Disclaimer: I own nothing except Keagansad, isnt it?

Commence

By

Calliope

PART FOUR

What did one wear on a date with a virgin?

I flipped through my closet at least forty two times, searching for the perfect dress. I certainly couldnt wear one of my distraction dresses; those shouted Simply Slut more than anything. I wanted a chance with this guy and the simply slutty dress wasnt going to do it. However, I didnt want to look like a desperate woman searching for the last hope either, so my day to day outfits were out as well. And I couldnt wear my church dresses that have been collecting dust in the back of my closetone said starchy librarian guaranteed to have cob webs and the other said desperate housewife.I was neither of those.

Flipping back through my separates, I found a uniform black skirt that fell about two inches above my knees. It was perfect because I could dress it up or down and make it as conservative as I wanted. My next problem was which top to wear. It was April and in Trenton that means its still a bit chilly in the evenings. I sighed and pulled a light weight cashmere sweater off the hanger. It was a light blue, which was a perfect color for spring and it had a deep V neck, which flattered my lacking assets. It complimented the black skirt perfectly and I could pair my black boots with itId just choose the ones with a 2 inch heel instead of my favored 4 inch.

I hit the shower and attempted to weigh my hair down with heavy conditioner and let it set while I shaved and soaped up the rest of my body. When I thought five minutes had passed, I rinsed the conditioner out of my curls and shut the shower off. I wrapped a towel around my head and another around my body and opened the bathroom door to finish getting ready in my bedroom. I rounded the corner and came to an abrupt stop. There, sitting on my bed, glaring at my blue sweater was Rangeragain.

Didnt he just leave?

I sighed and he looked up. I put my hands on my hips. Ranger, didnt you just leave in a huff?

He turned his glare to me. I dont huff. I might have left slightly pissed.

I shook my head in disbelief. And you are back again, why? I have to get ready for my date Ranger!

He ignored me and held up my blue sweater. You cant wear this. I bought this for you for Christmas last year and I refuse to watch you wear it for another man!

My eyes widened. What the hell? It was a gift and its mine. Ill decide when and where I am going to wear it and Im wearing it tonight! Now why are you here?

He plucked the sweater off the bed and I watched as he shoved it in a duffel bag that I knew wasnt there before I took a shower. He turned around and smiled widely at me. They are fumigating the penthouse. I cant stay there all week. I decided to stay here, with you.

Oh, holy hell! This was not going to work!

I stared at him, exasperated. Ranger! You cant stay here! I have a date! How the hell am I supposed to explain you? Stay in one of the fourth floor apartments!

He stretched back out on the bed with his hands behind his head. Cant. They are all full. Damn the luck huh?

My mouth fell open. This was not happening to me! Then get a hotel room! Im sure there are plenty of rooms to meet your needs in the Trenton area.

He smiled again. Cant do that either. Privacy and safety are issues that a hotel cant address.

I stomped my foot on the carpet and in the process, stubbed my big toe on my dresser. I shrieked and hopped on one foot while trying to hold my towel in place with one hand. Privacy and safety? You dont have those here!

He chuckled and sat up. Before I knew what he was doing, he pulled me into his lap and began rubbing my sore toe. I didnt mean for me. Ill have privacy here. Well, as much as I need anyways. And Ill be able to ensure your safety.

I closed my eyes as his hands worked magic in my sore foot. And then remembered I was supposed to be angry. I smacked his hand. You dont need to ensure my safety! Im not in danger! Its just a date Ranger and Diesel vouched for the guy. The only thing I am in danger of is losing my temper with you!

He had the audacity to grin again. No worries Babe. Youll hardly know Im here.

Right. I looked at the clock and screeched. I barely had enough time to get ready and I certainly didnt have enough time to argue with Ranger at the moment. Id deal with him laterway later. I shoved him out of my bedroom so I could get dressed. I sighed when I realized I didnt have another shirt that would look half as good as the blue oneso, I did something daring. I dug in Rangers duffel bag and pulled out my sweater. He could just get over his hang-ups. Besides, it was my shirt.

Twenty minutes later I was dressed and just needed to finish my make up and my hair. I opened the bedroom door and heard the television from the living room. Satisfied that Ranger was occupied for the moment, I tiptoed into the bathroom and quietly shut the door again. I pulled the towel off my hair and set to work. It took me a bit longer to do my hair and makeup. A full thirty minutes later, my riot of curls were actually hanging softly down my back. I was amazed that my hair actually cooperated with me. I kept my make up simple and as conservative as my dress. I opened the bathroom door and tiptoed back into my bedroom to put my boots on.

I was just pulling up the zipper to my left boot when I heard a firm knock on the door. Anticipation rolled through me. I was nervous, but excited about the coming evening. I cant tell you how long it had been since I had been on a real date and with a real mannot a moniker from my past. I made my way to the living room and found Ranger parked on the couch watching television with a beer in his hand. He had totally ignored the knock on the door, which I was thankful for. God knows what he would have done before I would have gotten into the room. I paused at the front door and smoothed non-existent wrinkles out of my skirt and took a deep breath. Ranger must have just discovered what I was wearing right before I opened the door because I heard some foul language escaping his mouth. I ignored him and opened the door with a smile.

