This story is based upon characters created by Janet Evanovich. I don't own them, I only play with them, and for entertainment purposes only.

A/N

Thanks for the feedback on the last chapter. I think this one may surprise some of you… and I hope you don't think Ranger's behavior is too out of character, but I felt this stayed true to how he would behave and what he would say given the circumstances. Please let me know if I hit the mark or not. Your reviews mean a lot to me. Thank you! Chica

I was safe and warm. Ranger was rubbing small circles into my back and it felt so nice. I opened my eyes and realized that at some point during our nap, I had crawled on top of Ranger and now found myself straddling one of his legs and resting my entire torso upon his. I lifted my head and was immensely relieved to find that I hadn't drooled all over his t-shirt. Locking my eyes with his, I smiled and gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry." I attempted to remove my leg from between his and he locked me in place instead.

"I'm not." Ranger replied. He rolled us so that I was now on my back and both my legs were between his. His arms were still cradling me and I couldn't help but get excited about where this might be headed. I reached up to hold his face between my hands and gently pulled it down to mine. I stopped pulling, though he certainly wasn't resisting, when he was about an inch away from my face. My eyes were on his, issuing an unspoken invitation.

He closed the distance between us and placed a soft kiss on my lips. My tongue darted out and traced his lips, seeking entrance. He willingly obliged and our tongues began a slow and sensual dance of exploration. I looped my hands behind his head to hold him to me. He managed to keep his body weight off of me by balancing on his left forearm, leaving his right to rest on my hip. Things were heating up fast and my body was humming in anticipation. I was so completely lost in the moment, though, that when I heard Bobby's voice, I let out a little yelp.

Ranger growled and shouted, "Brown!" Ranger rolled off me and glared at Bobby. I was completely embarrassed and just sat there. I wasn't sure what I should do or if I should leave the room.

Bobby didn't look chastened for barging in on us, if anything he looked livid. "Jesus, Ranger!" He said. "She just got out of the hospital. She has injuries she's still recovering from… You could hurt her!"

Ranger looked shamed for a moment but quickly got on the defensive. "Don't you knock?"

"I did knock." He said. "But obviously you didn't hear me. I came to check on Bomber and make sure she wasn't overdoing anything."

I could feel the heat on my cheeks and knew it must be a very unattractive shade of red right now. I covered my face with my hands. Ranger turned to me and took my hands away from my face before lifting my chin so he could see my eyes. "I'm sorry, Babe." He whispered so only I could hear. "Bobby's right, I shouldn't have let things go so far."

"No, he's not right." I said indignantly. "I'm not in pain, just humiliation from having him walk in on us." I gave him a sexy smile, "I was enjoying myself." Ranger smiled at me in return and got off the bed.

"You want to come sit on the couch and relax for a while, Babe?" He asked.

"Actually," I said hesitantly. "I'd really like to take a shower, if that's OK?"

"Of course." Ranger replied. "Ella put some of your clothes in the closet, so you should be able to find something comfortable to wear. Let me get a towel for you." He walked into the bathroom and returned a moment later. "There is a fresh towel for you just outside the shower door. Do you need any help?"

I blushed. "Thank you. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"We'll just be in the living room." Ranger said. "Come join us when you are ready, OK?"

I nodded, got up, and headed to the closet to look for my clothes. When I opened the closet door, I was shocked. Three fourths of the closet was packed with predominantly black clothes that clearly belonged to Ranger. There were black cargo pants, black dress pants and suits, even black button-up shirts and tees. I was glad to find that he did own clothes in other colors, though the selection was limited.

Realization suddenly dawned on me. Oh. My. God! This is Ranger's apartment! I don't know why it didn't occur to me before, but I guess I just assumed it was an empty employee apartment. What does it mean that Ranger brought me here, to his home? Was it the only option for me? Was he looking for something more?

I'm not sure how long I was standing in the closet trying to sort out my feelings, but I suddenly heard Ranger as he walked around the corner. "Babe?" He asked. "I didn't hear the shower running, is everything OK?"

I wasn't sure what to say. "Huh?" I asked. Not exactly an example of my best conversational skills, but I was still a little shocked at my revelation.

"Stephanie, what is it?" Ranger asked. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me gently for a moment. "Do you need help? Should I get Bobby?"

"No," I replied. "I'm OK. It's just that I just realized that this is your apartment."

"Is that a problem?" He asked. He looked at me with sadness in his eyes. "Would you rather stay with someone else?"

"What? No!" I exclaimed. "I just thought this was an empty apartment. I didn't realize you were going to have me move in with you."

"Babe," Ranger started. "There aren't any empty apartments at the moment. But to be honest, even if there were, I would have moved you up here." I looked at him and waited, silently asking him to tell me why. "You needed to be monitored to make sure you didn't have any setbacks after leaving the hospital, and I couldn't bear to have you out of my sight."

