Not mine, but a girl can dream.

Warning: language and sexual innuendo and hopefully some smut

Better Man Ch. 3

Sally

From Lean Mean 13 p 137 (paperback)

Three traffic lights later, Ranger cut off Hamilton and parked in my lot. He looked up at my dark apartment windows, shut the Cayenne off, and turned to face me. "Tell me about your kitchen discussion with Joyce."

"She realized you would be helping me find Dickie and decided it was smarter to follow me around than to go off on her own. So she's my new best friend. I told her I didn't think it was likely you'd turn Dickie over to her, and she said she had a way with men. She said men were basically scrotum and ego, and they were happy when they got stroked."

Ranger reached across the console and traced a line down the side of my face. His fingertip was warm and his touch was gentle. "I'd like to think I was more than just scrotum and ego, but she was right about the stroking."

"But what about Joyce?" I asked?

His hand stilled, "What about her?"

"If she was doing the stroking – w...w...would you like that?" I whispered as I pulled my eyes away from his, too embarrassed of my insecurity to look at him while it surfaced.

"Seriously?" he asked. "Why would you think I would want anything to do with Joyce?" he pulled on my chin, bringing my eyes back to meet his chocolate brown ones.

"Well, you know…Joyce and Dickie and ummm…you know, my dining room table." I squeaked out, dropping my eyes from his once again.

"Look at me Babe." He paused, when I didn't move, he tried again, "Babe, look at me." He slid his hands up to cup my face and bring my eyes back to his as he brushed a gentle kiss across my lips before he spoke. "Babe, she did you a favor. Dickie was an ass." He kissed me again. "You deserve better."

Is Morelli better? I wondered.

Ranger stiffened. Shit, must have said that out loud.

"Than Dickie? Yes." His eyes flickered a moment and something passed over them. Anger? Regret? Then an almost smile turned up at the edges of his lips, threatening to become a smug smirk as he leaned forward a kissed me, briefly, but with passion and he whispered, "Than me? Not hardly." He captured my lips in a bruising kiss that had me thinking…Dickie who?

"And as for Joyce, I wouldn't fuck her with Vinnie's dick." Now there's a mental picture I could do without. With all of the rumors about Vinnie's sex life I had enough visuals; I didn't need to add Ranger to the mix. I shuddered as I tried to erase the image of Joyce, Ranger, Vinnie and a duck from my mind.

"I'm sorry. I had no right to ask you about Joyce. I mean it isn't like we're…you know. And Joe and I…" great, now I was making an ass of myself again.

He looked at me with his almost smile, "Are you jealous?"

"What, me jealous? No, I mean why would I be? It isn't like we, you know are whatever." Now I was not only embarrassing myself again, but I was blushing too. I mean what right did I have? Technically I was with Joe. Good god, not only was I a slut but I was a hypocrite too! I mean Ranger's a guy. Guys have needs and as that bitch Joyce pointed out, I wasn't in a position to take care of them. So how could I be jealous? Because I was dammit! I have had a Ranger induced orgasm – several in fact. It wasn't just that like in his military career he was the best of the best, it was the connection, the reverence he paid me and my body. He had loved my body that night. The thought of him and Joyce – the bitch from hell, just sent me over the edge.

He sighed. "I know you have a thing about Joyce. I get it. Is this about her or is this about me?" I wasn't sure if he was amused or annoyed.

Crap. Crappity, Crap, Crap. Well, I guess since I had already made an ass of myself, why not go whole hog? "I know it isn't fair and I have no right, but yeah, I guess I am jealous when I think of you with another woman. I mean I know women throw themselves at you and you have umm…needs. It isn't like I think you are a monk or anything, but I just prefer to not think about it – you know I like to live in denial land. As long as I don't think about it, I can pretend it isn't happening." I hurried and got it all out there before I lost my nerve again.

"And what about Morelli?" he asked, now sounding more irritated than amused.

"What about him?"

"Don't you think it is a little hypocritical of you to be jealous simply at the suggestion of me with another woman when you are with Morelli?" He ground out as his fists clenched and his jaw tensed. Whoa, back the truck up! Was Batman jealous? Or was he just annoyed that I was acting like a spoiled child who needed to have all of the toys to myself even if I could only play with them one at a time? Wait, that would make Joe and Ranger the toys. I guess you can only play with one toy – or alpha male at a time. Or could you? Hmm…what if Joe and Ranger and I were all playing together. Holy Hotflash! Best not to let my mind wander down that path right now, but I guess I wanted to have my cake and eat it too.

