This uses and slightly distorts some of the events of To The Nines - No infringement intended - JE owns all rights to anything familiar.
The song of the same name gave me the inspiration for this (the Roy Orbison version is my favorite, if you want to check it out) Well, really one line in particular of that song, which I'm sure you'll be able to pick out. I did use some of the lyrics in the story, but I wouldn't consider it a song fic.
M rating for a tiny bit of smut
I hope you enjoy
Ranger planted his knee in the middle of the back of the man underneath him so he couldn't wiggle away. He yanked his right arm back and clicked the handcuffs onto his wrist. He gave the left arm the same treatment and then stood up, bringing the no longer struggling criminal to his feet as well.
They were both knee deep in garbage, literally. The stupid idiot thought they wouldn't follow him into the city dump. Ranger cut his eyes to Diego, who had finally caught up and was standing off to the side, slightly out of breath.
"Get him to the truck." Ranger shoved the guy in Diego's direction and he tripped but Diego caught him before he face-planted back into the garbage.
Ranger could see the apology on his tongue but he shook his head slightly. Diego wisely kept his mouth shut and began half dragging, half carrying their bounty to the truck as instructed.
A small sigh escaped Ranger's throat as he looked down at himself. He was completely coated with trash.
And then he realized he was smiling. He was standing knee deep in garbage in the middle of the city dump and he was smiling.
He smiled because it made him think of Stephanie.
It seemed all he did lately was think about her. God, he wanted to see her.
He shook his head and internally chastised himself for losing focus. He had a job to finish. Making his way through the mess, he watched his employee load their skip into the back seat of the F150 king cab.
Diego was becoming a problem. It was the main reason he'd come to Miami.
Ranger had hired him without hesitation even though he was a good fifteen years older than the men he normally employed. He was smart and resourceful and he was about as tough as they come, but being in the field was starting to take its toll. He just couldn't keep up anymore and Ranger was going to have to bounce him to a desk.
Diego shut the door and handed Ranger a towel. They stood side by side attempting to get at least the some of the trash off before they got in the truck.
"You're firing me, right?" Diego said quietly as he wiped his arms. "That's why you're in Miami?"
Ranger reached down and removed half of a banana peel that was stuck to the leg of his black cargo pants. He tossed it aside and looked at his friend. Diego was nearly a carbon copy of Tank, except for being older and half Latino. He was six feet six and three hundred pounds of solid muscle. His head was shaved bald and when he smiled his teeth were white and perfectly straight.
When he was around his friends, his eyes were a soft brown and lit up with humor when he laughed, but on the job they were dark and hard and incredibly intimidating, just like Tank's.
Right now, Ranger noted, they were neither. Right now they held a note of defeat and a little bit of sadness.
"From the field," Ranger confirmed. "But not the company. You have a job with Rangeman as long as you want one."
"Desk?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
Ranger took the towel from him and threw it and his own into the back of the truck. "Yeah, probably. We'll figure out the best spot for you."
Diego nodded and Ranger slapped him on the shoulder with affection. "Let's get out of here. I need to take a shower. Preferably with a large amount of bleach."
Diego chuckled and Ranger trotted around the truck to the driver's side. When he opened the door, the phone on his hip vibrated and he snatched is out of the clip on his belt.
He looked at the display and then hit the answer button to talk to Tank.
"Yo."
"You didn't check in yesterday," Tank said as his greeting.
Tank rarely showed emotion and Ranger was about the only one who could detect the tone in his voice. There was a distinct tension in it now, and he knew that tension. There was only one cause for it.
"Is she okay?"
"Blew up another car. She's okay, just a little singed around the edges."
He knew there had to be more. "Anything else?"
There was a beat of silence before he answered and Ranger felt his heart lurch in his chest.
"It seems she's picked up another stalker."
Ranger's eyes closed briefly and he exhaled slowly. He didn't know how, but she had an uncanny way of stumbling into the worst kind of shit.
"How bad?"
"Not sure yet, we're checking it out."
"Put a man on her twenty four-seven and get me on the first plane out of here," he instructed.
"Already done and I'll work on the flight. How's Miami?"
"Sticky and cruel," Ranger said, glancing down again at his garbage crusted clothes. He disconnected, slid behind the wheel and cranked the engine over.
