Chapter One
It had been a long day, and Stephanie was looking forward to taking her meatball sub and going home to veg on the sofa while watching the Rangers game. She'd just walked in the door at Pino's when her phone rang. "Hello?" she answered as she stepped aside.
"Hi Cupcake, what are you doing tonight?" Morelli asked.
"Hey, Joe. Meatball sub on the sofa while watching the game. Why?" If this conversation went where she thought it was going, she could be talked into going to his house to watch the game instead. They could have sex afterward, which was guaranteed to put Steph in a good mood as she drifted off to sleep.
"Why not come over here with Pino's and watch the game with Bob and me?" he asked, and Stephanie smiled. Morelli wasn't terribly exciting, but he was predictable, and that was often better. Her life had too much excitement sometimes.
"Sure, that sounds great. I haven't placed my order yet. What do you want?"
"Get me two meatball subs and a large pizza with everything."
"Alright. I'll wait here and come over when it's done, about a half-hour or so."
"Okay, Cupcake. See you soon," he replied before he hung up. He turned on the TV and punched in the channel showing the Rangers game. It was currently the news, but it'd do for background noise until the game came on. He walked into the kitchen to fill Bob's food bowl with some of the diet dog food he was supposed to feed him, but Bob just sniffed it and looked disdainfully at his master.
"Yeah, I know, Bob. You don't like it." He rubbed the dog's head as Bob whined. "Stephanie will be here soon with your meatball sub." He refilled Bob's water bowl and grabbed a beer while waiting for Steph.
Stephanie walked up to the counter where Mario was just finishing up with someone and waited to place her order. She vaguely wondered why Morelli wanted two subs. He wasn't supposed to be feeding Bob human food anymore, but she had a sneaking suspicion one of them was for the canine garbage disposal. She sat on a stool at the back bar while waiting for Mario to prepare her order, sipping on a Coke while waiting. When her order was ready, she thanked Mario and headed to Morelli's place.
"Hey, Cupcake, come on in," Morelli said, greeting Stephanie with a quick kiss when she arrived at his small house on Slater Street. Without warning, he thrust his arm out sideways and just barely managed to stop Bob from barrelling into Steph in a frenzy of face-licking and crotch-sniffing.
"Thanks for the save," she said, smiling as he took the food from her before setting it down on the little table next to the door that held his keys and wallet. "You've gotten fast at that."
Steph entered the house, removed her coat, and stamped the snow off her feet before bending down to undo the laces and kick off her boots. Bob walked into the living room, circled his bed a few times, then lay down, eyes cast up mournfully.
"I had to. He bowled over Ma the other day, and I swear he was looking at Grandma Bella like he was trying to determine how much force to put behind the jump on her. I had to stop him before she gave him the eye," Joe explained.
"Ah ha! So you admit the eye is real!" Stephanie crowed, jubilant.
He smirked at her. "I admit nothing."
"Next time she tries to give me the eye, I expect you to stop her," Stephanie ordered.
"Whatever you say, Cupcake. Let's eat; I'm starved."
"Great. I'm hungry, too," she admitted. She grabbed the food in one hand and rubbed Bob's head with the other, while passing him on the way to the sofa. The television was on, and the news was playing in the background. Since Steph knew Joe didn't enjoy watching the news, she assumed it was just on while waiting for the Rangers game to come on next.
Joe went to the kitchen, and when he returned, he held two bottles of beer and two plates, along with Bob's food dish. He set everything down on the coffee table and sat beside Steph on the sofa. He opened both beers and slid one in front of her with one hand while taking a pull from his own bottle.
"Thanks," she said. "So, how was your day?"
"Just finishing up our last case, getting all the paperwork done, stuff like that. I'm sure it won't be long before we catch a new one. People in this town are too damn eager to murder each other," he said as he shook his head, then took another swig from his beer.
"I thought you weren't feeding Bob human food anymore," Stephanie observed as she opened the bag containing the three meatball subs.
"I'm only giving him a meatball sub," Morelli explained. "He won't get any of the pizza."
Stephanie shook her head slowly in mock disgust. During Bob's last appointment with the vet, the doctor had been clear that Bob's diet was affecting his health. He prescribed a diet dog food, which Bob hated, and Joe was a softie who caved whenever Bob begged for scrips. "Pathetic," she said, rolling her eyes. If a doctor told her Rex would die if she didn't feed him more veggies and less junk, he'd never again see a bite of her doughnut.
