Ranger Guardian

by Angi Morgan

  “You’ll be grumpy all day tomorrow if you sleep in that chair.”

  “I promise not to be grumpy.” Heath’s nails scratched the stubble on his cheek before running his fingers through his golden brown hair. It was a familiar movement that made her shiver in anticipation. She knew what his chin felt like against the softness of her skin.

  “If you don’t want to sleep on your side of the bed, just say so.” Okay, that came out a bit snippy, but at least she’d gotten it out.

  “You scared of the dark now?”

  “Oh, the night-light? Your daughter has been coming to sleep with me. I think it’s because you let her sleep with you.”

  Heath cleared his throat. The sound of fingers moving across his scalp seemed super loud in the silence.

  “I’d probably be better off on the couch if you don’t want me to touch you. I won’t be able to make any promises to stay on my half of the bed.” His voice was husky and, ironically, full of all sorts of promises.

  “I don’t recall asking you for any.”

  “Good. ’Cause I ain’t giving any.”

  The click of the door locking got her hopes up even further. She felt his tall, lean body move through the room instead of heading for the couch.

  Kendall covered her mouth, concealing her happy grin. She heard the boots hit the floor—first one, then the other. Another pause where he removed his socks. Heath stood in front of her, pulled his undershirt off, then dropped his old, torn jeans.

  He’d lost weight if they fell off that easily. Lightning flashed, outlining his excellent physique. Anything he’d lost had turned to muscle.

  “I’ll never get back to sleep,” she said as he dove over her to land in the middle of the bed.

  “Do you need more sleep?”

  “Don’t you?”

  The rain started then, and not a gentle spring sprinkle—it came pounding as hard as her heart. Light from the storm hung in the room long enough for her to see his jaw clench.

  “I don’t think sleep’s in the cards tonight.”

  God, she hoped not.

  They faced each other, both with an elbow propping them up, arms curled around a pillow. She waited for him to make the first move. Had he been serious? Or just teasing? He shifted on the bed, and yearning shot through her entire body at the memory of him lying there.

  His free hand reached toward her to catch one of her pajamas’ bowed strings. He playfully tugged. Untied, the front of his favorite silky pajamas would fall open like it had many times before. She hadn’t thought what that might mean by way of an invitation when she’d hurriedly tugged them on. And now? Now she wanted the invitation to be loud and clear.

  An excruciatingly slow pull finally had her top gaping open. The soft glow from outside the windows and the occasional burst of lightning showed her white breast right down to a hard nipple poking the green silk.

  She wanted to roll Heath onto his back and take over. He’d let her. She could do what she wanted. But the exquisite turn-on of his exploration was as good as the very first time they’d made love.

  She already ached and wanted out of her clothes. She wanted him. And under his boxers, she could tell he wanted her, too.

  He gently rubbed the back of a knuckle across her nipple, sending a current through her body. One knuckle turned into four skimming back and forth, making her breath catch.

  A half smile brightened Heath’s face as the back of his hand slid across her belly, then a veiled touch moved across the inside of her arm, making her shiver. He laughed—a small sound that was full of the fun from torturing her.

  She began to do the same to him, but he stopped her, pulling her fingers to his lips and kissing them one by one.

  “That’s not really fair.”

  “Nothing about this is fair,” he mumbled against the inside of her wrist.

  “Hmm? I’m relaxed now and think I can drift off again.”

  “Is that a challenge?” he asked, already moving to a sitting position and then to the end of the bed.

  “Oh, I don’t know.” She deliberately yawned and lifted her arms above her head while turning on her back. “I’m seriously tired.”

  His hand wrapped around first one foot and then the other, dragging her entire body to line up with him at the end of the bed. “Toss it over here.”

  She slapped her hand backward on her headboard until she landed on the lotion bottle. Flipping it to him one-handed, she grinned to herself at how she’d obtained her foot massage.

  Heath wasted no time kneading her tired feet, rubbing each part until she’d melted into the mattress.

  “Would you relax?”

  “I’m a marshmallow,” she mumbled against the pillow.

  “Only if the marshmallow’s been in the sun and is all dried up.” He tugged on her toes, wiggling them back and forth. But he was right. His strokes lengthened into long glides up her legs, with feather-soft kisses on the way back. His calloused fingers skimmed across her skin, exciting her entire body.

  He stretched over her, capturing her hands above her head. Nuzzling the base of her neck, barely touching her with his lips, he then dragged the tip of his tongue to her shoulder. She wanted to squeal with delight at the way he caused her body to react.

  She tugged at her hands and he let her go. She first pushed at his chest, then began to remove her pajama top. But his hands delayed her action, gently pushing her shoulders to the mattress.

  All the while, the storm raged outside the thick-paned window. The lightning was more rapid now, followed by almost-constant rolling thunder. Rugged fingertips traced the outline of her pj top, dipping between her breasts to tease the delicate skin.

  “You are absolutely beautiful.” He fingered an errant strand of hair from her cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

  She parted her lips, about to quip that he’d been with her for four days, only to have Heath pull her quickly to him and slash his mouth across hers.

