Sept was not my month, which is why I haven't been able to post much. Been sick for the better part of the month, leading to low energy levels and overall not feeling well. I hope to start feeling better soonish.

I have good headway for several updates of pending stories. Since I wasn't feeling too great to write much, I went sifting through my files for anything else I had closer to competition and so you get this two-chap mini story.

Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. Typos are my mistake.

I've watched her every move intently since her arrival over half an hour ago. I mean, how could I not stare? She's gorgeous in ripped jeans and V-neck T-shirts, but tonight her beauty is truly breathtaking. Her curls are styled in such a way that all I can think about is sex. In fact, that's exactly the vibe she's projecting as she sits seductively on a corner stool with one hand resting on her lap where her minuscule skirt meets her luscious thigh. The creamy skin of her upper back is on near full display thanks to the thin shoulder straps of her top, giving an inviting peek of the sinful figure she hides so well under her usual bounty hunting outfits. The blue-black shirt she's wearing looks like a corset, attracting one's gaze to her cleavage and the band of tempting skin that was left bare where her shirt ends and her tiny skirt begins. It took me a long moment to note that she's not wearing a corset. Regardless, the shirt is perfect on her.

In fact, she's perfection.

There's a shift in the atmosphere minutes later, forcing me to take my appreciative gaze away from one Stephanie Plum. As soon as I flicked my eyes around the establishment, I instantly spotted Morelli and this week's Co spilling into an open booth by the door.

I instantly see the moment it clicks, his face pinching in obvious anger when he realizes the woman that caught his wandering attention is none other than his ex. What a dumbass. Letting someone like her get away is just plain stupid, but I'd lie if I didn't admit, to myself at least, that I'd like to be the first one Stephanie Plum gives a chance to fill the freshly vacated boyfriend role. I'd do the prestigious title real justice, that's for sure.

I split my attention between the bar and Morelli's party. Trouble is brewing, which is a shame considering it was Morelli who instigated the break up by giving her a very public ultimatum several weeks back. I was one of the first on scene that afternoon and it really wasn't her fault.

Her skip got wasted, inadvertently leaving the oven door open after turning it on. Of course, there was stuff inside of said oven that shouldn't have been in there with it cranked up. In the end, had Stephanie Plum not attempted an apprehension at the right moment her skip would have been literal toast.

Along with half the block.

Stephanie was quick on her feet, calling 911 while containing the fire thanks to a fire extinguisher she had handy in her SUV. She did all of that while she got her FTA out of the home. Guess having cars constantly catch on fire has taught her a thing or two, better equipping her to battle a fire. I was really impressed. Her skip was really lucky she got to him when she did as he was already suffering from smoke inhalation and had passed out in his living room. Once the emergency was over and all that was left was paperwork to fill out, Morelli took it upon himself to throw a fit. The harsh things he said coupled with all that arm waving was hard to witness. And yes, it was quite a Burg spectacle. I remember smiling wide when she told him to go to hell. I still grin to this day when I remember the double finger salute she gave Morelli. It was the most perfect 'fuck you!' she could utter without words. Besides, it was epic the way the Burg quickly spread that the final break up between Stephanie and Joseph had finally happened. There was no doubt on any of those present that Plum and Morelli were done, done.

Well, maybe except for Morelli. The way he's shooting daggers Stephanie's way is a good indicator that he still thinks this is one of their typical 'off phase'.

He's really delusional if he thinks he has any say in what she does with her life and official single status. The look of utter disapproval is quite evident in his nearly murderous demeanor.

Tough luck, asshole. You had your chance and you blew it. Time to move aside once and for all. Some of us are dying to show her what we have to offer.

When I sense that Morelli is about to sour her night, something inside of me snaps and urges me to act. Taking risks isn't necessarily my go to considering I already have enough of that in my profession like to muddle my personal life as well. I consider myself very practical, so my spontaneous idea to step in to interfere is a bit of a reach.

It's now or never.

The guys tease me shift after shift how I've been longing after her for so long, yet have been too chicken to tell her how I feel.

Taking hold of her left hand, careful not to graze my fingers against her inner thigh, I give her a slight tug. As predicted, she slid off the stool and stumbled straight into me.

Her dark red lipstick caught the minimal lighting in this seedy bar when she opened her mouth, probably on her way to rip me a new one. Thankfully, the flash of heat in her gaze was fleeting. Her vibrant blue eyes softened when recognition set in, which I was extremely grateful for. There was a ninety-nine percent chance that she was going to use her lethal knee on me.

It's worth the risk… She's worth it.

Perhaps, it was the realization that she'd be flashing the patrons of this rundown place that kept Stephanie from automatically kneeing me in the balls immediately after I invaded her personal space. Regardless of her reason, I am extremely relieved she didn't instinctively hit me as I pretty much tugged her to follow after me.

"Hi." I breathed out before my sudden burst of bravado waned. To seal the moment, I kept her moving effortlessly on her high heels so that we wouldn't look out of place on our short trek to the wannabe dance floor. The small space was sandwiched between the pool tables in the back and the bar on the other. Opposite the dancing space were a few tables and booths. Like I said, this isn't anything fancy or glamorous.

