As always, not making any money, just playing around.

#####

I woke with a painful erection and reached for Stephanie but of course my hands slid through empty sheets because I was alone in my bed.

I'd dreamt of her again; thankfully I'd kept it dry this time but now I had the unfortunate after math to deal with. My hand was a poor substitute for the real thing but was the only option available at the moment.

I stumbled to the bathroom thinking how this was all Hector's fault. I'd spent the afternoon with him yesterday while he applied my temporary tattoos and he had described the boots Stephanie would be wearing in great detail. When I went to bed last night I was picturing her in those boots and nothing else and now I had to jerk one off in the shower just to be able to start my day.

Thank God today was Friday because I don't think I could take another day of fantasizing. I tried one last time to get Hector to show me his photographs thinking it would be easier to deal with when I saw her in person but he stuck to his guns. I think he might be trying to kill me slowly with erotic dreams. Why else would he have told me all about those fucking boots?

Hector was a sadist.

I turned on the tap in the shower and stepped in when the water reached the scalding temperature that was my preference. I lathered up and then enveloped my cock in my fist, wishing it was her mouth instead. Masturbation was fine, it got the job done, but there was really no comparison to having your dick sheathed within hot tight walls or a warm, wet mouth. Picturing Stephanie on her knees, sucking hard, brought me to the edge sooner than normal and I groaned her name when I came in my hand.

God, I wanted her. I don't remember the last time I wanted a woman this much. I needed to get this shit under control. If Lester, Lester for fucks sake, noticed then it was way worse than I thought. This was not me. I didn't let anyone get under my skin but there she was, consuming my thoughts during the day and invading my dreams at night.

I needed to have her again. That was the only solution here. This wasn't a problem for me, it was what I wanted most but she was a different story. She was back with the cop and was usually good at keeping me at arm's length when she was trying to be committed to him. I'd have to be especially convincing.

I inspected Hector's tattoos in the mirror while I toweled off. He really did excellent work. My arms were covered in full sleeves and he added one to my neck and two to my chest that would show above the black tank I'd have on later. There were various menacing looking skulls and grim reapers and other symbols the Hells Angels crowd would approve of.

A plan of action began to formulate in my brain concerning Stephanie and getting back in her bed while I dressed for the day. It wouldn't be easy, but I loved a good challenge.

I left my apartment with my 'don't fuck with me' face firmly in place. I was determined not to give Lester or Tank or anyone else who thought they knew what was in my head, any additional ammunition that could be used against me later. Besides, my body hadn't fully healed after the last time I got into it with Tank. I could take Lester down with my eyes closed but my giant second in command was a whole different animal.

I took the stairs down to five and checked in with the control room before leaving with Tank. We had a couple of security system malfunctions to check on and three potential new client meetings today. He met me at the elevator and we rode down to the garage in silence. I liked that about Tank. He never felt the need to fill the silence with unnecessary chatter. Unlike Lester who wouldn't shut the fuck up unless you pointed a gun in his face.

Apparently I gave Tank too much credit. When we pulled away from the building, he started talking.

"I heard a rumor you drew your weapon on Santos."

That's it. I'm going to have to kill Lester. Or remove his vocal chords with my bare hands. I shot Tank a look that would peel paint off the side of a house and he had the balls to smirk at me.

Not all discouraged by the murderous thoughts now radiating from my body, he added, "Seems like a bit of an overreaction."

"I don't remember asking for your opinion," I snapped and he shut his mouth but left the smirk firmly in place.

We didn't talk much the rest of the day and I caught him sporting that grin more than a few times when he thought I wasn't looking. If my ribs weren't still tender, I'd be spending some time wiping that smile permanently from his massive mug.

Tank suggested Pino's for a late lunch. I was tempted to blow him off as I was sick of looking at his face but I was getting hungry so I pulled my Cayenne into the parking lot and cut the engine. We ambled inside and Tank secured a booth in the back while I headed for the restroom. On the way there, I overheard a conversation that brightened my foul mood considerably.

Two cops I didn't recognize were talking amiably at the table closest to the bathrooms.

"Apparently she got some tattoos and Morelli lost his shit. Started screaming at her right in the middle of Giovincci's market. She tried to calm him down but he had a full head of steam and wouldn't be deterred. It ended with her giving him the double finger salute and storming out of the store."

A small smile played on my lips and I hovered near by pretending to send a text so I could hear the rest.

"Good for her. Morelli always was a hothead. But I can't believe she got tattoos; her Mother will have a coronary."

"That's the best part…the tats aren't even real!"

Both men laughed heartily at Morelli's stupidity. I was tempted to join them but continued on to take care of business. I've always thought Joe was a good cop, but he was an idiot where Stephanie was concerned and I had every intention of using that to my full advantage.

I think I was probably still smiling a little when I slid into the booth across from Tank because he gave me a curious look. Wisely he didn't comment and even held his tongue when I ate a third piece of the greasy pepperoni pizza he had ordered. I never eat three pieces. I'd have to spend an extra hour in the gym tomorrow, but I was hungry and I felt good, so I indulged.

Tonight was going to be fun.

######

It was just after nine when I pulled into Stephanie's parking lot. After what I heard this afternoon, I knew he wouldn't be here, but I did a double check for Morelli's truck anyway. I don't repeat mistakes.

Satisfied she would be alone, I took the stairs to her apartment, burning off some of those excessive calories I'd consumed for lunch.

I knocked once as a courtesy and then let myself in when I didn't get an answer. She wasn't anywhere in the front rooms so I dropped my leather jacket and the one I'd brought for her on the back of a dining room chair and headed down the hallway to her bedroom.

One thought struck me like a bat over the head when I stopped in the open doorway. Hector was right – I was in serious fucking trouble.

The boots were as described. Soft, buttery black leather atop a four inch heel that hugged every curve of her legs all the way to the tops of her thighs. It made them seem impossibly long and I wanted every inch wrapped around me as tight as a vise.

She had her back to me and was bent over slightly at the waist, digging through the middle drawer of the tall dresser on the far wall of her room. The denim shorts that appeared to be painted on her ass had ridden up her cheeks giving me an unobstructed view of the taught, rounded globes beneath.

I could feel myself straining against the zipper of my jeans. The position she was in made me want to rip those shorts from her body, grab her hips and bury my dick in that soft pink center between the milky white smoothness of her thighs.

I took two silent steps forward, intent on doing just that, when she straighten her spine and closed the drawer she'd been rummaging in. She was wearing some sort of backless halter top that was tied at her waist and her neck exposing all the skin in between.

No bra and no panties. Serious fucking trouble.

She was still unaware of my presence so I moved closer, inspecting the tattoos on her back. I'd never cared for tattoos on women, but on Stephanie they were intriguing and downright sexy. She could make almost anything sexy. There was a phoenix rising out of the ashes on the small of her back and the detail was extraordinary. There was a skull on her shoulder blade that matched the one on my chest and a tiny design just at the nape of her neck that I would have to get closer to see.

She opened the top drawer of the dresser and the movement gave me a glimpse of her side, confirming she wasn't wearing a bra. I could just see the outline of the underside of her breast. The shirt was open on the sides as if begging me to slide my fingers inside. I closed the gap between us and was inches from touching her when she suddenly spun around on a gasp.

"Jesus! You scared the crap out of me!"She stumbled back into the dresser and I reached out a hand and grabbed her by an elbow to keep her from falling.

I released her arm and tilted the corners of my lips. "You should be more aware of your surroundings, