Disclaimer: I repeat, the characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I only play with their minds.

Thanks to all the Reviewers! You've been great and have kept me going. I realize the chapters are a bit short, but I am hoping to build up on the scenes and expand the action.

Chapter Eight

After our soak in the tub, which ended up being foreplay and nothing else, Ranger and I finally fell asleep around midnight. I had essentially spent the day in bed with Batman, but somehow didn't feel quite right bragging about it to the girls at Vinnie's. It wasn't that I felt guilty about Morelli, but I guess I did feel something. Ranger must have sensed that I was awake because his arm tightened around my waist.

"Having regrets?" His eyes weren't even open.

I turned toward his face, noticing that his hair was spread across the back of the pillow in a very sexy fashion. In all the hours that we spent together, we really didn't have much to say. I was remembering now that I just told him yesterday that I didn't want a one-night stand and that I would hate him if we ended up like this.

"I'm confused," I whispered back. It was too late to try to hate him. Ranger was a part of me, had been for a long time. Maybe Joe was right. He was always there between us. Okay, that might be cause for a few regrets.

"So do you hate me now?" Ranger asked. Yes, he remembered the conversation.

I smiled up at him. He was sheer perfection. A body molded by the gods to bring pleasure; skin so perfect that it demanded to be touched. How could hate him?

"I tried yesterday, but you do have your moments." More like hours, really, but I didn't want to get technical here.

"Get up and get dressed. We have to talk." He was out of bed and pulling on his black sweats. He left the room without another glance at me.

Damn, I thought, as I pulled on yesterday's black pants and tee shirt. I think I made Ranger angry somehow. Well, if he could be angry with me for something, I surely could return the favor.

I walked into his living room. He was seated in a large side chair, staring at me as I approached. I decided not to say anything. I was not sure where he was going with this 'we have to talk'.

Babe, I have to know if you are upset about what we did last night? You said I could force you but you would hate me. So tell me, do you hate me?" He was deadly serious.

"Is big, bad Batman worried about what little ole me thinks of him?" I was resorting to humor to try to avoid the real issue and he saw through it immediately.

"I'm serious, Stephanie." He just stared at me. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who just made love to me nearly all through the night.

"Ranger, I was upset yesterday. I probably said a lot of things that I didn't mean. If you're asking if I hate you because of last night, you have to know the answer is no. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." Well most of the time I can.

"Did you wake up thinking about Morelli?" Ranger's expression hadn't changed.

Oh, so that was the problem. He wanted to know if he had ruined me for all other mean, just as he had promised a year ago. "No, I wasn't thinking about Joe, at least not directly."

He caught that one right away. "So indirectly?" he asked.

I think he was really curious now. "Well, I did remember something that Joe had said on the night that we broke up. He told me that you were always between us; that we never had a chance as a couple. Maybe he was right. Last night had been too easy."

Perhaps I should not have said that out loud.

"Easy for who? I have waited for you to decide what you wanted for too long. I tried to show you last nightwhat could be between us, but the decision is all yours, Babe. I don't want to pressure you."

I already knew that there would be no donuts in Ranger's kitchen, but I couldn't fight the urge to check anyway. I got up from the sofa and without another word went to the kitchen. I needed sugar, massive amounts if possible. I was really surprised to find a bag of Boston Crèmes on the counter.

"I knew you would need them this morning," Ranger explained, sneaking up behind me. "I want you to be comfortable."

Without thinking, I popped the first donut in my mouth, at least as much as I could fit. It saved me from having to talk. As I stood there chewing, I watched Ranger as he took a seat. I couldn't help but think that he looked good enough to eat himself. His hair was still down around his shoulders and he hadn't bothered to put a shirt on.

The sugar started to hit my system and I felt more in control.

"You know you are very distracting without a shirt. Doing that on purpose?" I grabbed a second donut.

"Is it giving you any ideas?" He nearly smiled.

I almost couldn't swallow the donut. "Well, it's making me think that one of us is going to be late for work," I grinned back at him.

