“How young is he?”
“He’s legal. I just want him to keep his mind on the job. Some of my men have trouble concentrating when they’re around Lula.”
“Shocking! And you?”
“I don’t have a problem with Lula.” He reached out, pulled me close against him, and kissed me. “You’re my distraction.”
The first kiss was playful. The next kiss lingered and deepened, and a rush of desire shot through me.
“Oh boy,” I said. “This isn’t good.”
“You have a problem?”
“Yes!”
“Do you want me to solve it?”
“No!”
“I’m running out of time,” Ranger said.
“Do you mean now or forever?”
“Now. I’m supposed to be at a meeting.”
“So, you weren’t intending to follow through?”
His hands slipped under my T-shirt and moved up my rib cage to my breasts. “I can cancel the meeting.”
“Ummmmm,” I said.
Ranger removed a hand from my breast and went for his iPhone.
“Wait,” I said.
“Babe.”
“I’m conflicted.”
A text message dinged on his iPhone.
“Is that your meeting?” I asked.
“Yes. We’ll pick this up at a better time. Finish your bagel. Luis will be waiting for you in the control room.”
This is definitely for the best, I thought. Probably.
* * *
¦ ¦ ¦
Easy to spot Luis when I entered the control room. He was the fresh-faced kid who was clearly nervous. And he had good reason to be nervous. If anything bad happened to me on his watch, his days at Rangeman would be over. I’m sure everyone else in the room was relieved that they were spared the job of guarding my body.
Luis was just under six feet with Hispanic coloring and the body of an athlete as opposed to a gym monkey. I introduced myself, and he stood at military attention.
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” he said.
“Not ‘ma’am,’” I said. “Stephanie.”