I had the weekend off so I dressed in clothes I didn't wear often anymore. I didn't mind the Rangeman uniform, it saved a lot of time for me, not having to decide what to put on every morning, but sometimes I missed all the colors of the rainbow.
A couple weeks ago, I hit the mall with Hector and bought a few outfits to replace what had been burnt to a crisp. None of them were black. It was the first week of October, and the weather had started to turn a little cool so I'd chosen a form-fitting blue sweater and slid into a pair of jeans, and thanks to the Rangeman daily physical activity requirements, I didn't have to lie down on the bed to get them zipped. I finished the ensemble with a pair of floral-patterned ankle boots which zipped up the side and had a two-inch heel. They were multi-colored, including a deep blue the same shade of my sweater, which Hector said was reason enough to buy them.
I checked my Glock, made sure it was loaded and added it and an extra magazine to my shoulder bag. I grabbed my keys and the panic alarm I'd promised to carry at all times and headed out.
Since the night my apartment building burned down I'd been avoiding the burg and all the people in it, including my family. I'd talked to my Grandma a few times and Valerie and Lula, but that's it, so when Connie asked if I would meet her for lunch, I suggested a place over in Hamilton Township, in the hopes of keeping the streak of not seeing anyone from my previous world going.
Connie's mile-high teased dark hair was easy to spot when I entered the sports bar. I'd been here earlier in the week with Hal and Cal on the hunt for an FTA and though we didn't find the guy, who was a former employee of the place, we did eat a basket of wings and they were excellent.
I made my way to her table and couldn't stop the eyeroll at her first comment when I slid into the booth across from her. "Well, it looks like at least one of the rumors isn't true."
"Most rumors aren't true, you know that, but to which one are you referring? I've been outside of the rumor mill for weeks and frankly it's been pretty great."
"The one where you got knocked up by Morelli and ran away to have the baby in secret." Connie was grinning but I was rolling my eyes again.
"Christ. Again with that one? If I'd been pregnant as many times as that rumor has been flying around I'd have given birth to an entire baseball team by now."
"No shit," Connie said with a laugh. "Well, you're obviously not pregnant. You look great, by the way."
"It's all the forced exercise," I admitted and snagged a fry out of the basket in front of her.
"Any of that exercise happening in Ranger's bed?" She asked, trying but failing to hide another smile. "I ordered more," she added when I pilfered another French fry, "and some wings," she said. "You want anything else?"
"No, I'm good." I didn't respond to the first part of her question and I hoped she'd drop it but I should have known better.
"That's one of the other rumors, you know. That you've been sharing Ranger's bed since yours burnt up."
My eyes might get stuck in the back of my head if she keeps saying things to make me roll them. "Everyone needs to get another hobby, other than discussing my love life."
Connie laughed. "I agree. But is it true?" She asked eagerly.
"No comment," I said. I wasn't positive where Ranger and I stood, not yet anyway, so I wasn't about to discuss any part of what we did together with anyone else.
She opened her mouth, I was sure to beg me for details, but the waiter arrived with more fries, a basket of wings and two large cokes to wash it all down.
"What's going on at Vinnie's?" I asked, pointedly changing the subject. "Lula says he's been more cranky than usual lately." Connie thankfully let it go and gave me the scoop.
"That little weasel was born cranky but Lula's right. Lucille wants him to retire so they can move to Florida and she's threatened to divorce him if he doesn't. So, he is. He told us yesterday he's closing up the office."
I was genuinely surprised and dropped a wing I'd just picked up back into the basket. "Well, damn. Good riddance but what are you and Lula gonna do for work?"
She devoured a wing before responding. "That's part of the reason I wanted to see you today. Les Sebring is opening a branch in New York and he's offered both of us a job up there. We accepted so we're leaving town next week. Lula wants to have a girls night out before we go."
"That definitely requires a celebration. I'm in. Where do you want..." There was a commotion happening at the bar which drew my attention. I turned my head and saw a tall, skinny guy in a beige trench coat having a tense discussion with the guy behind the counter. He looked familiar and it took a couple beats for the face to click in my memory.
