(Jumps to the past, the night Ranger showed up..)
"Babe, I need to talk to you." Ranger said in a tone that caught my attention.
"What's up?" I twisted on the couch. I sat with my knees pulled to my chest cradling a gallon of ice cream. I twisted so that my back was to the arm rest and I could face him.
He closed his eyes, looked down at his shoes, then at me. "I need to do this now, or I might lose you again."
He paused again, and looked back at his shoes. I didn't get what he was saying. "Ranger, what'd ya…."
"Every time I get close to you, you have some issue with Morelli. You love him, but you're not in love with him, and everyone can see that. Every time I almost work up the courage to start something, I'm to late."
There was another pregnant pause. I wasn't quite sure what to say. This wasn't the Ranger I had become accustomed to. "Ranger…"
He broke me off again. "I don't do relationships well. The skills they taught me in the rangers made me hard headed, not trusting, and a bad ass. After my divorce, I shielded my heart with walls of iron because I couldn't handle trusting someone the way I trusted her and then have them reject me the way she did."
"But damn it Babe, you're making my walls fall over as if they were made of sticks." He looked at me again.
I unfolded my knees and leaned against him. He was trying. It became suddenly apparent that this was fairly new to him.
"I… I…" He started. "Shit. I love you."
I looked at him. He looked at me. He was waiting for the words. Three little words that I had not spoken to another human being since my divorce from Dickie. "Ranger, I can't…" I said.
The emotion in his eyes changed. He closed his eyes for a long second then pulled in for a kiss. It was long and slow and sweet. "I know." He breathed when he pulled back.
I looked him in the eye again, and he met my glaze with one of his own. He dipped his head again, his eyes following mine, almost asking permission. I tipped my head slightly. This time the kiss was faster, harder. His hand traced down my arm, then over my belly then under my shirt. My skin felt like it was on fire.
I stood up, and pulled him off the couch by the collar of his shirt. He followed willingly. We crashed onto my bed. Ranger kicked off his shoes and pushed me under him, ravishing my mouth with his. Then he pulled back. "We can't do this." He said and gave me a once over.
Some point during our travels, I had lost my shirt. He had been working on my jeans, but had only managed to get my button undone. "We shouldn't." I added.
I wanted to. My body ached for him to touch me again. But I couldn't. Ranger up righted himself and smoothed out his shirt. He glanced at the bed. He suddenly looked so exhausted he could fall over at any minute. "I could use some company." I said sweetly.
He nodded. I retrieved my shirt, and he took off his. We both climbed into bed. I rolled onto my stomach, and Ranger laid his hand across my back protectively. He planted a kiss to the part of my neck that was exposed when my hair was pulled to one side. "Night." I mumbled into the pillow.
He said nothing, but I felt his body relax. In moments, the two of us, were asleep.
Not quite what I planned but good enough. I didn't want to break my stride, so I sat at my computer and just started typing. One of these days, I'll have the patience to sit down and write a really long chapter. Maybe on the weekend or something.