I was looking forward to dinner that night. For one thing, I was going to hang out at the big kids table. For another thing, Lula was going to be Lula. I knew that would go well.

Ranger and I were immediately escorted to the head table. Tank and Lula were already there canoodling. Mr. and Mrs. Thibodaux were also there and also canoodling.

The reverend and his wife were notably absent. Felicia said they had too much sun and were resting in their cabin. I hadn't actually met the Burns yet. I hadn't even seen them on the ship. I had seen the back of the reverend's head when he was at the table, but his back and his wife's back, had always been to me. That suddenly gave me an uneasy feeling. I shook it off. He was a minister for God's sake. My mother would not appreciate me suspecting a minister of foul play even if he wasn't catholic.

Odetta Brown and her man, er…common law husband, Leroy Jenkins showed up at the table just before the appetizers came out. I'd never met either of them before, but I'd seen Odetta. Odetta was a large woman. I do mean large. She was largest in her bosom area. She took up two chairs at the table and her body moved like I assume Jell-O would move if it was animated. She was kind of scary. I could see Tank looking at her and wondering if someday Lula would look the same. He was frightened. He liked his woman with more cushion for the pushin, but there were limits.

Lula grinned, "Stephanie and Ranger, have you met my momma?"

"No," I smiled.

"No, I haven't had that pleasure," Ranger smiled over at the woman.

"Oh you are so right about that, mmmm mmmm mmmm, if I had met you honey, you'd remember it. I would have ruined you for all other women," Odetta said and licked her lips.

Ranger got this look on his face that I've never seen before. It was sort of the deer caught in headlights look. He put his arm around the back of my chair and swallowed, "I'm sure I wouldn't have."

"Momma," Lula howled with laughter. "You are a bad one."

"That boy is tasty," Odetta grinned and smacked her lips.

"You're not the first woman to have said that," Jean Luc grinned over at Ranger.

"I say it all the time," I smiled broadly.

"I'm Odetta honey," she leaned over Leroy pushing him into the back of the chair as her large arm dangled and waved in front of him.

"It's nice to finally meet you," I smiled. "Of course, I've heard all about you from Lula."

"I hope it was nice," she grinned.

"It was," I assured her.

Ranger reached around me to shake her hand as well, "it's nice to meet you Ms. Burns."

"Honey…you can call me Odetta. You can call me anything. Just call me."

"Er…"

"Momma, leave Ranger alone," Lula grinned.

"I'm sorry," she said and sat back in her chair. "He's just so…mouthwatering."

I leaned back slightly and whispered to Ranger, "You could tap that."

He shuddered.

"I'm Leroy," the man beside me smiled. "Odetta and I have been together for more than twenty-five years, but she refuses to marry me. She says that the magic of our relationship may die if we actually tie the knot."

I shook his hand, "maybe she thinks marriage is an antiquated institution," I suggested quietly.

"No…she likes the wild kinky sex and she says respectable married woman can't do that."

"Oh," I blinked.

"I've heard that the rules have changed," Ranger said shaking his hand. "I've heard married women can get down with it nowadays."

"Did you hear that Odetta," Leroy said to her.

"I hears ya," she turned to Felicia. "Is that true?"

"Very true," Felicia nodded.

"Hmm…then I'll think about saying yes the next time you ask."

"That's all I'm asking," he said and shook Ranger's hand again.

Felicia leaned over, "Stephanie…thank you for talking to Lula. I thought she had a stick up her butt or something."

I howled with laughter, "Yea…she just wanted you to like her."

"Hell…we did like her," Jean Luc grinned, "but now we love her. She's a hoot."

"See," I grinned at Lula.

"Shut up white girl," she laughed.

Jean Luc leaned forward to get Ranger's attention, "have you guys been to the lounge to see Louisa Del Ray?"

"Louisa Del Ray," he raised a brow.

"The singer from Chile," Odetta grinned. "She's real good."

"When would I have had time," Ranger said with a raised brow. "I've spent my evening with you and Frank losing money and getting nothing for it but a hang over."