It was the skip Hal and Cal and I had been after earlier in the week. His name was Randall Turner and he'd been charged with breaking and entering and petty theft and had missed his court date. We'd spent most of the day Tuesday hunting him down without any luck and here he was.
"Steph," Connie said bringing my head back around. "What's wrong?"
"That guy, he's FTA." I pointed to the bar and she turned to look just as he whipped a Beretta 92PFS out from inside his coat. "Oh shit," I muttered and reached for my bag.
Someone yelled "Omigod, he's got a gun!" and all hell broke loose. A woman screamed and then there was a mad dash for the door by nearly every other patron and employee in the restaurant. I slid out my Glock and then hit the panic button in my pocket.
Connie's eyes were wide with a little fear when I met them across the table. I quietly told her to call 911 as I slid out of the booth. "Steph, what are doing?" She hissed under her breath. I ignored her and dropped to a crouch so I couldn't be seen in the mirror behind the bar.
I crept as silently at possible towards the two men, trying to listen to what they were saying. It sounded like Randall was pissed he'd been fired and was demanding his job back. To his credit, the bartender was remaining relatively calm and was trying to talk the guy down. Asking him repeatedly to lower the weapon but Randall wasn't complying.
"Call the manager right the fuck now!" He screamed and then fired a shot. I was still crouched low and couldn't see where he'd aimed but the noise was deafening and a second later the sound of glass shattering followed. I hoped he'd hit the mirror and wouldn't see me when I popped up behind him.
I pressed my gun to the back of his sweaty neck and said, "Drop it, asshole." He didn't listen to me either and spun around, swinging his arm wildly but I was ready for it and kneed him in the balls. He dropped the gun then and the pain made him bend at the waist so I brought my same knee up into his face, catching him right on the chin.
He crashed onto the floor and blood was trickling out of his mouth as he moaned and cupped his nuts. I either knocked out some teeth or he bit his tongue so hard it was bleeding. Either option was good with me. I tucked my gun into the small of my back and kicked the Beretta out of his reach, just in case. I looked over at the shocked bartender and his mouth was hanging open as he stared at me. "You okay?" I asked. He nodded so I asked a follow-up. "You got any zip ties? Or rope? I don't have my cuffs with me and it might be a few minutes before the cops get here to secure this creep."
He didn't reply because a very familiar voice sounded from behind me. "You can use mine."
I turned around and found Hal and Cal and Ranger and Tank standing there. Hal and Cal were grinning, Tank was holding out his cuffs and Ranger was scanning me for any injuries.
"Looks like you didn't need us after all," Cal said.
"Yeah, good job Steph," Hal added. "We'll take care of this asshole."
Cal put his steel-toed boot in Randall's ribs and used it to flip him over. "Holy shit. Is this our FTA?" He asked.
"Yeah. I was surprised too," I said.
"Damn Randall, we've been looking for you," Hal told him as he yanked his arms behind his back to secure the cuffs onto his wrists. "Apparently you pissed off Stephanie, bad move dude. You'll be lucky if your dick ever works again. Her knees are pretty lethal."
The two giants hauled him to his feet and escorted him out the door. Tank nodded at me and a tiny smile lifted his lips at the corners. He didn't say anything before following them outside but I detected a hint of pride in that little grin.
Ranger looked me up and down one more time before asking, "Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. Sorry I hit the panic button prematurely. I just wasn't sure what was gonna happen and wanted…" Ranger unexpectedly yanked me against his chest and covered my mouth with his.
"Proud of you," he whispered after separating our lips. "The cops are right behind us; do you want me to stick around?"
"No, I can handle it," I assured him.
"I know you can," he said and kissed me one more time. "I'll see you at seven." And then he was gone.
"I knew it!" Connie exclaimed as she sidled up next to me. Luckily, Robin Russell and Big Dog arrived just at that moment and saved me from having to respond.
