Disclaimer: The characters and their world belong to Janet Evanovich. I'm just playing with them for fun, and all mistakes are my own.

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Chapter 9
Come together

Previously:

Hal straightened, then, his cold, hard stare reminding me that behind his Iowa farm boy exterior, he was a seasoned soldier. A killer. "Stephanie is like a sister to me, so if you ever hurt her again like that, I'll call you to the mats."

I sat there lost in thought for several long minutes, until the waiter came to clear the table. He was too well-mannered to ask me to leave, but I added a few more bills to the pile and walked out into the night. Tank and Hal were both right. I was an idiot and an asshole; I just didn't know how to make it right with my Babe.

Stephanie's POV

The sound of the doorbell brought me out of my doze. I cracked open one eye and stared at the clock on the DVD player. Right. It was 10 AM, Ghostbusters II was playing in the background, and I was still in my jammies. Since I'd barely slept at all the night before, and the cops had been calling me since 7:30, it was way too early for me to face the day. I started to roll over on the couch and go back to sleep, but the doorbell rang again. And again.

On the fourth ring, I pointed the remote at the TV, stalked over to the door, and threw it open. "Eddie, I already told you on the phone that if you want Grandma to stop…" The rest of the words died in my throat. "Oh. It's you."

Ranger reached out and caught the door before I could close it. "May I come in, Babe? Please."

I hated it when he fought dirty like that. Ranger knew I could never resist him when he broke out the 'P' word. But I was still pissed at him, so I crossed my arms and glared at him. "Today's my day off, so I don't have to talk to you, right, Boss?" I knew was being childish, but he'd been a grade-A ass the night before.

Ranger sighed, and just like that, his mask dropped and I realized that I wasn't the only one who'd had a sleepless night. Frankly, he looked like Hell – tired-eyed, unshaven, and judging by the wrinkles in his dress shirt and pants, he was still in yesterday's clothes.

He was silent for so long, that I started to close the door again. "I came to apologize," he finally said. When I didn't open the door any wider, he held up a familiar paper bag. "I brought a Peace-offering."

Just like that, I caved. In my defense, it wasn't every day Ranger brought me donuts, or apologized, so I took the Tasty Pastry bag from him and led the way inside. It was mostly quiet in the kitchen as I measured out coffee grounds and he reached into the cabinet for the new mugs the guys had given me for a housewarming present. I had to hide a smile as he brought down the Wonder Woman and Green Lantern cups, but left the Batman one behind.

When he finally broke the silence, it wasn't what I'd expected. "Why are the cops calling you about your Grandma, Babe?" His lips twitched. "She's not mudwrestling again, is she?"

I snorted. "Worse. She and her friends decided to spread a little cheer at the nursing home. They're delivering stripper grams." We both shuddered at the mental image of my Grandma in a feathered boa and pasties. "I told the PD I was taking the day off from Grandma duty, and that they could handle it themselves." Though I'd probably have to make sure my mother wasn't drinking herself into a coma at some point.

Ranger chuckled. "You come from a long line of scary women, Babe."

I shrugged. "It's the gypsy genes." The coffee was finally ready, so I filled both mugs and doctored mine just as I liked it – cream and a heaping spoonful of sugar. Ranger dumped the donuts out on a plate and followed me out to the table. The easy domesticity of the moment was a little jarring, but come to think of it, we'd been at home in each other's kitchens for a long time. I decided to ignore that little revelation and focus on the big, honking elephant in the room, instead. "So, why did you come by, again?"

Ranger stared down into his coffee cup for a long moment, and when he finally met my eyes, I was surprised by what I saw there. Regret. "I'm sorry, and I had no business barging into the restaurant last night. You're a grown woman, and if Jorgenson's your choice, at least he'll treat you like you deserve."

It took me several tries before I could form words. "Wait. You thought Hal and I are together?" Sure, we'd put on a little show for Les and Woody, but I'd never once thought anyone would take us seriously. That Ranger would care, was just… wow. I still wasn't sure where he was going with all this, but when in doubt, deflect with humor. "You know what they say about assuming things?"

Ranger shook his head ruefully. "Both of our partners have already pointed out that I was an ass. I'm sorry, Babe."

Hal had called him an ass? I stared at him in disbelief- was my partner even still alive? "Oh God! Lisa will kill me," I moaned. "Please don't ship him to Siberia!" I pleaded as I grabbed his free hand. I bit my lip nervously as I wondered how I could make this right. Hal had been looking forward to their date all week.

Ranger raised one eyebrow in question. "Who's Lisa?"

I sighed and told him. I wasn't sure Hal wanted me to spread his business around, but if it kept him from waking up dead…

"So you and Jorgenson aren't together?" I shook my head 'no' and his lips spread in a full, beautiful 1000 watt grin. "Don't worry, Babe. I don't send men to third world countries for telling the truth."

