Chapter Two

Ranger made a few calls after he hung up with Steph, and then settled back into his desk chair to do some research on the resort. Steph had been right. The entire month was dedicated to a retreat for married couples. And only married couples. No rings, no reservations.

The Sanctuary for Marriage, featuring special guests and workshops from professional marriage counselors. The kind of things he'd never be caught dead doing. The resort was nice, though. Good amenities and decent security. And private cottages right on the beach, complete with a discrete yard and private hot tub.

Just the thought of getting Steph naked in that hot tub had him excited.

His phone buzzed. Tank. Gregorio must have arrived.

There were a lot of advantages to being tapped into society's underbelly. Easy access to street chatter, connections to various levels of dealers and lowlifes, and a running knowledge of who sold what, and to whom. The men on his payroll were an eclectic collection because of it. Equal parts retired military and reformed criminals. He employed safecrackers, master thieves, guys who'd served time for assault and armed robbery. Lots of raw, ripped muscles and prison tattoos. Most employers wouldn't give half these guys a chance, but Ranger had been able to find a place for each one. And the fact was, because his business operated on a fine line between legal and right, there were times it was useful to have men with unusual skills, who would do whatever he asked without question.

Gregorio was one of his subcontractors. He knew things most people didn't. He also had the ability to find things any time of the day or night. It made him a useful asset.

Ranger took the stairs down to the fifth floor. The control room was a hum of activity, like always. Most of his business operated on a constant, low level buzz. Background noise. Quiet surveillance and security monitoring. Every once in a while, though, the shit hit the fan and it was a mad scramble to do damage control.

Tank would be able to handle that if it happened. Tank had handled all sorts of crisis on the rare occasions Ranger had to be out of town. Not that he expected anything to happen.

A small smile tried to surface. Especially with Steph out of state.

Gregorio was waiting in Ranger's office when he opened his door. A softer man. Late forties. His thinning black hair slicked back in a comb over. He didn't say anything. Just nodded in greeting and pulled out a folded roll of black velvet. If he thought the request was odd at this time of night, he didn't comment. Not many people dared to question Ranger. They figured it wasn't good for their future employment. Or their health.

"I did what I could. The selection would have been better tomorrow morning."

Ranger gave an imperceptible nod in answer. His dark eyes wandered over the black velvet laid out across his desk. The selection was actually pretty decent, considering he'd asked Gregorio to scrape together what he could in under an hour. "I need a paper trail for this."

"Got it." The man's fingers moved over the desk like a pianist, removing the ones that had most likely been fenced. It cut down the selection even more, but not so much that it was impossible. "Wouldn't want to give her a ring that was stolen, right?"

Ranger cut his eyes to the man and he fell silent. They turned back to examining the rings.

There was plenty of truth to that observation. Ranger just didn't want to encourage further discussion about it. Fact was, Stephanie wouldn't appreciate wearing a hot ring, even if she didn't ask about it. She was an above board kind of girl. She'd bend the law on occasion, but she seldom broke it.

She didn't even like breaking generally held rules of morality. Which was the predominant reason she'd kept a barrier between them for so long. The chemistry was electric. Intoxicating. And she'd shied away every time he got too close because he wouldn't give her the kind of relationship she wanted.

Couldn't give her the kind of relationship she deserved.

He drew in a slow, deep breath and let it out silently. "This one," he said. The white gold band was pretty, carved with intricate details all the way around, with a large, clear diamond in the center of several smaller stones. It was a big rock. He could already see the look on her face. Somewhere between fascinated wonder and gaping awe.

More than that, there was something about the ring that reminded him of Stephanie. Bright. Shining. More complex and beautiful the closer you got.

"That's a good one," Gregorio said. "I picked it up from a jeweler myself on my way here, so I can guarantee its authenticity. There's even a matching black band, like you requested. Tungsten Carbide. It's expensive, though. Paper trails cost more."

"Done."

Gregorio hesitated a second. "Should I bill Rangeman? Or is this a personal expense?"

The man tried not to shift in his seat when Ranger's eyes fell on him.

Gregorio swallowed. "I'll just let your accountant sort that out."

o o o

There weren't a lot of hours before he had to catch his flight, but then Ranger had learned a long time ago how to operate well without a lot of sleep. Fifteen hours on a plane was another matter. He was used to it. Didn't mean he liked it.

He'd texted Stephanie with his flight number and arrival time. With any luck, she'd be waiting for him in the terminal.

