As always, I do not profit in any way shape or form. It's only for fun.

It was just after midnight and I was beginning to think maybe that last pitcher of margaritas wasn't the best decision. Mary Lou and Lula insisted on taking me out for my birthday and that involved the short black mini dress I'd bought two weeks ago, three coats of mascara, four inch black heels that made my legs look amazing and apparently, a shit ton of tequila. They really shouldn't make margaritas so damn delicious.

There was no way any of us could drive home so we took a cab and I was the last one to get dropped off. And now I just wanted to get into my apartment and go to sleep and hopefully not throw up but the stupid keyhole wouldn't stop moving around.

I was just thinking that sleeping in the hallway was probably as good as my bed when a very familiar dark hand covered mine and guided my key into the stubborn lock.

Shit.

His other hand was under my armpit and holding me upright. I tried not to lean back into him but he smelled soooo good. What was that? Soap? Cologne? I had no idea but it made me want to lick his neck and maybe bite it too. My door opened and he walked me inside. I tried not to think about how good his arms felt around me. He closed the door behind us with his foot and flipped the deadbolt in place while still holding onto me.

"How much did you drink, Babe?" He guided me to the couch and sat me down gently. He stood above me with his eyes fixed on mine, waiting for an answer. I hadn't seen him in a couple of months and while I tried to make my mouth work I made the mistake of letting my eyes travel the length of him. He looked different. It was a very, very good different.

Instead of his usual cargo pants and painted on t-shirt with a full utility belt, he was wearing dark charcoal dress pants that hugged his powerful thighs and a black - what I was pretty sure was cashmere- sweater with the sleeves pushed half way up his arms. His hair was cut short and there were two diamond earrings glinting in his ear. He looked un-fucking-believable.

"Well," I finally managed to say, "since I'm currently seeing two of you, I'm guessing maybe I had one too many." I don't think I slurred any of those words, but it was hard to concentrate with him standing in front of me looking like that - and smelling like that. He lifted an eyebrow. Bastard.

"And since I want to rip both versions of your clothes off with my teeth, probably I had two too many." This is why I hardly drink. I can't keep my mouth shut. I'm pretty sure he smiled but he disappeared into my kitchen so I could have imagined it.

I lowered my head onto the back of the couch and was encouraged when the room didn't start spinning. I listened to him banging around in my kitchen and wondered what he was doing here. He'd been avoiding me – again –and I hadn't seen him since he'd taken care of me when I was sick. I made the assumption that he'd been staying away because of Vince but that reason was no longer valid since Vince broke up with me two week ago. That fact might have contributed to too much tequila being consumed.

Admittedly, I was pretty hurt, but when he told me that he couldn't continue to give his heart to me when mine so clearly belonged to someone else, I couldn't really blame him. He never said Ranger's name, but we both knew who he was talking about.

And I couldn't deny it.

I tried to let myself love Vince, I really did. He's a pretty great guy and anyone would be lucky to have him but he's just…not Ranger.

Speak of the devil, he chose that moment to interrupt my internal musings by setting a tray down on the coffee table in front of me. I tilted my head up and opened one eye to take a look.

There was a bottle of water, a cup of coffee, what I was pretty sure was a peanut butter and olive sandwich, and two Advil arranged neatly on the table. I didn't remember having all this stuff in my kitchen but I guess it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities.

I opened my other eye and watched as Ranger sat down in the chair across from me. "I'm sure you didn't eat enough before you depleted Trenton's supply of tequila," he said with that little half smile that drives me nuts. Why does he have to be so freaking sexy?

I glared at him. It was unfair that he was right all the time. We'd ordered nachos to go with the margaritas, but Lula inhaled most of them before the waiter even left the table. After the first pitcher, I didn't remember to order any more food.

I picked up the sandwich and took a bite. It was heavenly.

He gave me his rare full on smile when I bit into the sandwich a second time. "Why do you have to be so freaking sexy?" Shit. I so did not mean to say that out loud but that smile kills me.

For a split second I swear his eyes turned black with lust. "Animal magnetism, Babe."

I rolled my eyes. It really shouldn't be allowed. I sometimes think I can have an orgasm just by looking at him.