Joe dumped one of the subs into Bob's bowl, set it on the floor, and then sat back on the sofa. Steph gave Joe one of the remaining sandwiches, and they ate them in companionable silence.
The game began a few minutes after they started eating dinner, and they were quickly engrossed. The first period between the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers was particularly exciting. After Steph finished her meatball sub and a third slice of pizza, she was stuffed. She leaned back on the sofa, discreetly popped the top button on her jeans to give her belly some room, sipped her beer, and snuggled into Joe's side. He put his arm around her, and she smiled at him.
During the first intermission, they started kissing a little, and before she knew it, her top was off. Joe was reaching behind her to undo her bra when his phone dinged and he cursed. "Damn it!" He rolled over and checked the display before lowering his head in frustration. "Sorry, Cupcake, gotta go."
"What happened?" she asked, pulling her t-shirt back on.
"Body found in a dumpster on Comstock."
Stephanie grimaced. "Yuck. Do you mind if I stay and watch the rest of the game?"
He pulled his shirt on and started buttoning it as he looked over at Bob, lightly snoring in his bed. "Sure, Cupcake. Can you let Bob outside to piss before you leave? It doesn't look like he needs to go just yet."
She nodded and smiled. "I can do that. I hope you don't have to work too late."
He checked his Apple watch. "Not likely to get back anytime soon. It's already eight." He leaned down to kiss her. "Have a good night. I'll call you."
He shrugged on his coat and walked out the front door. The cold air calmed his body down, for which he was grateful. The last thing he needed was a case of blue balls from his aborted session with Steph.
Stephanie grabbed the blanket draped across the back of the sofa and stretched out to watch the rest of the game. To her disappointment, the Panthers won. She folded the blanket and laid it back on the sofa, cleaned up the detritus from dinner, put her coat on, and opened the back door. Bob ran out and circled the yard several times before lifting his leg on the singular tree in the corner. She stood in front of the sliding door and watched him, smiling. Bob was a pain in the ass, but a sweet goofball, too.
Once he returned inside and flopped down on his bed, Steph turned out the lights and locked the door behind her. She trudged through the freshly fallen snow to her car. She drove home slowly, nervously aware that her winter tires weren't great and her car tended to drift in the slush. I should have just stayed at Morelli's, she thought as her car slid to a stop just past the crosswalk in the intersection a block away from her apartment. Thankfully, it was late enough that no other vehicles or pedestrians were around.
Steph got home about five minutes later and stripped off her clothes on the way to the bathroom. She needed a hot shower and to reacquaint herself with her warm, cozy bed.
She wasn't sure how long she was asleep before something awakened her. Steph lay there in the darkness for a moment, wondering what had ripped her from her slumber, when that telltale tingle settled on the back of her neck, and the heady scent of Bulgari shower gel filled the room.
"Ranger?" she whispered into the blackness.
"Babe," his voice drifted back to her from the vicinity of the chair wedged into the corner of her bedroom.
"What's going on?" She sat up and stared in his direction, though she could only see the vaguest outline of him in the thin slits of moonlight peeking through the blinds.
Ranger didn't reply, but he came and sat beside her on the bed. Once he was closer, Steph could see his expression, and with one look at his face, she knew.
"You're leaving?" she asked quietly.
He nodded. "In the morning."
Stephanie swallowed hard. She hated it when Ranger went into the wind. She always worried about him and never slept a whole night while he was gone.
"Will you be…okay?" Steph stuttered. "It's not dangerous, right? I mean, you'll be safe?" She trailed off, not sure what she wanted him to say. She knew he couldn't tell her where he was going or what he was doing, but she couldn't stop herself from asking.
Ranger rested his hand against her cheek. "As far as jobs go, this one isn't as dangerous as most, Babe. I shouldn't be gone more than a couple of weeks."
Steph slowly exhaled, thankful he could tell her that much. "I hope not," she said.
He leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "I didn't know you cared so much, Babe," he teased, and she tensed. The truth was, she loved him. But she'd never told him that, and it didn't matter anyway. He was who he was. A man content with no permanent romantic relationships, and besides, she had Morelli. Ranger was just her best friend, mentor, and once-upon-a-time lover. She had no hold on him, and he didn't owe her anything. In fact, if one tallied up their IOUs, she was sure she'd come in way behind. Thankfully, he let the subject drop. Ranger continued, "Babe. This is my last mission. After this, I'm out. And I was hoping I could ask you to do something while I'm gone."