I grabbed a Boston crème as relief flooded through me, but froze in shock for the second time in as many minutes when he took the lone plain glazed donut from the plate. Batman was apologizing and eating saturated fats? Wasn't that a sign of the apocalypse? "Are you sure you're OK?"

He chuckled. "It's not a temple day, Babe."

We were half-finished with our breakfast when I finally got up the guts to ask the question that had kept me awake all night. "I appreciate the apology, but what were you even thinking last night when you interrupted us?" Hal had had a couple of ideas, but there was no way he could be right.

Ranger grimaced. "I wasn't." He shrugged. "I was jealous."

Oookay. Maybe I'd been dropped into an alternate universe when I wasn't looking, because that was Hal's number one theory. Problem was, Ranger didn't do jealous. I was just about to point that out, when he opened his mouth and sent us both even further into bizarro-world.

"If you're free, would you go out with me tonight?"

"Like how?" I asked as I tried to run through all of the reasons Ranger usually needed to see me in my head. There were no big bond FTAs right now, so RangeMan didn't need me for a last minute distraction. Besides, Tank handled all of my work assignments. And even though I'd worn out two shower massagers since I started seeing Ranger almost daily at work, I'd promised myself there would be no booty calls. My heart and sanity just couldn't handle casual sex with Ranger.

He reached out and tucked a curl behind my ear. "Like dinner. Maybe some dancing."

"That sounds an awful lot like a date." I tried to stamp down on the sliver of hope that rose inside me.

The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he nodded. "If I had my way, we'd go on a lot of them."

My eyebrows flew upward. "You want to date me? As in a relationship?" I asked suspiciously. "You made it pretty clear that you don't do relationships," I blurted out. Inside I cringed, because even to my ears, I sounded a little whiny.

Ranger sighed again, which was so unlike him, I wondered if I'd broken him. "We're already in a relationship, Babe."

"We are?" Sure, we spent most Sundays together and we met for dinner up on the Seventh floor at least once a week, but that's what friends did, right? A relationship implied feelings. Mutual feelings, that is.

He nodded. "Tank's convinced we are, and I'm inclined to agree, on account of how I felt when I thought you were out with another man."

"You were jealous," I said slowly. I was still flummoxed by the revelation that we were in a relationship. Why hadn't anyone ever clued me in, if we were?

Ranger's lips twitched slightly. "Homicidally jealous." Then he sobered abruptly. "The thing is, I'm not sure I can give you everything you need. Everything you deserve."

Ever since he'd shown up at my door that morning, Ranger's thoughts weren't hidden behind a blank mask. He was… nervous, hopeful, and a little sad. And the look I saw in his melted chocolate eyes shook me to my core. Could he really love me? And if he did, what was I going to do about it?

Mary Lou's words from my birthday lunch came back to me. What would I do for love? And in a flash, I realized that barring him wanting to lock me up in a safe house somewhere, I would do just about anything. For us.

I put down my half-eaten donut and stood. "What do you think I deserve?" I asked quietly as I rounded the table to close the few feet that separated us.

"You deserve everything." Ranger swallowed convulsively and I had to stop myself from tracing the movement with the tip of my finger. "A home. A husband who loves you. A family"

I leaned down until my lips brushed his ear. "It sounds like you've thought about this a lot," I breathed. He shivered as my breath fanned his cheek and inwardly, I cheered. Why had I ever thought he wasn't affected by me? "I've been thinking a lot, too, Ranger."

I braced my foot against the lower rung of his chair and pushed. To my surprise, his chair slid smoothly back from the table, and in a flash, I was straddling him. "Uh, uh," I chided when his arms began to close around me. "Keep your hands to yourself, or I'll go back to my side of the table."

I smiled as I stared into his eyes. They were pitch black with desire, but instead of taking control like I'd expected, he obediently wrapped both hands around the edge of the seat. "You're right. Everyone deserves those things," I agreed. "If they want it. But the thing is, you never asked what I wanted, Ranger."

"And that makes me an idiot." Ranger closed his eyes, briefly. "What do you want, Babe?

I smiled. "I'm so glad you asked. I know I don't want to be a stay at home wife," I said slowly. "And the thought of kids still makes my eye twitch." We both chuckled. I took a deep breath. "So… If we decided to disregard the no-fraternization agreement…"

Ranger grinned. "RangeMan doesn't actually have a non-fraternization policy." He shrugged. "It's never been necessary."

Since Ella and I were the only female employees and none of the other RangeMen were Hector's type, I guess that made sense. But that was beside the point. "So, if we're in a relationship… how would that work?"