Not super romantic, but I figured it was as good a time as any to shoot my shot. This has been long years in the making.

Maybe downing that drink when she walked in was a bad idea. Why? Because I know I'm about to finally tell Stephanie Plum that I've loved her for almost two decades.

It's only fair that she knows, I guess. The whole town already does anyhow.

S&R

Stephanie's POV

I sat doing my best to look seductive as I waited for our target to arrive.

I've worked many distraction jobs with Rangeman throughout the years. This one was honestly pretty standard. Well, my part's pretty standard. All I have to do is essentially 'look pretty sexy' and reel in our FTA. Sure, he was wanted for a whole slew of things that put a hefty bounty on him. Rangeman always pays me extremely well for these gigs. Seeing as I'm not going to make a whole month's worth of rent and bills in one night doing anything else… Well, I could earn this much in one night doing a certain type of job that even Lula no longer does for a living…

So, here I am doing my best to stay calm despite the fact that it's almost eleven and our man hasn't shown. Sammy Griffin has a very particular schedule when it comes to his nightly routine. If he doesn't show up by eleven pm, then this whole operation will be a major bust.

Just as the uncomfortable feeling of being watched made the back of my neck tingle, Griffin burst in. He made a very forgettable entrance. Had I given in to the urge to turn around to scope out whoever has been staring daggers through my back I would have missed him sitting down two spaces away. The only distinguishable thing about Griffin is the intricate tattoo that wraps around his throat. Missing his entrance would have meant lost contact for sure. I didn't even get a heads up from the Merry Men that Griffin was incoming.

As Griffin ordered his first drink of the night, I rearranged my pose minutely. Leaning forward slightly, as well as perching my ass precariously on the stool was exactly what caught Griffin's attention. Okay, it was actually the flash of my enhanced cleavage. As predicted, Griffin immediately gave me the once over as he flashed me what he considered his best seductive smile.

I was busy suppressing the shudder Griffin's attention elicited within when I felt a tug on my hand. Within seconds my progress crumbled faster than a tower of cards thanks to the addition of an unknown entity.

My mouth opened automatically, ready to go off on the man who was hastily dragging me away from my mark. The words died in my throat as soon as recognition set in. My fight instinct simmered down as I noted that it was none other than Reed: a friendly.

Reed's with the Trenton Fire Department. I've known him pretty much my whole life since he's also from the Burg. Eddie and Reed have been best friends for as long as Mary Lou and I have been BFFs. I used to interact a lot more with Reed back when we were in school. Nowadays, I only ever see him when the fire department is called out to one of my disasters. In fact, Reed and crew were first on scene at my latest disaster weeks back. Having Reed as part of the dispatched team usually means less chaos. It's something I'm thankful for.

"Hi." Reed semi shouted as we made our way towards the miniscule dance floor.

"Hi." I reciprocated the enthusiastic greeting as we began moving to the upbeat music. Within three steps I reversed our positions so that I could keep a visual on Griffin.

"I have something that I need to tell you." Reed said loudly against my ear. I left my curls down on my right side to cover the earpiece I'm wearing in that ear, which gave Reed the opening that my exposed left ear offered.

"Uh huh, okay." I nodded as we continued to sway to the music, my eyes firmly locked on Griffin over Reed's left shoulder.

Always be aware of your surroundings is Ranger's motto. I honestly felt like I was doing an exceptional job tonight, except I would have never guessed what Reed wanted to tell me. So much for my supposed awareness.

"What?" I asked, tearing my gaze away from Griffin so that I could look at Reed's face. Did I just hear him correctly?

Yup, I'm most definitely hearing him clearly alright. Reed's literally confessing his undying love for me.

Is he messing with me? Nope. Reed's very serious. He's going on with such emotion that I fully believe that he's being sincere.

Not wanting to make him feel ignored, I nod as he continues.

In one ear, Reed's pouring his feelings out. In the other, I hear a string of voices talking over each other. The Merry Men are listening to the whole exchange, much to this distraction's detriment.

"I don't care if I'm the last one on your list either, Beautiful." Lester's voice rises above the others, taking a piece of Reed's spiel and twisting it to the usual Santos innuendo.

A low roaring sound pierces through the rumble of Merry Men input. The tingle on the back of my neck goes haywire as the Rangemen go deadly silent.

"Babe." Ranger's voice in my ear piece confirms that Reed's declaration was heard alright. Hector's patent pending new comm units are a little too good at picking up sound. Despite the activity and music in this dive bar, the mic picked up enough to have Ranger ordering that I get rid of Reed.

My eyes flicker behind Reed, instantly registering that Griffin is up and moving towards us. Griffin's face isn't friendly by nature. Add in a sneer and he means business. Crap!

As if that wasn't enough trouble for one night, I caught sight of Morelli following after Griffin. Shit.

Returning my focus to the man before me, I take a deep breath as my brain races to come up with a suitable strategy. I may not be the expert here, but I do know it's imperative to control a fire before it spreads.

I need to act fast, because I have three blazing infernos headed my way. Even Vince, who's supposed to be my immediate back-up here, is giving me a wide-eyed look from his seated position across the room.

Think, think…