Eliza Higgins and Henry Doolittle
What if fate had dealt the cards just a little bit differently?
O-O-O
"You're gonna kill me, Babe?"
"Not until I experience a Ranger induced orgasm," she said softly.
"Babe, you do realize I'm still on the line, don't you?"
"Oh shit!" she said, quickly disconnecting her phone.
O-O-O
Chapter 11
Ranger chuckled and closed his phone. He was parked on the side of the road, two houses down from Stephanie's house. He started the truck, turned it around and drove back to her house.
Stephanie was looking in the refrigerator for something to eat and trying to get over her embarrassment of what she'd just said to Ranger on the phone. Good grief, she needed to get her head on straight. After she dumped Morelli and up until she met Ranger, she'd been a really competent, together woman. She groaned when she heard a knock at the door.
Peeking out the window, she saw Ranger's truck. Holy hell, how did he get back so quickly? She grabbed her stun gun and went to the front door, sliding the security chain into place. With the chain on, she was only able to open the door about 3 or 4 inches. Without looking outside, she stuck her arm out and pulled the trigger on the stun gun.
She heard Ranger chuckle softly so she shut the door, undid the chain and swung the door open. "I guess I missed?"
"Yeah, Babe, you missed," he answered with a smile.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was hoping you'd let me in so I could cook dinner for us and we could talk."
Damn, he looked deliciously hot and his face and voice were so sexy and sweet. Stephanie stepped back and waved him in.
He followed her to the kitchen where she set the stun gun down on the counter and opened the refrigerator again. "I was just going to make a turkey sandwich and have some potato salad from the deli. That okay with you?"
Ranger stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "That's fine, except you're going to sit down and I'll make the sandwiches and dish out the potato salad." He kissed her head being careful to avoid her goose egg. Stephanie shivered as a series of tingles shot through her body from her chest to her lady parts and back again.
Releasing her, Ranger pulled out a chair at the table for her. "Sit."
"Thanks. I'm sorry I ruined our date."
"You didn't," Ranger said softly. We're having it right now. We can go to the restaurant some other time."
They were quiet while Ranger quickly put together two sandwiches and added some potato salad to each plate. "What would you like to drink, Steph?"
"Coke would be good."
Ranger got a can of Coke from the refrigerator, added ice to a glass and set them in front of Stephanie. He filled a glass with water for himself, grabbed two forks from the silverware drawer, and joined her at the table.
Stephanie could only stare curiously as she watched him move around her kitchen as though he lived there.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Stephanie said, "So now what?"
Ranger pushed his plate away and rested his forearms on the table. "You've been so helpful teaching me about bounty hunting, I wanted ... and want to teach you something in return."
"And what would that be?"
"Trust. The previous two men in your life did a number on you. I want to help you trust again so you'll want to be in a relationship instead of fighting it."
Stephanie's face scrunched up as she frowned. Trust? But you walked out on me!"
"Steph, you told me to leave. I wasn't afraid you'd actually stun my ass, but you should know, I'll always give you the space you need. In the future, if you get upset, but don't want me to leave, then don't tell me to leave. Take a deep breath or count to ten and think about what you actually need from me at that moment, then tell me. I'll always try to give you what you ask for."
"But ... but I could have a concussion!"
"True. That's why I was parked two houses away. I knew I could get back here quickly if you needed me. I'll never stray too far from you when you're hurt or upset. For the rest of my life, nothing will come before you. Not my friends, not my future business, not members of my family. I'll always put you first."
Stephanie's eyes grew wide as she listened to his words and saw the sincerity on his face.
"And," he said, continuing before she could say anything, "I came back when you called. Always and forever, if you call and let me know you need me, I'll be there as fast as I can. I can't read your mind though, so you'll need to be straight with me. I won't always be able to guess when leave means stay and I don't want you to feel like you can't tell me what you need. You can always tell me what you need."
Stephanie felt tears stinging her eyes, but blinked them back. Life with Ranger would be so different from what she experienced with the Dick and Morelli. There was a fluttering in her chest and she recognized it right away. The defensive shield protecting her heart was cracking and love was seeping out for this man as his love was flowing in. "Okay," she said, her voice low and filled with a bit of wonder. "That goes both ways, right? You'll let me know what you need from me?"
Ranger smiled widely and reached over to squeeze her hand. "Always." He paused for a beat. "Now how about you go get a blanket so we can snuggle up on the couch and talk and I'll clean up these dishes."
Stephanie stood. "Okay. What else did you want to talk about?"
"Us, Babe. We've kind of gotten ahead of ourselves a bit. We don't really know anything about each other. I don't know your age or birthday or if you have siblings or what your favorites things are. We have a lot to learn about each other before that Ranger induced orgasm can happen."
Stephanie felt her cheeks heat up and swiftly turned away from him. "I'll go find a blanket," she said, rushing from the room. She heard his soft chuckle as she hurried away. The man was an incorrigible tease and it was turning her on.
