This is an AU story. I hope you find the characters still themselves even if their world is different.

Thanks to Rach who makes this so much more fun and the writing so much better.

Sally

The Good Wife

Chapter 15

Ranger and I celebrated our escape from death several more times and in some very creative ways before my body protested. We were both recovering, tangled up in each other when my stomach made its concerns known. How embarrassing. But it was evening and I hadn't eaten since lunch. Plus I'm sure I burned lots of calories in the mean time. I just hoped I could walk in the morning. Ranger chuckled and placed a kiss on top of my head. "Come on, we better feed the beast."

He dragged me with him out of the bed, grabbed the t-shirt I had been wearing earlier and pulled it over my head. Then he kissed me senseless and gave me a gentle shove towards the bathroom. "Go ahead and clean up, I'll grab us something to eat." I paused briefly to watch his gorgeous ass disappear out the bedroom door and had a small hot flash. Jesus, I had just had sex for hours and I still wanted more. But seeing that ass, who wouldn't? It looked fantastic and the way it felt in my hands…yikes. Down girl.

I made my way to his beautiful bathroom taking care of Mother Nature and checking out the damage in the mirror. My hair was messy, the just fucked look. My eye makeup was nearly gone, worn off in my crying jags. My body ached in the most delicious ways. I blushed remembering why, but it was hard to care because I was glowing with that "I just got laid" vibe.

It was a look I hadn't worn in quite a while. My body screamed I just had sex. God I had a stupid grin on my face. I just slept with a Cuban Sex God. The grin got bigger. I looked like an idiot. I needed to get rid of it. I splashed water on my face. Nope, still grinning. I looked at the satiated woman in the mirror. I searched for any hint of guilt or remorse, any indication that I had just made a huge mistake. To my surprise I could find none. I just committed adultery. Technically yes, that was true. But in reality, I was only married in so far that we lived under the same roof, shared the same name and joint finances. We had almost no relationship. We were coworkers. I didn't even know if I would call us friends. I knew at some point I would have to really spend some time examining my marriage and how I felt about it, but here in Ranger's bathroom hardly seemed like the time and place.

My feelings about Dickie and my marriage examined and dealt with, what about Ranger? How did I feel about him? I knew I was extremely attracted to him, but in the small amount of time we had spent together, pretty much every woman we had come across had been attracted to him. There were a couple of PTA moms in the candy store who nearly walked into the wall because they couldn't take their eyes off him. Was it more than that? I felt myself trusting him and even Val noticed a connection between us. How do I feel about what happened between us? I feel great. The idiot in the mirror with the grin was clearly very pleased. It had been amazing, wonderful, mind blowing even. What did it mean? What did I want it to mean? That was a scary question I didn't know if I wanted to answer. What did it mean to him? That was even scarier. Okay, enough questions. I stopped self analyzing and returned to the bedroom. I blushed looking at the tangle of sheets and pillows on the bed. I straightened the bedding before climbing back in.

Before I could return to overanalyzing things Ranger came in carrying a tray full of food. Luckily the roar of my stomach covered the moan that escaped my lips. He was still naked and still fabulous. I tried to nonchalantly check for drool. I must not have been too stealthy about it because I got a wolf grin from him. He set the tray on the bed and climbed in beside me, sliding under the sheets. "Hungry Babe?" he teased. Gulp. I just nodded.

He had an assortment of meats, cheeses, crackers and fruit along with two bottles of water and truffles, my truffles. I looked up at him wide eyed. "You saved my chocolate?" He just nodded and smiled. I grabbed one and popped the whole thing in my mouth moaning, "Oh my God, you really are my hero. I love you." The words were out of my mouth before my brain even registered them. As I heard them my breath caught and I choked on my mouthful of chocolate. Shit. You just slept with the man and you blurt out that you love him? Nice going Steph. I coughed and my eyes watered. Finally I was able to swallow. Ranger handed me a bottle of water. He was trying really hard not to laugh at me.

"You okay Babe?" I nodded, taking another drink. "Told you that stuff will kill you," he smirked.

"Ass," I muttered under my breath. Silently I was grateful he let my errant comment go. Pulling me to him, he dropped a kiss on my forehead before tucking me into his side. We snacked and talked.

"You ready to talk about today?" He asked me somewhat hesitantly.

I shrugged, "Which part?" It had been a really long day. Was he talking about Frankie, the explosion or the sex? I didn't know if I was ready to talk about Frankie. I knew I didn't want to talk about us sleeping together. Suddenly I remembered something I had wanted to ask him. "Who was here earlier? There was yelling."

