Author's note: First of the It shoulda happened series of text inserts. May become a series or it may not. This is set during Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum adventure in Ten Big Ones. Why? Because it frustrated me that Steph could remain so resistant to Ranger while living so intimately in his orbit. I choose to believe that a scene like this existed but was cut from the manuscript out of caution to avoid criticism about inappropriate/immoral behaviour on the part of our favourite Jersey Girl. I don't think this reflects on Steph's morality. It reflects on her humanity. And Ranger's hotness, of course.

All characters are creations of Janet Evanovich and I derive no profit from their use (other than my own gratification).

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BAD DREAM

After the visit to the kidnapped Ward with Ranger, Stephanie knows the Slayers intend to gang rape her and then allow Junkman to murder her. She and Ranger come back to Rangeman and he drops her off at an apartment on the fourth floor. She turns up at his door a short time later.

[JE's published text excerpt from Ten Big Ones commences]

'Actually, I was hoping I could sleep on your couch.'

Ranger pulled me into his apartment and locked the door. 'You can sleep anywhere you want, but I'm not going to be responsible for my actions if you fondle me again when I'm sleeping.'

'I didn't fondle you!'

We were at the breakfast table and Ranger was watching me eat a croissant.

"Tell me the truth," Ranger said. "Were you really freaked out last night? Or did you just want my sheets and my shower gel and my food?"

I smiled at him while I chewed. "Does it matter?"

Ranger thought about it for a long moment. "Only minimally."

I'd slept on his couch, wrapped in a down comforter, my head on one of his pillows with the wonderful smooth pillowcase. It wasn't as comfy as his bed, but it had been guilt free.

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[Published text ends]

That was the plan. The guilt free plan was railroaded at 1 am when a nightmare intruded into a dreamless sleep. I was in a deserted industrial estate surrounded by a hundred hooded Slayers with Junkman front and centre. Their eyes and teeth glinted in moonlight as they closed the circle around me. I couldn't escape. No one knew where I was. Ranger couldn't save me. I was going to die.

I woke up in full panic mode: cold sweat, heart racing, gasping for breath and feeling sick to the stomach. I lay frozen in the dark, blood pounding in my ears, hoping I wouldn't throw up.

Wait a minute! I was in Ranger's apartment! Thank the lord and all the angels! My body went limp with relief and I sank into the couch cushions. I focused on getting the hyperventilation under control and sat up, turning on the table lamp to check no Slayers were hiding in the shadows.

I was still shaky and my heart was galloping so hard the front of my t-shirt was fluttering. I wondered whether my freak-out had woken Ranger but there was no sound from his bedroom. For a crazy moment, I considered sneaking in there to duck under his covers. If I was careful, maybe I could do it without waking him and, if I kept right to the edge of the bed so I wasn't sucked into his gravitational field, I could probably avoid fondling... D'uh! Mental head slap.

I got up and tiptoed to the powder room in Ranger's foyer.

I caught sight of my face in the mirror above the basin and scared the crap out of myself. I was white as a sheet and my eyes and hair looked like I'd stuck a finger in the power socket. I stared down the Bride of Frankenstein and concentrated on finding some calm.

Get a grip, Stephanie. It was just a dream. It's not going to happen. Ranger's got your back.

I raked my hair back and splashed my face and neck, waking myself up to chase away the heeby jeebies. The cold water exacerbated the shivers and my teeth were chattering – adrenalin come down. Standing on cold tile in cotton boxers and t-shirt wasn't helping so I clicked off the light to head back to the warmth of the down comforter.

Ranger was waiting at the entry to the living room. I guess the sound of the water running woke him. That, or his bat-senses had been alerted to the change in my pulse rate.

He stood with hands on hips, watching me through dark eyes soft with sleep. His mussed hair was falling over his brow, the black boxers were riding low on his hips and his skin was a perfect, silky dark caramel. So, I noticed. I was traumatised but I wasn't dead.

God has a sick sense of humour. Ranger hauls out of bed at 1 in the morning looking like Cleo's Playboy of the Century and I'm picture perfect for Boris Karloff's horror feature.

'You okay?' he asked.

I shrugged. 'Bad dream. Ward got to me.'

Ranger gazed at me for a beat then reached an arm around my shoulders. He pulled me close and kissed the top of my head. 'You're shivering, Babe.'

