Chapter Fifteen

Ranger POV

After I returned from Boston, my first move was to track down Stephanie. When I found her in the break room, my brain short-circuited at the sight of her in that dress that did everything to emphasize her assets and bring out the blue of her eyes. Travelling down her body with my eyes, I worked to suppress a grin at the sight of her fuzzy slippers. I could get used to coming home to the presence of this adorable woman. I offered her a date or a ride to the club and was pleased when she agreed to come with me. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with her tonight, and going together could only help with that goal.

I normally would never answer the types of questions she asked me in the car on the way to the club, but I think I understood her reasons for asking so I made an exception for her and tried to quell my discomfort at revealing information about myself.

Holding her in my arms during the several dances we had together felt good, and right and at the end of the night, I felt like we were closer. She nodded off in my car on the way home, and I was once again honoured to know she trusted me that much.

Stephanie POV

Over the next few weeks, I settled into my routine. I had fully absorbed most of the administrative tasks from Carlos and Tank, and we saved the company some money by renegotiating supply contracts with the vendors. Carlos had asked me to combine all four of the Rangeman locations, so we were able to arrange a volume discount.

Tank and I developed a comfortable rhythm too. He and I spent an hour together on the range three times a week, and he had approved when I broached him with my HR certification idea. I had started taking the classes a week before and as they were mostly online, I could take them at my own pace. I started blending the coursework into my day at Rangeman, and since it was work-related, I didn't feel bad about that. Tank and Carlos approved too.

I had sort of become Lester's unofficial sales partner. We didn't go out together on calls every afternoon, but at least three meetings per week were arranged where attendance from both of us was expected. Lester had me take point on a few of these calls, and I was pleased that we were able to sign the majority of interested potential clients.

I had come a long way in my professional life, but I felt like I was still lagging personally. I was training in the gym and on the range, and I felt stronger and safer, especially now that I was wearing one of my holsters – complete with loaded gun – everywhere I went. I had also been growing closer to my old friends and we had gone out together several times over the past few weeks. I even babysat for Mary Lou's kids one night so she and Lenny could go to a movie, but her kids were bundles of energy and I felt drained afterwards. I took her word for it that Eddie's kids were way more of a handful and declined his request to babysit for him.

"No way, Eddie, ML says they're nuts. I'd wind up tied to a chair with a brand-new haircut or something. And I finally got it the way I like it," I said, only joking a little as we sat having lunch in Pino's. Carl had babysat for Eddie and Shirley before, and he was emphatically nodding his head in agreement of my denying Eddie babysitting services.

After lunch, I approved a couple of shift swaps from the guys, then as I was settling into my online coursework, Tank knocked on my door. "Hey, Little Girl, got a minute?"

"For you, I have all the time in the world. What's up?" I asked with a smile.

He sat in the chair across from my desk. "I was wondering if you'd given any thought to getting field-certified?"

"I've thought about it, but I've tried to focus mostly on getting good at my job first. What's involved in getting certified?"

"Well, there's the firearms test, but I don't see you having any problem with that. There's also the fitness test, which is set to Army standards. You need a minimum of sixty points per section, for a total minimum of one hundred and eighty points. For a female soldier, 60 points is seventeen pushups in two minutes, forty-five situps in two minutes and run two miles in at least twenty minutes, thirty seconds. Carrying a gun is also standard, but I know you're already doing that. And finally, any time you're out in the field, you'd have a partner. I'd also like to teach you self-defence. All of the field-rated employees are proficient in at least one martial art, but it's not a requirement so much as it is a recommendation. Since you're the only woman, I would feel a lot better if you were able to defend yourself adequately against someone who tries to attack you."

"The tests are quarterly right? So if I passed the standards, became field-ready, I'd have to pass it all over again three months later?"

He grinned. "Yeah, Little Girl, you'd have to stay in shape. No fat mall cops here."

"I can do that. Would you be able to help me make sure I'm ready for the test?"

"I'd be happy to, and if I can't, then any of the core team will help."

"Okay, I'm in. I really want to go along with the guys and I like getting out of the office."

"We'll start on Monday, okay?" he said as he was leaving.

I walked down the hall to Carlos' office. He waved me in and held up a finger to ask me to wait while he finished his phone call. I sat down in his guest chair and watched him while he spoke into the phone. He is a natural born leader with a commanding presence even over the phone. He never seemed to raise his voice, but he never failed to get anyone's attention. He's always been gentle with me, but in the past week or so he's made no secret of his attraction to me. A few days ago, I woke to find a single red rose in a bud vase on my dining room table, along with a card that read,

Just to make you smile. C.

Two nights ago when we were lounging on his couch watching a movie, he gave me a foot massage. Last night, he kissed me and told me to "think about it." I had been thinking of nothing else for the past few weeks, ever since our night out, and I finally felt ready to at least go out on a date with him. I was roused from my thoughts as I heard him winding down his call and when he hung up and arched an eyebrow in my direction, I smiled softly at him.

"Carlos, want to go out on a date tonight?" I asked.

His smile lit up his face and made him even more impossibly gorgeous than he normally was. He stood and walked around his desk, resting on the edge in front of me. He took my hand and kissed the back, his eyes locked with mine. "You mean it?" he asked.

I nodded slowly. "I think I'm ready."

He gazed at me for a moment more, then said, "Dress up, babe. I'm taking you somewhere special. I'll come by your apartment at six thirty."

Three hours later, I was showered, shaved and dressed in my little black dress, which came to about four inches above my knee. It was sleeveless, with a neckline that hit my neck and ruched seams with little ties at the sides of the skirt. It fit tightly to my body and made my legs look even longer than they were. My hair was tamed into soft ringlets and I kept my makeup light and fresh in a nod to the warm weather. Nothing looks worse than makeup running down your face!

I had a wonderful time with Carlos. He brought me to a small French bistro he knew and ordered for both of us in flawless French. I told him to surprise me, secretly hoping I would not see snails anywhere near my plate. Luckily, he ordered Boeuf Bourguignon, which was a delicious dish of beef with carrots, onions, and bacon in a sort of wine sauce. For dessert, I ordered chocolate mousse and even managed to tempt him into eating a small bite, though mostly he seemed to enjoy my enjoyment of the rich dessert. He kept a light flirty tone throughout our dinner and afterwards he took me to an art gallery that featured a local artist. It was interesting work, but a bit too abstract for my tastes. I had fun though, and he held tightly to my hand as we walked around and discussed the art.

On the way back to the Rangeman building at the end of the evening, Carlos was quiet, but kept his fingers entwined with mine, resting both on his thigh. A couple of times when stopped at lights, he caught my attention and smiled softly at me as he kissed my knuckles. When we finally parked in the garage, he killed the engine and turned to face me. "Steph, I had a really good time with you tonight."

I smiled and leaned over the console and kissed him sweetly. "Thank you, Carlos; I had a wonderful time too and I hope we get to do this again soon."

He walked me to my apartment and slipped inside when I opened the door. He closed it and backed me against it. He cupped my face in his hands and slanted his lips across mine, tracing his tongue against my mouth. I moaned a little and parted my lips, inviting his tongue inside and swirling it with mine. I gripped his shirt in my fists, and we stood there for a few long beats, our mouths fused together until I felt like I would melt in a puddle before him. He winked at me and said, "sweet dreams, babe," before he left.