Escorted by the Ranger

by C. J. Miller

  “Not true. I’ve dated some nice guys,” Marissa said.

  “Going on one date that your manager arranges for promotional reasons is smart for your career. I don’t count it as dating,” Lenore said.

  “Let it go, Mom. We have a lot going on now,” Marissa said.

  Zoe Ann reached for Marissa’s hands. “Marissa, I’m so sorry about this. How can I help?”

  Gratitude flooded Marissa’s face. She held up her phone. “Can I message you some numbers? I want to let our guests know what happened.”

  Luke sighed. Zoe Ann punched his shoulder lightly. “We’re happy to help,” she said.

  Luke glanced at Zoe Ann. “I can make calls.”

  Lenore lifted her chin. “Send me some numbers.”

  By the time the firemen were comfortable allowing guests to return to the hotel, over an hour had passed. In that time, they had huddled in the car, sending messages to everyone they could. Only about half of the guests had returned. Zoe Ann and Luke had gone back inside and Lenore was searching for a bathroom to reapply her makeup.

  Marissa appeared exhausted, her dress was rumpled and her expression pained. “I texted my contact at the hospital that we raised a ton of money. Now, I’ll have to tell him it wasn’t nearly the amount I’d promised.”

  Jack slid his arm over Marissa’s shoulders. “Your worry might be unnecessary. No one wants their money back. Maybe the guests we couldn’t reach decided to relocate with their dates to a restaurant.”

  Marissa smoothed her hair behind her ears, pushing the snow-dampened strands away from her face. He hadn’t seen her disheveled. It wasn’t just the weather, her eyes were sad and wide and her mouth drawn into a frown. Despite that, she pulled off the look and managed to be insanely hot and tempting. “You think? I hope so. Otherwise, they’ll refuse to help in the future.”

  Her voice broke and she closed the distance between them, laying her head on Jack’s chest.

  “The circumstances tonight were not your fault. You couldn’t have known Rob would act this way.” He wrapped his arms around her.

  “I don’t know what’s going on with him,” Marissa said.

  “Is he addicted to drugs? The police may test him. He’s acting unhinged.”

  Marissa rubbed her arms. “I don’t think so. He was an occasional user when I was dating him. He was in control of it.”

  “Could he have gotten Avery into drugs? I know you said she avoided them, but could that have changed? Even recreationally?” Jack asked.

  “Definitely not. She wasn’t even much of a drinker. She worried what it would do to her weight and her face,” Marissa said.

  Jack filed the information away for later and made a mental note to follow up on Rob’s erratic behavior. “Let’s get back inside and finish the evening the best we can.”

  Marissa remained close to him, her hand around his waist under his suit coat. “I’ll say something to make this right. I can turn this night around.” She kissed his cheek and then climbed out of the car. Marissa hurried into the dining room and Jack followed, her kiss scorching desire through him.

  Marissa stood behind the microphone. “That was unexpected excitement tonight. We’ll have fresh drinks and dinner out soon. Thank you for your patience. The children at the hospital will be helped by your generous donations.”

  Another ten minutes and cocktails were rolling out of the kitchen. Marissa has stopped in the bathroom and had done something with her hair, returning to looking beautiful and put together. She was circulating through the room, stopping to talk at tables, smiling and laughing as if she had nothing weighing on her. Jack gave her points for commitment. She wanted this to work and her drive and determination would see it through.

  Two hours later, Marissa strode to their table. She set her hands on his shoulders and lowered her mouth to his ear. “You look hot right now.”

  The bluntness caught him off guard.

  “Could you get the car? I want to go home. With you.”

  Chapter 6

  Anticipation crackled around him. Marissa had told him she wanted him. It seemed impossible. As he held open the door to the car, Jack struggled with his desire for Marissa. Telling her no, when all he wanted was to tell her yes, required strength he didn’t know if he had.

  Jack closed her door and circled the car. After climbing inside and starting the engine, Jack fastened his seatbelt. As they pulled away from the hotel, Marissa adjusted her seatbelt and slid closer.

  “We could go to a hotel if you’d prefer,” she whispered.

  “We’re leaving a hotel,” he said.

  “A different hotel where we’re unknown and the chances of someone setting off a fire alarm in an attempt to speak to me is nil,” she said.

  Jack used every ounce of focus to keep the car on the road. Her breath tickled his neck and the nearness of her hand to his thigh drove lust straight through him. He pressed the gas pedal harder, accelerating. “Not a hotel. The rest of the security team is expecting you. If we change the plans, we’d have to explain.” He wasn’t telling her flat out no, and that worried him.

  He had the short drive to her town house to make a decision that could have a huge impact on his career and his life. If he denied Marissa, if he summoned the strength to turn her away, he would regret it. If he did what every fiber of his being wanted, he’d need to resign his position. While the second option wasn’t sounding that bad, he didn’t trust anyone else to keep her safe how he would.

  “You seem tense. You have no reason to be tense,” Marissa said. “Let go. Let this happen. Stop fighting it.”

