Rated: M for language. Not mine, not making any money.

This was supposed to be the big reveal chapter but Ranger had other plans. You'll have to take up any concerns with him. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Operation Thaw

--Chapter 21--

Thursday, noon....

Her eyes felt like they were glued shut. She groaned at the light that filtered through her curtains. Hmm, too much light, she thought, had to be at least noon. Cracking open an eye to glance at her clock she confirmed her suspicion. 11:57, close enough. She drug herself out of bed and did her business in the bathroom. Deciding a shower would do more immediate good than coffee she took care of that too.

Dressed in a tank top and short cotton booty shorts, she stepped into the living room while toweling off her hair. She stopped abruptly at the sight of Ranger sleeping on her couch. Memories of the previous evening flooded her mind and she glanced at her wrist. In her hung-over state she hadn't even noticed her bracelet. Looking closer she saw that there was a fifth charm. It was two hands joined to form a globe. Inside the globe was a large, heart shaped diamond. "Holy fuck," she thought. "Is that thing real? It has to be at least 4 carats."

Her attention returned to Ranger. He looked younger in sleep. The worry lines and hard edge that normally dominated his face were relaxed. His lips were pouted slightly as he breathed through his mouth. His long hair was falling slightly over his forehead and cheekbone. Damn, he was sexy as hell. She noticed the Cure sitting on the coffee table next to his laptop. He must have expected her up earlier. As quietly as she could, she pulled the cold fries out and sat on the table watching him.

A few moments later his voice, gravelly with sleep made her heart soar, "You're staring, Babe."

"So?" she smiled. "You're amazing. I like to look."

He reached out and grabbed her wrist pulling her down next to him, her head on his chest, "You can do more than look." He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Thanks for bringing me the Cure."

"You slept later than I expected."

"How long have you been here?"

"Since around ten."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure you have lots to do."

He chuckled, "Apparently I needed sleep. I wanted to take you to Sunny's to get that holster. I don't want Morelli or anyone else taking you by surprise again."

"Ok." They were silent for a few minutes, just enjoying each others company. "Ranger?"

"Yeah Babe?"

"Thank you for the bracelet. Its beautiful. Please don't tell me this is a real diamond. It looks really expensive."

"Okay Babe. I won't tell you."

"Ranger."

"Keep it, Babe. I want you to have it. I won't let you give it back."

"But..."

"Babe, I could buy you one every day for the rest of our lives and still give Warren Buffet a run for his money. Its insured. Keep it. Wear it. Please."

"Okay. Thank you again."

"De nada, Bebe. Now, how about we get going?"

"Alright. Let me finish getting dressed."

He sat on the couch waiting for her to finish getting dressed and thought about the night before and the upcoming weekend. He felt last night was a resounding success. He was able to surprise his Babe with his gifts and make her feel special; all part of Operation Thaw. He also kept her on the edge sexually all night; all part of the Panty Revenge.

He didn't know what to make of her invitation for dinner Friday. He was certain she was his Butterfly. She had to be. And yet, Butterfly had accepted his invitation for dinner on Friday. Why would Steph invite him to dinner if she already had plans? This had major potential to blow up in his face. He was dangerously tempted to have Silvio hack Exclusive Services accounts and tell him who Butterfly was. If it wasn't Steph he'd cancel the plans. The desire, no, the need, to be as honest with her as possible kept him from doing it. He wanted to be able to tell her that he'd figured out it was her by her clues, not because he cheated.

She stepped out of the bedroom, "Deep thoughts, Batman?"

He just gave his almost smile and said, "Let's go."

At Sunny's Ranger quickly described the small, compact leather thigh holster he wanted and Sunny brought several out for her to try. After several tries, Sunny said, "Hon, that just ain't going to work for you. You need one of these."

She reached under the counter and brought up several purses. They were designed to hold a weapon concealed but with quick and easy access. She immediately liked a small black one in a hobo style. It was a multitasker that would dress up or down. She about choked on the $200 price tag, but decided it was a worthwhile investment. "Ok, I like this, but I still feel like I need something on my body."

"Sunny, what do you have in a knife sheath?" Sunny pulled out several styles. "Here Babe, try this on. I'll have Hector start working with you on knife fighting. He's really, really good. It'll be hard for anyone to notice a knife on you. You can hide them in several places: boot, bra, back, thigh, ankle, forearms. You have to be closer to your attacker to use them, but in some of the situations you've been in, you've been too close to use a gun effectively anyway. Actually, Hector can teach you to throw a knife, too. You can do that from much further out of reach."

