213First off, thank you all for the amazing support on this story. I really appreciate the continued hints you sent my way letting me know that you're still waiting on an update. It's been a super hectic year and just when I thought it was about to slow down for a while, it didn't. I've been back to the work grind this past month, so I apologize for not being able to post sooner. I've worked on this chapter in chunks here and there, taking a life of its own. Hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. Rating has changed to M to allow more freedom. Mistakes are mine.
My blood boiled when it dawned on me who her former boyfriend turned out to be. To make matters worse, he was being a total asshole. When he decided to put his hands on her, I saw red. I stepped in, ignoring the looks the uniformed cops shot my way.
On the night we met she was tipsy enough to spill the details. Her asshole ex, as she'd referred to him, had stood her up on their wedding day. She'd feared the worst because of his line of work, but it soon reached her ears that he'd been holed up in a cheap motel with his ex. I swear at the time the story sounded a bit farfetched, but I didn't care. All I cared about was that she was there at that bar and we'd met. Now, realizing that Detective Morelli turned out to be her ex... It made me want to punch him, yet thank him at the same time. Morelli is a relatively good cop. Person? Questionable. He's protected by the Old School Italian mob that still runs certain portions of the city and I've had my fair share of run-ins with him. He's a smug ass who is used to getting his way. And the thought of how close Babe was to being his wife made my skin crawl.
"I, uh..." After what felt like an eternity, in a good way, Babe finally pulled away from our embrace. When she buried her face against my chest and held on to me for dear life, I welcomed her back into my arms. Without a word, we stood pressed together until she decided she'd had enough. "I, uh, have no idea what's the best security plan for me." She let out a nervous chuckle. "Where to start?"
I suspected she was referring to more than just security for her business. "Stephanie..." Before I could continue she interrupted me.
"Oh my god!" Her blue eyes bugged out and her anxiety returned. "I'm so sorry. I never even told you my name!" She said on a hushed whisper.
I suppressed the urge to smile as the blush creeped up from the collar of her tight T-shirt and up her neck to her cheeks. Looks like embarrassment and sex both make her flush that way.
"I'm Stephanie Plum." Babe extended her hand, showing her manners. She was probably raised in a very conservative home. Interesting. "I'm the new owner of Plum Bail Bonds. It previously belonged to my cousin Vinnie, but..." Babe was running off on a tangent, possibly to hide her feelings.
"Ricardo Carlos Manoso." I said simply while still holding her hand in mine. "Ranger is fine." I assured, which caused her cheeks to turn bright red. She looks really cute when embarrassed.
"I'm in way over my head here." She admitted. "I thought a few cameras and maybe new locks would be enough, but now I don't know." Babe had taken her hand back and was busy gesturing, arms waving in order to get her point across.
"Babe." My voice snapped her out of the far away place her mind was taking her. "Do you trust me?" On our third night together I decided to cook dinner so we didn't have to bother leaving our private paradise. I'd donned on just an apron and as I was in the middle of cooking her a nutrient rich meal, she sidled up behind me and surprised both of us when she spanked me. The playful mood between us shifted when I turned her around and pressed her against the wall next to the refrigerator. She'd tensed almost immediately, obviously uncomfortable with the vulnerable position she was in. I remember peppering kisses along her bare shoulders before asking the same question: Do you trust me? Babe responded by resting her forehead against the wall and replied with a breathless yes.
Now her eyes turned serious, changing to a darker hue as she focused her gaze on mine. She nodded as she replied without hesitation, "Yes."
This time I didn't hide my smile. She remembers. "Babe." My grin grew when she graced me with a smile of her own. I sent a text to the control room, grabbed the tablet still on her desk and ushered her out of the office.
With a hand firmly placed on the small of her back, the contact sending shivers down my spine, I securely escorted her past all the uniformed cops still milling around. I caught sight of Morelli standing in a corner, talking to Constanza, as I kept us moving. Before anyone could intercept our path, we were out of the building.
About four minutes after steeping out of the building, a Rangeman fleet SUV smoothed to a stop at the curb. I opened the passenger door and waited for Babe to buckle up before closing it. Hal slid from behind the wheel and rounded the back of the SUV to await my orders. Handing him the tablet, I instructed for him to contact Tank and start work as soon as the cops cleared. When he nodded his understanding, I slid behind the wheel and merged into traffic.
Babe was unusually quiet, staring out the window deep in thought as I drove us towards Rangeman. She broke the silence once I turned onto Haywood.
"This your building?" She murmured as I keyed us into the underground garage.
"Yes. Welcome to Rangeman Trenton." I replied, swiftly snagging the nearest parking spot by the elevator.
"Mmmhmm..." Her eyes scanned the rows of shiny, new vehicles. "Business's a booming, I see."
I could tell she was still shaken up and who wouldn't after such a close call. "This way." Once again I placed my hand on the small of her back to nudge her in the right direction.
As we rode up to the penthouse apartment, I couldn't help but ponder how close a call it had been. I pride myself on being aware of my surroundings 24/7, but when I'm with her it's as if everything else ceases to exist. My senses get flooded by everything about her and nothing else matters. Hell, in Hawaii it was easy to forget my tough, security persona. But here in Trenton... Shit, a few more minutes and I would have been balls deep, fucking her senseless in her office...
And it could have been certain death.
The lower floors of the building consist of operations, apartments for my staff, a gym, a shooting range and holding cells. About 99% of the structure is dedicated to my security empire. The other 1% is my apartment on the top floor. The seventh floor is my personal haven. No one aside from my employees have been inside this building. And the only woman to ever enter my penthouse is my housekeeper, Ella.
