I sat in my car to eat two subs. They tasted as good as I remembered. The third would be my snack for later. I debated between visiting Carmen's apartment and going home. My instincts pushed me into retreating for the night. Stark St was dangerous enough during the day. At night, you'd be crazy to visit. Thor warned me to keep my powers hidden.
My body craved sexual release too much to galavant around Stark St. I went home, put my sub in the refrigerator and stripped to shower. The showerhead massager was about to get a workout. I placed my right foot on the tub edge, then lowered the pulsating shower massager to jet water at my clit.
I used my left hand to hold the massager and my right to touch myself. The bathroom door opened, but I refused to acknowledge the man who entered. He wasn't dangerous in the "I'm going to kill you" sense, though he could potentially destroy me emotionally. I knew Steve Rogers was in my apartment.
A naked body pressed against my back. The man removed the showerhead massager, then replaced my fingers with his. I exploded on his hand when he flicked my sensitive clit. He pushed me forward to penetrate me from behind. My vagina stretched to fit his girth. "So full," I replied. "Harder."
"Steph," Steve whispered as he convulsed inside me. I screamed his name as my body shook. Steve held me in position, preventing my legs from giving out.
"Why are you here?" I asked.
He kissed my shoulder and helped me wash away the stickiness of our encounter. "Watching you pleasure yourself was too much for me to resist," he replied. "I'm only a man."
I didn't want to know why he was in the shower with me, I wanted to know why he was in my apartment. When I turned to face him, he lifted me into his arms and pushed inside me again. My head fell back against the cold tiles. I wrapped my legs around his waist, changing the angle. He was hitting me in all the right spots.
His left hand tweaked my nipples as his right massaged my ass. Steve slipped a finger into me as he pumped. The sensory overload had me panting and ready to explode. A pinch to my clit sent me over. It was the most intense orgasm of my life. Steve Rogers was not the innocent man Tony Stark had assumed. Rogers was an experienced lover.
Steve gently kissed me before pulling from my body. I felt empty. He rinsed his body, then stepped from the shower. I rested my head against the shower wall and prayed I didn't imagine the encounter. A tear dripped off my chin. I hastily wiped the tears from my cheeks and wrapped a towel around my body.
When I exited the washroom, I found Steve lying naked in my bed. "Why are you here?" I asked.
"I need you," he replied. I dropped the towel and crawled into bed beside him. He rolled on top of me. I hoped I didn't regret this in the morning. Steve kissed down my body. He licked, sucked, bit and kissed my exposed skin. My hips rose from the bed when his tongue entered me. His finger joined his tongue. It didn't take long for me to orgasm. When he pushed inside me again, he fucked me hard.
My eyes rolled to the back of my head as Steve took me to new heights. It was the single best and worst night of my existence. Because in the morning, Steve was gone. Our night of endless pleasure was over.
I found a note with a cup of coffee and a donut. "What we shared is all I can offer. I'm sorry ~S." It was then that I let my emotions loose. I cried and refused Steve's gifts. Steve loved me, then left me. I had never felt so used. The pain in my heart overrode the ache in my vagina.
After washing the sheets, I decided to work on capturing Morelli. Never again would I let Steve occupy my bed or shower unless he could give all of himself to me. He hurt me worse than Eddie dumping me when I joined the Army. Steve could only offer me sexual gratification. It was a tempting offer, but I respected myself too much to settle for a sex-only relationship with a man I loved.
The sub I placed in the fridge was gone. Steve must have eaten it during the night to refuel after having sex. It didn't matter. I grabbed cash from the freezer to take while I ran some errands.
Could the day get worse? Apparently it could because my car got covered in garbage when one of my neighbours missed the bin. I shook my head, then drove to the car wash to clean the car.
When I drove down Hamilton, a diner caught my eye. My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I never ate breakfast. I entered the family owned establishment then felt my neck tingle. Well, what do you know? Manoso was sitting in the back booth, drinking coffee and eating. Was that half a grapefruit? It was barely enough nourishment for a soldier. I smiled when I approached him.
"Watching your girlish figure?" I joked. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Stephanie Plum." I extended my hand for him to shake. It was the first time I gave him my real name.
"Carlos Manoso," he unnecessarily replied. "Everyone calls me Ranger." Manoso gave me two names I already knew.
The waitress approached me. I ordered scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, a side order of bacon and a stack of pancakes. Any restaurant offering breakfast all day was my kind of place. She returned fifteen minutes later with my food. Ranger watched in amusement when I cleaned my plate. "Haven't you seen a girl eat before?" I teased. My father could consume twice the amount of food.
"Where does it go?" he wondered.
"Hollow leg?" I retorted. "I have a high metabolism." It wasn't exactly a lie. I required more nourishment than the typical Midgardian woman.
