Sometime during the night, Hal crawled into my bed. I opened my eyes to find him watching me. "It isn't that I'm not enjoying the scenery, but why are you in my bed?" I softly asked. Hal lazily rubbed my back. The heat from his palm permeated my sleep shirt and sent electricity directly to my core. Moisture pooled between my legs, soaking my panties. I have never needed anyone more than I needed Hal. Maybe that was what Grandma tried to tell me before passing away.

"You had a nightmare and would only settle once I climbed into the bed beside you," Hal explained. His hand brushed down my arm and curled behind me. I felt comfortable and loved. Hal's eyes gazed lovingly into mine, patiently waiting for me to collect my thoughts while suppressing the overwhelming grief of losing Grandma.

It wasn't unusual for me to have nightmares after a traumatic incident. I had expected to find Grandma dead, which I thought would suppress any bad dreams. "I don't remember dreaming."

"Do you typically remember your dreams?" Hal asked.

"Nightmares, yes, but not other ones," I confessed, cuddling closer to Hal. I hooked a leg over his hip. The feel of his naked hip against my leg was divine. "Are you naked in my bed?"

Hal chuckled. I took that as a yes and had to check for myself. Peeking beneath the blankets, I determined I was fully clothed, but Hal was buck-naked, as I suspected. "Are you still enjoying the scenery?" Hal asked when I continued looking at his abs.

I dropped the blanket and replied, "Absolutely." Hal complained when I moved my leg.

"What are you doing?" His question made me smile. "That's one mischievous grin on your face," Hal said. I laughed and continued taking the lead, as he called it earlier.

"Levelling the playing field," I replied as I shimmied out of my panties. Hal pulled me on top of him. Our privates were perfectly aligned. With my knees pressed into the mattress, I lifted my chest off Hal's and removed my top.

"Stephanie, you're beautiful," Hal said. He cupped my breasts, one in each hand and pinched my nipples. I felt a gush of fluid and rose to my knees. Slowly, I lowered myself onto Hal's erection. He filled me as I moaned. Hal growled and raised his hips to sink deeper into me. I tossed my head back in ecstasy and let Hal top from the bottom. Our first time having sex was better than I had ever imagined.

I orgasmed harder than ever. It was the single most earth-shattering experience of my life. My body shook as Hal flipped me onto my back. With my legs wrapped around Hal's hips, he slammed into me three times before calling my name. "I don't want to wait," I whispered.

"Neither do I," Hal confessed, brushing the damp hair off my shoulder to lick the sweat from my neck. "I want to wake up every morning with you in my arms." His confession didn't frighten me. It felt right.

Hal growled as I teased, "You realize this goes against Grandma's prediction."

He nipped my neck, and I playfully pushed him away. It wasn't a rejection, just an indication that we were having a serious conversation. "And what did she predict?" Hal questioned.

"That I won't follow convention and have children before tying the knot," I replied. "Though she may have misinterpreted the message from her ancestors."

"Speaking about children, don't you think we were a tad irresponsible to not using protection?" Hal doesn't seem too worried about getting me pregnant. I sensed he would welcome the possibility of having children.

"I'm clean, you're clean. My doctor gave me the birth control injection six weeks ago. I have pregnancy prevention handled," I replied. I rested my chin on his chest as he lazily drew on my back. "What time is it?"

Hal raised his left arm to check his watch. "A little after five," he replied. I kissed his chest and climbed out of bed. Hal followed me to the shower. We cleaned, got dirty again and washed the essentials before the water ran cold.

I dressed in a business skirt suit and wore a deep blue silk shirt. After Hal finished shaving, he pulled on the pants and shirt from his duffle. "Commando?" I queried. I entered the ensuite washroom to do my hair and makeup. Hal followed so close behind me that I could feel his breath move my hair.

"Not usually, but I don't have a clean pair of boxers," Hal replied. He wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder as I applied mascara in the bathroom mirror. "Do you wear much makeup?"

"Mostly lipgloss and mascara. Why?"

"You're gorgeous without it," Hal answered. I rolled my eyes and applied a second coat of mascara to my lashes. Hal kissed my neck before letting me pull my hair into a twist at the base of my skull, exposing my neck for him to brush his lips across the spot beneath my ear. I mentally shook my head to clear the sexy thoughts. We had too much to do.