An hour later they drove into the underground parking garage of the Miami Rangeman building. "Get cleaned up," he told Diego, "and I'll see you in my office in an hour."
Diego voiced his consent and hopped on the elevator while Ranger chose to take the stairs to his top floor apartment. The building was similar to his office building in Trenton – six floors instead of seven, apartments for the men on four, offices on five - but unfortunately, no Ella.
There was, however, a cleaning crew on site and he noted they had been there already when he entered his apartment. Every surface was spotless and the air held the faint scent of citrus. He made his way directly to the master bathroom and stripped out of his dirty clothes.
He turned on the water in the glass enclosed shower to as hot as he could stand it and wondered briefly if there was any bleach under the sink.
While he scrubbed himself clean his thoughts turned to Stephanie. It scared him a little how often that had been happening. Ever since their one night together, he couldn't get her out of his mind.
He shouldn't have done it. He knew he shouldn't have done it, but he had wanted her so badly it had become too big of a distraction to ignore. Stupidly, he assumed that would end after he had her. Nothing had ever backfired on him so spectacularly.
Thoughts of her lips on his skin, her breath hot on his neck crept into his head without warning and those were always followed by flashes of the bare skin of her legs wrapped around his back, her hardened nipples pressed tight against his chest as she arched up into him. The gasp that escaped her mouth when he finally slid into her with one smooth stroke…
He felt himself growing hard in the shower and groaned in frustration. That was happening frequently as well. He would give anything at that moment to bury himself deep inside her one more time.
He hoped she had taken his advice and fixed things with Morelli or he was going to be back in her bed as soon as he got home.
Ranger turned the knob on the temperature dial of the water to cold so he could get his body back under his control.
He was busy the rest of the afternoon getting Diego set up in his new position in the research department and he handled two new security client meetings personally before finally grabbing some dinner and heading back to his apartment.
He had hoped to be on a flight home already but he hadn't heard a word from Tank. He finished the last bite of his grilled chicken and grabbed his phone off the kitchen counter to call him for an update. It rang in his hand and he answered before the first ring completed.
"What time am I leaving?"
Tank hesitated before answering and Ranger knew he wasn't going to like the answer.
"Everything is booked until tomorrow night," he said and that tension was back in his voice again.
"What else?" Ranger demanded.
"Sniper," Tank said and Ranger's heart stopped in his chest. "Fortunately he took out her lunch companion and not her, but it was close."
Ranger had to swallow before speaking again. "Anyone we know?"
"No. Just someone she was trying to get information from. She's working on that visa bond of Vinnie's that skipped."
Samuel Singh, Ranger thought. "Put two men on her and one of them better be you."
"I'm outside her building right now and Cal is covering the fire escape."
"I want updates every two hours and I'll be on the road in five minutes." He disconnected without waiting for a response.
Ranger couldn't wait until tomorrow night. He had to get to her. It would take him nearly twenty hours but he didn't care. He grabbed his Glock, returned it to its spot in the small of his back and covered it with a black windbreaker. He clipped his phone back on his belt, snatched his Mercedes keys off the table in his foyer and headed out.
Knowing Tank was watching over her was the only thing keeping him from falling apart as he drove the long straight road ahead. He stopped short of having him lock her up in a safe house because he knew she would pitch a fit, but that is really what he wanted to do. He wanted to lock her away until he killed the person stalking her.
There was no doubt that would be the outcome. Even if he was caught before Ranger could get to him. He'd get it done, one way or another.
The low fuel light blinked on and Ranger checked the GPS. He was somewhere near the border of North Carolina, almost half way home. He pulled into the first station he saw and checked his watch as he filled the car with gas.
It was half an hour past Tank's scheduled check in time.
Ranger yanked his phone from his belt and pressed the number three speed dial button.
Tank answered on the first ring. "I'm sorry," he said immediately. "Had a little situation at the hospital, just stepped outside to call you."
Ranger's whole body went rigid. "The hosp…"
"Her sister went into labor," Tank interrupted before he could finish. "Her water broke on Cal and he went down like a bag of sand in a dead faint. Bounced his head off the floor. I've never seen anything like it."
Ranger barked out a laugh. "Jesus. It used to be she just destroyed my cars. Is he okay?"
