Chapter Four

Stephanie wrapped a blanket around her nude form and emerged to find Ranger kneeling in front of a newly lit fire. The flames licked high, casting shadows all around, basking the cave in a soft glow. Ranger turned to look at Stephanie and she tightened the blanket around her.

"Your turn," Stephanie said, suddenly wondering if this was a good idea. She was alone with Ranger...and she was naked...and soon he would be too. With only two thin sheets of fabric between them, she knew it would be hard if not impossible to keep their lust at bay.

"Don't worry, babe," Ranger said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "I'm not going to take advantage of you."

Stephanie was surprised at the wave of disappointment that crashed down upon her at Ranger's words. Almost as if on cue, Ranger walked to where she was standing and kissed her...the kind of kiss that soared through her body like an electric current, all the way down to the tips of her toes. A white hot sensation that rocked her body and left her yearning for more, more, more...

Ranger broke the kiss and looked down at Stephanie. "But you're welcome to take advantage of me any time you want."

"Um..."

It was all Stephanie could manage. Oh, she wanted all right. If he only knew. She couldn't think of anything she wanted more than to help Ranger out of his wet clothes...to feel him, taste him, bury him so deep inside of her they both cried out in absolute ecstasy...

Ranger put his hands on Stephanie's bare shoulders to steady her. He knew they wanted the same thing. To touch each other...to hold each other...to explore each other inside and out. It was the only way they could adequately express their burgeoning emotions.

But she was still so unsure, still so apprehensive.

Why?

Ranger didn't know. Had he done something? Said something? How could she doubt his love for her? With a reluctant sigh, Ranger took a step back, breaking their embrace.

"Lay your clothes by the fire so they dry," Ranger said. "I won't be long."

Stephanie took her time smoothing out her clothes on a rock by the fire and then seated herself, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders to keep warm. A few moments later, Ranger emerged from the back of the cave, wrapped in the second blanket. His skin was smooth and beautifully tan, the light from the campfire illuminating the curves of his chest and body. A sudden fever attacked her, fighting off the cool night air and the moist dampness from the rain. Confronted with the memory of his naked body on hers, she wanted so badly to rid herself of her cover, to mold herself to him, fitting on him like a designer clove...

Unable to resist watching him, Stephanie closed her eyes tightly.

Get a grip, she told herself. Lust hormones are good for one thing and one thing only. You can't go through another night with Ranger without wanting more...more than he's willing to offer...

Stephanie felt a sharp pain of bitter resentment rising like bile in the back of her throat. Anger is what it was, but she was more angry at herself than she was at Ranger. Hadn't he always told her his life did not lend itself to relationships? Hadn't she known from day one that marrying Ranger would never be in the cards for her? Why had she been so stupid? Why had she fallen so much in love with him knowing her love would forever be unrequited?

Consumed by her thoughts, Stephanie jumped in shock when Ranger laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, taking in the concern in his eyes. To those who did not know him Stephanie knew Ranger seemed cold and calloused, uncaring and unfeeling, detached from all human emotion. She knew better. His touch had never been anything but tender and soft and warm against her skin, leaving her with a sense of longing and comfort. She melted into him, allowing him to slip his arm around her shoulders, holding her close.

"Are you hungry?" Ranger asked her, his lips brushing against her hair as he spoke.

Stephanie nodded her head against his chest.

With a soft kiss placed on her lips, Ranger leaned forward and used his utility knife to break the seal on the canned pasta, a small hole on either side. "We want the steam to get out but we don't want any ash getting in," Ranger said, setting the can on a rock by the fire and using a stick to push it closer to the heat.

"How long will this take," Stephanie asked.

"Not long," Ranger replied. "Do you want more of the chocolate while we wait?"

Stephanie thought about this but ultimately decided to shake her head. "Save it for dessert," she said. "Dessert is my favorite part of the meal. It would feel wrong to not have it."

This got a booming laugh out of Ranger. It was a fun, jovial sound that came with an unexpected ease.

"Is it just me or are you laughing a lot more than usual?"

Ranger's laughter died down and he cast her a sincere smile. "Must be the company I keep."

"Tank?" Stephanie asked coyly, but Ranger shook his head.

"Tank isn't any fun," Ranger said. "He wouldn't be caught dead naked with me in a cave, no matter what the circumstances were."