"I'm the boss, Babe. I'm never late."

The phone rang and interrupted what he was going to say. I took the opportunity to go back to the bedroom and find the rest of my clothing. I needed to get back to my apartment, shower and change. Ranger might be the boss, but I really felt like I needed to do some work today, if not for him then with Lula. I needed to clear my head. As I came out of the room, I noticed an odd look on his face.

"What's wrong?" I tried to keep my voice steady.

"Well, Babe, looks like you will be staying here for a while," Ranger began. "Someone broke into your apartment and started a fire. Looks like it's worse than last time."

My knees threatened to buckle. Ranger caught me in his arms, moving me to the sofa, where he sat down beside me.

"You been working on anything I don't know about?" He already knew I hadn't.

"Ranger, I thought getting away from Vinnie's business would mean the destruction would stop. God, what's wrong with me that I attract this kind of attention?" I felt near tears, but promised myself that I wouldn't let Ranger see me cry. "I want to see my apartment."

Ranger knew better than to argue, so he promptly went to get dressed. In no time, he was thestreetwise, kickass bounty hunterwith the incredibly sexy body. No doubt there were those who thought he looked like a criminal himself; me I thought he looked too good to be true.

We didn't speak at all during the drive over to my apartment building. This fact wasn't unusual. Ranger had a tendency to zone out while driving. I figured he was considering all the angles with this bombing and would tell me what he thought when he was ready. We pulled in to the parking lot and I noticed that Tank had already arrived. It was probably Tank who called Ranger. Ranger helped me out of the car, something that I really had to work on adjusting to, and went over to Tank. I stood there, looking up at the second floor, realizing that this time I would probably never go back.

Ranger figured that I could stay with him, but I was thinking that it would be better for everyone if I simply found a better, safer place to live. I needed one of those apartments with a doorman or some type of security system. Of course, those places were expensive, but I was industrious. I would figure something out. I was still thinking this through when I felt a warm hand at the small of my back.

"Time to face the music, Babe. Let's go see if there's anything to salvage."

The apartment was a total disaster. Whoever had set the fire did so on the sofa. It spread to both the bedroom and kitchen seemingly unhampered. I wondered if an accelerant was used in those rooms. Suddenly, I remembered my nearby neighbors.

"Oh my God, Ranger, was any other apartment affected? These people are elderly. Was anyone injured?" I held my breath waiting on his answer.

"Tank said that no one was hurt, but that the apartment upstairs did sustain some damage. This place needs to be gutted. I'm sorry, Babe, but I don't see anything that we can salvage."

I walked into the kitchen. The cookie jar was nothing but charred pieces. My gun, the one that Ranger provided was laying in the midst of those pieces. He noticed it and carefully picked it up. I wondered why neither the police nor the fire department noticed it there.

"Well at least the gun made it through," I sighed, clearly disappointed.

"This gun is history, Babe. I'll get you a replacement today." If only replacing everything else was that easy. "Look at it this way, you now have the best excuse for a trip to the mall."

While I know he was trying to help, I didn't know how to tell him that I really couldn't afford to replace anything right now. I had just invested my extra cash in having the truck detailed.

"I'm really not in the mood for the mall, but I will have to get a few things to hold me over."

Ranger must have sensed that something was up because he gave me that look that told me the conversation wasn't over yet. We drove back to the Rangeman office without any further comment. I felt dazed and confused. Not only did I not have a home any longer, but also I had just spent the night with Ranger. It's like I was being punished for being easy.

"Stop blaming yourself," Ranger stated as if he knew what I was thinking. He grabbed my arm and pulled me close. "We really do need to talk about what's happened between us, Stephanie, but now if not the time. You know you can stay with me for as long as you need to. I won't seduce you if you don't want me to, I promise."

Well, damn, I thought, where's the fun in that. Deep down, I knew that while I was attracted to him, I really did need the space and time to sort out my feelings.

"Thanks," I whispered, "I might just take you up on that."