Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything recognizable belongs to the lovely Janet Evanovich, I am just playing in her world.

A/N: I fully intend to finish Dirty Laundry, but this little plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone, making it impossible to focus on DL. Be warned this is not a Babe story, and the guy I decided to pair Stephanie with is a RLP, go look him up. The song Ranger hears at the end is Tucker Beathard's 'Rock On'. Please read and Review! Thank you. Now on with the story.

Ranger's POV

Stephanie Plum was haunting me. My thoughts, my dreams, and it seemed that every time I turned around I was seeing her. It amazed me how someone who wasn't dead, could still haunt me. I was filled with regrets when it came to her. Of the top five the most recent was from the day she told me she was leaving for California. She had said she was going to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a lingerie designer, and I had foolishly underestimated her. Thinking she'd be back in a few weeks when her plans fell through. God, I couldn't have been more wrong. My mind drifted back to that day and I felt myself tensing.

"Ranger. can we talk?" Stephanie asked standing in the doorway of my office. I looked up and let a small smile grace my lips. God was she beautiful, her wild curly hair was a halo framing her face and her blue eyes peering at me so innocently.

"Sure Babe. What's on your mind?" I asked pushing away from my desk slightly, gesturing for her to sit. She stepped further in the room and I could tell she was nervous. Not a good sign. Either she had another car blow up on her. or she was getting back with Morelli. I felt myself hoping it was the car at this point.

"Well, I'm here to hand in my resignation from Rangeman. And to let you know I'm moving to California. Los Angeles to be exact. To start up my lingerie line. Not that it really matters why I'm leaving, just that I am. So I just thought you should know." She told me rambling slightly before she stopped herself.

I stared at her for a moment silently. Inwardly I was shocked and dismayed, but I wouldn't let it show. "In that case, I wish you the best. You'll always have an opening here at Rangeman though. If your plans fall through." I kept my tone neutral and voice steady. I could rage about it later, but I gave her a week tops before she came running back.

Her eyes glowered dangerously and I knew I had put my foot in my mouth, but it was too late to turn back now. "Don't worry about it Mr. Manoso. I intend to go out there and succeed. And once I have enough money, I will pay you back for every service and then forget all about you. Don't bother contacting me again."

And with that she was gone, out of my office, my building and my life. I had waited for her to return within the week like I had expected, but she never did. Then one week became two, then a month had gone by, followed by another. And still not a word. Now it was month three. No one in Trenton had seen her, and if they had they damn sure weren't telling me anything. I sighed in frustration and finally gave in.

I booted up the Rangeman security search systems and typed in her name. It seemed to take forever for the pages to load. Scouring through the information I already knew about like her piteously brief marriage to Dickie Orr, her degree in business from Douglass College, and her social security number. Looking into the past three months I found what I was looking for.

She had a California license and she looked different. Her normally frizzy, untamed curly mass of hair was tamed in soft beach waves. Her skin that was normally pale had a sun kissed glow to it and she was smiling. Her eyes had remained the same though. Still a dazzling blue that took my breath away. How it was possible for her to look so stunning in a photo that was barely two inches in size amazed me. She was still a beautiful as ever.

I dug deeper and saw she worked for a lingerie company as a designer. Digging deeper I found that she actually owned the company and it was quickly becoming the next big thing. Reviews from critics stated that the company would one day be bigger than Victoria's Secret if the lady in charge kept at it. Customers compared her designs to La Perla, without the ridiculous price tag. My babe was a success, and a major one at that.

I let myself feel a bit of pride for her achievements before I continued with my search. It showed she had a registered twenty-sixteen Dodge Charger in her name that she had purchased once she had moved to California. Her address was located right above her shop, and no police reports showed up with her name in them. I let myself breathe a sigh of relief at that, she was safe at least. Even if I wasn't the one keeping her that way.

I figured I wasn't going to get anything more from the Rangeman database and decided to employ one of Stephanie's techniques and check out her social media. Looking her up on Facebook was relatively easy. I nearly fell out of my chair at the sight of her profile picture. She was standing on the beach in a tiny white two piece, holding a margarita. The location tag was marked as Santa Monica.

I continued perusing her pictures and found several more of her in various bikinis, from Laguna Beach to Santa Cruz and every beach in between. Always smiling and laughing, her long brown hair flowing around her in softly tousled waves. Looking through her timeline I felt a pang when I saw three of her posts that were linked to her Instagram. She was standing on the beach tucked under the arm of a tall, well muscled, surfer type guy. She was looking up at him with the biggest smile I'd ever seen.

And he was looking down at her with love in his eyes. I glared at the picture and felt the urge to throw something across the room. I calmed myself with the thought that it wasn't serious. It couldn't be. My babe was in love with me, and she would come back one day. I just had to let her be free for a little while. Growling in annoyance I shut my computer down and headed up to seven for some much needed rest.