Jean Luc grinned, "but when you got back to the cabin," he waggled his brows.

"Stephanie thinks I smell like a liquor store and won't have a thing to do with me," Ranger sighed.

"You did smell like a liquor store and cheap cigars," I grinned.

"Babe…they weren't cheap. They were Cubans," he glared.

"My mistake," I grinned, "but what about the singer?"

"She is good," Felicia agreed. "Her accompanist is a flamenco guitarist named Marco Garcia and he's pretty easy on the eyes too."

"She's from Chile, huh," I smiled and leaned back in my chair. Ranger's finger slid into my curls and rubbed the base of my neck gently.

"I don't know her," he said with a smile.

"How do you know? You haven't seen her yet?"

"Haven't we had this conversation already?"

"Obviously you haven't answered the question yet to my satisfaction," I said softly.

"We'll go see her tonight then," he raised a brow.

"I can't wait," I agreed.

Dinner was fun. Odetta scared the crap out of Ranger and I enjoyed watching it. He said that I'd get mine someday and I probably would, but it was still fun to watch. On the other hand, I may be a little bit ahead in the karma game. I mean seriously…I've paid debts for things I haven't done yet for sure.

When we arrived in the lounge they were playing salsa music. Ranger immediately twirled me out on the floor. We stayed there until the live entertainment came on and by the time we left the floor, I was hot, sweaty and in some serious need for… I needed sugar and exercise in order to stick to my resolve. Otherwise, I was about to jump that man and wear him down to a nub. It could go either way.

Fortunately for my libido and for Ranger…I guess, Louisa Del Ray took the stage and she began to sing. She did have a wonderful voice. Her voice was rich and sultry and it probably made every man in the room rise to attention. She had a similar effect on the ladies as well.

She was also short, built like a brick shithouse and gorgeous in that pure sex kind of way. She scanned the room and her eyes landed on Ranger and it was as though nobody else in the room existed…especially me. She sang to him, she danced over to him singing to him in sultry Spanish. I was pretty damn sure she was coming on to him. I thought I'd have to claw her eyes out.

I started to get up and leave when Ranger caught me around the waist and dragged me back down in his lap.

"You're not going anywhere," he whispered in my ear and began to nibble.

"I'm so not in the mood," I growled.

"She needs to know I'm taken," he hissed.

"Really," I lifted my head and met his eyes and then leaned forward and engaged him in the hottest kiss I could imagine. It was a kiss full of all the pent up sexual frustration I had. I was a ticking time bomb and he was the detonator. Things were about to explode.

Everything around me became a blur as I deepened the kiss and wrapped my arms around him. I'm not sure, I think we may have done it right there at the table if not for my mother.

She tapped me on the shoulder, "I raised you better than this Stephanie Michelle."

I blinked. It was like having ice water thrown on me. All desire was gone.

"Thanks Mom, I needed that."

Ranger and I left the lounge a few minutes later. Louisa Del Ray hurried toward us with a smile on her face and Marco behind her. "Carlos," she called. "Carlos…"

I stopped dead in my tracks and looked up at him with a raised brow.

He closed his eyes and sighed, "It's not what it looks like."

"What do you think it looks like," I blinked.

"Carlos," she sighed and wrapped her sexy little body around him. "Onde você foi querido? Tenho saudades." (Where have you been darling? I have missed you.)

"Eu te conheço?" (Do I know you?)

"Como você pode dizer que depois de todas as noites que passamos juntos no Chile?" (How can you say that after all the nights we spent together in Chili?)

"Olha eu não sei o que você está tentando puxar. Eu nunca tinha visto antes de você na minha vida." (Look, I don't know what you're trying to pull. I have never seen you before in my life.)

She began to laugh as Drake clapped Ranger on the back. "Gotcha," he grinned.

"Got me," Ranger raised a brow.

"Just having a little fun Ranger," he said.

