"So, you're going to tell me what happened with Fox, right?" I asked.

Ranger and I had finally made it out to the kitchen and were in the midst of devouring a meal Ella had dropped by earlier. Something with pasta, sausage, and a sauce savory enough to have been made by a true Italian. Her abilities in the kitchen were positively genius.

"The abbreviated version goes something like we got the bad guys, I didn't stick my landing, and there was a problem with payment."

I rolled my eyes. "What if I want the unabbreviated version?"

Ranger made a face like maybe he missed the old days when he kept his own council.

"At least fill me in on the whole injury piece," I pressed. "What exactly did you mean by 'you didn't stick your landing'?"

He shrugged. "I misjudged the distance between two buildings."

"And?"

"I caught a gutter at a funny angle and tore some ligaments in my shoulder. Bobby thinks I should be back to normal in a week or two."

He said it as if Bobby's assessment somehow made the whole situation ok. I raised an eyebrow. "Why exactly were you playing Spiderman in the first place?"

"Because the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and I needed to get ahead of my target."

"Of course," I sighed. So goes the life of Batman, I guess.

Ranger got up and put his dishes in the sink before coming and kissing the top of my head. "It's nice to have someone to worry about me."

I snorted a laugh. "But you really mean it's annoying."

"Only in the best ways." He tucked a curl behind my ear and smiled. It wasn't one of his panty-decimating smiles. It was soft. Warm. Timeless. Like maybe he'd still be smiling at me like that when we were old and gray.

"I'm offline for the rest of the night," he added. "I think I'm going to go lay down for a while."

It didn't really sound like an invitation, but I honestly couldn't remember the last time Ranger had gone to bed this early without other bedroom activities involved.

"Are you feeling ok?"

He offered a reassuring nod. "Just a headache."

Not really wanting to be alone, I followed him into the bedroom. "Want company?"

For a moment I thought he'd give his signature "babe" response implying he wasn't interested in that kind of company. But instead he motioned for me to come and join him on the bed.

"This is home," he mused quietly as he settled into the pillows.

I snuggled in beside him. "Our bed?"

"You."

His words lingered in the silence as I listened to his heartrate slow and his breathing deepen. I closed my eyes and tried to memorize the details surrounding us. The smells, the sounds. The sensation of his chest rhythmically rising and falling beneath me. The way each minute felt as if it had been stretched out across eternity.

Even if time robbed me of all my other memories someday, I wanted this moment locked away somewhere safe. Because it was the moment I knew with absolute certainty that life didn't get any better than this.

###

The alarm chirped on the bedside table, but I was already awake. Something had jarred me from my sleep. I didn't know what else to do, so I'd gotten up and made some coffee. Or rather I'd added some sugar and cream to the coffee already brewed by our convenient coffee fairy named Ella. Then I'd gone back to the bedroom to contemplate some of life's great mysteries while my husband continued sleeping beside me.

Ranger rolled over and grimaced. It was probably the only time he'd give any indication that his shoulder was bothering him. The rest of the day he'd rub some dirt on it in true "tough guy" fashion and mask any signs of pain with his classic blank stare. Although I'd probably consider slipping him some pain killers if he started snapping at the new hires. After all, nobody wants a tense work environment.

"Did you sleep ok?" I asked.

He sat up and rubbed his forehead. "Maybe I need another day offline."

"I think that can be arranged." I gave him a flirty grin.

"Except my wife seems to enjoy spending money faster than I can make it. I can't afford any downtime." He got out of bed and headed over to the closet. I watched as he glanced down around his feet. "Your fancy shoes take up half our walk-in."

I poked my head in. "Hey, most of these shoes weren't even my idea," I said in protest. My foot nudged a pair of black stilettos. "You came home with that pair because you said I needed something to go with the fancy underwear you bought me."

His teeth flashed in a classic big, bad wolf smile. "That's right. Now I remember." He gave me a very slow body scan. "You should wear those heels more often, babe."

I rolled my eyes. "You know, if you're not careful, you're going to be late for work."

"Then I better make up some time in the shower." He headed toward the bathroom. "You coming?"

"I thought you wanted to make up some time."

"I can be pretty efficient when I need to be."

Yeah. He could. "Ok," I sighed in resignation.

"Oh, and bring the heels."

"Those are $700 Jimmy Choo's! I highly doubt they're waterproof."

"Babe."

Something told me from the sultry, seductive look in his eyes, Ranger considered the ruined shoes an acceptable loss.