don't want to talk about this with you." He said nothing, just stood still, watching her face in the mirror. When she couldn't take his scrutiny any more, she turned to him and said, "I thought you wanted to start training me. Can we get on with it?"

Crossing his arms over his bare chest and leaning against the doorjamb, he said, "It's going to become difficult for you to avoid me in a sixteen hundred square foot bunker, Steph."

"I'm not avoiding you, Ranger, I just don't want to talk about this right now."

"We'll talk about eventually."

She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, insolently mirroring his pose. "I find it ironic that you expect me to just do what you say and lay everything out there for you when you don't do the same for me in return. You won't even tell me what you have planned, a timeline, anything."

He stiffened slightly. "I tell you what you need to know, exactly when I think you need to know it."

She shook her head and stood straight. As she brushed past him she muttered, "Exactly my philosophy."