"Concussion. They are keeping him overnight for observation. Took six people to lift him onto a gurney."
Ranger laughed again at the image.
"How is she?"
"Everybody is fine. They're all in there making googley eyes at the baby. It's a girl, by the way. They named her Lisa. I have Bobby and Ram on the door."
"Googley eyes?" Ranger questioned.
"I don't know, man. That's the only way I can describe it. It's weird."
Ranger chuckled. "Yeah, I remember."
"Did you get a chance to see Julie, while you were there?" Tank asked.
"No, the family is all on vacation in Europe. Next time. What's Morelli doing about the problem?" he asked, effectively changing the subject. He didn't often talk about his daughter and now certainly wasn't the time.
He hesitated and Ranger realized this was becoming a habit. "Tank," he warned.
"I'm not sure Morelli knows what's going on."
Ranger's eyebrows rose in surprise. "What? What do you mean?"
Tank let out long sigh like it was the last thing he wanted to talk about. "According to Lula, they got in a huge fight when Morelli gave her another ultimatum and she lost her shit and walked out on him. Again, according to Lula, it's for good this time."
Ranger found himself smiling as he pictured her with narrowed eyes, arms waving in the air, probably a few Italian hand gestures utilized. He knew it wasn't supposed to, but it kind of turned him on when she got mad like that.
He shook the image from his brain and frowned. This was not good for more than one reason. The first being the police probably weren't actively looking for the stalker and the second he didn't really want to think about yet.
"Do you want me to contact him?" Tank asked after a minute of no response.
Ranger blew out a breath. "Not yet. I'll talk to her first. I'm about ten hours out. I'll relive you when I get there but call me again in two hours."
"Roger that," Tank said and disconnected.
He got back behind the wheel and started the car. He was exhausted and leaned his head back, closing his eyes for a minute.
A flash of her naked beneath him flickered behind his eyes. He could almost feel her hands on him, could almost taste her sweet kisses on his lips.
He snapped his eyes open, put the car in gear and got back on the road. The news of the break up was on his mind. It meant he had a decision to make and he wasn't sure if he was ready to make it.
He wanted her in his life, this he knew. He also wanted her in his bed. What he didn't want was a marriage or kids or white picket fence and he didn't want to take those options away from her if she wanted them.
He knew if he got back into her bed, he wouldn't ever get out of it again, and he knew she would let him stay there as long as he wanted.
What he didn't know is if he could walk away from her if she decided she did want the normal marriage, kid, dog kind of life.
Those thoughts consumed him the rest of the way home.
It was just before three when he pulled into the parking lot of Stephanie's building. Tank was in his SUV close to the front door of the lobby and he knew someone was also in the back.
He parked in the only open spot which was a few spaces down from Tank. He got out and headed to the SUV. Tank rolled the window down and Ranger leaned in slightly so they could speak quietly.
"It's been quiet," Tank said and Ranger nodded.
"Does she know she has a tail?" he asked.
"I'm kinda hard to hide," Tank pointed out with a slight grin. "But she hasn't said anything or tried to lose us so that's a good sign, right?"
"Yeah," Ranger smiled. "It also means she knows it's serious. You have the file for me?"
Tank passed him the folder through the window. "It's everything we know so far, which isn't much, but there is a solid lead and Bobby and Hal are working on it. There's also everything we know about Samuel Singh in there. The last trace we could find of him leads to Vegas."
"I have a slight problem in Nevada," Ranger said absently as he flipped through the file.
"Yeah, I know," Tank said. "I contacted Erik and Vince is scheduled on the first flight in the morning."
"Good," Ranger nodded and leaned a little further into Tank's car taking advantage of the lights from the dash. He frowned at the words in the file. "What's with the flowers?"
"Don't know," Tank said. "The guy is a freak."
"She seems to attract them like flies," Ranger said, closing the file.
"Yeah," Tank agreed. "It's really uncanny. You going up?" he asked and they both glanced up at the second story window that was dark, the curtains pulled tight.
"Yep," Ranger said. "Who's on the fire escape now?"
"Woody," Tank told him.
"Okay. Get out of here and get some sleep. I know you've been at it over twenty four."
"You too," Tank said, giving Ranger a pointed look.
"Yeah, but I'm Batman," Ranger said and they both grinned. "I'll see you in the morning. And Tank? Thanks," Ranger said sincerely.