I smiled at his heartfelt explanation. He was behaving so differently from even a few days ago when we first 'met'. At that time he didn't even want to acknowledge that I meant more to him than anyone else. He was certainly quick to point out that he wasn't relationship material when I asked if we were a couple. Is it possible that I succeeded in making him understand that the danger I find myself in, is in no way his fault? Could he have changed his mind about us? The make-out session on the bed would strongly support that argument.

I realized that I'd just been staring at Ranger's beautiful body for a few moments, with a silly smile on my face. "Sorry," I said. I just wanted to grab something to wear after my shower."

He pointed to the other side of the very large closet where some distinctly feminine clothes were hung. "Those are yours," Ranger said. "There are also clothes in the dresser in the corner. Ella cleared out the top two drawers for you."

"Thanks." I said. I started towards the other end of the closet to look at my clothing options. Ranger nodded and left to go back to the living room.

While the water for the shower was warming up, I took off my loose t-shirt and shorts and stood naked before the full-length mirror behind the door. The once black-and-blue bruises that had littered my body had been reduced to lighter shades of green and yellow. Those bruises that had already been in lighter shades, like my face, had all but disappeared. I was happy with the progress and started to feel a little less visibly damaged. Bobby wouldn't need to worry about me for much longer.

I got into the shower and let the hot water run over me while I considered everything I knew. My memories were coming back a little at a time, so I felt confident that I would remember everything at some point. In the meantime, I was feeling pretty good with how things were going. Granted, I had a death sentence hanging over my head, but when I wasn't thinking about that, I was enjoying the 'new' friends I had made… and I was really hoping to have something more substantial with Ranger. The man was not only incredibly hot, he was so devoted to taking care of me, protecting me, and seeing to my comforts, that it would be impossible not to feel something for him. I really hoped we could pick up where we left off once Bobby left.

I washed my hair with the shampoo I had found in the shower and was extra careful rinsing so I didn't lose my balance. Looking around for some soap, I found a bottle of body wash. When I squirted it into my palm, my senses went on overload. I knew that smell… it was Ranger. My mind flashed to a memory of Ranger telling me he was good in the shower. He was so gorgeous, especially when he was giving me that cocky grin. Then we were in another apartment, it must have been mine, and he was kissing me against the door. The memory was so strong that I pressed my fingers against my lips hoping to still feel his touch. Next we were under the sheets in my bed and he was worshiping my body, whispering words to me in Spanish. I didn't know the words, but they felt like they were words of love and devotion.

The memories faded as soon as they had arrived, but left me in quite a state. I rinsed off the body wash with a little more enthusiasm in some regions, and managed to release the tension that had been building since I woke up from my nap. Feeling clean and relaxed, I quickly dressed in a pair of blue lounge pants and another black t-shirt I snagged from Ranger's side of the closet before joining Ranger and Bobby in the living room.

The guys stopped talking the minute I walked into the room. Ranger stood up silently, smiled at me, and led me to join him on the couch. "Did you have a nice shower, Babe?" He asked. His eyes glinted at me like he knew what I was doing in there, but I'm sure he wouldn't have heard me.

"Fine, thanks." I mumbled. When I looked at Ranger again his cocky grin was back and I blushed and lowered my eyes.

Thankfully Bobby directed the conversation away from my shower and asked if I was suffering from any headaches or dizziness, or if the pain in my ribs was any worse than it had been previously. I told him that I felt fine, had no headaches or dizziness, and the pain in my ribs was really only noticeable when I had my hands above my head or if I went from laying down to sitting up too quickly. Bobby smiled and said that it sounded like I was healing the way I should, but he wanted to check my temperature and blood pressure before he left. I nodded and he brought his bag over and proceeded with the tests.

"Everything looks good, Bomber." Bobby said. "Remember to take it easy, OK? I don't want you re-injuring yourself and slowing your recovery." He looked pointedly at Ranger.

"I promise to take it easy, Bobby." I replied. "Thanks for checking up on me."

Ranger stood as Bobby gathered his bag and walked him to the door. When he returned and sat back down I stood up, walked over to him and sat down, straddling his legs. His hands instinctively moving to hold my waist. "Babe? What are you doing?" Ranger asked. He looked equal parts surprised and worried, and I could see Bobby's words had worked as intended and that Ranger was afraid of hurting me.

"What does mi corazón mean?" I whispered into his ear and then nibbled his earlobe.

Ranger gently pushed me back and I could see that he was angry. I wasn't sure what I had done wrong. Why was he so mad? "Where did you hear that?" He accused.

"What?" I said, startled. "Why?"

"Who said that to you?" He said.

I was starting to get upset. Was it something bad? "Ranger, you said it." I responded quietly. "I remembered kissing you in my apartment, and you saying that you were good in the shower, and us making love in my bed. You were whispering to me in Spanish, and I heard you say mi corazón. Is it something bad, Ranger? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I thought you'd be excited."