I finished my sandwich and chased it down with the coffee. When I was done, I swallowed the Advil with some of the water. "Thanks for that," I said, already feeling slightly more sober. "You either know me too well or you were at the club, watching."

I said it to see if he would react. I knew he'd been at the club – I'd seen his car in the back of the lot, but I never did see him inside. I looked, but if Ranger doesn't want to be seen, you won't see him.

He ignored my statement and tossed a small box into my lap. "Happy Birthday, Steph."

I picked it up and glanced at him. He'd never gotten me a birthday present before. I held it up to my ear and shook it like a little kid. It made Ranger laugh.

I lifted the lid and was staring down at the keys and title to a brand new Explorer. "Shit," I said. "You did not buy me a car."

"I heard you had some trouble with yours," he replied.

"You can't just buy me a car, Ranger."

"I can, and I did."

I extracted the paperwork. Yup – it was in my name. I looked at him for some sort of explanation, but of course he said nothing. "Why?" I finally asked.

He took a beat to answer and it was a typical Ranger response. "You needed a car and I wanted to give you one."

"This isn't normal, you know. And you'll be lucky if it's not blown up within a week. I can't accept this." I put the title back in the box with the keys and held it out to him.

"Stephanie." His tone was firm and left no room for argument. No one ever wins an argument with Ranger anyway. Fine - if he wanted to waste his money then I'd keep the stupid car – it would get destroyed anyway and then I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

"You are infuriating," I informed him.

He opened his mouth to respond but we both turned our heads to the sounds coming from the foyer. Someone with a key was entering my apartment. There could only be one option.

No way in hell this was going to end well.

"Steph? You awake?" Vince called when the door swung open.

Shit. I had the urge to jump up and run to intercept him before he saw Ranger, but what would be the point? We weren't doing anything and even if we were, Vince and I aren't together anymore so it shouldn't matter. I still felt like I'd been caught doing something wrong.

"In here," I called and I heard the door shut softly before his head appeared around the wall that separates the living room from the foyer.

"Sorry it's so la…" his voice trailed off when he saw Ranger and his face turned to stone. I glanced at Ranger and his was a mirror image. Great.

They stared at one another for a long time and I was thankful that looks couldn't actually kill because they'd both be dead by now. I had just decided that I better intervene when Vince spoke.

"I thought you'd be on a plane to Miami by now."

"My flight leaves soon."

"Good." His hands were clenched into fists at his sides and Ranger sat perfectly still in his chair, but I knew he could be up and pouncing on Vince before either one of us saw it coming so I got up from the couch, dropping Ranger's present on the coffee table.

I tried to think of something to say but everything in my head sounded stupid so I just took Vince by the arm and pulled him out of the room and then out the door so Ranger couldn't overhear our conversation.

I closed the door, leaned into and looked up into Vince's astonishing blue eyes. Tonight they held a note of sadness that dimmed their brightness drastically. I hated that I was the reason.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I should have…called first."

"You don't have a single thing to apologize for." I took his hand in mine and he clung to it gratefully. "There isn't anything going on between us – I just need you to know that."

He gave me the saddest smile I've ever seen in my life and it made my heart turn over in my chest. "Yes there is," he countered. "But neither of you know what to do about it."

I couldn't argue with him but I wanted to be able to. The truth is, there has always been something between us – I've never been sure exactly what and I've been too afraid to ask.

"Look," Vince said and extracted his hand from mine. "I came by because I forgot to give you your key back." He held it out to me and I took it and palmed it in my fist. "And I wanted to give you this."

From his pocket he pulled out a beautifully wrapped box. The paper was a metallic purple and it had a shiny silver bow tied around it. "Happy Birthday, Steph," he whispered and I felt tears at the back of my eyes.

I looked up at him, my eyes shining. "Vince…you didn't ha-"

"I want you to have it," he interrupted. He leaned in and kissed my cheek while placing it in my hand. "Don't let him hurt you anymore, Stephanie," he said into my ear. "You deserve better than that."

And then he was gone.

I stayed out in the hallway until I had myself under control. I refused to let Ranger see me cry. I blew out a breath and squared my shoulders. Time to face the music.

I went back inside and dropped the present Vince had given me on my kitchen counter. I would open it later, when Ranger wasn't invading my space.