And my mouth fell open and I stared.

Holy fucking hell! The photo Diesel had shared with me didnt do justice to the man standing in front of me holding six white roses and a shy smile. In fact, Im pretty sure that no painting or picture could possibly do justice to the Adonis before me. Its one of those, you have to see it to believe itand believe me, I was seeing iterr, him in all his fineness.

I wasnt shy as I let my eyes take in all of him. I started at the top of his hotness and worked my way down, several times. By the time I managed to find my manners and step aside to let him in, he was grinning at me widely. I cleared my throat three times before I was able to speak clearly. Keagan? Im Stephanie.

I held out my hand and he grasped it firmly and brought it to his lips and kissed every one of my fingers. The jolt from his kiss almost made me swoon. Yes, swoonDiesel wasnt kidding about this guy being old-fashioned, everything about him just screamed charming and politebut also hot! I would have fanned myself if Keagan had released my hand, but he kept it tucked in his as he stared into my eyes.

And I felt the impact of that stare all the way to my toes. I swear the man singed my soul with his deep, beautiful eyes. Oddly, it didnt make me uncomfortableno, it made me want to find a dark corner and lose myself in him for a while. He didnt lose his smile as he nodded. Yes, Stephanie. I have to say, the picture Diesel sent me doesnt do your beauty justice. You are positively ravishing lass.

I blinked. Ravishing? Lass? Was that a hint of an Irish lilt in his voice? Oh Lord, I was a goner and we hadnt even left on our date yet. Where had this man been all my life?

Oh right! I bet you are wondering just how hot Keagan is huh? God, I hope I dont drool all over him while hes holding my hand. I would judge him to be about 62 or 63tall enough to make me feel petite. His black hair was in a stylish mess and it fell over his eye. It gave him a devilish presence. His eyes were a deeper blue than mine and almond shaped with long, black lashes. Trust me; women would kill for his lashes. His nose wasnt perfect; there was a bump that was probably left over from a broken nose long ago. When he smiled, he had dimplesreal, honest to god dimples. His smile was welcoming and mischievous at the same time. His teeth were bright white and a dentists dream. And he was tanwith laugh lines around his eyes. His hand felt rough under minea laborers hand. This wasnt an office guy, no way. His body was rippednot that I could see under his shirt, but his muscles flexed naturally when he moved and I couldnt wait to get my hands on him to find out just how ripped he was.

It was lust at first sight for me and for the second time in my life, I was left speechless in the presence of a man. SPEECHLESS.

Lass? Have you changed your mind about going out? I was staring deeply into his eyes when it finally registered he was talking to me.

I blinked and gave him a slow, silly smile. Changed my mind? Are you out of your ever loving mind? Not in this century handsome!

His grin widened and when I realized what I had said, I blushed. Handsome? Shoot me now! Oh God! Was I going to be able to form a coherent sentence around this guy?

He laughed and kissed my hand again before releasing it. I certainly hope so lass. Id hate to carry on a conversation by myself tonight. Im hoping that your mind is as breathtaking as your beauty.

If he wasnt still holding my hand, I would have melted into nothing at his feet. I shook my head, but didnt lose my smile. Keagan gently placed the white roses in my hands. These are for you. I thought white roses were perfect for our first date. They speak of purity and innocenceeverything our relationship is at this moment.

Oh holy hell! I didnt need sonnets at the rate he was going! I held the roses in one hand and tugged his so he would follow me to the kitchen so I could put the roses in a vase. No way was I leaving him alone in the living room with Ranger.

Shit!

Ranger! I was so lost in the moment that I had forgotten his presence! And no woman could forget Rangers presence. I didnt know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. I did know it was kind of scary because for the first time in three years, I found someones presence that distracted me more than Rangers and I thought that was impossible. It also meant that if this date became more, I might be able to move on with my life and find something worthwhile. I knew from our one night together that Ranger would never be able to give me more and I accepted that. I took what he could give and was happy with that. It didnt matter that I wanted more. He knew how I felt and thats what mattered. I decided to try and move on and I was going to do itand hope that I could keep Ranger in my life in some capacity. He was too important to me to lose.

I released Keagans hand so I could reach a vase from the cabinet above the stove. Normally I had to use a chair to reach the top shelf, but with the boots I could carefully stretch. I was on my tiptoes, stretching when I felt a hard body come up against my back and Keagans Irish lilt filled my ear. Here, let me help you with that.

His words, whispered against my ear and his body pressed against my back sent chills down my spine. Im sure he felt my reaction because I felt him smile against my curls. His large, rough hand covered mine and he reached around me with his other and plucked a vase down from the shelf. But, neither of us moved. We stood like that until another voice broke the silence. I hope Im not interrupting.

I was so startled that I jumped and bounced back into Keagans chest. He chuckled and caught me around the waist with one arm while holding the vase in the other hand. He sat the vase down on the counter and turned around, still holding me against him. I pulled my eyes away from Keagans and stared at the interruption.