He dragged me back to the couch and pulled me down, wrapped me in the comforter and held me close to warm me with his body. I rested my cheek on his shoulder, glad of the warmth as much as the comfort. I snaked one arm behind his back and the other across his chest so I could hug his shoulders in a death grip. Okay, so I was still freaked out. Death by gang rape isn't high on my list of fun things to do.

'It'll be okay, Babe. We'll get him. And I've got 24-hour protection on you until we do. They're going to stick close enough to count your eyelashes. Trust me.'

That was easy. I trust Ranger with my life. There are times when Ranger's protection detail was a pain in the behind but not now. Now, I felt gratitude and relief that I didn't have to be brave out there. I could stay in his secure, luxurious apartment filled with Ranger comforts, Ella's food, his sinful shower gel and Ranger himself and I'd be safe. Good deal. I could live with the dent to my independence.

''That close, huh?' I asked. '24 hours a day?'

He looked down and flashed me a 200 watt smile. 'I get the night shift.'

I felt a hot little flutter in my stomach and hid my face in his neck. Living in his orbit and resisting the sexual pull could be more of a challenge than this Jersey girl was up for.

'Relax, Babe,' he said, rubbing my back soothingly.

Hunh. I'm sure I didn't say that out loud. I let out a sigh and tuned into the calm, even rhythm of Ranger's breathing. My eyes closed and the shivering gradually stopped as his body heat seeped into me.

My grip on his shoulder relaxed and I slid a hand down over the sculpted landscape of his chest to rest over his heart. I could feel the steady beat of it through my palm.

He smelt good. Really good. Without thinking, I burrowed my face deeper into his neck and took a long, slow breath of essence of Ranger. I started drawing lazy little circles on his chest with my fingertips. I really wanted to run my hand down but he'd notice that for sure. The cautious Stephanie in the back of my head was telling me I was playing chicken with the devil but the Stephanie in charge of stupid was luxuriating in the full body Ranger experience.

'Babe?'

'Mmm?' I answered, doing a little nuzzling on the soft skin just under his ear.

'You're awake.'

'Yeah, I'm awake,' I answered, my lips brushing against his neck as I spoke.

'And you're feeling better.'

I thought about it. The shivering and palpitations had stopped but the prospect of being alone in the dark with phantom Slayers was going to keep sleep away. What I really wanted was to enjoy the heady scent of warm Ranger and his bare skin a little longer. Actually, I was starting to feel a toasty; maybe I needed to throw off some covers, get a little closer to all that hard muscle.

'Babe.'

The full body Ranger experience was distracting. 'Hmm? Oh. Yeah, I'm feeling much better.'

'Good to hear. I was just checking you weren't fondling me in your sleep.'

My eyelids snapped apart and I opened my mouth to launch into denial but it was too late. Ranger bent his head and kissed me.

It was a succulent, sensuous, delicious kiss with a lot of tongue. Heat exploded behind my navel. It rushed up to perk up my nipples and down south to rev up the rest of me, melting everything along the way. His mouth trailed up and down my neck and I just about lost consciousness. By the time we surfaced, I was definitely fondling and had no intention of stopping.

Here's the thing. Ranger and I have reached this point on several occasions, most recently this morning. Then the image of Joe pops into my mind and guilt slams on the brakes.

This time, though, the guilt was headed off at the pass. First, it was one in the morning and my brain wasn't running on full power. Second, I'd been traumatised by Ward's confession of how the Slayers were planning to torture, rape and kill me. Then I'd had a terrifying dream of the event.

Everyone knows fear and adrenalin screw with your physical responses. I wasn't responsible for my fear reflex, right? Heck, I had hormones acting on my hormones!

Okay, the truth is I've been resisting Ranger for forever. I want him bad and denial hasn't been successful. It's like trying to keep back the tide. No matter what you do, it's going to come in. And after a week of living in his space, sleeping in his bed, checking out his underwear or lack thereof, a king tide of desire was pulling me under. As Mooner would say, resistance is futile.

Probably, guilt was going to get me good. I was going to go straight to hell tomorrow but desire won out tonight.

Ranger had scooped the t-shirt over my head and stripped off my boxers in a blink. His hands were exploring and his mouth followed, to perform his special brand of fire and magic. Ranger likes to taste and he likes to linger. He likes it a lot. The memories of Ranger-induced pleasure overload have caused self-combustion by shower massage more times than I can count.