"Let me guess," Stephanie said with a small smile. "Call Tank if I need anything?" It was what he always asked of her whenever he had to go out of town.
He tweaked her nose. "That, too, but that's not what I was going to ask." He took a deep breath before speaking again. "I'd like you to consider your life while I'm gone. We've talked a little before about what it might be like to be together, but they were never very serious discussions. Babe, when I get back, I'd like to try to have a relationship with you if you're interested. If not, we'll still be friends; nothing will stop me from being there for you if you need me. I've thought about it a lot, though, and in the past few years, the most content I've been is when I go to sleep at night with you in my arms and when you're still there when I wake in the morning."
Holy crap! Stephanie had dreamed about this moment but never, ever thought it would happen. She always assumed his vague references to 'someday' were nothing more than throwaway comments, not to be taken seriously. Finally, she found her voice. "What happened to everything you said about your life that was not conducive to relationships? What happened to telling me to fix my relationship with Morelli? What happened to no rings, but condoms might come in handy?" She was getting angrier as she remembered everything he told her to warn her off, but she couldn't let him leave on a potentially dangerous mission, thinking she was angry at him, so she did her best to keep her temper in check.
He sighed. Ranger actually sighed. "Babe, in many ways, it might be best for us not to get into a relationship. Less danger, fewer of my enemies might come after you, and fewer rules about following safety precautions. But my heart doesn't care about any of that. I want you. I love you. I don't want to watch you live your life with someone else anymore."
Stephanie was speechless, and more than a little curious about the rules he mentioned. Then again, it wasn't important when he was leaving soon. Before she could formulate any sort of answer, he rested his forefinger across her lips when she opened her mouth until she closed it again. "Don't say anything now, Steph. Think about it for a while. It won't be easy to be in a relationship with me. As I mentioned, a certain amount of danger would be present, and there may be times when you'd have to go into a safehouse for your safety. While I wouldn't have to leave the country without notice anymore, I'd still have to visit the other RangeMan branches occasionally. And I still work in the field, and you know as well as I do that there's an element of risk in that. I don't want you to resent me for precautions we may have to take or if I ask you to carry a loaded weapon or be trained in self-defence.
"I'm not used to answering to anyone, Babe, and I've never truly had a girlfriend since high school. I may not be good at being in a relationship, but I want to try with you."
Stephanie swallowed thickly. "I don't know what to say, Ranger."
"Just think about it. If you decide to stay with Morelli or just don't want to take me up on my offer, I'll understand, Babe. I swear I will. I won't love you any less, and I'll always be there for you."
She stared at him, trying to decipher his expression as he spoke. He seemed sincere, if not a little hopeful, and maybe there was something else undefinable lurking at the back of his eyes. Was it fear? Finally, she nodded. "I'll think about everything you said. You promise you're coming back? You'll be safe while you're gone?"
"I'll be as safe as I possibly can be, and I promise I'll do everything in my power to come back to you," he vowed.
Steph peeled back the blanket and patted the bed next to her. "You should get some rest before you leave."
Ranger smiled and leaned down to untie his bootlaces and pull them off. He slid into the bed next to her and pulled her to him and kissed her neck as she settled into the contours of his body. "Rest, Babe. I'll be here until I have to leave."
Steph fell asleep quickly, and Ranger contented himself with holding her in his arms until he had to leave to catch his transport. He hoped that Stephanie would choose him, but he was uncharacteristically unsure of what her decision would be. That's why he had decided to tell her everything, though it hadn't come easily. He had been thinking about it for several weeks, but until he was called for this mission, he hadn't intended to discuss it with her. He kissed her hairline right behind her ear, and hoped she'd be there when he returned from Venezuela.
Wrapped in the warmth of Ranger's embrace, Stephanie had some great dreams. Most of them were X-rated, but the last one she remembered was Ranger walking with her down a white sandy beach somewhere, holding hands. Her sandals dangled from her fingers on her free hand, and the wind blew through her hair. She remembered the dream, though, because of the expressions on their faces. They looked purely happy and in love, and she woke up while Dream Steph and Ranger were in the middle of a passionate kiss.
When she was next aware, the weak winter sunshine was streaming through the blinds, and Ranger was gone. Stephanie briefly wondered if she had imagined the whole encounter, but the faint scent of his Bulgari shower gel lingered in the air, letting her know it hadn't been a dream.
A/N: Thank you to Michelle Cary, lulupickles, and WriterFormerlyKnownAsFM for their invaluable help with this story. I could not have done it without any of you.