Chapter Thirty – One

Stephanie ran into Les on her way to Ranger's office. He gave her an odd look.

"You're leaving?" Les seemed genuinely confused.

"Yes, didn't you hear? Vito has been arrested. I can go home." Stephanie tried to paste a bright smile on her face, because really it was good news.

"Yeah, I heard that, I just thought." His voice trailed off.

"You thought what Les?" She studied him for a minute, and then gave a humorless laugh. "That I was going to get the fairy tale?"

Les didn't say anything, he just eyed her like he was worried she might have a weapon. No one could accuse Les of not having good instincts. Of course, Les probably recognized the universal pissed-off female tone when he heard it, and was smart enough to stay out of the radius of the impending bomb blast. Stephanie had a feeling Les had dealt with his fair share of unhinged women over the years.

"There is a reason fairy tales are for kids, and you stop believing in them when you grow up. You know why that is?" Stephanie bit out.

"No." Les offered cautiously, like maybe he really didn't want to know. It was like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Once you knew, there was no going back.

"Because they're not true. They're make believe." Stephanie replied. She was horrified to find tears threatening. She blinked rapidly to push them away.

"Take a chance Steph. Come on, you don't want to spend the rest of your life wondering. Thinking about what might have happened. You're not the kind to take a coward's way out. That's not in your nature."

Stephanie gave an inelegant snort. She wasn't sure why Les thought he knew anything about her or her nature. Yeah, who was she kidding. Probably because Les was really good at reading people, and he was right. But at this moment, she was all tapped out of optimism and courage. All out of fight. Maybe tomorrow would be different. Today she didn't want to think about it. She wanted to go home, lick her wounds, and eat about a hundred tastykakes. She didn't want to question her resolve or have anyone point out that she was probably making a bad decision.

Stephanie held up her hands. "I may have been raised Catholic, but I'm not the patron saint of lost causes. To this day, the faith eludes me but the guilt never leaves, I don't do casual, no strings sex. No matter how much I might want to."

Les gave her an odd look and opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but he wisely snapped it shut.

"If you need anything, call me. Even if you just want to talk, or grab that coffee." Les gave her the look. The one that said he was pretty sure she was few bricks shy of a load, but he was smart enough not to point it out. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you."

Stephanie managed a small smile. She liked Les, and it wasn't his fault he was related to Ranger. "Coffee one of these days would be good. I mean how could I say no to a guy that bought me crocs."

Les gave her his trademark grin. "I'll see you around Stephanie Plum."

Stephanie walked off. "I'll see you around Lester Santos." She called back to him.

Stephanie was pretty sure Les muttered. "Ric is a fucking idiot." But she really couldn't be sure, and it was entirely possible Les wasn't wrong. Although, maybe she was the fucking idiot, because despite all of Ranger's warnings, she hadn't listened. And now she was afraid she had gone and done something stupid.

Stephanie knocked on the door to Ranger's office, and he waved her in. She held out the phone and key fob. "Here."

Ranger shook his head. "No, I want you to keep both."

Stephanie waited, but Ranger didn't elaborate.

OK, that was randomly confusing, but Stephanie just tucked them in her bag. She didn't know what that meant and he wasn't saying. No information, no answers, no relationship. Got it.

The drive to her apartment was mostly silent. Ranger was in his zone. Stephanie was looking out the window pretending to watch the scenery go by, when the truth was, she hadn't seen a single thing. She kept thinking about what Les had said. Would she regret not taking a chance? Was she being a coward? Was there even a chance to take?

No, she thought, she was being an adult. Ranger had been clear. Ranger didn't do relationships. The offer of casual sex was on the table, but nothing more. Casual sex had some appeal, but she lived in the real world. Most of the time anyway. She might not be ready for marriage or even a long-term commitment, but she did want both to at least be an option.

If she kept seeing Ranger, she knew she would never have the chance to meet someone, and she would always think maybe, just maybe, he would change his mind. She would wake-up in another four years realizing she had been living a lie. A different kind of lie than she had lived with Morelli, but a lie nonetheless. If she had learned one thing in the last few days, it was you had to live life as it was, not as you wished it to be. No regrets and no illusions. That was her new motto.

The man was delicious, and that tongue of his was a bona fide miracle in and of itself, but a woman couldn't live on dessert alone, no matter how good it tasted.

Hector was in front of her apartment building when they pulled up. She saw her little red BMW in the parking lot, freshly washed. Ranger and Stephanie got out. Hector came over and handed Stephanie her car key and a new set of keys to her apartment.

Hector and Ranger did some complicated handshake thing, and had a quick conversation. It was all in Spanish, so she didn't really catch most of it. Their conversation wrapped up and Hector smiled at Stephanie and made a gun with his fist and forefinger. "Bang." He said and jogged off to get in the waiting RangeMan SUV.

"Pretty good." Stephanie said to Ranger. "Hector's learning English." Ranger just gave a low chuckled.

Stephanie waved bye to Ram and Hector, and they waved back giving her big grins. All the RangeMan guys seemed nice. Even Hector was starting to grow on her, although she had to admit, every time she saw him, she checked to make sure he didn't have a new tear drop tattoo.