He sighed. "Morelli was here. He wasn't too pleased that we had left the scene. I had left Tank to deal with the Trenton PD. I didn't expect the State Police would show." He paused like he was deciding how much to share, "He wanted to see you. He heard from a witness that there was a woman at the scene and she was kidnapped by armed men in black." I couldn't help it, I giggled at the thought of Ranger kidnapping me. My giggle quieted as the idea caused a warm sensation low in my belly and I felt heat rise to my cheeks.

"Who was the other voice?" I knew I heard more than two people earlier.

"Bobby brought him up to the apartment because I didn't want to leave you to go down to five. Bobby assured him that you had been checked out and would receive medical care for any issues that came up. He also explained that you were in shock and in no condition to see him." I needed to remember to thank Bobby the next time I saw him. "Finally I convinced him that we needed to keep your name out of the official report to keep this out of the press. It could make things more dangerous for you and finding this person more difficult. It was my car, so other than a witness, there is nothing to tie you to the explosion." When he started talking about the explosion he started rubbing comforting circles on my arm and drew me a little closer to him.

My voice was a little above a whisper, "It was meant for me." It was somewhere between a question and a statement. It may have been his car, but it was my stalker and my fault.

"Pretty sure. That means they were watching you today, saw you driving." I felt him tense. "I screwed up. There was a break in at one of our accounts and I sent the guys back to cover. I thought I could protect you." He was beating himself up again.

I wriggled out of his hold and turned to face him, getting up on my knees, making sure he was looking me in the eyes as I spoke. "You did protect me. You put yourself between me and a bomb." I had to swallow the emotions that came up, hearing my own words. "I'm okay." I cupped his face in my hands as I gave him a small smile. "Your car on the other hand is toast. I get your amazing, expensive sports car blown to hell and you are trying to take the blame. There is something wrong with you Carlos Manoso."

His eyes darkened as he leaned forward, fusing his mouth to mine. It was quick, but intense. "I like hearing you say my name, Stephanie." The sexy timber of his voice made me quiver. I moved my hands from his face down to his shoulders, enjoying the feeling of him shudder beneath my touch.

"Well, all things considered," I glanced at the bed, and then back to his eyes, "I figured we should be on a first name basis. After all I've had you on top of me, under me and inside me." I licked my lips, "I like saying your name, now I'd like to see if you can make me scream it." Wow where did that come from? I guess after releasing my dormant inner sex goddess after her six year hibernation she might just run wild for a little bit.

"Babe," he groaned. I thought about apologizing, but decided I wasn't really sorry. I grinned at him, I kind of felt like pulling on the tiger's tail. There's nothing like a near death experience to make you feel like living dangerously.

He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me to him, kissing me hard and fast before turning me around and settling me between his legs and wrapping his arms around me. I think it was an attempt to get me to focus. Unfortunately it was kind of hard, considering I could feel his reaction pressing against my back. There was just the bedding and my t-shirt between us. It took all of my restraint not to wiggle back against him. I guess I was supposed to be paying more attention to our conversation. I leaned back into his chest and sighed.

"Do you know anything else about the explosion? I am guessing it was a bomb and not some freakish self-combustion?" I was sure I already knew the answer and even though I didn't want to hear it confirmed, burying my head in the sand wasn't going to get me anywhere. Sometimes real life is just too real. This would be one of those times.

I could feel him nod behind me. "We'll know more in a day or so. It was simple construction. You could find plans for something like it on any number of websites. They messed it up though. It was supposed to be set off when the engine started, not the locks."

Great, a bumbling psycho, I feel so much better now. "So we still think it's an amateur?" Again I felt him nod. "What do you think about the profile that indicated it was a woman?" I had a hard time seeing a woman crawling underneath a car to plant a bomb.

"I think most profilers are idiots," was his response. "Most people get too caught up in the profile and put blinders on. It can be a big mistake, not to mention dangerous." He made a good point. "We need to meet with the Trenton PD and give statements tomorrow. I'm not sure how long we can hold Morelli off either. You're going to have to talk to him soon. He was pretty worked up when he was here today."

I sighed, "It will wait until tomorrow won't it?"

Ranger pulled my hair to one side, exposing my neck. He placed a kiss underneath my ear, "Yeah Babe, it'll wait." His lips on my skin made me shiver and sent a zing straight through me. I couldn't help it; I wiggled, pushing back against him. He groaned and dropped his hands to my hips, stilling my movement. "While I like your idea, we need to cover a few more things before we give into distraction again."

