You had a longer chapter earlier, so this one's just a short one! Let me know what you think, WARNING: Light smut - Heather

The phone slid out of my hand, my knees went weak, and I got tunnel vision…

'Ranger.' I heard myself saying distantly.

Then I fainted.

Chapter 10

'Babe?' said Ranger. 'Babe?'

My eyes fluttered open to meet Ranger's concerned gaze, 'Yo.' I said. 'Why am I on the floor?'

Ranger was on his knees next to me.

'You fainted.' He replied in a level voice.

Because Ranger was fully clothed, I could deduce that I probably hadn't fainted due to the doomsday orgasm.

Oh yeah.

The phone call.

I sighed, 'You know when I said I hadn't been threatened directly?'

'Yeah.' Ranger said.

'Scratch that.' I said

I sat up slowly. 'Probably I fainted because I have low blood sugar levels, probably you should feed me donuts or ice cream.'

Tank got up and left.

I hope he's fetching sugar.

'What happened?' Ranger asked, his arms wrapping around me.

'The shorthand version is that the psycho called to say hi.'

'And the longhand version?'

'I need ice cream for that version.' I said.

Tank re-entered the room, carrying a tub of Ben and Jerry's Phish Food and a spoon. He handed them both to me; I tugged the lid off and started eating the remaining half of the ice cream. It looked like Tank had given me his own ice cream, for some reason that touched me more than him running our to buy more.

He'd shared his own ice cream.

Ice cream is holy; it's a big deal.

I paused before scarfing the remainder of the ice cream; I didn't want to finish all of Tank's ice cream.

'Eat it Steph.' Said Tank softly.

I flashed him a grateful smile and ate the rest. Then I leaned back into Ranger's arms, 'Ben and Jerry should be canonised.' I stated.

Tank nodded agreement.

'I'm not sure you can make someone a Saint for making ice cream Babe.' Ranger asserted.

'He doesn't understand.' Said Tank.

'His body's a temple.' Pointed out Lester, 'Ranger eating ice cream is the second sign of the apocalypse.'

That dragged a smile out of me, but it faded as I realised I still had to tell them about the conversation.

I took a deep breath.

And another.

Procrastination?

Me?

Never.

I decided to say it all in one go, and then maybe it wouldn't seem so bad; 'He said he's going to make me scream and rape me until I bleed and tie me up by my hands and whip the skin off my back.' I paused, 'Basically.'

Tank's face darkened, as did Lester's, and Ranger's arms were so tight around me that I was finding it hard to breathe.

'Ranger.' I squeaked, 'air.'

'Sorry.' He said, easing up his grip on me, but not letting me go. 'You have either Lester, Tank, Hector or myself by your side at all times.'

'What about when I have a bath?'

'I'll guard you.' Ranger said with a predatory glint in his eye.

I felt myself blush.

'No way man,' said Lester, 'You'd get distracted. Hector's gay, he can have bath duty.'

Ranger nodded shortly.

'My life is shit.' I said sighing again, 'I have psycho's after me and I have to have bodyguards and I have a tendency to destroy cars and my ex-husband cheated on me and my ex-boyfriend cheated on me. I'm such a fuck up.'

'Don't EVER let me hear you say that about yourself again.' Said Ranger firmly, almost angrily.

'Um…' I said, 'Ok.'

A thought suddenly occurred to me, 'Ohmigod.' I gasped, twisting around to face Ranger, 'am I bad in bed?'

Ranger blinked, and then his sexy wolf smile spread across his face, 'No Babe,' he said his voice low and husky, 'you were amazing.'

'Do you promise?' I said, still worried.

He pulled my body against his, so I could feel every line of his hard muscles and his hard…

'Oh.' I said, blushing.

'Oh.' he agreed, amused.

'Ok.' I said, a little breathless, 'good.'

'It was more than good,' Ranger breathed into my ear, and he leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against mine. Before I could open my mouth, he withdrew.

He raised his mouth to my ear, and he whispered softly, 'I would kiss you until you're wet Babe, but I don't want to take advantage of you when you're upset.'

'You don't need to kiss me to make me wet.' I whispered back, 'sometimes you just look at me and…'

Ranger's eyes darkened to black, and he kissed me fiercely, his tongue invading my mouth with firm strokes that sent waves of pleasure to my core.

And you know what the best part was?

There was no guilt: none, nada, zilch.

I pressed on his shoulders, and he let me push him to the floor. My hips were straddling him and I could feel his hard length pushed into me.

Another thought occurred to me; I had his boxers…he was going commando.

I moaned involuntarily.

'And that,' Lester said, thoroughly amused, 'is why you're not doing bath duty.'

There was a rapid knock on the door, but before Ranger and I could pull apart, I heard the noise of the door opening.

'Well,' said a familiar voice, 'isn't this cosy? Glad to see I didn't break your heart for long Cupcake.'