As soon as we entered my apartment, the atmosphere between us shifted. It went from comfortable silence to scorching desire in an instant. As soon as the door clicked shut behind me, our hands were on each other. When our lips met and tongues tangled, the heat kicked up another notch.
"You're safe here, Babe." I found myself murmuring against her skin over and over as my mouth peppered her with kisses. How I ever managed to convince myself that I'd be able to go back to my previous solitary life was beyond me. This thing that we somehow had was unlike anything I've ever experienced. We fit so perfectly together it was as if we were meant to be. And that's coming from someone who doesn't believe in destiny or any of that romantic crap. "You're with me, Babe." I assured just as she tugged on the hem of my T-shirt.
"Yes." Her simple response was enough to accelerate the moment.
We left a trail of clothing on our to my bedroom. Well, it was my intention to get us there. Instead, as soon as she freed my dick my body refused to move until I was deep inside her.
And that's exactly what we did. Our bodies didn't miss a beat. She squeezed me tight, emitting rippling waves of pleasure centered around our joined bodies.
We'd landed on my couch sometime after my initial stroke. With her body deliciously sandwiched between mine and the couch, my hips began to move in a set pace. Fast and hard pumps mixed in with slow, drawn out exits. In, hard and fast. Out, slow and teasing. In, out, in, out... Over and over again until I felt the telltale signs of her impending orgasm.
"Ranger." She moaned my name against my ear as her arms and legs tightened around me. She was close and I was going to deliver what she wanted and how she wanted it.
"Babe." Groaning out my name for her, I shifted my hips to get a better angle. It did the trick, the speed and force sending her over the edge. I watched her face intently as the pleasure consumed her completely.
It took her several long moments to come down from the high. Her surprise showed when she realized I was still hard deep inside. "What are we doing?" She asked, even as she allowed me to scoop her up and carry her the rest of the way to the bedroom."Babe." The fact that she'd just finished riding a powerful orgasm told me she was referring to something other than the sex.
I'd asked myself the same question numerous times in Hawaii. I've always been able to have any woman I desired. But it was always carnal, devoid of any emotions other than biological urges... at least for me. I never lied to any of them, or led any woman to believe that it was anything other than what it was: a good fuck. Quick, lust filled encounters every single one of them. Some were so quick we didn't even bother taking our clothes off. But after a while, it became exhausting and I became very good at being self-sufficient.
On the other hand, Babe never striked me as someone who would have a one nightstand with a stranger. She was different. Despite our torrid affair on the island, I never once doubted my initial suspicions. Babe was someone serious about who she was passionate with. And lucky me got to discover just how one of a kind our Hawaiian experience was.
"It's whatever you want it to be, Babe." I answered truthfully. In the last several hours it has become quite obvious, even painfully so, how deep this connection between us is. I was an idiot to let her leave the island without me.
"Are we spending the next two weeks locked in this building?" The playful little smile that tugged at the corner of her lips was a good indication of where we were headed.
"I can arrange that." Maybe I do have a second chance to correct the mistake of letting her go. Although our separation was brief, it was still too long.
S&R
I apparently dozed off after one orgasm on the couch and two in his bed.
Oh, Stephanie. A little nagging voice in the back of my mind told me that I was completely fucked, and in more ways than the obvious.
In Hawaii, we were perfect. The hotel staff thought we were newlyweds and so it made the heavenly stay a judgement-free zone. But that was on paradise island. Now, we were in Trenton and the reality was quite different from the fantasy. In Trenton, I am not the bold Stephanie who decided she liked the handsome, muscled, caramel covered stranger and so could allow herself to enjoy him and his company. No, in Jersey I'm a Burg girl with conservative parents and loads of Catholic guilt. I actually liked Hawaii Stephanie better.
The sound of the shower turning on made my eyes flutter open. The room was dark, the only light source spilling from the open bathroom door. Oh, who am I kidding? There's no way to go back.
I slipped out of bed and padded barefoot towards the bathroom. Leaning against the door jamb, I admired the sight before me. The glass encased shower provided the perfect view. As water cascaded over his muscled form, the sound of running water transported back me to the last several weeks. As I tracked the water moving from his head, past his neck to his chiseled chest and rock hard abs, I realized that my body was ablaze once more. I forgot all about the water when my eyes zeroed in on his dick. Even in its flaccid state, it was a sight to behold and oh the things this man could do with every part of his body.
I licked my lips when I realized his flaccid state would be no more in the next moment or so. Snapping my eyes to his face, I realized I'd been caught shamelessly ogling him. Ranger's grin was inviting and before I could think about my actions, my feet led me the rest of the way.
"Babe." He greeted as soon as I joined him in the warm cocoon of the shower. The water was heavenly hot, causing my entire body to erupt in goosebumps when I finally stood under the water spray. The water and the close proximity of our naked bodies brought powerful memories flooding back. I don't know how I allowed myself to fall for this mysterious stranger. At this point it doesn't matter. With him within my reach, nothing else matters.
Without a word, he worked up a lather in his hands before he started working on my cleansing. For a moment I thought he was taking the job too seriously and that nothing might happen, but he soon proved me wrong.
"Mmmm..." My enthusiastic moan encouraged his efforts on my breasts. Closing my eyes, I allowed my others senses to join the indulgence. He always has this citrusy scent that clings to him and I just realized it's the result of his shower gel. The realization made me reach for him. I no longer cared about the foreplay. I wanted him and I wanted him now.
"Babe." His nickname for me has different meanings. Based on his throaty tone and the slight roughness of his hands as they gripped my hips, I needed no further explanation. In the next moment I found myself pressed against the glass as our bodies become one once again.