It had been six months and still no one had heard from Stephanie. I suspected she at least called to talk to her mother, even went as far as to retrieve their phone records, but there were no incoming or outgoing calls to California. I wanted to scream. Why hadn't she come back yet? I was tempted to go and bring her back myself, but I knew she would resent me if I did. I frowned and decided to boot up my computer and do a little recon on her.

Pulling up her Facebook page brought on a wave of anger. She was standing in front of the same surfer guy from the last time I checked out her page. His arms were wrapped around her and he was kissing her temple while she smiled happily at the camera. Instead of wearing a bikini though, she was in a pale blue sundress and her hair was piled up high on her head.

I clicked on the picture and frowned when I saw the Santa Maria location tag. It wasn't too far from Los Angeles but it worried me. Stephanie wouldn't have moved in with this guy already, would she? And if she did, did that mean they were really serious? Or was it more like her relationship with Morelli had been. I finally had a name to match the guys face now though.

Greg Cipes. I pulled up the Rangeman search engine and decided to run his name through. Gregory Michael Cipes was a thirty-six year old pro-surfer and actor. He was vegan, had three dogs, and had voiced in an array of kids shows. He grew up in south Florida before moving to Los Angeles. He had no criminal record, and nine brothers and sisters. I frowned, he was perfectly normal.

Squeaky clean as far as most guys went. I didn't like him. It wasn't that I got a bad feeling about him, but I could easily see Steph falling for this guy. I couldn't allow this to go on too long. I'd give her another two months, and then I was going to get her. Whether she liked it or not.

I waited another two months and still Stephanie hadn't returned to Trenton. It had been a total of nine months since she had left, and they had been hell for me. I was kicking myself for letting her leave. I should've chased after her the moment she left my office. I should've kissed her and told her not to go. I should've done anything but what I had done. I was an idiot, and it took her leaving for me to realize it.

The five and a half hour flight from Newark to Los Angeles had been hell. But it was the fastest flight I could get. I couldn't wait to see my babe. To hold her and tell her how sorry I was. To let her know I'd never underestimate her again, and that I was ready for someday. If she'd have me. The possibility of her turning me away terrified me.

I had finally admitted to myself that I was absolutely in love with her, but I might be too late. Her heart might belong to a vegan surfer now and if it did, there was nothing I would be able to do. I pushed those thoughts aside and got into my rental car. A black Porsche Panamera. It was sleek and sexy and I knew it was the type of car to make Stephanie drool. I was dressed to the nines in an Armani suit that was black on black.

I was using every advantage she had ever given me, hoping that by her seeing me this way, it would spark some good memories between us. I was hoping against all odds she'd be at her apartment above her shop, if not in the shop itself today. It was Friday and she and Greg had a tendency to take off without notice to any number of beaches on the California coast.

Pulling up to the shop I sidled up to the curb and got out. There she was , laughing and smiling with one of her workers, head tilted back causing her long hair to brush tantalizingly against her hips. I started to walk into the store and stopped short when she waved her hand around. It couldn't be.

Steeling my shoulders I pushed open the door and was welcomed by a little bell above the door. Stephanie turned and as soon as she saw me her face tightened. She was no longer smiling, but instead had crossed her arms and was leaning most of her weight on one hip. I kept my blank face firmly in place. I didn't want to cause a scene, I just wanted to let her know how much I missed her.

She walked right up to me, her light pink dress swirling around her seductively and stopped about a foot away. "How can I help you, Mr. Manoso?" She hissed, her voice as cold as ice. Shit. She was still angry with me. And then I saw it and felt my heart break into a million pieces. Because there on her left hand was a solid platinum and diamond ring, with a smaller platinum band tucked snugly next to it.

"You're married?" I choked out losing all pretense of keeping my calm demeanor. It was over. I had lost the only woman I had ever truly loved, because I was too much of an arrogant fool to see what was right in front of me. Now she belonged to another, and I had no doubt in my mind that she loved him by the way she looked down at her ring and smiled wistfully.

"I am." She said quietly, looking me directly in the eye. There was no hint of sadness or regret there. No wishful thinking that it had been me instead. She had well and truly moved on from me, and it was all my fault. If I had told her how I felt from the beginning she could've been mine right now. She could've been my wife, and the mother of my children.

God, why did it take losing her for me to realize I had really wanted that possibility with her? I was an idiot, and now I had to live with it for the rest of my life.

I nodded quickly, "Congratulations. I'll just be going then. Sorry to have disturbed you." I held out my hand, when all I wanted to do was hit my knees and beg for forgiveness. To beg her to leave him and come home with me, but I couldn't do that to her. She deserved to be hapy, so now I would have to let her go.

She reached out and shook my hand, with the one I should've put a rock on so long ago. I turned and walked away from her in a haze. She had moved on, but I never would. With that thought in mind I left and headed back home, and as I was driving to the airport a song came on that reminded me of our situation. But I would always want her. But I guess all I could do now, was just rock on.