Been churning out edits and posting what's been sitting in my files. This is another short I have, exploring a different angle on the obsessed Stephanie Plum stalker bit.
Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. Typos are my bad.
Morelli's POV
"What's with ya?" Detective Gavric's question catches me off guard.
Even though he's standing by my open office door and can't see my screen, I quickly lock my device regardless. Tossing my cell phone on top of the messy piles of paperwork on my desk, I shrug in my best disinterested manner in hopes of masterfully deflecting.
"I don't know what you mean." I reply, working hard not to sound extra defensive as I slam my best 'cop face' in place.
"You've been jumpy all week." Gavric says by way of explanation, shaking his head and taking a jab at my unshaved face. "Maybe you need some time off. You're looking a bit rough." The asshole couldn't keep the smug look off his face, loving that my 'Italian Stallion' image has taken a hit lately.
"Fuck off." I cover my annoyance with a well practiced forced laugh as I remind him that I've been buried neck deep in back to back cases. Crime never sleeps in this freaking town. New, inventive ways to keep people quiet keep popping up as bodies that were supposed to disappear make a reappearance.
"Get some rest, kid." Gavric returned the jab, effectively reminding me that he's got a good two decades of seniority over me. Whatever.
I made a minute dip on the never ending stacks of files before my eyes burned endlessly and my back cracked rather loudly from being slouched on my crappy desk chair all day.
Placing a phone order at Pino's on my way out of my office, I thankfully didn't bump into anyone else on my tired walk towards my SUV. A minuscule miracle, I guess.
The coy laugh of a female officer caught my attention as I was about to angle into the driver's seat. I've become accustomed to women flocking at my feet since I was a teenager. Smiling, I glanced back over my shoulder only to see that the female officer, Gemelli I think, was flirting with none other than Constanza. What the hell?! Since when does that pitiful moron have more game than me! I've been on a several months long dry spell! Guess some people just have shitty types it seems. Shrugging off the weird scene, I turned the key in the ignition and backed out of the parking spot.
"Carl Constanza!" I muttered as I drove towards Pino's, still wondering how he landed such a hottie like Gemelli. With her long, long legs, bright blue eyes and dark brown hair, mmmm, she's a delicacy! Why she even gave Carl of all people the time of day, I'll never know.
Perhaps she thinks some of us are out of her league. Her loss.
Pino's was jam packed for a weekday afternoon. Don't people cook at home anymore? Ugh! I had to loop around the block three times before I got a parking spot. It's unbelievable!
By the time I finally went inside, my mood was already on the sour side. Even the waitress was done with her day, if her uninterested attitude was anything to go by. She rang me up, I swiped my card, declined to tip since it was a to go order and grabbed my bagged meatball sub and individual home style lasagna.
"Thanks." I muttered as I turned to leave. A compulsion to look into my bagged order ended up being a good move when I realized the sauces I always get on the side weren't included. "Uhh, I'm missing the side sauce." I told the waitress, Brenda according to her name tag. Trying to keep the annoyance off my face, because she was new was difficult. I've had a long day and I just want to go home, have a bite to eat and catch the ball game. See, I'm a simple guy. I don't want much.
"Uhm…" Brenda was maybe in her early to mid twenties, but had the attitude of a veteran customer service worker in the Burg. "Looks like I didn't ring up the sauce." She told me, handing over the eight ounce container and then giving me an expectant look.
"Charlie never charges the sauce." I said, flashing my brightest grin her way. My seductive ways have taken me a long way. What can I say? A little complimentary 'on the house' perks never hurt.
"Yeah, Charlie isn't here right now." Brenda gave me a shrug, while pointing to the register read out. She was not going to wave the fee.
"Fine." I grumbled, reaching for my card to pay.
"We don't accept card payments for under ten dollars." Brenda added disinterestedly, reaching to answer the ringing phone.
"Pino!" I hollered to get his attention. He poked his head out of the kitchen, flashing me an annoyed look. Since he went back to making whatever order was next, I had no choice but to tell Brenda I was going to check for change in my car.
After digging around for a few seconds, I pulled out a handful of crumpled up dollar bills that had been shoved into the glove compartment over the years. By the time I went back in to pay, got my sauce, and drove home I already knew that my food wasn't going to taste as good.
Bob nearly bulldozed me when I opened the front door. Using the food bag as a bribe, I kept him from bolting outside and into the street.
"Have at it." I told him, opening the back kitchen door so that he could take care of business in the backyard. By the time Bob came back in, I had his plate topped off and his water bowl freshly filled.
With a beer in hand, I sat on the couch to catch the bottom of the first inning. It's a Yankees vs Red Sox night, so it's bound to be a memorable game.
I managed to eat my sub and some of the lasagna, washing everything down with two ice cold beers, when the game ended early. All in all, it wasn't a super exciting game, which was a bummer since I was looking forward to it all week.
With a sigh, I disposed of my trash and head upstairs. Since I had some housekeeping things to do before I called it a day, I grabbed the overflowing clothes hamper from my bedroom and carted it down to the basement. I threw a load in the washer, put in the detergent and fabric softener in the corresponding compartments and then set the delay time icon so that I'd have a chance to shower before the cycle started. If I don't, I'll end up with cold blasts of water halfway through my shower.