She leaned up against the Porsche, her hands behind her gripping the door handle like a lifeline. She figured that way she wouldn't reach out and pull Ranger to her and kiss that beautiful mouth of his.

He was an enigma of a man. Gorgeous, hot, unattainable, and totally and irredeemably loveable. She felt a dull ache in her chest, and she wondered if she might already be just the tiniest bit in love with him.

A light rain had started to fall again. Ranger pulled Stephanie's hood up and tucked her hair in. His fingers traced a line at her temple, and their eyes met. He was doing that thing where he took her heart rate and looked inside her soul. She wondered what he saw. If he saw the truth of her predicament.

"Would you consider coming to work for RangeMan?" Ranger asked her.

"RangeMan?"

"Yeah, it might broaden your horizons?" He was giving her that half smile of his.

Stephanie thought about it. Seeing Ranger every day held some appeal, but it also held a lot of temptation.

"Doing what?"

"Whatever comes up. Skip tracing, marketing, client management, research, distractions." Ranger trailed off.

"Distractions?"

"Stroll around and look sexy, ask a lot of questions. All those things that come naturally to you." Ranger gave her an almost smile.

Over the last few days Stephanie had gotten a glimpse of the kind of work Ranger did. She suspected Ranger's horizons might be a teensy bit closer to hell than she wanted to travel, and seeing him every day and not being with him, that really was the definition of hell. Besides what did she bring to the table for Ranger or his company.

"I don't need a pity position."

"It's not pity. You have good instincts. You figured out something wasn't right at E.E. Martin almost immediately. You had the forethought to get copies of the financials, you found the fake vendors. And, you are the one that captured Lyons. You didn't panic, you took out an armed attacker. Babe, it was your research that found Tiny and Novak. You saved herself, RangeMan was just back-up. RangeMan could use someone with your skills. I could use someone with your skills." A beat went by. "How did you learn to handle a gun like that?"

"It's Jersey. Everyone has a gun." Most people Stephanie knew had Rosary beads hanging from their rearview mirror and a Smith & Wesson stuck under the seat. That way, no matter what went down they were covered.

Ranger nodded and gave her a look like that all made perfect sense.

"You would have to promise me one thing."

"What's that?" Stephanie asked.

Ranger searched her face. "The next time I tell you to leave me and run because there is a bomb, you do it. That scared the shit out of me. The thought that you might get hurt."

"Sorry, I can't do that. I was never going to leave you." Stephanie shrugged like it was a self-evident truth. "I never will, no matter how bad it is."

Stephanie saw Ranger's nostrils flare ever so slightly. They both knew she wasn't talking just about a bomb. For just a second, his armor cracked and she saw a flash of something go across his face. He looked tortured. Then it was gone and his expression once more became unreadable.

"I thought RangeMan didn't hire women. Too distracting." Stephanie rolled her eyes, conveying just how ridiculous and sexist she thought that was.

The corner of Ranger's mouth went up. "True, but the guys already know you. You and Hector are pals."

Stephanie shook her head. "Tempting but no thanks."

"Babe, this is all I'm capable of right now."

"I know. It's a really good offer." Stephanie tilted her head and looked at him. "For a girl like me."

Ranger's eyes narrowed a little. "Did you just quote Pretty Woman to me?" A ghost of a smile was playing around his lips.

Stephanie looked down and toed the gravel of the parking lot, trying to hide her smile. "No….. OK, well maybe." She looked up and lost the battle not to smile.

Ranger gave her one of his rare full-on smiles, and Stephanie was pretty sure time stood still and she heard angels sing. The man was a vision when he smiled.

Ranger wrapped his hands around the lapels of her windbreaker, drawing it around her. His knuckles resting lightly on her breasts. It was an act of intimate possession more than of sexual aggression. Stephanie's skin tingled from the magnetic pull between them

Ranger leaned in and his voice was low and husky as it brushed the shell of her ear. "Besides if I gave you a pity position, it wouldn't be in my office."

He pulled back and the dangerously sexy look in his eye made her breath catch. Heat flooded through her, and her nipples pebbled underneath his knuckles. She really didn't have anything to say to that. She figured there were a lot of positions she wanted to try with Ranger, but she thought it was best if she kept that to herself. She made a little strangled sound at the back of her throat. She knew her reaction wasn't lost on him.

"So, what are you going to do?"

Stephanie looked down and toed the gravel some more. She raised her shoulder in a half shrug. "I don't know. Get a job. Go back to school. I've got skills you know."

Ranger grinned at her. "Babe, I know you have skills." There was just enough heat behind those words to make Stephanie think maybe Ranger wasn't talking about her business skills.

"You're grinning. Why? Is that a mocking grin?" She teased.

"No, it's the grin of a man who loves you, babe."

Stephanie's heart skipped around a little in her chest. "Love?" Her voice came out in a squeak.

Stephanie forced herself to breathe. Passing out would be awkward.

"I'm guessing this kind doesn't come with a relationship. Right?" She hated how the last part of that sentence had come out sounding hopeful.