0*0*0*
By the time I got back to my apartment, I had a couple hours to kill before Ranger was due to arrive so I pulled out my phone to check my voicemail. It had buzzed in my pocket a couple times during the chaos at the sports bar and I obviously hadn't answered. One was from my sister and the other from my Grandma and I hadn't spoken to either of them in a couple of weeks so I thought I should find out if either call had been important.
Before I could press the voicemail button, the phone rang in my hand. The number came up as unknown and I hesitated for a second before I answered.
"Hello?"
"Stephanie, this is your Mother." Damn. I wish I'd gone with my first impulse to ignore the call.
I hadn't seen or even talked to her since right after my apartment was firebombed. I made the mistake of going over there for dinner and she complained for ten minutes straight about all the phone calls she got about it and spent another ten telling me how there must be more respectable jobs I could get where I wouldn't have lunatics trying to murder me every other day. She sort of had a point in that regard but I wasn't in the mood to listen to how much of a disappointment I was to her so I'd made an excuse to leave early and haven't been back since.
I also made sure I didn't give her my new phone number so I'd have to chew my sister's ass for that because I knew she was the culprit and her phone call earlier had probably been to warn me about this.
"Hi Mom," I replied with as much fake cheerfulness as I could muster.
"Hi? That's all you have to say for yourself?"
Oh boy. This is why I've been avoiding her and the whole neighborhood in general.
"Yes, that's all I have to say. How's Grandma? And Dad?"
She did not appreciate my deflection technique. "They're fine, but you know that because you've apparently been talking to your sister but not to me. I had to get your number from her, do you know how that makes me feel? And she tells me you are working at that company for that man who only wears black and hardly ever speaks. What has gotten into you young lady?"
I let out an audible sigh of frustration but it didn't deter her rant. "I ran into Joseph at the market last week," she went on not letting me answer any of her annoying questions. "And he says you haven't been speaking to him either. He's never going to take you back if you keep—"
"Mom, just stop," I cut her off, unwilling to listen to anymore bullshit. "I like my job, and the company pays me well, including a great apartment and health benefits and that man you are referring to is the best one I've ever met so I really don't give any shits about Morelli taking me back. I don't want him and frankly he deserves to be alone. I think that covers all of your concerns. I'm happy, Mom, really happy and I hope someday you'll accept that and stop trying to make me into someone I don't want to be, and if not…well it'll be your loss. And now I have to go get ready for a date with that man so, goodbye." I disconnected the call and dropped my phone onto my bed. I knew there was a good chance she'd call back but I had no intention of answering so I left it there and headed for the shower.
0*0*0*
A knock sounded on my door at exactly seven. I opened it to Ranger looking dark, sexy and a little bit dangerous. He was dressed in a black cashmere crew-neck sweater, charcoal slacks with a barely-there pinstripe and black leather wingtip boots. There was a ruby gleaming in his ear tonight, the same color as my dress, and he'd pulled only the top section of his hair off his temples, leaving the rest to hang loose. I idly wondered if I'd be able to get through dinner without wanting to drag him off to the closest private space available.
I'm not sure how long I'd been looking my fill but when I forced my eyes back up to his, I found those dark brown irises filled with desire. He dropped his gaze slowly into a full-body scan and when it made it back to my face he said, "Nice dress."
I wanted to comment on his outfit but he stepped into my personal space until our chests were touching and kept moving, forcing me back into my tiny foyer. When he was through the threshold, he closed the door, slid his hands over my hips and then spun me around so my back was against the door he'd just closed. He leaned in, pressing me to the cold steel with his whole body and slanted his mouth over mine. The kiss was long and slow and drowning in sensuality.
Just when I was sure I wanted to get him out of his clothes and into my bed, he ended the kiss and eased away from me, putting a small bit of space between us. A hint of a smile played at the corners of his sinful mouth. "That should hold me until after dinner," he said.
"You maybe," I muttered, trying to calm my racing pulse and the heat swirling between my thighs. His smile grew.