"Having fun at Stephanie's expense is not funny to me Cable," Ranger said quietly. "If you want to have fun…we'll have fun." He pulled me out of the lounge and down the hall. I could tell he was furious. I just didn't know why.

"What happened," I said breathlessly as we exited through the double doors to the deck.

"I should have killed him in Afghanistan when I had the chance," he growled.

"Ranger," I said softly.

"What's the matter Ranger," Score said leaning against the railing with a cigar in his mouth, "have you lost your sense of humor?"

Ranger released my hand and stalked over to Score, "you want to push my buttons, push my fucking buttons. But you leave her out of it," he waved back toward me. You don't touch her. You don't use her. You don't even think about her. Do I make myself clear?"

"What's the matter Ranger," Points said softly with a chuckle as he approached on the side. "Does your little heart go pitter pat whenever she's near," he said in a baby voice. "Is she your lovey dovey?"

"Shut the fuck up," Ranger growled. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from her."

"Or you'll do what," Score said coldly and straightened. "What are you going to do Ranger…push me off the ship? Do you think you scare me?" He got up in Ranger's face.

"If I don't scare you," Ranger said softly with absolute cold fury in his voice, "then you're dumber than I thought."

Score pushed him, "you think you're so bad. You live by a code Manoso. You'll never do anything illegal."

"Right," he nodded. "I wouldn't. I never have," he said sarcastically, "or maybe it's just that I've never been caught. Leave her be."

And that's when Drake or Cable made his fatal mistake. He punched Ranger in the side of the head…when he wasn't even looking at him. I screamed.

The three of them were on top of Ranger beating the crap out of him with Tank, Cal and Lester started pulling people off. To the best that I could tell, he hadn't even swung a punch.

Security came rushing in at that point.

"What happened," Captain Williams asked me.

"They just started beating him up," I said blankly and rushed forward to help Ranger to his feet. "He never even touched them."

"I'll be pressing charges against them Captain. I'm sure you've got it on video," he pointed up the camera on the post above him.

"I'm sure we do. Gentlemen, you are confined to quarters for the duration of the voyage. You will be released into custody of the US Marshall when we dock again in Ft Lauderdale." He turned and strode away.

"Fucking asshole," Score screamed as Ranger and I walked away.

"He has issues," I said softly as we climbed the stairs.

Ranger chuckled and rubbed his bruised jaw, "yea…he does."

I took him into our bathroom and dug out the medical kit we never travelled without. "Why didn't you fight back?"

"What would have been the point," he shrugged. "They were trying to incite me. I saw the camera and knew it'd be on tape. I wanted them to fail." He winced as I rubbed antiseptic on his jaw.

"Was it worth it," I raised a brow.

"I didn't know her," he said and wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him between his legs. "I didn't know her Babe."

"I know," I said softly.

"If I knew her, I'd tell you…I give you my word."

"I believe you," I sighed. "She called you Carlos though."

"I didn't think you wanted to call me Carlos," he smiled.

"I don't particularly. I mean I know a lot of people call you that, but it… You don't look like a Carlos."

He smiled, "what do I look like?"

"Ricardo," I smiled. "You're like Desi Arnez in I Love Lucy."

"You're definitely Lucy...without the red hair," he smiled.

"I'm not that much trouble," I sighed.

"Not any more," he agreed. "You very seldom have 'splaining to do anymore."

"Gee thanks," I said with a grimace.

"I just want to know that you believe me and that you trust me," he said quietly.

"I probably trust you more than I trust anyone else in the world," I said quietly. "I do."

"You do," he beamed and winced.

"I do," I agreed softly. "Now…let me go so I can finish looking you over."

"And after you're done…we can do some more dancing?"

"You feel like going dancing again," I raised a brow in disbelief.

"We can dance here," he grinned.

"Oh no, you don't," I shook my head and pulled away. "I'm not falling for the old horizontal mattress dance thing again. Don't even try."

"Again," he said with a raised brow.

"Never mind," I growled and put more antiseptic to his jaw. "Just you never mind."