Ranger grinned back. "Why don't you tell me, Babe? I have to say I'm liking this take-charge attitude of yours." He rolled his hips upward so that I could feel just how much he liked my directing the conversation.

I smiled. "Wanna negotiate?" Usually we just negotiated which movie to watch, or whether or not we ate real food instead of bark and twigs, but I could already see the erotic possibilities for this particular game. "I really just want and need someone to support my choices and to back me up. I just want to spend time with someone I love, who loves me back and won't cheat on me," I began. I looked him straight in the eye. "Could you handle that?"

"It sounds pretty simple, put that way." Ranger said, his voice low and thoughtful.

"But pretty hard to deliver on," I said, thinking about my and Joe's train wreck of a relationship.

"Not from where I'm sitting." Ranger reached up to caress my cheek. "I will always back you up, and I can't imagine ever loving or wanting another woman like I do you."

I sent him a mock glare. "What did I tell you about keeping your hands to yourself, Mister?" He chuckled and dropped his hand back to his side. "Just so I'm clear… You love me and agree to be faithful?" When he nodded, I grinned. "OK, I'm in." I started to lower my lips to his, but he stopped me.

"I don't think we've had complete disclosure yet, Babe." He took a deep breath. "I have enemies that wouldn't hesitate to take you out just to mess with me."

"It's happened," I agreed, remembering Scrog, Orrin and Vlatko. "But do I have to remind you that my enemies are local and even crazier?" I shrugged. "How many times have I broken you or one of the Merry Men? Or you've had to ride in to save me? I don't see you dropping me over it."

Ranger nodded. "I wouldn't. Ever." He took a deep breath. "But you're also forgetting that I could go in the wind tomorrow."

And maybe never come back. "I know you still do missions." I smiled crookedly. "And you won't ever be able to tell me where you're going, and whether you're overthrowing a third world country or rescuing an ambassador's cat from a tree." We both grinned. "The thing is it doesn't matter if we're together or not – I'll still miss you and worry when you're gone." I swallowed, hard. "Take as many missions as you need to. I'll still be here." I kissed the tip of his nose. "Though, if we do this relationship thing, you'll get all the welcome back nookie you can handle."

Ranger chuckled. "You've got me there, Babe. I can't say no to welcome home sex." He studied me for another long minute, his expression solemn. "You don't know what kind of man I am. I've done way too much bad shit in my life."

"I know exactly what kind of man you are." I took a deep breath and prayed silently for the guts to finish. "And I love you. I've watched you for years, and how you treat me and your men, and I've seen what you were willing to do keep me safe." I held his gaze, willing him to understand what I was trying to say. "Especially during the Abruzzi mess. You'll never be able to convince me you aren't a good man." It probably wasn't the same, but I'd killed too. The fact that they were trying to kill me at the time didn't really lessen the guilt. Ranger may have his own moral code, but it was more solid than mine and most of the Trenton PD's.

He took a deep shuddering breath, and pulled me close. "Put that way, I can't think of any other reasons to stay away. " His mouth covered mine, a soft, lingering press of the lips. For once his kiss wasn't meant to send me up in flames – instead it was simply to say I'm here, are you with me?

"I'm a selfish bastard to say this, but I love you, Stephanie. No qualifiers."

I pulled back slightly, and studied him with narrowed eyes. "So you're done with that whole 'my life doesn't lend itself to relationships crap?"

He smiled softly. "I'm yours if you want me." His eyes narrowed in challenge. "I won't do any of that on/off shit, and if Joe, Hal or anyone else poaches…"

The poor bastard would wake up in a third world country, I finished silently. From his answering chuckle, either Ranger's ESP was fully functional or I'd just said that out loud. I nodded, and just breathed him in for several long minutes. The knowledge that I wouldn't have to let go – ever again, almost floored me. But I still didn't have a clue how this would work.

"If we're going to do this," I began hesitantly, "we'll have to actually talk sometimes. You'll have to talk."

"Babe."

I suppressed a groan. "That's what I was talking about – I need more than 'Babe', Ranger." I told him, lowering my voice to mimic his. "I get it, there's a lot you can't tell me about your past, but your favorite movie, or the name of your third grade teacher aren't state secrets, are they? And this is big – if I'm doing something that drives you crazy, you'll have to talk to me and not just throw me in a safe house."

"Dumb and Dumber." He grinned at my disgruntled expression. "My favorite movie." He pressed a kiss into my curls. "With my training, I've gotten used to treating everything like it was need-to-know."

"But if it's not classified…." I began.

"I'll try. You ask, I'll answer." His expression grew solemn. "I want the same deal – if we have a problem, don't shut me out and run away."

I winced. After all of my breakups with Joe, my go-to defense mechanism was hardly a secret. "If I do, you have my permission to come after me."