"Not necessary, man," Tank said and powered up the window.
Ranger watched until the taillights disappeared around the corner. He was going to have to give Tank a much deserved raise.
He turned around and took the stairs to the second floor. He let himself into her apartment and stood in the foyer listening for any indication she was awake.
Everything was quiet so he removed his jacket and hung it on the hook by the door. He made his way silently down the hall, stopping only to remove his utility belt and drop it and the folder on the kitchen counter.
Her bedroom door was open and he paused in the doorway and leaned against the doorjamb. She was on her back and her curly brown hair was spread out across the white expanse of the pillow under her head.
The covers were pulled up to chest height and one arm was tucked underneath blanket while the other was out and draped across her stomach.
A small sliver of moonlight was shining in through the curtains of her window, illuminating her face and he didn't think he'd ever seen anything so beautiful in his life.
She shifted slightly and mumbled softly in her sleep and that galvanized him into action. He pushed off the doorway and headed for the chair next to her bed. He sat down to remove his boots and socks. When that was done, he stood up and placed his gun on the nightstand next to her bed.
He knew the smart thing to do was turn around right then and get his ass settled onto the couch in the living room but he didn't think there was anything in the world that could make that happen.
He stripped out of his cargo pants and t-shirt and left them in a pile on the floor next to his boots. Desire for her was burning him up inside and he thought he might combust if he didn't touch her soon. He pulled back the covers and slid in next to her, hesitating for only a second before gathering her into his arms.
She sighed softly and settled into him unconsciously, wrapping her arm around his chest. He marveled at her ability to sleep so soundly. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept like that. He thought maybe he never had.
She snuggled into his neck and he felt her lips on his skin. She kissed it lightly and he heard her whisper his name softly.
He knew she wasn't fully awake and would fall back to sleep if he didn't say anything but he answered her anyway.
"Babe."
She went still in his arms, coming fully awake. The arm draped across his chest clenched slightly and he waited for her to pull away from him but she surprised him by kissing his neck again instead. A bolt of heat shot through him with her breath on his skin and he went instantly, painfully hard beneath the covers.
"You're supposed to be in Miami," she said into the darkness.
He took two short breaths before answering her, willing some control back into his body. "Was," he said. "I drove all night to get to you."
"You heard about my stalker."
"Yes," he confirmed.
"That explains the Men in Black outside."
"Yes. Sorry about that. I needed to know you were safe until I could get here."
He felt her shrug. "It's okay. I was thinking that I should probably take a long vacation somewhere far from Trenton. Maybe you need a new employee in Miami?"
He knew she was joking but he also heard the thread of fear twisting in her voice. He pulled her tighter to his side. "Are you okay, Babe?"
"Yeah," she said after a beat. "Although, there is a slight possibility that I might be completely freaked out."
He smiled at her indirect admission. "I'm going to keep you safe, you know that right?"
"I know," she said and squeezed him with her arm. "I'm glad you're here."
"Me too," he told her and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
They were quiet for a long time and although every part of him wanted to devour every inch of her, he just held her in arms, tracing lazy circles on the bare skin of her bicep.
"Ranger?" she said after a while.
"Hmmm?" He was starting to drift off, the long road trip finally catching up to him.
"Did you also hear about me and Joe?"
His whole body froze and he was once again, wide awake. He hesitated, but there was no reason to lie to her.
"Yes," he confirmed.
"Is that why you're here? In my bed, I mean."
This was a dangerous road they were about to go down and he debated how to answer. He knew the truth, had come to the realization on the trip here but he didn't know if she was ready for the truth yet. Screw it. He was going to tell her.
"No," he said. "I'm here because I want to be. It has nothing to do with Morelli."
She was silent and he could almost hear her brain working through the meaning of his statement. She kissed his neck and then touched her tongue where she'd kissed and then kissed the spot again. It made him hard for a second time and he shifted beside her.
"Babe," he whispered.
"Does that mean even if I was back with him, you'd still be in my bed right now?" she asked against his neck, her lips vibrating against his skin with the words. It was driving him a little mad.
"Yes," he said firmly. "I would still be in your bed."
She pulled back slightly and he reflexively squeezed to keep her from leaving his arms.