  The temptation had been there each time they were close, but she’d held back. She’d missed kissing him. She didn’t have to miss it anymore. They could figure out what would happen in the morning.

  This very minute, she really needed him. All of him.

  She stretched her arms around his back, wanting skin. Lots of skin. His body stretched on top of hers. He ran his hands down her sides, latching on to her hips and bringing them up to meet him.

  He traced her collarbone with his mouth. “I love your legs. Love the fit of you against me.” He emphasized his words by dropping his pelvis against hers.

  Her mouth opened again and his tongue was there to pleasantly invade, dancing a dance that had stood the test of time. Without words, he invited her to join him.

  Or maybe she’d been inviting him all along? She didn’t care. She wanted her handsome man, and it was evident he wanted her. She slid her arms higher along his back. He quickly pushed himself up, taking the pressure of his chest from hers and lifting his back out of her reach. She immediately missed his warmth, his weight and...his everything.

  His mouth seized her nipple through the silky material. He scraped his teeth gently over it, then captured her sensitive skin again. She bucked into him, wanting more. It didn’t work. She could only accept the teasing and absorb the wonderful sensations building inside her.

  Lying next to her again, he nudged her chin to turn with his knuckle. Once more he held her close, kissing her hard and excitedly, then soft and invitingly. Her breathing was fast and ragged. She forced her mouth away, letting the scruff on his chin rub her cheek. She hooked a finger on each side of his boxers and inched them lower on his hips.

  Distant thunder. A gleam of far-off light. He quirked an eyebrow, questioning her, stopping his own exploration through her silky pajamas.

  Keeping her eyes locked with his, she moved her hands to skim the light dus
ting of hair across his ruggedly hard chest. Again he stopped her. Was that her hand trembling or his?

  “It’s okay,” she crooned, trying to convince them both. Convince them that everything would be fine for him, and that she knew what she was doing.

  “I can still walk away, Kendall. I won’t think a thing about this. Well, that’s not true. I’ll be disappointed, but I can still make it to the couch right now.”

  “I don’t want you to go,” she whispered. Then she kissed him, a long luxurious kiss that she had a hard time pulling away from.

  “Will you let me stay?” he asked, his voice cracking with emotion.

  Stay? As in...stay more than just tonight? As in, come home? Her mind shouted at her that they needed to talk, but her body drowned out the argument.

  What really mattered was that she needed him. Wanted him. Loved him.

  “Stay.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kendall looped a toe in the waistband of Heath’s boxers and tugged them off his hips. He drew his breath, stupidly about to object, until she placed her fingertips across his lips.

  “Shh.”

  Then came cool, confident kisses across his chin and shoulders and collarbone. His arms were getting weak supporting himself above her body. The look on her face told him she felt him tremble. The teasing Cheshire cat smile that followed issued a challenge.

  It didn’t take much to knock his arms aside and force him to drop on top of her. She surrounded him with her arms, using her nails to scrape his flesh in a sexy way only she could accomplish. Immediately, she soothed his skin with the soft brush of her fingertips.

  God, her touch charged him with energy, rejuvenating his soul.

  His hands grasped both sides of Kendall’s hips to remove her pajama bottoms, then quickly shot to cup her face as he got caught up kissing his woman.

  His. Everything about her was his. Missing her kept him up at night.

  Their tongues tangled a brief moment before Kendall twisted and sat on top of him in the blink of an eye.

  “Now, where was I before you distracted me with all that luscious kissing?”

  Her hair was still in the tight ponytail like it had been every day recently. He hadn’t seen it loose, felt it flow over him, in what seemed like forever. He reached and pulled off the holder.

  He captured her surprised mouth and attacked her lips. When she moved, the long lengths of her legs caressed him like the silk of her pajamas.

  He grasped her slender hips, his thumbs inching their way to her intimate secrets. She urged him to please her, and when she begged for release, he hesitated, savoring the magic of the way she looked.

  Darkness seemed to penetrate everything in the room, but it was the first time in months Heath felt surrounded by light. It followed Kendall wherever she was—especially now. Her eyes were soft, her breasts lush, and the tip of her tongue peeked out between her lips. One last touch, and she cried out her release. The first of many, he hoped.

  Lightning flashed, and he soaked in every long curvy line of her. Determined he would take his time, he savored every second of them together. But as the thunder rolled closer, shaking the windows with its intensity, Kendall guided him inside.

  He was home...all he could do was feel. An overwhelming amount of love rushed through him, taking him to the only place he wanted to be.

  “Don’t move,” he told her. “Just give me—”

  She moved.

  In a single motion, he flipped her to her back and let her pebbled nipples rub against his chest. Their hands were everywhere. Roaming, searching and exploring after being apart for six long months. He wanted to memorize every subtle change, wanted to feel her hair—

  Kendall tried to move to one side, but he kept her where she was. With very little maneuvering, he slid into her again until the rhythm took care of itself. Kendall pulled him to her until they climaxed like the first days they were together.

  Satisfied beyond words, Heath shifted to his side of the bed, bunching a pillow under his head. Kendall turned on her side, propping herself half on him and half on the mattress.