My cleaning was efficient, allowing the hot water to cascade over the back of my neck and shoulders. It didn't do much to work out the muscle kinks desk duty left me with, but it felt good for a few minutes at least.
When I stepped out of the shower, I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror over the sink counter. Looking at myself carefully, I realized Gavric was right. I am looking a little rough.
My hair definitely needs a haircut, yet I can't do anything about that at the moment. Wrapping the towel around my waist, I ran my hand over my jaw and throat. A shave will have me looking more sharp.
"Yup. Still got it." I winked at myself in the mirror once my face was clean shaven, giving me a way younger look.
As I was inspecting my work closely, the buzzing of my cell phone redirected my attention. The distinctive buzzing pattern it made over my nightstand where I put it to charge had my heart racing and my palms sweating with anticipation.
I bolted out of the bathroom and across the hall to my bedroom, desperate to open the app.
Taking a deep breath, I swiped my phone unlocked and furiously tapped the app icon that would let me view in real time into Cupcake's bedroom. She hasn't really been in her apartment lately, so I'm curious to see why she's back.
S&R
Stephanie's POV
"Get off the road ya dumb bitch!" The irate driver that was behind me cursed my way as he zoomed past me on the largest intersection on Hamilton Ave closest to the bonds office.
"You know what? Screw this!" I huffed out in exhaustion as I merged to the middle lane, lurching forward before the light turned yellow. Changing destinations, instead of going to my apartment, I decided to head to Rangeman.
Why? For the past week or so I've been unable to sleep through the night. I can't pinpoint what it is, but that unmistakable feeling of being watched has my Spidey Sense on high alert. The confusing thing is that I haven't had any crazies or stalkers after me as of late. My captures have been pretty anticlimactic, boring to a fault even for my standards. I can't say for sure, because nothing's really been out of place, but I can't shake off the weird feeling. Since my brain can't seem to shut off, regardless of how tired I am, I've been functioning on little to no sleep for the better part of a week. Sheer exhaustion is starting to affect my day to day. I can't keep nearly dozing off while I'm behind the wheel or in surveillance of a new FTA. This simply has to stop. I need to reset, really rest, and I know just the place where I can do that: Rangeman.
Thankfully, I made it to the underground garage and parked without further incident despite my eyes drooping dangerously closed. Literally, I had to slap my cheeks hard to keep myself awake for the short drive. It was ridiculous!
Luckily, I didn't bump into any of the Merry Men on my short walk from what's become my unofficially official parking spot. Fobbing myself to the seventh floor, I came face to face with Ella when I unloaded the elevator.
"Oh, Dear." Ella greeted me warmly, as always pouring that maternal love, while giving me a careful once over. Yeah, I'm looking quite rough even after concealer. The bags and dark circles under my eyes are very, very obvious. Like I said, sleep's been pretty elusive lately. I feel as shitty as I probably look.
"Hi." I gave Rangeman's resident momma my usual finger wave, mustering a friendly smile from God knows where, as I shuffled closer to the penthouse front door. My hopeful longing that Ranger may be back was most likely evident on my weary face, because Ella took pity on me. Her small head shake told me that no, Batman wasn't back yet. Sigh. He's been in the wind for over two months and I really, really miss him.
"You miss him." Ella didn't flat out say that she knows I'm in love with Ranger. She didn't have to.
"Unquestionably." My tiny shrug tore a knowing smile out of her wise face. "No, no." I shook my head vigorously when she asked if I needed anything, knowing without asking that I was planning to spend the night.
"Let me know if you do need anything." With her sagacious words, Ella disappeared past the stairwell door, leaving me to it.
Being alone in Ranger's private space has always felt quite intimate. I'd usually have my inner monologue going on and on about everything all at once, yet in my debilitated state it was notably silent.
Tossing my keys in the little silver bowl and setting my shoulder bag on the sideboard, I closed and relocked the front door. Quickly, I made a beeline for Ranger's bedroom. Just being in his room felt right and safe.
Walking into his closet, I kicked off my sneakers and toed off my socks. My stretchy tee, bra and jeans quickly followed. As soon as I was down to only my cotton panties, I snatched one of Ranger's Rangeman T-shirts from the pile of neatly folded identical ones.
I padded barefoot out of the walk-in closet and towards Ranger's big bed. His fancy silky sheets felt like a literal caress on my skin. As soon as my head hit Ranger's pillow, I was instantly lights out. For once in days I was finally able to easily fall, and most importantly stay asleep! And I slept like a baby, not caring that it wasn't even six yet.
The next morning I woke up after eight, feeling extremely refreshed. Maybe it was being enveloped in everything Ranger, but I got the best good night's rest as of late. It was exactly what I needed.
After rolling out of Ranger's bed, I took a shower and went about my morning routine at a slower than usual pace. Yup, I indulged in Batman's evil shower gel so that I could feel like he was here with me.
When I walked out of the bedroom after changing into my Rangeman cargoes and another one of Ranger's shirts, I found that Ella had left me a breakfast tray despite me telling her she didn't have to cater to me.