He pulled back and stood to drop his boxers to the floor. Holy cow! And I mean, holy cow! I thought I had etched the image of his perfect, naked body on my brain but my recollection had been flawed. Ranger naked and aroused is a pleasure overload all by himself. My mouth fell open and I think I drooled. I know for sure I gasped.

He dropped to his knees between my legs, his brown eyes dilated black and intense, locked on mine. His hands slid down the backs of my thighs to open my legs wide and his eyes travelled slowly down the length of my body.

He locked eyes with me again. 'Pretty,' he breathed. I felt such a rush I shuddered. He saw it and smiled. He lifted me smoothly, brought me forward and straight down to sheath himself. Hallelujah!

We reached the bed eventually, having enjoyed together time on his living room floor, on the dining table, pressed against the doorpost of his bedroom, and in the shower. By then, I was ragdoll floppy and soft as water and making contented, purring noises.

Ranger towelled me off from the shower as I lay on the covers. I reached my hand to his chest, just wanting to touch his skin. I trailed my fingers across and down and heard his breath catch. I cut my eyes down lower. Good grief! He was ready to go again.

'Aren't you tired?' He had been working like a trooper, after all.

The corners of his mouth looked like he might have been thinking of smiling but his eyes were focused on the towel he had working its way up my thighs.

'Making up for lost time, Babe.'

He bent his head so his mouth could follow the path of the towel. I whimpered and my eyes rolled to the back of my head and discovered a secret stash of energy in reserve.

I woke up alone and a little befuddled. The couch seemed roomier than I remembered. I rolled onto my back and stretched, my body feeling sated and boneless and...sore. And naked and wrapped in orgasmic sheets. My eyes sprang open as I realised it hadn't been a dream.

I'd had sex with Ranger! I'd cheated on Joe. I clapped a hand over my mouth.

The memory of Ranger flooded my mind: his eyes intense and focused on me, his body slippery with sweat as he moved us in rhythm, his mouth on mine, his hands everywhere, the deep sounds in his throat, his breath whispering in my ear...Whoa! Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie! Don't get caught up. You need to let that go, right now!

I couldn't help it, though. There was a big, salacious grin on my face. I smothered it, biting my lip, feeling the first lick of guilt. I was not going to think about last night. Not now. Maybe not ever.

And I was not going to think about the next time I shared air space with Joe and whether I woul be able to meet his eyes without choking. Just the thought had my breath catching. There'd be time to deal with it if I survived the Slayers. That thought sobered me. Nothing like the prospect of torture and death to put things in perspective.

I heard Ella's knock on the front door and the sounds of Ranger letting her in with the breakfast tray. I was grateful that he'd let me wake up on my own so I could deal with the morning after awkwardness and guilt thing by myself.

Ella left and he appeared in the doorway, leaning against it with arms crossed loosely over his chest to look me over, cool and detached as always. I pulled the sheet up a little higher and he looked amused.

'Morning. Do you want to join me for breakfast?'

Hunh. Ranger wasn't feeling awkward. No emotional conflict or relationship dilemmas for him. See? No feeding of Ranger fantasies, Stephanie.

'Sure. Will you wait while I have a quick shower?'

'Five minutes, Babe. Want to keep things hot.' Well, geez Louise, that's a surprise.

He left the room and I rolled out of bed to hobble to the bathroom. The Cuban god of sex hadn't hobbled. Probably, it was just as well I didn't feel like chasing skips today because walking straight was a challenge. I yawned so wide my mouth almost split in two. Ranger had had less sleep than me and he was looking all slick and perfect and revitalised. What is it with men? Why can't I look like that after a night like that?

I was looking forward to the shower gel. I'd have Ranger's scent all over me, inside and out, I thought. Uh oh. That did it. The lash of guilt whipped me good.

That's it. I was going to wipe the whole thing from my mind. Life was complicated enough. I was activating my denial switch.

[End my inserted text]

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[Recommence published JE text]

'I got some bad news while you were in the shower this morning,' Ranger said. 'Junkman tagged his cop.'

My heart stuttered. 'Anyone I know?'

'No. He was a member of the State Police Street Gang Unit. He was working locally, but he was based out of north Jersey.'

I was up next.

[End published text]