It only took Ranger a few minutes to clean up the kitchen. When he walked into the living room, he found Stephanie curled up on the couch. She'd changed into a pair of gray yoga pants, a white t-shirt and fuzzy pink and gray socks. "Steph, can I get you some aspirin or an ice pack?"
"No thanks, I'm good," she said smiling up at him. "I took two Tylenol about five-thirty."
Ranger looked at his watch. "Okay, you've got a while yet before you can take more. Is there anything else I can get you? Water, coffee, hot chocolate?"
She shook her head. "Not right now." She patted the spot on the couch next to her. "You don't have to fuss over me. Sit down and relax."
Ranger sat down next to her and removed his shoes, setting them aside. Then he reached over and pulled her onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, he tugged her closer and she leaned into him, resting the side of her face against his shoulder. It felt so good to be in his arms, she found herself relaxing almost immediately.
They spent the next couple of hours talking quietly. Stephanie told him about her sister Val, about her parents and about growing up in the Burg. She told him about the time she tried to fly by jumping off the roof; that she had a degree in business, and about her short-lived marriage to Dickie. Finally, she explained a bit about her relationship with Morelli.
Ranger told her about his large Cuban family, about what it was like growing up with four sisters and about his troubled teen years that led to him living in Florida for a while with his grandmother. He told her about leaving college after two years to join the Army, about his training and time with the Rangers and expanded on what he'd already told her about his plans to open a security company.
They shared middle names, ages, birth dates and some of their likes and dislikes. Ranger finished by telling her about Lester, Tank and Bobby showing up in town.
"I can't wait to meet them," Stephanie told him. "How long will they be here?"
Ranger placed a soft kiss on top her head. "I'm not sure. Tank and Bobby just got to my apartment a few minutes before I left to come over here. I haven't had a chance to talk to them yet."
Stephanie shifted away from his body enough to look at him. "Oh no! I'm sorry I'm keeping you away from your friends."
"Don't be. I care a lot about my friends, but I'd never choose to spend time with them over you." He cupped her face with his large hands and drew her to him, kissing her softly on her lips.
The kiss deepened and Stephanie reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. He was the perfect kisser. His lips were soft, yet firm and it was as though he knew exactly how she liked to be kissed. They broke momentarily for air, then his mouth covered hers again and they started all over, their tongues pressing together, then twisting and turning and wrapping around each other.
The next time they pulled apart, Ranger continued to kiss her, starting at the corner of her mouth, then moving along her jaw and down the side of her neck. Stephanie tilted her head back, sending him a silent invitation to move his mouth to her throat which he did.
He heard a soft moan escape her throat as his lips and tongue brushed over the soft spot at the base of her throat. Her moan elicited a low growl from him and he knew he needed to put on the brakes before they got carried away. She not only had a possible concussion, he didn't think she was ready for things to turn sexual. Strike that, he thought. Her body was definitely ready. She was clinging to him and pressing her breasts against his chest and her hands moved up to soothe his scalp as another soft sound of mounting desire escaped her sweet lips.
He gently pulled her hands from his hair and nudged her back a bit. "Babe, you have the sweetest mouth and skin a man could ever know. I could kiss you forever and never get tired of it."
Stephanie looked at him with glazed eyes. "I'm glad, because you certainly know how to kiss."
"Is your head okay, Steph? Your eyes look sort of glassy."
"My head feels fine," she said with a small smile. My eyes look glassy because this is what it looks like when you kiss someone senseless."
Ranger laughed softly and kissed her forehead. "Did Stella tell you anything new this afternoon?" he asked, changing the subject.
Stephanie nodded and settled back against his chest. "She said I was her daughter in the mid 16th century and you and I got married. Your name was Carlos back then, too."
She continued to tell him the rest of the information Stella shared with her, then said, "I think she's gone."
"Gone where, Babe?"
"I dunno, I just think she's gone and won't be back. She gave Eddie an envelope to give to me. I didn't even get to say goodbye to her."
"What was in the envelope?" Ranger prompted.
Stephanie tilted her head back and pressed a kiss against Ranger's neck. "I don't know. I haven't looked yet. I guess I just want to hold on to it for a while because once I open it I won't have anything else to look forward to from her. I don't think she's from here ... I mean this lifetime. Maybe she's a guardian angel or traveled here from another plane or something. I don't really know how all of that works, I just know I have a feeling inside that she's gone," she finished sadly.
Ranger gave her a gentle squeeze. "If you don't want to open the envelope alone, just let me know and we can do it together."
"Okay, I'll think about it," she told him. "Ranger?"
Yeah, Babe?"
"Will you stay with me tonight? Not for ... well, I mean, just stay and snuggle with me?"
Ranger cupped her face and softly kissed her mouth. "I'm not going anywhere, Steph ... unless you try to stun me again."
Stephanie snickered. "You're kind of chicken for a badass."
"Babe."
O-O-O
TBC ...