"That stuff will kill you, Babe," he replied. I rolled my eyes and smiled when the waitress asked if I wanted anything else. Ranger grinned when I ordered a slice of cherry pie.
The waitress set my plate on the table. "I brought you two forks in case your man wanted some," she said while winking. Ya… I was not sharing. Ranger made a derogatory comment regarding pie. I ignored him.
"What are you doing here?" Ranger asked.
"Eating," I replied. Ranger laughed. It was a pleasant sound, and it made him look drop-dead gorgeous.
"I meant, why are you in Trenton?" he asked, rewording his initial question. I ate the last bite of my pie and licked the fork. His eyes watched the motion before his hand disappeared beneath the table. I had seen him do that several times as I intentionally moaned through eating the delicious breakfast.
"Making you horny?" I asked. He smirked and waited for me to answer the question. "Okay. You want the real reason?" Ranger nodded. "I live here."
"Babe?"
I sighed. "My name is Stephanie," I reminded him.
"Benny Blaze and Tasha, too," Ranger quietly said. I knew he had figured it out. "Even with green contacts, I knew it was you." He smiled when I attempted to raise an eyebrow and failed. Ranger leaned forward to touch my hand. "I feel you."
"Do the others know?" I asked.
"No. I won't spill your secrets," he replied. "Are you still working?"
"As needed," I replied. Ranger nodded. "At the moment, I'm working for my cousin Vinnie."
"Did you take the cop?" I confirmed, then told him about the file. "I refused when Vinnie offered. I'm attempting to build a good reputation with the local precinct," he explained when I asked.
"I can help if you hit a brick wall," I offered. "I have… connections."
"There was a time we connected," he paused for effect, "against a brick wall," he growled.
"Something you and I would never repeat," I said. Ranger sat back. "Is there a reason for building a professional relationship with the precinct?"
"I'm opening a branch in Trenton," he replied. I waited for him to explain. "My business partners, Santos, Brown and Sherman, invested in starting a security company. We have branches ready to open in Miami and Atlanta. I want to add one to Trenton and Boston."
"Does your company have a name?"
"We tossed a few ideas out there." I patiently waited for him to offer the suggestions from the other men. "Ranger Man, Secure It, Militia Securities and Two Guns Security." Was he serious?
I snickered at Militia and Two Guns. Those were ridiculous names. "Why Ranger Man?" I asked.
"My partners were a part of my Rangers team," Ranger explained. I knew he earned the moniker of Ranger for being the top recruit in his training class. Ranger had broken every record set by my Uncle Frank.
"What about Rangeman?" I asked. He thought for a few minutes and nodded. Ranger used his phone to send a text message.
"Do you trust me?" Ranger asked. I nodded, then followed him to the parking lot. He got me to sit in his black Mercedes SUV. It was a sweet ride. We drove to a warehouse across town. He opened the doors to drive inside. The space contained a few doors along the right side wall, hiding rooms from view.
I recognized the men from my last mission. Lester's knee bounced, showing his impatience. Tank's eyes narrowed as he attempted to reconcile where he had seen me. Bobby smiled and walked towards me. "I'm Bobby Brown, ma'am," he said. I shook his offered hand.
"Stephanie Plum. Please call me Stephanie or Steph," I replied.
Lester jumped from his chair to introduce himself. I shook his hand. When I turned towards Tank, Lester pinched my ass. I had him pinned to the ground within seconds. "Get her off," Lester whispered.
"Do not ever touch me again, Santos," I snapped. "I will shove your balls up so high you could taste them." He nodded and accepted the help from Bobby.
Tank and Ranger shook from silent laughter. I approached Tank and extended my hand. "Hi, I'm Stephanie Plum. Please call me Steph."
"No," Tank replied and crossed his arms.
"No?" I asked. He shook his hand. "Fine! Bring it in, Big Guy," I said, holding my arms to the sides. Tank scooped me into his arms. "If you grab my ass, I will bring you to your knees."
He whispered, "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Blaze." I kissed his cheek and rubbed his bald head.
"Should I tell them?" I asked Tank. He nodded and said I could trust Lester and Bobby.
"Should you tell us what?" Lester asked. Lester wisely kept his distance.
"How about you and I spar and see if you can figure it out," I replied. Lester raised an eyebrow. Tank and Ranger grinned while Bobby looked confused.
I snapped my fingers. Bobby grabbed the tape to protect our knuckles.
Ranger pointed to the mats he set up with Tank. It was unnecessary, but it would keep Lester from getting hurt. "Rules?" Lester asked.
"What are your typical rules?" I countered.
"No crotch shots and only pull punches to the face," Lester replied.
"Sounds good to me," I said.