"I don't plan on leaving your side for the next two days so we'll have plenty of time for all the things running through your head right now."
Ranger's mind reading abilities were legendary but he couldn't possibly know everything, right? "Are you sure you know all of them?" I challenged, lifting a brow.
"Babe."
He definitely knew. "Let's go."
I grabbed my clutch bag off the sideboard and followed him out. I pulled my door closed and he surprised me by lacing his fingers through mine. Normally he was careful about physical contact inside the public areas of the building, where any of the guys could see us. He tugged me down the hallway to the elevator and kept our hands connected while we waited.
The door pinged open and he pulled me inside, pushed the button for the garage and when the door slid closed, he pressed me against the back wall and kissed me again. Thankfully this time it was relatively chaste.
"Aren't you worried about the guys seeing us?" I asked when he separated our lips.
"No. Are you?"
"Maybe a little. I don't want anyone to think we're…" I trailed off, realizing they probably already did.
"The men are aware, Stephanie, but they know to keep their mouths shut, and they know the consequences if they don't."
"Even Lester?"
"Especially Lester."
The door opened to the garage and he led me out with his hand at the small of my back. I was expecting him to choose the 911 but he took me to his Cayenne and when we left the garage and turned out onto the street, I realized why he'd chosen it.
The Cayenne had an automatic transmission which meant most of the time he could drive with only one hand. The other one he used to expertly tease and torment me the entire drive to the restaurant. Soft brushes of his fingers over my thigh, playing with the hair at the nape of my neck at a stop light, gentle caresses with his thumb over my cheek. By the time he pulled into a parking space and cut the engine my whole body was tingling with anticipation.
I tried taking two deep, calming breaths while he exited the car but it didn't really help. A second later he popped open my door and held out his hand. When I didn't take it immediately, he leaned inside. "You okay?" There was a small smile touching his lips and proving he knew exactly what he'd done.
Wanting a little payback, I grabbed onto the front of his sweater and jerked him to me, thrusting my tongue inside his mouth when his jaw dropped open in surprise. While I occupied his mouth, I slid my other hand around his waist and up under the unbelievably soft sweater. When I dipped my fingers into the waistband of his pants and flexed them on his taut glute muscles, Ranger broke the kiss and rasped out, "Do you want to skip dinner?"
It felt pretty good seeing I could get him to lose a little bit of control too. "Yes," I replied. "And no. You've never taken me out before so I don't want to squander this maybe one-time opportunity."
I released my hold on his sweater and his ass and Ranger backed up. He held out his hand again and I took it, letting him help me out of the vehicle.
"I'm hoping this won't be a single occurrence, Babe," he said as I smoothed out the front of my dress. I was hoping that too but the niggling thought he had something to tell me I might not like made my stomach do a little flip.
He took my hand again and led me to the restaurant. I'd been so consumed with his wandering touches in the car I hadn't realized he'd driven us to Rossini's. It was one of the nicer places in Trenton and they had the best tiramisu I'd ever had but it was also in the burg, which I'd been resolutely avoiding. The phone call I'd had with my mother cemented the fact I'd made the right decision. A rush of anxiety flooded my veins at the thought of running into someone I knew, or didn't want to know anymore.
When we reached the door, it swung open before Ranger got a hand on it, and my fear was instantly realized.
Joe Morelli froze mid-stride at the sight of me, making the tall brunette woman, who I assumed was his date, collide into his back. I almost felt sorry for her when he let his eyes rake over every inch of my body. His gaze bordered on lecherous and I was instantly annoyed.
Apparently Ranger wasn't thrilled about it either because he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me tight to his side, his fingers digging possessively into my hip. "Morrelli," he said in the clipped tone I knew was a warning but wasn't so sure Joe had a clue because it took him another beat to bring his eyes back up to my face.
"Hey Cup—Steph," he said, completely ignoring Ranger, but I was glad he'd stopped himself from uttering the stupid nickname I've always hated. "Long time no see," he added.