"Not right now. Maybe someday." Ranger hedged.

Stephanie hated that Ranger had been opened ended in his answer, and he left the door open. It would be so much easier to walk away if he would just slam the door closed. Stephanie had seen way too many women lose their senses waiting on a man to come to his. Your sense of self and dignity obliterated, and suddenly you were driving around seedy motels looking for Morelli's truck. Yep, been there, done that. That couldn't be her. Not again.

"Well Ranger, you know what they say. There are seven days in the week, and someday isn't one of them." Stephanie scrunched up her nose and gave a one shouldered shrug. "That doesn't work for me."

"I know."

Ranger leaned down and kissed her. It was one of those soul searing, brand-you-for-life kind of kisses. That was the problem with mistakes. Sometimes they were really good kissers.

His mouth took complete ownership of hers. It was a kiss meant to destroy all her defenses and demanded complete surrender. Stephanie wrapped her arms around his neck and fisted desperate hands in his hair, pulling him closer, anchoring him in place, deepening the kiss. She kissed him back with fierce intensity. She captured those soft lips, driving her tongue deep, tasting and exploring him, looking for answers, trying to unravel his secrets. She wanted to leave an indelible mark, so this kiss was the only one he ever remembered.

Stephanie's neighbor, Mr. Morganthal, came out and made a noise of disapproval and shook his finger at them, mumbling something about harlots.

"I think I just sullied your reputation," Ranger grimaced, and pulled back a little.

"Probably more like you helped me live up to expectations."

Her head was tilted back and she was looking up at him wondering how she was ever going to get over him. Maybe she wouldn't. Maybe that was the price you paid, and Ranger had been wrong. There was a price for what they gave each other.

She pushed against his chest and Ranger stepped back. She hiked her bag higher on her shoulder.

"If you need anything." Ranger told her. "You have the phone and the fob. I hope you use them." There was enough heat in his gaze to turn her into a little puddle of quivering desire. It was pretty clear anything, meant any damn thing she wanted, anytime she wanted it. She was pretty sure a whimper escaped her throat.

"Thank you….. For everything. I'll see you around Ranger."

"Babe." Ranger nodded.

Stephanie turned and headed into her apartment building before she did something stupid. Well, something else stupid anyway.

"La verdad es que te amo." Ranger whispered to himself as he watched her disappear into the building. (The truth is, I love you.)-

Ranger slid back into the Porsche and headed to RangeMan, a heavy feeling settling over him. Stephanie Plum was a smart woman. She knew what she wanted, and it wasn't him. He couldn't really blame her. He was a bad bet. Always had been.

He wasn't fit for a good woman. They always wanted more than he could give. More than he was willing to give anyway. Ranger parked in the RangeMan garage and fobbed his way to the seventh floor. His feet felt like lead as he trudged into his apartment. He should be glad the contract was over, Stephanie was safe, and RangeMan would get a big payday for Novak.

So why did he feel so lousy. Why did he already miss her? His apartment seemed too quiet. Too sterile. It seemed like when she left, she'd taken the light and energy with her, and all that was left was a pretty shell with no warmth. Ranger had always been pretty solitary. He didn't mind being alone, but suddenly the silence seemed oppressive. No one to talk to, no one to have dinner with. He even missed the weird little rodent running on its wheel to nowhere.

Ranger threw his keys in the silver tray with more force than was necessary. Irritation rippled through him. Why was it that he could still smell the scent of her in his nostrils, and taste the sweetness of her on his tongue?

Because the woman had broken his damn mind. That's why. It was the only plausible explanation. He'd finally lost it and completely cracked. Ranger had never believed in love at first sight. In fact, he wasn't even sure he believed in romantic love at all. At least he hadn't until he laid eyes on Stephanie. She'd come into his perfectly ordered life and royally fucked it up. With one glance of those baby blue eyes, she'd burned his life to the ground. He'd never wanted more, or anything different, than what he had, until he met her. And now, he wanted to throw his whole stupid life plan right out the window and beg her to come back. All his rules seemed rigid and outdated. Pointless and hollow really. He would promise her the world, if only she would ask.

Ranger needed to get the feel of her off of him. Scrub away her scent, before he did something weak and crazy. He stalked into his dressing area and stripped. His eyes flickered up and hanging there, taunting him, were her clothes. All lined up next to his. Ranger turned away disgusted. He'd tell Ella to clean them out immediately. Ranger padded into the bathroom and stopped short. Sitting on the counter was her toothbrush next to his. All the anger and frustration rushed through him. Ranger put his fist through the wall. Yeah, he thought as he looked down at his bloody knuckles, that was going to leave a mark, just like Stephanie Plum had on his perfectly ordered life.

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A/N: I appreciate every single review, PM, favorite or follow. They keep me motivated and creative. Never hesitate to send me a message, suggestion, or question!

That was the problem with mistakes. Sometimes they were really good kissers. – Slight variation on dialogue prompt 'The problem with mistakes is sometimes they are really good kissers.'

You will notice snippets of dialogue or scenes that feel familiar, but not quite canon. I've taken some of my favorite scenes and dialogue and modified it to fit the story.