It didn't take Bobby long to make the connection. Lester, however, was a bit slower. He thought I got lucky earlier. I had pinned Lester to the mats for the sixth time when he finally tapped out. "Shit! You're not only beautiful, but you kicked my ass," Lester said.
I helped him up from the floor. "Did Lester even land a hit?" I wondered.
"No. You deflected every time," Bobby replied as he removed the tape from my sore knuckles.
"Why didn't you tell me I was fighting Benny Blaze?" Lester asked. "I need more training to beat her. Who trained you, Beautiful?"
"I got trained by the best," I replied. Ranger nodded in understanding. He exchanged a silent conversation with Tank, who grinned.
Another man entered the warehouse. I didn't detect danger. "Shit! I haven't seen that gorgeous ass in months. Is that you, Benny?" Manny asked. I turned, then launched into his arms. My lips pressed against his to see if he could still kiss. Yup. The man could definitely kiss. Only Steve Rogers was a better kisser. Manoso was good, Manny was better and Rogers was the best.
"Hey, Hubby. You never called," I joked. "I missed you and your cuddles."
"That mission didn't last nearly long enough, Wifey," Manny replied. "I missed you too."
Ranger growled possessively. I slid down Manny's firm body. Woah. He was packing some serious inches. It was a shame I couldn't take him for a test drive. I wanted to see how he handled his stick shift. However, my heart belonged to Steve Rogers.
I approached Ranger. "I'm unavailable," I whispered. He raised an eyebrow. "My friend Tasha wants to meet you."
"Aren't you Tasha?" he asked.
"She found it amusing that I used her name. But I am not her," I replied. "Stow your possessive beast and twitching dick. I'm not willing to play with him again."
"Who?" Ranger whispered.
"The Captain owns my heart," I quietly answered. He nodded, then kissed my forehead. Sex with Ranger would pleasure me enough, but I didn't want to play those dangerous games.
"Honour your boundaries. You can't be everything to everyone and nothing to yourself," Ranger said. It was great advice.
"I am. That's why we can't repeat the night at Infernos." He stroked my cheek and nodded. We knew our relationship couldn't go past friendship. "Why did you bring me here? Besides giving Santos the ass-kicking he deserved?"
"I missed Benny smacking Santos around? Man, I always miss out on the fun," Manny complained.
"I'll send you the video," Bobby replied, making Lester groan. He grumbled that the men would call him a pussy for a girl kicking his ass.
My stomach grumbled. I had to feed the beast. "I'm ordering pizza," Tank announced.
"Order two for me," I said. He raised an eyebrow. "Trust me. I need it after kicking Lester's ass." Tank ordered enough pizzas to feed a small army. I laughed when he passed Ranger the salad with grilled chicken. He glared at me when I was about to comment on his girlish figure. "Hey, I'm not going to say it."
Ranger got to business after I ate two large pizzas and half the salad Tank ordered for everyone to share. Lester stared at me with his mouth open. Bobby leaned over to raise his jaw. Manny laughed. He knew I could pack away the food.
"Stephanie came up with a name for our security business," he explained. The men waited for him to elaborate.
I rolled my eyes when Ranger remained silent. "You guys are part of the Rangers special operatives program, right?" They nodded. "Ranger said the company would hire mainly ex-military or men wishing to fill in the gaps between missions."
"Yes. How does it translate to a name, Wifey?" Manny asked.
"Rangeman," I replied. "I believe someone came up with Ranger Man?" Lester raised his hand. "Combine the two and call it Rangeman."
Bobby, Tank and Lester nodded. I watched Ranger. He assessed me, then agreed. Tank grabbed his laptop to register the company name in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Georgia. He added all the other states to the list to ensure nobody would ride on their coattails. I wondered why Manny was part of the meeting.
"I need signatures," Tank announced. I watched Bobby, Lester, Ranger, and Tank sign their names. Tank passed the laptop to Manny, who signed "Manatou Inc." Ranger grabbed the laptop for me to sign.
"Go on, Diana Prince," he whispered. I signed the name associated with my shell company, then passed the laptop to Tank, who grinned.
"Sweet. Blaze is a private investor," Lester said. He didn't try to see the name of my holding company. "I vote for Ranger to be the CEO. Who seconds?" The rest of us raised our hands.
We continued the meeting until the primary business aspects got assigned. I wasn't sure how I managed to land the Office Manager and Client Liaison role. "Guys, I'm not employed with Rangeman," I argued.
"I think we just changed that," Lester said. "You tested our program, did you not?"
"Yes," I replied, choosing to be honest with my team. "Has someone reviewed my recommendations?"
"How did you know about the sites available to security companies?" Ranger asked.
"Stark," I replied. Ranger pinched his nose.