"Not long enough," Ranger replied curtly.
Joe's jaw clenched but he kept his eyes on mine. "Is he speaking for you now?"
I chanced a glance at Ranger's face. His expression was blank but his eyes were hard and I knew I needed to get us inside before things took too wrong of a turn and fists or weapons were engaged.
"Normally no, but I'm making an exception in this case. Bye Joe," I said and stepped around him, bringing Ranger with me since he hadn't loosened his hold on my hip. I heard a derisive snort from Morelli but didn't acknowledge it and didn't look back. Joe was a part of my past and I was happy to leave him there.
Ranger let go only to open the door for me and I entered the restaurant. His arm went back around my waist when we stepped up to the stand to wait for the maître d'. Neither of us mentioned what had just happened outside and that was fine by me. I didn't care if I ever heard Morelli's name again.
It was Saturday night and the place was packed so a few minutes went by before the impeccably dressed host arrived to seat us. He greeted Ranger by name and the two men shook hands.
"Mr. Manoso, so good to see you again, sir. Many apologies for the wait. I have your room ready, right this way."
He gestured for us to follow him and I cut my eyes to Ranger and whispered, "Room?"
He only smiled and pulled me behind him as we followed the maître d' toward the back of the restaurant.
We were led into a private room housing four tables and a gorgeous fireplace lined with stacked stone all the way to the ceiling. There was only one table for two set, right in front of the fireplace, which already held a burning fire. The tablecloth was white linen, the plates were also white and the silverware was polished to an impossible shine. A bottle of wine, which probably cost a small fortune, sat in the middle of the table with two empty wine glasses waiting for the burgundy liquid.
The maître d' pulled out a chair for me and I sat. He draped a linen napkin over my lap and gave me a little bow before turning back to Ranger. "Marcus will be your server tonight and will be in shortly to take your order."
Thank you, Jon." Ranger shook his hand again and then sat across from me.
I couldn't stop staring at his fire-lit face. I was having a hard time merging this image of him with the badass mercenary/bounty hunter one I'd known for the past couple of years. "Do you own this place or something," I blurted. He was certainly being treated like he might.
Ranger gave me a small smile. "No. I know the owner's son. He was in my unit in the army. I saved his life once and now his Dad insists on spoiling me every time I have the occasion to come here." He lifted the bottle of wine and poured each of us a serving.
I brought the glass to my lips and took a sip to hide my surprise. Not at the story, that wasn't surprising, the fact he'd shared it with me was. Ranger didn't divulge much very often.
Our server arrived with a plate of arancini resting in a bed of marinara sauce. It smelled delicious and I almost started salivating. "Compliments of the chef," he said and set the platter between us. He filled our water glasses and then asked if we were ready to order. I hadn't seen a menu so was going to say no but Ranger apparently didn't need one.
"Fettuccini alfredo with sausage for the lady and I'll have the six-ounce filet, medium rare, with fingerling potatoes and grilled asparagus." I thought I should be irritated he ordered for me but that's exactly what I would have chosen so I couldn't really be mad.
"Very good, sir." He said with a nod and left us alone.
Ranger dished up 4 of the arancini onto an appetizer plate and handed it to me. My jaw dropped open when he put one on his own plate. Deep fried balls of rice and cheese didn't seem like it would be on the list of things he would consume. I, however, could eat the entire plate myself and be pretty happy about it.
"How was your official first full week?" He asked as I began to stuff my face with the deliciousness.
"Good," I replied after swallowing the first bite. "I think Tank scheduled me for everything you guys do."
"Which do you like best?"
"Honestly…bounty hunting. I like the chase, I guess. And it sure goes much smoother with proper training and reliable back-up."
"Yeah," he agreed with a nod. "Do you want to do it full-time?"
"I'll do whatever you want me to, Ranger. But if I have a choice, I'd like to, yes."
"You will always have a choice, Babe," he assured me and cut into his rice ball. "I'm opening a bail bonds division of Rangeman and I want you to run it."