  Jack turned into Marissa’s neighborhood. Her hands moved over his chest, her fingernails grazing across his shirt.

  He pulled around the back of the row of town houses and pressed the button to open the garage door. After turning into the garage, he shut off the car and closed the door behind him. It closed with a thunk.

  Marissa unfastened her seat belt. “This is much easier.”

  She moved on top of him and he caught her in his lap. This was making it harder to think. Her body was a wicked combination of lean and muscled and soft and feminine. The dam of restraint collapsed.

  She smelled of fresh air and rain and a light floral scent wafted from her.

  Their lips met in a thoroughly arousing kiss. He was instantly lost. She was everything he wanted in a woman and she was here, with him.

  She tugged at the tie around his neck, loosening it and then pulling it over his head. She tossed it into the backseat of the car.

  Her adept fingers unbuttoned his shirt and her hands slid inside. Her skin connected with his. The heat of her body was a brand, searing him.

  Long kisses and slow kisses, steam forming on the windows of the car.

  Jack reached into her hair and removed the pins holding it back.

  She watched him, reaching to finish the job. Her hair was a mix of curls and long strands falling down her body as it came free. She shook her head, letting her waves tent around them.

  “You are so beautiful,” he said.

  “I’ve been told,” she said.

  “I imagine you have. But I’ve been thinking your beauty is a reflection of who you are. What you did tonight was amazing. No one else could have pulled it off with as much success. Grace under pressure,” Jack said.

  “Thank you. That means a lot to me,” she said. She slid back to her seat and set her hand on the car door handle. “Come inside.”

  Jack followed her into the house, disabling the alarm, shutting the door and enabling it. He checked in with the West Company and her security. Marissa had disappeared into her bedroom.

  Did she want him to follow her? He heard the shower and decided not. Had halting what they were doing in the car caused her to think twice? Being away from
her had not lessened his need for her. He could picture her smile, hear her laugh and imagine the light, clean scent of her skin.

  Even in another room, she lingered around him, tempting him. He sat on the couch and began typing his notes about the evening. Putting himself fully into his work, he found Marissa entering his thoughts. Finding the words to describe the evening without fixating on her was hard.

  Then she exited her bedroom wearing almost nothing. His heart stilled and then broke into a sprint. Her pajamas, if he could classify them as sleepwear, consisted of enough scraps of white fabric to cover her, but baring her flat, toned stomach and long, lean legs.

  “Is this outfit enough to hold your attention?” she asked.

  “You’ve had my attention since we met.” Truer words had never left his mouth.

  She set her hand on her hip. “You think about your job more than you should.”

  “You are my job,” he said.

  Marissa walked toward him. He closed the computer and set it on the coffee table.

  “Working again?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Case notes. Reports.”

  “See? More work. It’s break time.” She laid her finger over his mouth. “And before you tell me that you don’t get breaks, I declare that preposterous. The Department of Labor would agree. So classify tonight as off the clock. If you want me to message your boss and tell him or her, then fine. But no talking about work. Try not to think about work. Tonight, I’m a woman who has a crush on you and wants to see how that goes.”

  At the present, she was his entire line of thought. That outfit, her body...wow. His yearning for her elevated to unmanageable proportions.

  She extended her hand to him. “Let me show you a few things.”

  * * *

  Marissa was being forward with Jack. She was used to going after what she wanted. She had dated losers and she didn’t have a good explanation for it. Too often, she ignored her instincts about men. She’d known Michael was too into drinking. She’d known Rob liked that she was a model, maybe more than he’d liked her. Half of her relationship centered on the upside in the media and not any deep, genuine feelings. But she was finished with using her personal life to forward her professional agenda. That hadn’t gotten her satisfaction. The media wanted to see famous faces fall in love and get married, but Marissa wanted the real thing. She wanted honesty and a connection with someone.

  That someone could be Jack. Jack was a good man. No drugs or excessive drinking, no embarrassing her or causing a scene, no demanding she make appearances or be photographed with him. He had seemed put off by her career when they’d met. Winning him over meant he saw more to her than a model. Her connection to him was genuine and strong.

  If she didn’t press the relationship with Jack, he would hold on to his professional boundaries. She wanted him and for once, she was going after the man she wanted for that reason alone. He made her feel precious and smart and respected.

  Jack couldn’t help her career. He wasn’t famous. And after tonight’s display, she didn’t believe he had interest in her money. It was a connection different than every other one she had experienced.

  His hand was strong and firm in hers. She was leading him to her bedroom, leaving him no doubts what she had in mind.

  She wanted to seduce him and she wanted him to enjoy it. She had confidence in the bedroom. It stemmed from being told she was beautiful and that men seemed to want to do the work in bed. A few years ago, she’d taken control and realized how to get what she wanted.

  It was a rush of power, finding her rhythm and not just following someone else’s.

  She’d lit candles and the air was filled with the light scent of jasmine. Jack was still wearing his dress shirt and pants. Marissa unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it from his pants. Jack watched her with interest. He did nothing to hasten her actions.