Stephanie felt herself blush from head to toe.

"Speaking of Tank, do you think he's worried for us?" Stephanie asked.

Ranger carefully measured his answer before responding. He knew Tank would be concerned, but he also knew Tank would know how to shut off his emotions and focus on what needed to be done...something he wasn't sure Stephanie would understand.

"I'm sure Tank is doing everything he can to find us," Ranger said in what he hoped was a comforting tone. "There's no need to worry, babe."

"It's not that," Stephanie said. "I trust you I do. I just...I don't want everyone to worry."

"Babe," Ranger said, tightening his grip around her. "Everyone knows I won't let anything happen to you."

Comforted by his words, Stephanie raised her head to look into Ranger's eyes. Then, without warning, he kissed her again. It was slow and sensual, their tongues slow dancing in rhythm to the beating of their hearts, growing more and more fierce as the tempo quickened.

"Steph," Ranger said, pulling away. His voice was a low and drawn out, almost a moan. "We shouldn't...if you're not ready..."

Letting the blanket fall away from her body, Stephanie took Ranger's hand in hers, and placed it at the swell of her bare breast. The warmth of the firelight cascaded over her as his gaze fell, her body reacting instantly to his touch.

"I want you," Stephanie said, unable to control herself any longer. "I need you..."

With those words, the last of Ranger's resistance slipped. Before he knew it, he had lowered her onto her back and had begun savoring the taste and feel of her body, inch by porcelain inch. Small, guttural moans escaped her as she writhed beneath him, her fingers tangled in his hair, urging him down her body to where she needed him most. His hands traveling the length of her thighs, he lowered his mouth to the small forest of brown curls between them and kissed her there, lapping at her hungrily until she came, her cries of pleasure echoing softly off the walls of the cave.

As slowly and attentively as he had descended, Ranger kissed his way back up her body. Before long, they were eye level, exploring the caverns of each other's mouth once more, their bodies positioned so that he taunted and teased her with anticipation.

"We can't...not without..."

Stephanie's voice was breathy and trailed off into a low moan as Ranger's body brushed against hers once more. Without hesitation, Ranger reached for one of the condoms and carefully rolled it on. He positioned himself over her and slid inside her slowly, watching her expression intently as their bodies synchronized in perfect rhythm, reacting to the wondrous feel of each other with immeasurable pleasure.

Arms and legs and lips entwined, Stephanie felt the warm tingle of an intense climax flowering within her. It had been so long since their one night together, Stephanie had nearly forgotten how quickly Ranger could bring her to climax. But this feeling...this feeling she remembered perfectly. It was the best feeling in the world...one she never wanted to end.

Her fingers dug into the soft skin at the base of his spine, urging him more deeply inside of her. Ranger obliged, quickening their pace until Stephanie cried out, her body clenching around his so tightly it nearly triggered his own orgasm.

His control slipping, Ranger forced himself to slow their pace. He couldn't be sure there would be another night like this, and he wanted to savor it. And more importantly, he wanted Stephanie to savor it. There was no way he could adequately express how much he loved her, but this...making love to her...was the closest way he knew how.

Beneath him, Stephanie was gasping for air. Her moans becoming more and more audible as she bucked under him, he knew she was close. Every touch, every slight shift, held the intensity of lightning as their bodies moved together.

"Ranger...oh god...Ranger...please..."

Ranger's body tensed as he fought to keep his composure. This time, there would be no holding back. This time she would take him with her, right over the edge of ecstasy.

"I love you."

He had breathed it into her ear, as still as a whisper, as her body tightened around him, milking him until his body convulsed and he fell into her with a loud groan.

They laid there together for a long time after they were done. Their bodies were spent. Ranger cradled Stephanie into him, holding her tightly to his chest, reveling in the feel of her bare skin against his. Her breathing was slow and steady, lulling him into a tranquil state he was sure he never before experienced.

Stephanie snuggled closer to him and sighed into his chest.

"No regrets, I hope."

"No regrets," Stephanie said honestly.

He bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "What are you thinking?"

Stephanie eased out of Ranger's grip and turned to face him, propping herself up on her elbows so that they were eye level. If she told him now, things would be different. But after what they had just shared, how could she keep it to herself?

Looking Ranger in the eyes, and without any doubt in her mind, she answered him. "I love you too."