He took a bite as he waited for my response. My chin hit my chest again. If he kept shocking me like this I feared it would be permanently wedged open. "What?" I asked, as if I'd misheard him.
"You'll need a file clerk of course, and you'll get to choose who we bond out. You can also have your pick of the men to help with captures," he said.
"I…I don't know what to say," I confessed. "Except, are you crazy? I'm not qualified to run anything."
He lifted an eyebrow. "Yes, you are. You've been doing this long enough to know exactly how it works and you have great instincts. You also have a business degree from Rutgers so you're probably overqualified."
"You make it sound so logical and simple," I told him as I finished off the arancini.
"It is. Do you want the job?"
"Yeah, but—"
"There are not buts," he interjected. "Tank already has it in motion. See him first thing Monday and he'll go over all the details."
I sometimes still couldn't shake the mindset of 'if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is' so I nearly gave in to the urge to protest but instead I said, "Okay…and thank you."
He nodded and then hit me with another question which left me temporarily unable to speak.
"Do you want to have children, Steph?"
I absolutely hate that question. Every time I answer it truthfully, I feel judged ten ways from Sunday. Ranger though, wasn't the judging sort, but I still did my standard deflection.
"Do you want to have any?" I shot back when I found my voice again.
He stared at me for a full minute, maybe debating if he wanted to answer and then he shocked the shit out of me.
"I have a daughter," he said. "Her name is Julie. She's ten and lives with her mother in Miami."
Our server, Marcus, arrived with the main course, which gave me time to try and digest this new information. Ranger had a kid? Of all the things he could have said I wouldn't have guessed that one. Miami…did something happen regarding her while he was there? It would definitely be something deeply personal and could explain his mood since he's been back.
I dug my fork into the fettucine and stuffed a bite into my mouth as a further distraction from responding. I did that three more times before I finally said, "Do you get to see her?"
"When I'm in the area," he replied and sliced off a piece of steak. "Except the last time I was there, my ex-wife decided my infrequent and random appearances with barely any notice was causing more harm than good and she doesn't want me to see her anymore."
Oh shit. "Can she…can she do that?" I asked with my fork frozen halfway to my mouth.
Ranger's jaw flexed once and he ate a bite of meat and a potato before answering. "Unfortunately, yes. When Julie was two, Rachel, her mother, married a nice man named Ron and he wanted to adopt her so thinking I was doing what was best for her, I signed away my parental rights. My name is on her birth certificate but technically, Ron is her father. It worked out okay for a while, she's always let me spend time with her when I could but now…now I realize it was a mistake. I've hired a child custody attorney and am trying to regain at least partial custody. It's why I have to go back to Miami on Monday."
His eyes were full of regret and I can't even imagine what a punch in the gut that had to have been, especially after ten years. "I'm so sorry. Do you know what your chances are?"
He shrugged and ate some more. "My attorney seems confident, but it's anyone's guess. I certainly haven't been a model father."
"Did you want to be?"
A small smile touched his lips. "No. I never wanted kids. Julie was the result of too much vodka and a broken condom but the first time I held her…" He trailed off and sipped some wine.
She may have been unplanned, but it was clear he loved his daughter and the thought of not getting to see her was really hard on him. Tears were starting to gather and I tried to blink them away but then he added, "I love her and I want to be a part of her life as much as I can."
I abandoned my food and used my linen napkin to stem the tide before I ruined the three coats of mascara I'd diligently applied.
"I'm sorry," I said again. "I hope it all works out for you."
"Me too. You didn't answer my question."
Damn. I'd hoped he'd moved on but apparently it was part of what he intimated last night he wanted to talk about. I tried to stall a little longer. "Which question?" I asked as innocently as possible.
He did an excellent job of not rolling his eyes. "Do you want to have children?"
"Is my answer really important to you?"
"Yes."
I shoved another bite of pasta in my face and internally debated if I should tell the truth. After I swallowed, I finished off the wine in my glass and decided honesty was best. Ranger never lied to me and I owed him the same courtesy. "No. I don't want kids. Never have." I waited for the inevitable criticizing which always accompanied the confession but when I glanced back at his face, he was smiling.