I slid off Ranger's lap and scooted to the other side of the couch, tucked my legs underneath me, and pulled a pillow to my chest.

Ranger ran his hand down his face and the anger I had seen earlier had been replaced by regret and sadness. He turned his body so that he was facing my direction and reached for my hand. "I'm sorry, Babe." He said. "Of course I'm happy that you remembered more, and that it was time spent with me makes me ecstatic… I'm an idiot." He took a deep breath and sat up straighter before continuing. "Mi corazón means, my heart. I was jealous because I thought someone else had said that to you."

"Why did you say that to me in Spanish in the first place?" I asked. "You had to know I wouldn't understand."

He looked at me a little bashfully, "That's exactly why I said it in Spanish." I looked at him in confusion. "I wasn't prepared to admit how I feel about you. I worried that just being with me would put you in jeopardy, and I couldn't, I wouldn't, do that to you. I thought that you deserved a life that I couldn't give you… a white picket fence, kids in the front yard, and family dinners on Sunday."

"Do you still feel that way?" I asked. I was terrified that he would answer 'yes', but I had to know what I was up against if that was the case.

"To a certain extent, yes." He began. My heart started to deflate but he continued. "Since you broke up with Morelli, we've had the opportunity to talk more. You said one of the reasons you broke up was that Joe wanted the 'Burg lifestyle… the house, kids, and stay-at-home mom, and that you didn't. No matter how much my heart soared when you told me that, I couldn't justify a risk to your life, just to satisfy my deepest desire."

"What if it was a risk I was willing to take?" I asked.

Ranger visibly shuddered and spoke so quietly that he was nearly whispering. "It was already too close a call. There have been way too many attempts that nearly succeeded. Do you understand how close I came to losing you?"

"But I'm here now." I said. "I'm safe here, in this building, with you."

"You'll never be safe with me." Ranger said sadly.

"It doesn't look like I'm terribly safe without you either." I replied. "We aren't even a couple and someone is out to get me!" I was getting a bit angry myself, now. "If you're going to suggest that we should keep our distance and just be friends, you might as well tell me that I should face the threat against me by myself." I rolled my eyes and gave him an incredulous look. After a moment where neither of us said anything I said, "You can't have it both ways, Ranger. Either you want me in your life, or you don't. If having me here is an imposition, you can have someone drop me off at my apartment and I'll get out of your hair."

I put down the pillow I'd been holding and stood up. Ranger grabbed my wrist and gently pulled me back down on the couch as he said, "No."

I looked at him in confusion. What exactly was he saying 'no' about? Did he not want to have someone give me a ride? Did he not want me to go it alone? "No What, Ranger?"

"No, I don't want you to face this alone." He said. "No, I don't want you to leave."

"What else?" I asked pointedly.

Ranger sighed. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, "I want you with me."

"You want me to stay here, until we catch whoever is behind all this?" I asked.

"No." Ranger said again. "I want you to stay with me, always. I don't want to lose you."

I looked at him for a moment without saying anything. "Even if it puts me in jeopardy?" I said at last. "Will you push me away from you again?"

He shook his head back and forth. "Yesterday when your fever was so high and we knew you had been poisoned, I held you in my arms and thought you were going to die." His breath hitched and I could see that he was having a hard time keeping it together. "You asked me to look after Rex for you and called him your baby, you said he was your baby with me and that you wanted me to look after our baby. In that moment I realized that I wanted the possibility of a family with you. I prayed to God that he'd let me keep you, and I vowed that I would keep you safe."

I was openly crying now, but I was smiling, too. Here was this beautiful man admitting that he wanted me… that he prayed to God to keep me. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but I was so happy. I reflected on when I first opened my eyes in the hospital and saw him sitting beside me, holding my hand. He'd never left me until he knew I was going to be OK. Then I remembered asking him about our relationship, and my smile faded. "Why did you say that you love me 'in your own way'?" I asked. "What does that mean, Ranger?"

Ranger ran his hand through his hair again. "Babe, I've said and done a lot of stupid things when it came to you, but I've only ever done what I thought was in your best interest." He said. "When you woke up from the coma and couldn't remember anything, as much as my heart hurt, I thought maybe it was how God was going to ensure that I protect you. If you didn't remember me, then I could make sure no one ever used you to hurt me again, by just disappearing from your life.

"When I left your hospital room that morning, I didn't plan on coming back." I was shocked and hurt by his honesty. "It wasn't until Acosta attacked you that I realized I couldn't leave you. It's the most selfish thing I've ever done, but I couldn't bear to be apart from you. If he had succeeded, a part of me would have died that day, and it would have all been for nothing. So, no, I won't push you away ever again. You're stuck with me for as long as you want me, and I understand that it might take time for us to get there as you get to know me again, but I love you, Babe, and I'm willing to wait as long as it takes."