  “Storm’s moving on.” He noticed the lightning flashes were fewer and farther apart.

  “I suppose you’re tired.”

  Was that another invitation? He softly dragged his fingers up and down her leg. He loved her soft skin. “Not really.”

  She nuzzled his wrist. He nuzzled her neck in return. He laughed, and the sound was short but deep from his core. It was an excellent new start, even without an official apology from either of them. But there was plenty of time for that. Now that he would be around every day again.

  “What did you have in mind?” he asked after she twined her legs around his.

  “We could make up for lost time.”

  “Actually, I need some food before we go a second round.” He twisted a little to get a look at her. “We didn’t have dinner. Aren’t you starving?”

  “Oh.” She pursed her lips together in a short pout and kissed him. “Mister, you talk entirely too much. Do you know that?” She turned over, scooting her body into a spooning position.

  He’d missed his opportunity to make up for lost time. She was ready for sleep. His right arm was tugged over her body as she pulled her hair out of the way to rest on his left biceps. “Okay, yeah, I get it. You want to cuddle. I can handle that.”

  A deep type of hunger had been satiated by Kendall. He could wait until morning breakfast with Skylar Dawn to satisfy the other. No food was worth moving away from his wife. He enjoyed her this close.

  Life was complete.

  * * *

  IT WAS MUCH earlier than anyone normally got up, but Heath didn’t mind. He woke up and decided to run home for a different suit. But that didn’t work. As soon as he was out of their bedroom, he heard Skylar Dawn reading under the covers.

  Whether she was actually reading was still a mystery. She at least had the book she’d memorized last year with a flashlight pointed at it. She was reading all the parts with different voices for the mommy, daddy and little girl.

  Since neither of them could head back to bed, he decided to make breakfast. He still had clean shirts hanging in his closet. Who needed a different suit when he had an opportunity to spend time with his daughter?

  “Does MiMi have to pick me up?” Skylar Dawn asked between bites of scrambled eggs.

  “Yes. Mommy and I still have to go to work.” He flipped a Spanish omelet for Kendall.

  “But I like it when you pick me up.”

  “Why? Want to get dirty?” He gently tapped her nose with his knuckle.

  “No, silly.” She pointed her fork at him. “We go see Stardust. I love my pony. Can we go today?”

  “Sure thing. But we have to go to work first.”

  “I don’t work.” She giggled.

  “You do your work at day care.”

  The oven timer began to ring in an old-fashioned buzz. He’d have to replace that ancient thing before long.

  “Biscuits ready!” Skylar Dawn shouted.

  Heath stuck the spatula over his lips. “Hey, Mom had a late night.”

  “Biscuits,” his daughter whispered, pointing to the oven door. “I want cotton jelly.”

  “Cotton jelly it is.” He laughed. Cotton was short for apricot. They’d all called it that since Skylar Dawn had first asked for it that way.

  He spread the jelly on thick, and Skylar Dawn had it on both sides of her cute little mouth when Kendall came into the kitchen.

  “What’s this? Everybody’s up so early.” She kissed their daughter’s forehead, swiping a finger of jelly off a sticky cheek before turning to him. “You made breakfast.”

  “Daddy made it special.” Skylar Dawn pointed to the stove.

  Heath rushed to the pan, pushing it off the burner before the omelet
burned. “It’s not much.”

  “I think it’s super.” She wet some paper towels and cleaned up their baby girl.

  Why did he get the feeling something was wrong?

  “Everything okay?” he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

  “Go make your bed and brush your teeth. Then you can watch TV until it’s time to go.” She helped Skylar Dawn off the barstool and watched her leave the room.

  Heath set down two plates with half of a badly formed omelet on each, then two cups of the single-serving coffee. Then he sat down himself. Kendall leaned against the wall leading to the open living room.

  “Going to eat?”

  “I’m not really hungry.”

  “We’ve got a full day today and might not have time for lunch. You might—”

  “I can decide when I want to eat, Heath.”

  No need for guessing. She was upset. Maybe even angry.

  He accidentally dropped his fork on the floor. He bent to get it, but Kendall beat him. She walked it to the sink and didn’t turn around to face him.

  “Maybe you should take your own advice and just tell me what you want, instead of writing a book in your head to find the best words.”

  “Okay.” She spun around. “I’ve been offered a promotion. It’s an opportunity to lead a cybercrime group.”

  “And it’s in Portland.” He should have known.

  “How did you know? Oh, the phone call.”

  “Are you taking it?” His knees hadn’t buckled. That was good.

  “I... I don’t know.”

  “Are you telling me about it or asking?”

  “What do you mean?”

  He pushed away from the bar, scooped up the plates and headed for the garbage. He no longer had an appetite either.

  “Telling me means you’re moving and asking me for a divorce.” He rinsed and placed the plates in the dishwasher. “Asking me means you’d like me to come along.”

  “I haven’t... I don’t know yet.”

  “Are you asking or telling?” he pressed again.

  He couldn’t look at her or he’d lose it. Really lose it. As in yell that she couldn’t go. He watched her reflection in the window as she covered her face with one hand and wrapped the other tight around her waist.