"That's gonna make this next part easier," he said.
"What part?" I asked with surprise.
"I had a vasectomy shortly after Julie was born." He ate more steak while I stared. It explained why he was never all that concerned about condoms but I was still a little taken aback. It wasn't something you hear every day, especially during a fancy dinner and I wasn't sure how to respond. When I didn't say anything Ranger filled the silence with a hint of caution. "I needed you to know what you were getting into before we pursued a more permanent relationship."
Whoa. I completely abandoned my food. "Permanent – do you mean—marriage type of permanent?"
"Eventually," he replied slowly. "Are you okay? I know I've thrown a lot of unexpected information at you."
I should be freaking out. Previous Stephanie would probably be running for the hills by now but I was feeling…content and…happy. What I'd told my mother earlier was absolutely true. I was happy, maybe for the first time in a very long time.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Just trying to wrap my head around all of it." I was pretty sure I knew but I asked anyway, just to be a hundred percent clear. "What….what exactly does this mean?"
Ranger gave me one of his killer smiles. "It means we can be together, exclusively. If that is something you want."
"Yes," I said without hesitation.
He moved quickly, up and out of his chair and pulled me from mine and into his arms. The kiss he laid on me was full of promise for things to come, later tonight for sure, but also for the future. When he broke away we were both a little breathless and he rasped out, "Do you want to get out of here?"
"Yes," I said again. "But…"
"Tiramisu?" he interjected. I should have been embarrassed but he was already well aware of my dessert obsession. I nodded and he added, "I'll have some boxed up."
We left hand in hand a few minutes later with Ranger carrying my take-out box of tiramisu. The second we stepped outside I received a harsh reminder I'd forgotten my coat. The temperature had dropped and gust of cool wind lifted my hair off my shoulders and raised goosebumps over my entire body. Ranger handed me the box and whipped off his sweater, leaving him in a black t-shirt. He took the box back and gave me the sweater. "But now you'll be cold," I objected.
"I'll be fine, Babe. Put it on," he insisted. I knew arguing would be futile so I pulled the soft material over my head, inhaling the faint hint of Blvgari as the warmth enveloped me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, increasing the heat and we made our way to his Porsche.
He opened my door and I slid onto the buttery leather. After depositing my dessert in the back seat, he got behind the wheel and immediately got the heater going after turning over the engine. "Thank you," I said as he backed out the space and got us onto the road. "For dinner and for the sweater."
"It looks good on you," he replied and brought my fingers to his mouth, gliding his lips over my knuckles. He didn't let go of my hand but moved it to his thigh and laced our fingers together as he drove. I wasn't used to this affectionate side of him but I guess if we were going to be officially a couple now, it would be happening a lot. At least I hoped so. Being touched by Ranger was an indescribable feeling, even something as simple as holding my hand made every nerve in my body burst to life.
It took me a few minutes to realize we weren't heading back to Rangeman so I had to ask where we were going.
"Somewhere I can have you all to myself. And preferably naked," he tacked on.
The privacy he wanted ended up being the Penthouse suite at the Waldorf Hotel, the most expensive one in Jersey, as far as I knew. I thought it would be awkward checking into such a fancy place without any luggage but apparently Ranger had already done that because we headed right towards the elevators, detouring from the front desk entirely.
The elevator doors opened the second he touched the button and he ushered me inside the car. After using the keycard he'd slipped out of his pocket on the control panel, he pushed the button for the top floor. When the doors slid closed with a quiet swish, Ranger fused his mouth to mine in a sinful kiss, which he didn't stop until the doors opened again.
"I don't have any clothes or a toothbrush," I reminded him as we stepped out into the hallway.
"Did you not hear the naked part?" He queried as he led me to our suite.
"Yes, I heard," I said with a grin. This was a fancy hotel so I was sure there would be robes in the room and probably toothbrushes too so I stopped worrying about it.