"I like working with Hector. That sounds good." She laughed to herself about the "really, really good" part. Like she would question whether or not someone with two gang kills was good with a knife.

His phone, which had been unusually quiet, picked that moment to ring, "Yo," he answered. It was a brief phone call. "Babe, I was going to take you to lunch, but I have something I need to take care of. Want me to drop you back at home?"

"Can you drop me at Lula's? My car is there." She made her purchases: a 5 kbar, a thigh sheath to hold it and the leather gun purse. They made their way across town in companionable silence.

"What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"I've got a few searches to do, so I'll probably head to the office. If you're going to talk to Hector soon, maybe I'll see if he's available later."

He pulled up behind her car and put the car into park. They sat in silence for an uncomfortable moment. He was tense for some reason. She wondered what had happened to the ease they'd felt earlier in her apartment. She reached for the door handle, "Well, I'm gonna..." Her words were abruptly cut off when he pulled her into his lap.

He wrapped his left arm under her arm and around her back, his hand holding the back of her head buried in her curls, pulling her body close to his. His right hand had a tight grip on her hip. He used his hand to tip her head back and pressed his soft, full lips to hers, gently caressing her with feather light kisses. When she returned his kiss, he increased the pressure. Pressed up against him, she could feel his heart beat speed up. He ran the tip of his tongue over her lips and a half moan, half sigh escaped from her chest. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and she gladly sucked it in. She felt the rumbled groan in his chest and the grip on her hip tightened. She raised her free hand to his chest and ran her fingers over his sculpted pectorals, flicking his nipple when she came to it. His hips involuntarily thrust up against her and she could feel his arousal. His hand released her hip and came up to cup her face as his mouth devoured hers. She felt like she was drowning in him and she loved it. She couldn't catch her breath and all she wanted was more. The hand in her curls started to relax and his thumb gently stroked her cheek as he lightened the kiss. His breathing was labored. He gently bit her lower lip and sucked it into his mouth, running is tongue over it before releasing it with a quiet pop. "Christ Babe."

She just sighed in response. He held her for another minute, before helping her back into her own seat. This time he didn't stop her when she got out of the car, "Well, I guess I'll see you later."

"Stay safe, Babe." She got in her car and he was gone.

Late that night...

He sat in his chair in the corner of her room watching her sleep. Yes, at this point he considered it his chair. He sat it in more than anyone. He knew she didn't sit in it. When she was in this room she was either asleep, or in her thinking position about to be asleep. Morelli would only spend time in this room for one reason and it had nothing to do with the chair. So therefore, it was his chair. "Geez," he thought to himself, "I'm rambling just like Stephanie." It was an obvious clue to his frustrations. The second obvious clue was that he wasn't aware of his surrounds as she was awake, looking at him and he hadn't noticed.

"Ranger, its a quarter after one. What are you doing?"

"Babe, go back to sleep. I just wanted to see you."

"Come to bed, Ranger. Its late. I'm tired. We can talk about why you're here in the morning."

He stood and stripped himself of his weapons, setting each down within easy reach by the bed. He unlaced his boots, and took off his shirt and socks. She was on her side, back to him, "Pants too, Ranger. You can sleep naked if you want, or there is a pair of your boxers in the third drawer." He hesitated then ditched his pants and climbed in next to her, pulling her close, her back to his front.

She fit so perfectly with him, like a puzzle piece. Her head tucked into his arm, using his shoulder as a pillow. Her shoulders pressed into his chest. There was a small space between his abs and the small of her back. His cock resting perfectly between her soft ass cheeks where they were connected hip to hip. Her slim thighs rested against his. Her knees bent around his. One slim, silky calf inserted between his. Their feet near each other. They just fit. He had never been content to just sleep next to and hold a woman before. He savored her nearness. If things didn't work out as he planned tomorrow, he may never enjoy this closeness with her again.

He had good reason to worry; plans often went very awry when Stephanie Plan was involved. He couldn't even begin to predict how she'd react tomorrow when she discovered he was Enigma. Assuming, of course, that he hadn't completely misread everything, and she was Butterfly. Actually, things might work out better if she wasn't Butterfly. Then he could continue Operation Thaw without worries. But then, if he broke things off with Butterfly, he could blow his cover with Exclusive Services.

"It has to be her!" he thought angrily. Absently, he traced his fingers over her exposed abdomen. She sighed happily and snuggled closer against him, reminding him why he was here. Determined to enjoy every moment he had with her, he brushed a kiss against her temple and followed her into dreamland.

Word count: 1961 (excludes title, disclaimer, etc.)