"I don't want to be with Joe, Ranger."
"I know," he said.
"I want to be with you."
"I know that too," he said.
"And you want to be with me." It was a statement and he knew she knew it was true.
"More than anything," he admitted.
She shifted in his arms and latched her lips to his neck once more. She burned a trail of kisses up the side of his face until he turned his head and the searing heat found his mouth. He parted his lips and sighed at the touch of her velvet tongue to his.
His hand traveled to the back of her neck and curled into her hair. He deepened the kiss, devouring her mouth until they could no longer breathe. She broke away and found his eyes in the dark.
"What about all those things you said about your life not lending its self to relationships and how you're an opportunist and how if you made me forget about Joe it wouldn't be good for either of us?"
"I was giving you an out," he said. "The relationship part was true, but it should have been qualified because what I meant was a normal relationship. I can't give you that, Steph. Marriage, a house, kids, a dog…I can't do any of that and I didn't want to keep you from it, if that's what you wanted."
She nodded and turned that over in her head for a minute.
"And the opportunist part?"
He flashed a grin. "That's completely true. I am an opportunist and even if you did get back together with Joe, I would still be back in your bed unless you stopped me." He raised an eyebrow. "If you hadn't noticed, I take any opportunity to put my hands and other things all over you."
She smiled then not able to deny it. "What about making me forget about Joe, how it wouldn't be good for either of us?"
"That was a lie," he said. "It would be great, for me anyway. I wasn't sure how you would feel about it. I was serious though. I can make you forget you ever knew him and I'll enjoy doing it immensely."
She licked her lips and he could see her thinking about the ways he would accomplish that. "Ranger?"
"Yeah, Babe?"
"I want to forget about Joe."
Ranger stopped breathing for a minute and tried to find any doubt in her eyes. He propped himself up on his elbow so he could look at her fully.
"Are you sure?" he asked. "Because a relationship with me won't be easy. There will probably be days when we'll want to kill each other."
She smiled wide. "There are days like that now."
He smiled back. "Funny," he said. And then he kissed her.
She slid her hand over his well-defined abs and he shuddered. Her touch was like fire, igniting him to the core. He pulled her on top of him and slid his hands up under her tank top, caressing the bare skin of her back.
He broke the kiss and hissed against her lips when he felt her hand dip low into the waistband of his boxers. And animal like growl followed when her fist closed around his arousal.
The moan was involuntary as her thumb brushed over the slit in the tip. She was making him insane.
He flipped her onto her back, dislodging her hand so he could rip her tank top and pajama shorts from her body. That accomplished he removed his own shorts and settled himself between her legs. He covered a nipple with his mouth and she cried out when his tongue darted out for a taste. She arched up against him and then whimpered when he let go and pushed up on his arms to look at her.
"Last chance, Stephanie," he said softly. "There won't be any going back after this."
In response, she opened her thighs wide and wrapped her smooth legs around his back until he was poised directly where they both wanted him to be.
"Ranger," she breathed. "I want you."
He plunged into her wet and waiting center and cried out when her muscles contracted around him. He pushed as far as he could go and stopped, breathing hard. He wanted to take it slow and enjoy every second of being inside her but he was already so close to the edge he knew he wouldn't be able to.
"Ranger." Her lips brushed against his ear. "There will be plenty of time for slow later," she said reading his mind.
He retreated, almost all the way out and plunged back in. Her hips rushed to meet him and her hands clawed his back trying to get him closer. "Faster," she whispered and he couldn't deny her request even if he wanted to.
"Babe," he said in a voice that sounded like it was killing him to talk at all and then pulled out and dipped back in. He began moving inside her until her body was going into hard, tight convulsions that he could feel surround him. His arms clenched around her and he came into her with deep fierce thrusts that carried her right over the edge with him.
"We're going to have to talk about all this," Stephanie said a long time later. Ranger was lying flat on his back listening to her heart beat against his chest. She was sprawled naked on top of him, drawing patterns around his nipples with her finger.
"Yes," Ranger agreed. He glanced down at her. "But first we have to catch a stalker."
"Together?" she asked.
"Always," he assured her and gently kissed the top of her head.
I drove all night to get to you
Is that all right?
I drove all night, crept in your room
Woke you from your sleep to make love to you
Is that all right?
I drove all night