It took him a moment, scanning through the mass, before he found her. God, she was beautiful. Unruly chocolate curls, expressive blue eyes. Dressed in a flowing white shirt and tank top and a flimsy red and white skirt that did nothing to hide the luscious curves of her body. He wanted to touch every part of her. Pull her clothes off and kiss her until she was soft and pliant. He'd meant to give her a gentle kiss in greeting, but the second he curled a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her against him he stopped caring that they were in a congested airport. She leaned into him, opening up enough that he could taste her. He wrapped an arm around her waist so he could hold her even closer.

"You taste like coconut," he said into her mouth.

She was still flustered, her fists curled into his shirt. "I had coconut for breakfast."

Ranger drew back enough to look into those bright blue eyes of hers, waiting for the other shoe. There was always another shoe with Stephanie. She gave in.

"Okay, it was coconut ice cream, but it had a waffle cone. That counts as breakfast."

Ranger fought a smile. "Babe."

She let go of his black linen shirt and smoothed it, her touch moving across his strong, washboard belly. He could see the rush in her eyes. The echo of a passion she was trying desperately to hide. She liked his body. Well, that was mutual. There had been times when he'd been near her and it hadn't been enough. He'd needed to touch her. A hand at the base of her neck. Her back against his chest. A kiss on her head or her ear or her neck. Even now, he couldn't help but caress her, skating his fingers along the nape of her neck with the same rapt attention he wanted to give to other parts of her. Her eyes fluttered like she was aroused, and then she sobered, putting a little distance between them. Right, crowded airport.

"We should get going," she said, her voice trembling so slightly that she might not have heard it herself. Ranger smiled. Most of the time, he didn't have a lot to smile about, but Steph had an incredible way of brightening his day. Sunshine incarnate.

He slung an arm around her shoulders and kissed her just above her ear, feeling gratified when her body temperature warmed. "We can get going whenever you want."

They started for the doors and Stephanie went rigid. Ranger looked down at her.

"Something wrong?"

"I know it's weird, but I'm pretty sure that guy by the luggage carousel is following me. I saw him when I was at the international market an hour ago."

Ranger looked up and saw Noah waiting for him. He would have been hard to miss. He was as tall as Tank, at least 6'5", with thick arms and a forbidding expression. It wasn't the look he usually wore. Game face. Hiding the snarky humor under his tough guy exterior. From the way she was staring at him, Steph bought it. She thought he was a threat. "I'd have been disappointed if you hadn't spotted him."

She turned and looked at Ranger through narrowed eyes. Her indignation was thin, though. Could be it was hard for her to really get mad at him. Could be she was relieved to know the big scary looking Hawaiian dude following her around wasn't there to hurt her. Either way it made him smile. "You had me followed?"

"Babe. You came to Honolulu by yourself. I texted Noah the second you told me Morelli was still in Trenton."

"Wow. Thank you for the vote of confidence."

He laughed. It didn't make any sound, but she must have felt it with the way he was holding her against his body, because he could see the way she frowned at him. "It's not a lack of confidence, Babe. Just a precaution."

"A precaution against what, exactly?"

"Hard to say. With you, just about anything is possible."

She elbowed him in his ribs and he laughed again. "So he's what? A bodyguard?"

"Local PI. He and his partner Rico work for Rangeman whenever business brings me to the islands."

She didn't seem any happier about that, but she let it go. Good thing, too. It wasn't likely her indignation would change anything. Her life was more important to him than a few stepped on toes.

Noah was standing at ease, watching them approach, his hands folded behind his back. He still wore his military posture, even after ten years as a civilian. It wasn't something that ever went away entirely. Serving changed people in a lot of different ways.

Some more than others.

Noah didn't so much as glance at Stephanie when they approached. He just handed Ranger a set of keys. "Everything you've requested is in the car. Rico saw to the additional items this morning while I was with Ms. Plum. If you need anything else, just call."

Ranger nodded. "Steph, give Noah your keys so he can return your rental car. We won't be needing it."

"Okay, but all my stuff is still in it. I have to go get it out."

"Already taken care of," Noah said, finally looking at her.

Steph raised an eyebrow at Ranger and held out her keys for Noah to take. They dropped into his open hand and he left without making further comment. Not that he hadn't wanted to. He just knew better. Steph stared at Ranger. "How did he move my things out of the trunk without the keys?"

Ranger looked down at her, a smile pulling at his mouth. "Noah has ways."