  She liked that he wasn’t grabbing at her in desperation or complimenting how she looked. While a well-timed compliment was nice, a pet peeve was men repeating their comments about her body in a pseudo-worshipful manner.

  She peeled Jack’s shirt over his broad shoulders and down his sinewy arms. She draped the shirt over the footboard of her bed. Running her hands over his chest, she could feel the roped muscles of his strong body. His abdomen was flat and chiseled.

  Marissa brushed her hands over the waistband of his pants. After removing his belt, she set it over his shirt.

  “Why me? Why tonight?” he asked.

  How to answer his question. The connection between them was immediate and intense. He was a stranger to her in a many aspects, but she trusted him. “You’re you. That’s enough of a reason. And tonight, because I’ve wanted this to happen. The longer I’ve waited, the more sure I am. I can’t wait anymore.”

  He swept her into his arms and kissed her. He was holding her against his lean length, her breasts crushed to his bare chest.

  He carried her toward the bed and laid her down. Her lingerie bunched around her hips. They stayed together, kissing, touching. His hand moved from her hip, down her thigh to her knee. Back again to her hip.

  She craved more. She reached to his pants, unbuttoning and unzipping them. Working them down his hips with her feet, she shuddered when his hips came to rest between hers.

  “Are you sure about this?” he asked.

  She could stop this with a word, but the only word on her mind was more.

  “I’m sure,” she said.

  He removed his boxers and then unlaced the front of her lingerie, letting the sheer fabric part. With a shrug, she let it fall from her shoulders. In her bedside table, she found a foil packet for protection. Carefully, she opened it.

  She scooted up the bed and Jack followed. His eyes flickered with fiery provocation.

  When he was covered, he again kissed her, using his hands to work her up.

  “Please, hurry,” she said. She lifted her hips, encouraging him. The slowness was driving her mad. Perhaps that was the point.

  His hand went to her hip. She went still. Their eyes met and Jack pushed inside her. Erotic pleasure overtook her. And then he began to move.

  For the first time, she knew consuming and absolute pleasure. She held on to him, wrapping her feet around his legs. His thrusts became more insistent, and then she was free-falling into ecstasy with him right after her.

  * * *

  Marissa awoke alone in her bed. Disappointment speared her. Where was Jack?

  After the night they had spent together, she had expected him to be beside her in the morning. Breakfast together, even going for a run would have been welcome.

  She slipped on her robe and a pair of fleece pants and went in search of him.

  He was sitting in the downstairs living room, his computer open in front of him.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. He could have woken her before he’d left if he’d had work.

  “I needed to catch up on a few things,” Jack said. “Your appearance in Las Vegas has brought to light some security concerns.”

  Her visit to Las Vegas had been on her calendar for months. Jack was changing the subject on purpose. “I promised Barry I would do the opening. He’s an old friend. I won’t back out.”

  “I wasn’t expecting you to. But I need to prepare.”

  Marissa didn’t want to talk about Las Vegas. She wanted him to mention the night prior. “What time did you get up?”

  “Five,” Jack said.

  She had slept soundly and hadn’t heard him leave. “It was a late night. Are you tired?”

  “No. Do you want coffee?” he asked.

  She could make coffee. He could have brought her some. Or done anything to show a scrap of affection. Irritation nipped at her. “Have you had breakfast?”

  “Yes.”

 
; Boldness last night had worked to a point. She went for it again. “Are we going to talk about last night?”

  He looked at her. “What is it that you would like to discuss?”

  “I don’t need to discuss anything. You’re acting weird.”

  He lifted a brow, like he had no idea what she was talking about. “I’m working.”

  “You left without saying goodbye.”

  “I didn’t leave the house,” Jack said.

  “You left my bedroom,” Marissa said.

  “I didn’t realize there was a protocol,” Jack said.

  “It’s not a protocol, it’s common decency. You sleep with a woman, you’re nice to her the next day. You do not sneak off like a bandit, as if you’ve done something wrong,” Marissa said.

  His cheeks colored.

  “Is that it? Do you feel like you’ve done something wrong?”

  Jack stabbed his fingers through his hair. “It’s my job to protect you. I take that job seriously. Obviously, I’m attracted to you. You’re smart and sincere and beautiful and my God, you’re good in bed. But I’m trying to mesh that with what I’m supposed to be doing here. I’ve been in a situation before where a personal relationship weakened my instincts on a job and it cost me.”

  Her anger touched down a notch and she wondered what had happened. “What job?”

  “I am not at liberty to discuss that,” he said.

  Her curiosity piqued, but she sensed not to press him about it now. “I told you that you were off the clock last night.”

  “Am I ever off the clock? Until we figure out who killed Avery and who is after you and stop him, I’ll be worried. I’ll want to protect you.”

  “That’s sweet, Jack, but I have a team of security personnel. I made last night happen.” Now she wanted him to show her a modicum of warmth. It wasn’t expecting too much.

  “What do you want from me? If there’s something I can do or say to make this right, please tell me what that is,” Jack said.

  “Stop acting cold and distant,” she said. Simple and to the point.

  Two of her other bodyguards appeared in the living room. They exchanged glances.