I pouted, "Humph, you're no fun." I crossed my arms over my chest.

Ranger laughed, "Now you sound like my daughter." His what? I spun out of his grasp and turned to face him, putting some space between us.

"You have a daughter? Omigod, I slept with you and I know nothing about you. You have a daughter? Are you married? You're married and I slept with you!" My voice got progressively higher and faster as I continued to ramble, my imagination running wild. Maybe I wasn't as okay with this as I thought. As I tried to back away from him my t shirt rode up and I gave him quite a show. I only stopped when I reached the edge of the bed. I pulled my shirt back down trying to regain some semblance of dignity.

"Babe," Ranger's voice was warm and sexy as he crawled towards me, like a jungle cat stalking his prey. I sat there mesmerized. Before I knew it he had me pinned to the bed and his face was inches from mine. "Yes, I have a daughter. I was married, got divorced a long time ago." He leaned down and gave me a gentle, reassuring kiss. "You're married," his voice was laced with a trace of amusement.

"Oh. I am, sort of." I felt like an idiot. Those feelings were forgotten as Ranger started trailing kisses down my throat and my brain turned to mush. He laughed softly against my skin, giving me goose bumps. "Sorry," I half whispered, half moaned as he tortured me with his mouth. My brain had shut off, but my mouth kept going, "I mean anyway, it isn't like you owe me any explanations. I had a good time, you had a good time. Well, I think you had a good time. Maybe you were just humoring me. Poor Stephanie hasn't gotten laid in forever". I just kept babbling.

He pulled back and looked at me, his eyes were a little sad. "Do you think I would do that?" Well now I just felt like a jerk.

I shook my head, "No. I don't know. With the day I have had I am on emotional overload and I got carried away." I pulled him to me and kissed him, "I'm sorry." I felt the need to explain my reaction. "You have to look at my history. I don't have the best track record with men. The guy I lost my virginity to walked out the door without another word and my husband wasn't satisfied enough that he had to sleep with half of New Jersey. So forgive me if I jump to conclusions. This whole casual sex thing is new to me." I kept rambling. I felt him tense up.

Uh oh, now he looked pissed. His jaw was set, "Casual sex?" he spit out. "Is that what you think? Is that what this is to you?" He retreated to the other end of the bed, positioning himself up against the headboard, his arms crossed. I was left sprawled out on the foot of the bed feeling very exposed, physically and emotionally. I scrambled into a sitting position.

My tone was apologetic, "I don't know what this is. We haven't talked about it. It just sort of happened." Wait, why was he putting this all on me? "This is all new to me. I've been with two men in my life and both of them blew up in my face." I was starting to get angry, "I guess I don't have your experience to know all of the rules."

He raised an eyebrow at me, "So you think, what? That I am some sort of man-whore?" He didn't look angry anymore, he didn't look anything. He was wearing his blank face. Shit.

I started to backpedal, "No, I, um… I mean look at you, women fall all over you. I am sure you can have any woman you want. I mean the waitress, the women at the candy shop, they were all willing." Now I was biting my lip and wearing my insecurities on my sleeve.

He reached forward and grabbed me, dragging me into his lap. He took my face in his hands and looked into my eyes. "Did you see me show any interest in those women?" I shook my head. "So why would you think I would want them? They don't know me or anything about me. All they know is that they like my body. Did you ever stop to think that I want more than that?" I was ashamed. I had jumped to conclusions and made assumptions based solely on how he looked. I couldn't look at him, so I closed my eyes.

I felt his lips on mine, soft and sweet. My eyes flew open. His blank face was gone. "I'm not your husband. I'm not Morelli." I nodded my understanding. "I don't want to hurt you, or use you." He kissed away the couple of tears that had escaped. I slipped my hands up over his shoulders and encircled his neck with my arms, pulling him to me for another kiss. He brushed his lips lightly across mine. I wanted more. I pressed my lips to his, tracing them with my tongue. He parted them, allowing me entrance. His tongue met mine, brushing against it and twirling around it. His lips left mine and traveled down my neck, placing opened mouth kisses, leaving a damp trail. His hands grabbed them hem of my shirt and pulled it up over my head allowing his mouth to travel down to my breast where he placed gentle kisses along the swell before using his tongue to trace around my nipple.

I let out a whimper and fisted my hands in his hair, holding him to me, arching my back to offer him more of me. He slipped one hand to the back of my neck and the other low on my back as he laid me back on the bed. But he didn't follow me down. He simply let his eyes roam every inch of my body in appreciation. I was suddenly feeling very exposed and embarrassed. I moved to cover myself, but he grabbed my hands. "Let me look at you. You are so beautiful." His voice was rich and soft. I melted a little, but still managed to blush.