I knew we still had things to work out, but this conversation was getting way too heavy – and it had been way too long since I'd had a social orgasm. "Since we're negotiating," I said as I began to unbutton his shirt. "I'll cut back, but I refuse to give up Pino's and the Tasty Pastry." I paused. "And I demand sex at least once a day."

"They'd probably go out of business without you, Babe." Ranger shuddered as I traced the ridges of his eight pack. "I don't think loving you twice a day will be enough for me, but we can work that out as we go along," he finished as he kissed along my neck, his stubble tickling me. I'd have a bad case of beard burn in the morning, but I really didn't care as long as…

"Don't stop," I moaned as he pulled my camisole over my head. "My Mom's still trying to set me up, so we'll have to have dinner at my parents' soon."

"Babe, I've faced terrorist cells less scary than your mother and grandmother." His breath grew labored as I flicked his right nipple with my thumbnail. "But I can take one for the team, sometimes." He skimmed his lips over the curve of my breast. "You'll have to carry your gun, even off-duty."

"I already do. Hal promised to cook dinner for a year if I carried." I gasped as his lips closed over my nipple.

"Remind me to give him a raise." Ranger kissed his way up my chest and neck until we were eye to eye. "You've really blown me away these last few months. I'm so proud of you, Babe."

Those words turned my insides to goo like usual, but it had been way too long since I'd been intimate with an actual human. It was time to wrap up this up.

"No safe houses." I said as I tossed his dress shirt to the floor.

"Fine." His eyes slid closed and his breath hitched as I licked my way down his chest to his abs. "Babe, if I promise to talk later, can we table this for now?"

My grin turned devilish. "Just one more thing – what should I call you? Ranger? Ricardo?" Hmmm…neither sounder quite right. "Carlos?"

His eyes went pitch black with lust. "Say that again," he demanded as he pushed me to my feet and worked my yoga pants and panties down over my hips. He slid to his knees skimmed his lips over the curve of my hip.

"Carlos, Carrrlos," I teased, rolling my r's. "Carlos!" It came out as a breathless moan when his tongue parted my folds and danced along my clit.

"Oh yeah," he said huskily as he stood and scooped me up into his arms. "Feel free to scream that as much as you like."

He took the stairs to my bedroom, two at a time, and we landed on my bed, in a tangle of limbs. "So, we're going to do this?" I asked, giggling breathlessly.

Ranger – Carlos smiled as he fished a condom out of his cargoes. "We are and it's going to be good, Babe."

And boy, was it ever good. And yes, I did scream his name. A lot.

R&S~R&S~R&S

"God, I needed that," I said much later as he pressed a line of nibbling kisses over my neck and shoulders.

He chuckled. "I thought we agreed you were going to call me Carlos, Babe."

I whapped him on the chest. "Don't get a swelled, head, Mister." But then he did something with his tongue that was probably illegal in all fifty states. "OK," I moaned. "I'll give you about a year to stop that."

"How did we manage to keep our hands off each other for so long?" He asked as he pulled me close.

I settled myself into the circle of his arms. "Don't know, but I could get used to this." In fact, I was all for cuffing him to the bed if he tried to move anytime soon.

"And I'll let you, as long as I get a turn, too." A wolfish grin spread over his face. "You have a shower rod in this place, right?"

I buried my face in his neck. "I said that aloud, didn't I?" I really needed to stop doing that. But then my brain caught up with the rest of his words. Back when Ranger and I had first met, and Joe was my FTA, Morelli had broken into my apartment. Sure, I'd 'borrowed' his truck, but I'd thought leaving me naked and cuffed to my shower rod had been a little excessive. Luckily, Ranger had saved me. "Hmmm. I always wondered what would've happened if you hadn't been such a gentleman."

Carlos' eyes went dark and hungry. "I could think of a few different endings." He nipped at my earlobe. "I have about four years' worth of fantasies I wouldn't mind fulfilling, starting right now."

Oh boy. So did I. I hooked one leg around his, and had him on his back in a flash. "Well, I'm all yours until 0800 tomorrow," I told him as I straddled his hips.

His eyes never left mine as he reached over and grabbed his phone from my bedside table. He punched a speed dial button and waited for the call to connect. "Steph and I are off-line until further notice." He disconnected, but not before I heard the unmistakable sound of Tank's laughter.

Ranger grinned. "Tank says hi."

I rolled my eyes. "You know he's never going to let either of us live this down, right?"

He chuckled again. Relaxed, happy Ranger was a little strange, but good. Maybe I was finally meeting Carlos. "I don't care. I just don't want to let you go, anytime soon."

Was it possible to go up in flames and melt into a puddle of goo at the same time? "You've got me." I smiled as I slid my palm down his body, until I gripped him my hand, lightly stroking the length of his cock. "Keep talking like that, and you're going to get really lucky."