I stomped back into the living room and his head came up at the sound. I stopped and put my hands on my hips, suddenly angry. "What are you doing here, Ranger?" It came out a little harsher than I had intended, but I really wanted to know. I was sick of him showing up all the time for no apparent reason other than to confuse the shit out of me.

I was not expecting his response.

"I have to go to Miami," he said.

"I heard." I managed not to roll my eyes.

He worked a muscle in his jaw as if he really didn't want to say whatever was next.

"I won't be coming back."

And then all the air was sucked out of my apartment. I spun on my four inch heels and raced down the hall to my bedroom.

I knew he was behind me but I tried slamming the door anyway. He caught it in his hand and followed me into the room.

It was requiring a great deal of physical effort on my part to force myself to breathe and to try to keep the tears at bay.

"Steph." He was behind me and I would not turn around. The thought of never seeing him again made me not want to look at him at all. I shook my head and he tried again. "Stephanie, please look at me."

Damn it. He knows just when to use that word. I really despised how easy it was for him to get to me. I slowly turned around. Our eyes met, but of course it was impossible to read anything in his expression. The man was made of stone. Silence stretched out between us until I couldn't stand it any longer. I was always the one to give in.

"So you've come to say good-bye, is that it?"

He didn't reply right away so I asked another question. "What were you doing at the club tonight, Ranger?" His eyes widen slightly in what I can only assume was surprise. Finally some sort of reaction. "I saw your car in the lot."

A beat passed.

His voice was soft when he answered. "I wanted to wish you a happy birthday…and yes, say good-bye."

"I never saw you inside so what derailed your plan?"

"You were having a great time and I didn't want ruin the night for you."

I nodded. That certainly would have dampened the festivities for me. "So why are you here now? Did you think waiting would make it easier on me, because I'll tell you the truth, it won't. You could have just left – that probably would have been the best way."

"I thought about it," he admitted. "But I couldn't bring myself to leave without seeing you one last time."

Great. Just when I thought I had my emotions under control. "Well, here I am – you can go now."

He shifted from foot to foot, his arms loose at his sides. "I didn't – I didn't want it to be this way, Steph. Do you really want me to leave now?"

To hell with it. I've never been great at subtlety anyway. "No, that's not what I want." I took the three steps necessary to put myself directly in front of him. "What I want is for you to rip all my clothes off, throw me on the bed and make love to me until the sun comes up."

His eyes flared at me and burned for a hot second with undisguised desire. He wanted that too, maybe even more than I did. I reached out and ran a finger down the center of his chest. He sucked in air through his teeth and his hand came up to catch mine. "Stephanie…"

"Ranger," I countered and licked my suddenly dry lips.

"This is not a good idea." His voice was strained and there was a sense of deliberately exercised control.

"I don't really care," I said and removed my hand from his iron like grip. I reached behind me and unzipped my dress. It slid down my body and pooled at my feet. I stood there in my bra and panties and heels and Rangers eyes closed, his fists clenched into tight balls. "Babe. What are you doing? Even my control has a limit."

"Good," I said fiercely. "I want you to lose that legendary control. I want you to go crazy out of your mind for me."

He opened his eyes slowly and held my gaze. "I don't want to do this and then have to walk away from you again. I don't want that for you. You deserve more."

"Ranger…" I was vibrating with a tension that was almost tangible. Whatever happened from this point didn't matter. I was diving in head first determined not to have any regrets. I would take whatever he was willing to give and then I would let him go. "Touch me."

He made an inarticulate sound and then his hands slid around my bare waist and he pulled me into his rock hard body. I turned my face up to him and his mouth was instantly on mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and suddenly I was being carried to the bed. All I could think about was how much I wanted him. I wanted him naked and inside me.

And then he was.

I don't know how many times we thoroughly destroyed each other but it was before sunrise when, completely spent, I fell asleep in his arms. I tried hard to fight it because I knew I would wake up alone but I couldn't force myself to stay awake.

Sure enough, when I finally pried my eyes open, the sun was shining and he was gone.

I sat up in my bed and grabbed my phone from my nightstand. I didn't know when I had made the decision, but there it was. I scrolled through my contacts until I got to the one I was looking for. I swore I would only dial that number in the direst of emergencies, but I pushed the call button anyway.

I knew it was early, but I didn't think it would matter. He picked up after two rings. "I need your help," I said.