Ranger moved to lie down beside me, propping himself up on his elbow, turning me to face him. "I know you don't see what I see, what others see. I told you the first night I met you. You are a beautiful, sexy and intelligent woman." His hand trailed down my side and over my hip. It was hard for me to believe, but he was so sincere. I guess my self image took more of a hit with Dickie's infidelity than I thought. Using his ESP to read my thoughts Ranger asked, "He hurt you didn't he?"

I swallowed hard, "So much." I brought my hand up to his shoulder, "I know you wouldn't lie to me. But you have to understand why it is hard for me to believe." His eyes begged me to continue. "I know he has a problem, an addiction. I know it isn't about me. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt or that I don't wonder why I wasn't enough for him or feel like something's wrong with me." I don't know what it was about Ranger that made me want to tell him things, my secrets, things I was too ashamed to even tell my therapist.

"You trust me?" His voice was soft. I nodded. "Let me show you what I see. Let me help you to believe." He didn't wait for an answer. His lips took ownership of mine, capturing them in a passionate kiss. He pushed me gently onto my back, covering my body with his. I reveled in the feeling of his skin on mine, the weight of his body pressing me into the bed. His hands found my breasts, his caresses gentle at first, pressure gradually increasing in tandem with the heat of our kiss. I whimpered at the loss as his mouth released mine, moving to my neck and down to capture my nipple in his warm mouth. He tortured my breast with his lips, tongue and teeth until I was writhing and moaning beneath him.

His lips and hands trailed down my belly and over my hips, igniting every bit of skin along the way. He settled his shoulders between my legs, his eyes locked on mine. The heat in his eyes made me shiver. "You make it impossible for a man to not want you. Want to touch every part of you, make you dance on their fingers and tongue, make you come screaming their name while buried deep inside you." I shuddered and closed my eyes with the wave of heat that his words sent through me as I felt a rush of wetness between my legs. I opened my eyes, desperate for Ranger to continue his delicious torture. He smiled at me, as he hovered above the place I needed him most. "I'm just lucky I'm the son of a bitch who gets to do it."

His mouth descended on me and all conscious thought ceased. I gave myself over to the feeling of his mouth and fingers on me, in me, tasting and touching. When my first climax hit me I shrieked, caught off guard by its intensity. As his tongue lapped at the wetness he created, I felt rather than heard the self satisfied chuckle he let out, sending vibrations through my body that set off another powerful release. Before he was finished he had me begging; both orgasms had just intensified the ache to have him inside me. "Please, Ranger please," my voice was a hoarse whisper.

He crawled back up my body, claiming my mouth once again. The way he kissed me it felt as if he owned me. I moaned, tasting myself on his lips and tongue. I felt him teasing me, rocking his hips, sliding his cock up and down my slit. "Do you feel what you do to me? How hard you make me, the way my body aches for you?" His words made me feel powerful and sexy. While I liked what his words were doing to me, I knew I would love what his body could do to me.

"You are awful chatty tonight. I suggest you put up or shut up. I need you to fuck me now. Do you think you can do that for me?" I didn't recognize my own voice, it was husky and hoarse.

He growled, "Yeah Babe, I think I can do that." The next thing I knew he had me flipped over and on my hands and knees. He draped himself across my back, pulling my hair aside so he could kiss and nip at my neck. He traced the shell of my ear with his tongue before sucking the lobe into his mouth. "Better hang on, it's gonna be a wild ride." I braced myself on the headboard as I felt him settle between my legs. He grasped my hips in his hands as he plunged inside me, burying himself in one thrust. I cried out at the welcome invasion. He pulled nearly all the way out before slamming back into me. The pace he set was furious, we were both panting, teetering on the edge. My grip faltered and my hands slipped to the bottom of the headboard and I landed face first in the pillow. My new position changed the angle and he thrust deeper. He groaned and his grip on my hips tightened as his thrusts came faster. As we both came I barely registered him growling "Jesus Christ Stephanie." I was fully consumed by the pretty stars that exploded behind my eyes as I screamed, "Omigod, Carlos, yes, yes, yes."

Ranger sank down to his side pulling me with him, still buried inside of me. Our hearts were beating wildly, our breathing ragged. He regained the ability to speak first, "You believe me now Babe? You make me crazy, make me lose control." My god his voice was sexy.

"Uh, yeah," I panted, still trying to catch my breath. "There was nothing casual about that."