Notes and Disclosures: If the characters seem familiar it's because they probably are! I've taken the setting and several characters from the amazing Plum World given to us by Janet Evanovich and taking them for a spin on my own accord.

A/N: This is the Fifth installment to my Alyssa Chau Series and takes place right after "Ring-a-Ding-Ding."

I want to thank those that have been sticking with Alyssa through the different stories and adventures. =)

I do want to warn you that this is a darker and more angsty story. It's rated M for strong mature content later on in the story.

CHAPTER 1

I woke up to the sunlight peeking through the sliver of open space between the curtains and a soft tender hand stroking my cheek. My eyes flew open as I grabbed the hand and chomped down teasingly on the fingers attached to my prey.

I smiled at the twinkling green eyes staring back at me.

"Morning, Beautiful," Les smiled back. "You know I could get used to waking up like this for the rest of my life."

I leaned into him and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and sat up. "Well, don't get used to it. I'm going back to my apartment tonight."

"Are you sure you're ready?" he pouted. "You can stay here for as long as you want. I'll even kick Bobby out so you can have your own room."

I shoved him playfully, "That's terrible. You can't kick out your best friend."

The gorgeous green-eyed man with spikey blond hair in bed with me would be none other than the loveable callous flirt, Lester Santos. A former Army Ranger with a body to die for and before your mind wanders as to why I am currently in his bed let me set the record straight — we're just friends — good friends.

Two weeks ago my ex-boyfriend, Joe Morelli, proposed to me and asked me to move with him to Washington, D.C. I turned down his proposal and it broke my heart. It was then that I realized that I loved Joe but I didn't love the idea of being tied down to what he was offering me. We both parted ways in a civil manner and he immediately packed his things and moved to D.C.

So why am I depressed when I was the one that cruelly turned down his beautiful proposal on New Year's Eve? Because days before that, I was starting to fall for another man — Batman. You may be thinking what kind of fantasy world is this chick living in? And you're right, it was like a fantasy.

The man, Batman, would be none other than Ricardo Carlos Mañoso mostly known and referred to by his street name, Ranger.

Lester would be Ranger's cousin. And a short couple of weeks ago, I spent a wonderful week with their family for the Christmas holiday. Ranger who's known for his stoic, no nonsense, blank face, macho exterior let down his defenses over the holidays and became a man I quickly started to fall for.

Now, don't get me wrong, I've always had a slight thing for Ranger. You'd have to be dead to not want that man. He's as sexy as they come. Towering at over six feet tall, built like Rambo, skin the color of mocha latte, and a rare smile that when seen could make your heart melt.

Ranger and I shared a beautiful unspeakable night together on Christmas Day and upon our return back to reality, aka Trenton, NJ, he reminded me that it was time to get my head out of the clouds. He reminded me of the fact that his life did not lend itself to relationships and told me to fix things with Joe then walked away which was what I did. I didn't see him again until days later at the same New Year's Eve party Joe and I were also in attendance. Ranger showed up with some hot young tamale on his arms.

Then I did the most embarrassing thing I've ever done in my entire life, I showed up on Les and Bobby's doorstep sobbing like a baby and turned into a sniveling girl. I rarely ever run to people to cry on. My go to was usually tubs of Ben and Jerry's and sulking by myself in front of the television, frying my brain with 80s classic movies.

But having my heart broken twice within a few short days was too much for me to bear — not to mention the fact that the holidays were already a rough time for me. I was stripped of the only family I had on Christmas Day after a tragic accident when I was eleven and was quickly pushed into the system. So needless to say, this wasn't the best time of the year for me. Usually I would be running to my best friend, Misty Plum. But she's been pre-occupied with her new boyfriend and her workload has been increasing as she was trying to work towards a promotion.

So, I showed up on Les and Bobby's doorstep. Les and I had grown quite close over the past few months. Bobby knew me on a much more intimate level and probably knows my body better than I do. And he has yet to take me on a date. He moonlights as a Medic for Rangeman, Ranger's private security company. Considering how accident prone I am and the number of situations I get myself into, he's had to care for me on more than one occasion.

He and Les were a part of what I called Ranger's team of Merry Men (although I'm pretty sure they wouldn't appreciate knowing that I call them that). A team of highly-trained, ex-military men working private security, special ops, and occasional high-bond skip tracing.

I met these men when I lost my job as a Lingerie Buyer and was desperate for a job. My car had been repossessed, I was behind on my rent, and my cupboards were bare. Misty, being the great friend that she was, introduced me to her weasel-faced cousin, Vinnie Plum, and blackmailed him into giving me a job. So shortly after that, I officially became a Bonds Enforcement Agent more commonly known as a Bounty Hunter.

Pretty big jump in careers, right? — Going from college, earning a Business Degree and buying lingerie for a distributor to chasing down low-life court date skippers. Ranger reluctantly swooped in and trained me as a favor to Connie, Vinnie's Office Manager, and shortly after that I guess I grew on him like barnacle and we became friends.

He slowly introduced me to the people in his life — my Merry Men. And all of these men have taken me in under their wings and offered me back up when needed.

Les and Bobby have been a godsend. I've taken turns sharing their bed. They cook and clean and I never have to lift a finger. It was like I was living a fairytale. But, alas, it's time for me to face the facts that I needed to move on with my life and be a big girl and start cooking my own meals and doing my own laundry. Ok scratch the cooking part, me and the stove have a very bad relationship. The microwave, however, is my best friend.

"No, I can easily replace him as my best friend with you," Les joked grabbing me around the waist and pulling me into his rock hard body.

"I won't tell Bobby you just said that. You'll break his heart."

"He'll get over it and understand," he teased kissing my neck. "You're much easier on the eyes."

I pulled away from him and pelted him with the pillow before disappearing into the bathroom. The great thing about running to Les and Bobby was that they never pushed me to talk about things that made me uncomfortable. They offered me support without any of the critical judgment. The most I filled them in on was about Joe's proposal. I could tell that Les had an idea that something was wrong between me and Ranger but he never pushed. That's why he's my favorite Merry Man.

Shortly after we returned to Trenton from our Christmas holiday, he dropped off the radar and went into the "wind" as he calls it. I never asked where he was and I suppose I got a tad bit snippy every time someone asked me if I'd spoken to him so it's probably not hard to tell that something was up between us.

I finished my shower and started rummaging through Les' closet for clothes. I threw on a slouchy blue sweater and started towards the door shouting and rubbing out the kinks in the back of my neck, "Bobby, have you seen my skinny black jeans? You know the one that makes my butt look like the shape of a heart?"

I bumped into Les' back as he was standing oddly in the doorway.

"Yeah, you left it in my room," Bobby called out to me walking out of his bedroom sans shirt and pants, brushing his teeth.

I stepped around Les as I focused on Bobby's jaw dropping open. He tossed me my jeans, I followed his eyes to a man with a snarl fixed on his face standing in their living room — Ranger.