"Thanks." I dropped the mascara into my makeup bag and removed the gloss. Hal watched in amusement as I swiped the applicator along my lips. "Have you never seen a woman apply gloss before?" I found it unfathomable that Hal had never watched a woman apply her makeup, especially lip gloss and lipstick. When I thought about it, I realized Hal had never watched me apply makeup until today.

"You know I have a brother, and I never spent the night with a woman to learn about her morning routine," Hal explained. His confession excited and saddened me.

"Why haven't you spent the night with a woman?" I asked, curious how he would answer but afraid to hear he didn't trust them enough to let down his guard to sleep. Hal had no problems sleeping with me.

Confirming my suspicions, Hal replied, "I have only been with two women. My high school girlfriend and one I picked up in a bar three years ago. I never spent the night with them."

"Not even your high school sweetheart?" I queried.

"We rented a hotel room for prom, but her mom found out and dragged her home after we had sex," Hal explained, his face turning slightly pink. It wasn't from embarrassment; it was the shame of using a woman for a few hours of sex. "Spending the night sleeping with a stranger would go against my training in the Navy and SEALs. It was part of the conditioning to protect oneself from capture. You never knew who to trust."

Despite knowing the answer, I touched his heated cheeks and asked, "And you trust me?"Sometimes, a girl needs to hear the words from her man.

"Without question," Hal replied, making my heart melt. The pink in his cheeks left as I turned and stroked my thumb over the smooth cheek. Hal moaned and pressed into my touch.

Hal rested his hands on my hips and pulled me against him. "We can visit the Office of Vital Statistics in Ewing Township to apply for the license. I have a copy of my divorce decree," I said.

"Considering I'm your security detail, I can easily arrange it." Hal kissed my forehead before releasing me. I could live in his arms forever. Hal gave me comfort, which I couldn't begin to explain. Like our first coupling, it was unlike any other life experience. The only way I could describe it was like coming home.

"I thought you and Ram were staying here to watch the landscapers," I said, confused that he was my bodyguard for the day.

"Ranger changed the plans. He thought you'd need me for emotional support," Hal explained. I should thank Ranger for his forethought. Ranger realized how much I needed Hal to accompany me and made the necessary changes. "Manny and Junior are on site to watch the workers."

"Thank you," I replied. I appreciated Hal telling me who was watching my property to ensure the fence installation team completed enclosing my house in the perimeter metal fence. Manny and Junior would also make the workers fix the grass and other landscaping issues affected by the installation, as promised in writing, which she gave to Hunter.

Hal and I walked down the stairs in single file, with him a few steps ahead of me. As I stepped on the landing at the base of the stairs, I smelled coffee, scrambled eggs, and bacon. Following the mouthwatering aromas, I went to my kitchen to find Ram plating the bacon. He wore a pink and white apron with ruffles over the shoulder. I stifled a laugh and sat at the table. "Where did you find that?" I asked, pointing to the hideous apron. I hate pink.

"It was in a box your father delivered to Rangeman last night," Ram replied. "Isn't this yours?" He fingered the ruffled neck strap.

Snorting in disgust, I said, "No. I'm not a ruffles kind of woman."

"Oh," Ram said. A slow smile appeared. I raised my brows, wondering what silly thing he would utter to cover his embarrassment of wearing something my mother thought I would like. "I rather like this apron. The pink ruffles make me feel pretty."

Hal and I laughed. Ram placed the platters overflowing with bacon, eggs, and toast on the table. He had the table set for three. I grabbed one of the mugs filled with coffee, adding cream and sugar until it was the perfect mix. Hal watched in amusement as he counted the number of rounded spoonfuls of sugar I deemed made the coffee ideal.

I moaned in appreciation as I consumed the delicious food my friend Ram had prepared. Hal smiled in amusement, and I noticed he had fixed himself a few times during the meal. I might have exaggerated the moans to see how it affected Hal. It was mean, but a girl had to amuse herself somehow.

"You're handling your Grandma's death impressively well, considering you found her deceased," Ram observed. Mentioning Grandma brought tears to my eyes. I blot the unshed tears away with a clean napkin before they threaten to ruin my mascara.

"I'm taking it one step at a time," I confessed. "Being here, in this house, helps."

"Why's that?" Ram asked.

I suppress the tears threatening to fall as I consider why I don't have a problem in this house. Grief threatened to drag me into the never-ending abyss of darkness. Barely audible, I replied, "She never came here."