Oh shit.

Ranger was standing against the wall with his arms crossed and his jaw clenched. To a stranger, he may look relaxed. However, I knew Rangers body language than I knew my own. He was pissed. Why the hell was he pissed that Keagan was getting a vase down for me? I needed to diffuse this situation quickly and carefully. I was turning over ideas in my head when Keagan released me gently and approached Ranger with his hand held out. Hello. Im Keagan, Stephanies date.

Ranger stared at Keagans hand for a moment and then shook it in turn. His jaw was still clenched and his eyes were flat and darker than normal. I know who you are. Im Ranger Manoso, the bodyguard.

The bodyguard? What the hell was Ranger talking about? I turned around quickly so I didnt have to watch the staring match and arranged the roses as a distraction. I took as long as I could without looking suspicious and then turned back around to find Keagan gazing at me with a grin in place and Ranger glaring at Keagan with murder in his eyes.

Fabulous.

Why couldnt Ranger stay in a hotel room? If I had to go through this every time a date picked me up, Id kill someoneprobably myself. I slapped a smile on my face and gazed at Keagan. Are you ready? Where are we going? Should I grab a jacket?

Keagan shook his head and walked forward and took my hand in his. No jacket needed. I put the top up on the convertible, so you should be fine. Do you like cars? I brought the BMW roadster. Its a two seater that takes corners beautifully at high rates of speed. He was grinning like a maniac and I was pretty sure he was teasing me.

I laughed. Let me grab my purse and Ill be ready. I stared at Ranger over my shoulder. Ill be late, probably. You dont have to wait up. You can take the bed and Ill take the couch so I dont wake you up when I come in.

Ranger stared at me hard and there was a tick in his jaw and his hands were clenched in fists at his side. I sighed and decided to try and ignore it. Ranger was in overprotective mode for some reason tonight, but I refused to let him ruin my first date in forever and with a guy that was promising.

I followed Keagan to the door and was surprised to find Ranger at my back. I turned around and stared at him confused. What are you doing?

He gave me a cocky smile, although there was no amusement to be found anywhere in his expression. We wont be late and I wont be waiting up. He glared at Keagan then. Im afraid we wont all fit in your two seat convertible. Well take the Expedition.

My eyes widened as I stared at Ranger in disbelief and then Keagan. Keagan mirrored my reaction. Im afraid I dont understand, he said.

Ranger bent down and secured a gun to his ankle and then pulled a jacket on over his shoulder holster and managed to look almost menacing when he smiled at us. Let me spell it out for you then. Im the bodyguard for her body. Where she goes, I go as well. You are going on a date, I go with. Its relatively simple. Im an easy guy to please. So, if we are going, lets go. Im hungry.

Ranger walked out the door in front of us. Keagan looked at me with a raised brow and I shrugged my shoulders. I was mortified and a little humiliated. A bodyguard to go on a date? I didnt have a stalker or any threats at the moment, so I had no idea why Ranger was tagging along. I can tell you he was going to get an ear full from me when we returned home.

Keagan shook his head and then laughed. I dont know what he found so amusing; I didnt see one damn thing funny about the situation. Keagan tilted my chin up and placed a chaste kiss on my lips and then grinned. No worries lass. Well just pretend hes not there. You should be flattered hes concerned about your honor. I dont scare away easily, I promise.

I sighed with relief. Thank God for that.

Keagan grabbed my hand and we walked down to the parking lot together. Ranger was waiting for us outside the Expedition and glared at us when he saw our linked hands. He tossed the Expedition keys to Keagan and then took me firmly, but gently by the arm and propelled me into the backseat before I could protest. And then surprisingly, he followed me in and plastered himself against my side. Keagan got in the drivers seat and turned to Ranger with a raised brow in question.

Ranger smiled his predatory grin and didnt even blink when he said, Its safer for her to sit in the backseat. If anyone tries to take a shot at her, its more difficult to see her and if they do get a shot off, it has to go through me first. You might as well get used to me. Im like tape on her ass.

My jaw fell open in disbelief, again. I lost count of how many times that made for the evening. Keagan merely snorted and started the Expedition and pulled it out in traffic. He turned the radio up and seemed to find his own zone while driving. I took advantage of his distraction and whispered angrily in Rangers ear. What the bloody hell do you think you are doing?

The arm he had across my shoulder tightened and then his hand slipped beneath my sweater and lightly caressed my breast. He leaned down and licked my ear and said, Im guarding my body. You would do well to remember that.

Another shiver worked down my body and whether it was from his caress or his words, I dont know. I closed my eyes and willed myself the ability to disappear.

Keagan turned down the radio, Stephanie, I thought we would eat Mexican and then go dancing.

Before I could say a word, Ranger answered for me. I like dancing.

I groaned and refrained from smacking my head repeatedly on the back of the seat.

Ranger likes dancing and I think my date likes me. Keagan is taking everything in stride, even though Ranger has declared himself the tape on my ass.

And I had an entire evening to put up with it all.

Fucking fantastic.