A Practical Revelation
By TT

Stephanie sat on her couch unable to move. She was staring at the items on the table, the gift wrap in her hand utterly forgotten as her mind refused to process anything at all.

Eventually, the sound of sudden silence when her neighbor turned off their television snapped her out of her stupor.

Swallowing hard, she slowly set the gift wrap on the table next to the two items she had purchased earlier in the day.

With concerted effort, she stood and headed toward the kitchen, her eyes refusing to leave the sight on the table until it was blocked by the kitchen wall.

Even though she was out of sight of the items, she could feel their presence mocking her.

Reaching into the refrigerator, she pulled out a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap and took a swallow. As she pulled the bottle away from her lips, she stared at it and couldn't help but think, wouldn't it be less expensive to get a water filter and fill the bottles myself? The quality of water should be about the same.

As soon as she finished the thought, she let out a short shriek as the water slipped from her hand.

“No!” she denied. “This can not be happening to me. I will not let this happen to me. I refuse to let this happen to me,” she declared, her voice becoming more and more confident as she spoke.

“What won't you let happen to you, Babe?” Ranger asked, leaning against the wall, one eyebrow raised in question.

Stephanie gasped and a hand flew to her chest as if trying to still her heart. “Make some noise, will you!” she demanded, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she bent down and picked up her fallen water. Rising, she set it on the counter and grabbed a towel to wipe up what had spilled.

Finally satisfied she had cleaned up her mess, she turned and saw Ranger still standing in the same place, a small smirk on his face. Letting out a huff of breath, she folded her arms and leaned back against the counter.

She knew trying to wait him out was a hopeless task, but she didn't want to admit her discovery to herself, let alone to Ranger – especially not to Ranger. He wouldn't let her slip into denial about it. He would make her face reality and she just wasn't ready for that.

The silence stretched and Stephanie grew nervous. She began fidgeting and eventually let out a heavy sigh. There was no way around it, she would just have to admit the truth and get on with it.

Looking up, she opened her mouth, but the words wouldn't come. She closed her mouth and her teeth met with an audible click.

With another sigh, she pushed off the counter and headed past Ranger to the living room. When she stood within three feet of the coffee table, she just waved at the items on top, crossed her arms and fixed her eyes on the floor, refusing to look at those offensive things any longer.

Ranger moved closer to the table and examined the items.

Stephanie peeked up at his face, still studiously avoiding looking at the items. She could read the confusion on his face.

“I'm assuming these are gifts,” he stated. Receiving an affirmative nod from Stephanie, he continued, “At a guess, I'd say Baby and Wedding Showers?”

Again, Stephanie nodded.

Ranger stood staring at her, obviously at a loss. “They're nice gifts, Babe,” he finally said.

That statement proved to be enough to get Stephanie's voice working again. Her arms uncrossed and her hands fisted at her sides. “They're practical gifts, Ranger,” she replied, her voice clearly expressing her disdain of the word 'practical'.

For the first time in her memory, Ranger's brow furrowed in confusion. “What's wrong with giving practical gifts?” he asked. “I'm sure most mothers would appreciate having a baby first aid kit and a water filter is a great gift for anyone.”

“Ranger,” she whined. “Don't you see? They're practical gifts. Boring gifts.”

A light seemed to come on above Ranger's head. “Grown up gifts?” he asked, his voice soft and hiding most of his amusement.

Stephanie sighed and nodded, her eyes seeking the floor. “When did I become a responsible adult?” she asked, her voice soft as if asking herself.

Ranger set the items down and crossed the space between them. Reaching out, he placed a finger under her chin and lifted until Stephanie's eyes were looking into his own. “Being a grown-up isn't a bad thing, Babe,” he said, his voice still soft, his eyes sparkling in amusement and something she couldn't quite place. “In fact, there are a lot of benefits to being a grown-up,” he continued, drawing her closer until their faces were almost touching.

They stayed like that, gazes locked, able to feel each other's breath on their faces for several second until Ranger moved his head to the side, his cheek brushing against hers. His breath caressed her ear sending shivers of desire through her system. Her mouth opened slightly as her eyes fluttered closed, trying to focus through the sensation.

“I can show you the benefits of being grown up, Stephanie,” Ranger whispered, his voice a deep, husky purr. “Would you like me to show you?” he continued before sucking her earlobe into his mouth and teasing it with his tongue and teeth.

Stephanie's head dropped back and to the side slightly as he administered to her ear. A part of her was screaming that this was a bad idea, another part was cheering the fact she was a grown up.

Ranger released her earlobe and moved so he was looking at her once more.

As he took a step back and her hand shot out, gripping his t shirt. She pulled him closer until their lips were brushing together. She stared into his eyes and whispered, “Grown ups play for keeps.” Her eyes stayed locked with his, challenging him. She felt his lips curl upward into a smile as his eyes darkened with passion.

His arms wrapped around waist and drew her flush against his body. “Always,” he responded, his lips meeting hers in a passionate kiss.

Much later, as she began drifting off to sleep, safely snuggled against Ranger's naked form, a small smile graced her kiss-swollen lips. She couldn't help but think that maybe being a practical, responsible adult wasn't so bad after all.

End

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