Hal understood and gave my hand a comforting pat. Instead of having overwhelming memories of being in a place where Grandma lived, I had to deal with the thought of Grandma never seeing my new home.

Ram cleared the table as we shared memorable tales involving Grandma. He rinsed the plates and loaded them into the dishwasher. Hal and Ram gave me a sympathetic look when I excused myself to wash my hands and touch up my makeup.

Unfortunately, it was time to go. I had to meet Uncle Vincent at PTES to announce the company's change in ownership. Eventually, we had to issue a press release; however, it was imperative to notify the staff first. I know most of the employees lived outside the Burg. The few living in the Burg never participated in spreading gossip or rumours.

Uncle Vincent offered to reschedule the meeting, but I needed the distraction. Keeping my mind occupied with other things saved me from getting lost in the darkness. Hal and Ram know how my mind works. I had to hold on to the fact Grandma wasn't suffering anymore.

"We should leave," Hal said when I didn't move.

"I know," I sighed. "Once Uncle Vincent makes the announcement, I have to meet Dave to arrange Grandma's cremation and interment." Hal stroked my cheeks with his thumbs, wiping the tears I never realized had dropped from my eyes. I hated having my emotions so close to the surface.

"Everything will get better, Steph. It takes time," Hal said.

"There wasn't enough time. I was always closest to Grandma Mazur and Grandpa Plum. Losing Grandpa was difficult, but taking care of Grandma during her last five days on earth was devastating. Watching her quickly declining health was the worst experience of my life, and you know I have lived through a lot," I reasoned. I was trying to make sense out of everything. "Nobody told me she was sick."

"Perhaps your grandmother was sick for years, but she never wanted you to worry about her. Have you noticed any changes in her activity level or behaviour?" Hal asked.

I had to think long and hard about it. Hal noticed I was distracted as I collected my thoughts. He nodded to his partner, Ram, and by grabbing my car keys, he raised them to tell Ram to follow us. "Sorry," I mumbled when we exited my house.

"You're too distracted to drive. I'll handle maneuvering through Trenton traffic while you filter through the memories for an answer to my question," Hal teased.

"I don't need that much time," I replied, playfully smacking his arm. Hal opened the door of my car so I could climb inside. He caught a view of the holster on my thigh. His hand moved up my inner thigh to touch the leather strapped to my left leg. "Hal, what are you doing?"

"So damn sexy," Hal mumbled. He leaned into the SUV to press his lips to mine. Before we could get too carried away with kissing, Hal pulled away. He ran around the back of my SUV and climbed into the driver's seat. I pressed the button on the dash to open the garage door.

"Grandma's personality didn't really change," I said, answering Hal's question. "She had more freedom after Grandpa passed away five years ago. When I got into bounty hunting, she was excited and learned everything she could to help me with the job. I suppose one could argue that her actions indicated a change in personality or activity levels, but I always thought she was living vicariously through me."

"Ah. That could be the personality change you missed by being too close to the situation," Hal reasoned. I saw his point.

"Grandma toned down after she got kidnapped by Bernard Stupe. It made her realize anything could happen when you're getting mixed up with the criminal's activities. I know Stupe thought Grandma had the keys to the safe, but she never had them. Now that I'm thinking about it, that was when Grandma started taking more ibuprofen for aches and pains."

"How did she manage aches and pains before that kidnapping?" Hal asked.

"Suffer in silence and only take medication when absolutely necessary," I answered. "Like me."

I absentmindedly looked out the window at the passing houses and cars. Why couldn't my life be easier? I suppose one could argue that I have it easy now that I have money. But those same people assume money can buy happiness.

As I chewed on my lip, I thought about Hal's comment regarding Morelli forcing me to marry him. "What's on your mind?" Hal asked as the car slowed to a stop at the red light. He reached over to gently tug my bottom lip free.

"Why does everyone think Morelli could force me to marry him? If I'm not mistaken, doesn't he need my consent?" I asked.

"People get married in Vegas all the time. Some are so drunk it shouldn't be legal," Hal explained.

"We could do that, you know?"

"Do what?" Hal asked, his lips curling into a sexy smile.

"Get married in Vegas," I laughed.

"I could arrange that," Hal replied.

"I'm teasing, Hal," I giggled, flirtatiously tapping his hand.