"I had Ella bring a bag for each of us while we were at dinner," he said as the lock clicked and he swung open the double doors.
Of course he did. "You think of everything, don't you?"
He deposited my dessert on the small sideboard, just inside the doors, which also held a vase of fresh flowers and closed them behind us. "The only thing I'm thinking about right now is how much I want to be inside you."
The air whooshed out from my lungs as he plastered his body to mine, pressing me into the double doors. His hands slid under the hem of his sweater and he lifted it off of my torso and tossed it somewhere behind him. His mouth found the delicate skin under my ear as he impatiently tugged the slim straps of my dress down my biceps. "This dress is great but the body underneath it is better," he murmured between kisses. I helped him with straps as he got tripped up with the crisscrossing back and soon he was easing it over my hips. It didn't lend itself to a bra or panties which made him groan lustily when the material pooled at my feet and I stood bare before him.
"I don't think we're going to make it to the bedroom," he said as he pulled off his t-shirt and then covered my exposed breasts with his palms. My nipples hardened under his touch and I reached for the button holding his pants together just as his phone started ringing from his pocket.
"Ignore it," he commanded when my fingers froze on his waistband.
"That's against company policy," I said but continued unbuttoning his pants. The ringing stopped as I lowered his zipper and slipped my hand inside, cupping the huge hard length of him. He groaned again and the ringing started once more when I began to rub.
"They know I'm offline," he said when I stopped touching him.
"That probably means it's important," I told him logically and pulled my hand away. "You should get it. We have all night, right?"
"Yes," he agreed and brushed a kiss over my lips before taking a step back and retrieving the offending device from his pants.
He checked the display, his eyes widening in surprise at whatever he saw there. He swiped right on the screen and lifted it to his ear. "Manoso."
That told me it wasn't anyone from Rangeman and I tried to step away to give him some privacy but he snagged my arm, halting my departure and I listened to his side of the short conversation.
"What? When did this happen? Really? Okay, yes I'll be there." He disconnected and lifted his eyes to mine. "That was my lawyer in Miami. My ex has decided she doesn't want to put Julie through a lengthy court battle and wants to negotiate a custody arrangement."
"That's great," I said. I could see the relief on his face and I was thrilled for him. "I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you, but there is a catch. She wants me there first thing in the morning."
Obviously this was way more important than me so I tried not to let the disappointment seep into my tone. I was genuinely happy for him but I was looking forward to having him to myself for two full days. "I guess I don't get you for two days after all."
Ranger pulled me against his chest. "I want you to come with me, Babe."
"What?" I questioned. Has he lost his mind? "I can't be there for that. I don't think a custody hearing is the first place I should meet your daughter."
He chuckled and kissed me. "Agreed," he said. "You can stay at Rangeman while I handle it and then we can resume our naked weekend."
"Oh, okay," I said. "Wait, there's a Rangeman in Miami?"
"Yes." He kissed me again. "We can talk about that later. Will you come with me?"
Like I would ever say no. "If you're sure you want me there, yes."
"I want you there." He got his phone back out of his pocket and called Tank.
"Cancel my flight for Monday and get Stephanie and I on the first flight out in the morning," he ordered and listened to Tank's response. "Thank you," he said and then disconnected. "Okay, where were we? Here I think," he said and covered my breasts again.
We did make it to the bedroom, eventually. We tested out the strength of the couch in the living room first and the marble countertops in the bathroom and there was a brief stop in sexual activity when I insisted I was hungry and Ranger fed me the tiramisu we'd brought from the restaurant but he ended up eating the last bite of it off my stomach and then we crawled into the gigantic bed where he slid inside me one more time before we fell asleep.
As I drifted off in his arms, I thought about the sentence Tank had uttered to me a short two months before. "There's a brave new world waiting for you, Stephanie, you just have to be willing to embrace it."
He was right. I'd embraced it entirely and was looking forward to any new adventure to come my way, especially with Ranger at my side.