"Not going to happen Babe. I don't share. Nor do I play well with others. What is mine is mine." His eyes were intense as they bore into me.

Damn, out loud again. "What? What do you call what you are doing now? What do you call it, poaching? How is that not sharing?" I mean it wasn't like I was advocating group sex, god knows I can barely say it; pretty sure it would never happen. The Catholic school girl in me was sure I was one step away from being struck down for just thinking about it. But his whole sharing crack was pissing me off and confusing me at the same time.

"You aren't mine." He responded flatly.

"I'm not anybody's!" I shouted.

"Maybe that's the problem." His voice was steady, but quiet, which is never a good sign. "You keep Morelli's bed warm, because it is comfortable, easy and low risk. He doesn't threaten your independence because you aren't invested enough to get hurt." My jaw dropped as my temper rose, waiting for him to finish.

"You're a lousy sonofabitch you know!" I spat out at him. "You are the one who fucked me and sent me back to him. I was just being a good little girl, following your orders." Tears burned behind my eyes, threatening to fall.

He snorted. Batman snorted? Next thing I know he is going to start rolling his eyes. "Yeah I did, of all the times for you to actually do what I told you." He sounded disgusted.

"That's right!" I yelled, my Italian temper making an appearance. "You told me! Where the hell do you get off telling me to do anything! If you hadn't noticed, I am not very good at following orders!" My shrieking was silenced when his lips came crashing onto mine, angry and needy. I returned his kiss, taking his lower lip into my mouth and biting it a little harder than I intended.

He pulled back and whispered fiercely, "I didn't think that you would listen. Do you think it is easy for me to see you with him? To know you are in his bed? That his hands are touching you; knowing that he is the one buried inside of you?" There was another angry kiss and his grip on me tightened before he hissed out, "I know he doesn't make you feel the way I do. I heard you. You wish it was me. My hands and lips on you, my tongue making you come. My cock buried inside of you. My name you are screaming. Mine." He growled and claimed my lips again, the fury of his words unleashed upon my mouth. God help me, it turned me on. His caveman act made my panties wet even if it set my brain afire. Damn panties. Then it dawned on me. Batman was jealous. Well fuck me.

"Why?" I asked him, breathless from the bruising kisses and shocking admissions.

His grip on me lessened slightly as he leveled his eyes to meet mine. "Why what? Why do I want you? Christ Steph." He sounded exasperated.

"No, well, yes, but why did you tell me to go back to him?"

"Because I didn't think you would go." He paused. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "But I needed you to decide; to choose me; to want me. Not because of some stupid debt or because you thought you owed me. I needed you to get over being afraid."

Now he was analyzing me? And using reverse psychology? What the fuck? "And just what am I afraid of Dr. Phil?" I could feel the rhino surfacing again. I was tired and I still hadn't had any cake tonight – pineapple or otherwise.

He cupped my face with both hands and looked into my eyes, making sure he had my full attention. "Living your life, on your own terms, of not caring what other people think, taking a risk and really learning to fly. I know you can do it, but you don't seem so sure." He sounded almost disappointed.

Just then Tank pulled up and flashed his lights, essentially ending our discussion. It was fine by me. I didn't know how much more I could take right now. Between the no cake thing and Ranger's emotional outburst, I was done for. Ranger walked me to my apartment, did the whole check for psychos routine and gave me a quick but gentle kiss, he rested his forehead against mine briefly and then he was gone.

I quickly did the bedtime routine and flopped down on my bed in my thinking position, wondering how I got here. I was stuck between two evils; wanting a man who was it for me – a three tiered cake with whip cream and sprinkles; but not sure I could handle all cake, all the time. And then there was option number two; settling for a man who met my needs just like my favorite snack cake – cheap, easy to come by, just sweet enough to take the edge off of my craving – for cake. And what was I going to do about it? I thought to myself, constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil. Great, now I was evil too and definitely going to hell in a hand basket. Guess I might as well enjoy the ride.

1705 words minus title, warning, excerpt, yada, yada, yada.