Once I was fed, I grabbed my shoulder bag and headed down to the underground garage to get some footwork done on my new files. When I did, I ran into Tank, who looked extremely relieved to see me. Of course, I told him that I could help him with the backlog of searches when he asked me. It's the least I could do given how much the Merry Men and Ranger have done for me.
So the next week flew by, with me going after low bonds and putting a major dent on the searches Tank assigned me while sleeping in Ranger's big bed. Honestly, even with this being a desk work heavy week, I couldn't complain. I had money in the bank and had recharged my batteries. All in all, things are good in my tiny corner of the world.
In fact, I'd even forgotten about my off feeling about potentially attracting a new crazy or stalker since the past week had been so uneventful. I even decided to try and return to my apartment, heading straight there after delivering my latest FTA to the station and swapping my capture receipt for a check from Connie that I used the mobile feature to deposit, saving myself a trip to the bank.
Maybe spending so much of my time at Rangeman wasn't such a good thing for my skills. I didn't even get a neck tingle alert before I felt familiar big, strong hands slipping around my waist from behind. Getting crowded against my front door while I'm trying to get the key in the lock isn't ideal. My mind was racing as my fight or flight response geared up.
"Babe." His lips brushed against my left ear just as my surprise visitor gave my midsection a tight squeeze, his front pressing firmly against my back while his hips thrust suggestively.
"Ranger!" My shoulder bag and keys hit the worn hallway carpet as I twisted my neck to confirm that he was really back.
"Babe." Ranger flashed me his megawatt smile, the one that never fails to make my heart beat faster and my panties damp.
"You're back." I stated dumbly, twisting impatiently to be able to wrap my arms around his big body.
I clung to him tightly, burying my face against the side of his neck so that I could convince myself that he was really here. Raising on my tiptoes, my arms squeezed Ranger's neck as I tried to press myself impossibly closer to his sculpted front.
"I'm here, Babe." Ranger said against the side of my head as he too squeezed me tightly, kissing my curls as his big hands moved up and down the length of my spine.
We stood locked in the embrace for long moments, just basking in each other until his hands dipped below my waist. Cupping my ass cheeks, Ranger used his firm hold to rub me against the growing bulge in his pants.
"Carlos." I whispered against his lips before my hungry mouth clashed with his. Our kiss morphed into an insistent frenzy. We frantically fought for dominance of the kiss, tongues tangling as we both clung to the other. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew we weren't necessarily in private, but our need seemed to win the battle.
"Ahem, Chickie!" My neighbor across the hall and his new lady friend from the third floor exited his apartment, teasingly hooting and hollering our way.
"Have fun at Bingo." I rasped breathlessly as Ranger and I were forced to sever our heated kiss, taking a slight step back to give ourselves the space to calm down.
"Oh we'll have fun." My neighbors said in a suspiciously sing-song voice as they headed down the hall towards the elevator.
When I turned back to look at Ranger, the oxygen had permeated my brain once again because it finally clicked that he was wearing his army fatigues. A big, cheesy smile spread across my cheeks as I realized that he came straight to me as soon as he touched down in Jersey. My heart did flip in my chest as the realization of what that means washed over me. Just before Ranger went in the wind, we'd finally obliterated that line and decided to give ourselves the chance to be happy with each other we so desperately deserve.
"I've missed you so damn much." I confessed as I hugged him one more time. I made it quick this round, regretfully letting him go to be able to turn around and reach for my fallen keys.
"Babe." Ranger told me he'd missed me too, protectively placing his right hand on the small of my back to guide me inside once I unlocked and opened my front door. With his other hand, he scooped up his duffel bag and my shoulder bag, placing them neatly under the hooks by my door once we were inside.
"Ranger." My eyes flashed with desire as he closed and relocked my door, his muscles evident even under his clothes.
"Stephanie." Neither of us had to say much, our hands and lips returning to their previous tasks. "No injuries." He assured me when my hands kept running fervently over every inch of his body I could reach.
"No injuries." I repeated, nodding that I understood even as my hands refused to return to my sides.
Our mouths continued their hungry exploration as we stumbled blindly back to my bedroom, knocking over whatever random shit got in our way. My short nails raked along the small of his back after I slipped my hands under his previously tucked T-shirt, eliciting goosebumps in anticipation of the re-consummation of our new phase. In turn, his hands slid down my back to yet again cup my ass firmly, needling my flesh to help coax me into wrapping my legs around his waist.
We eventually, I'm not really sure how, reached the side of my bed. Our successful trip was no doubt thanks to Ranger taking very calculated steps to get us here. Unceremoniously, we landed on the mattress after pretty much ripping each other's clothes off. Reclaiming his deliciously tempting lips, we resumed our joined goal to fuse ourselves as one.
Even as Ranger's magical mouth slanted down over mine as his hips picked up the pace after an initial drawn out entrance, that weird feeling of being watched assaulted me once again.
Our kisses were almost desperate as our hands continued their re-exploration of the other, bodies moving in tandem to reach the finish line. Regardless of the lust haze enveloping our sweaty bodies, I couldn't quite shelve the inexplicably odd feeling.
Something didn't feel right, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.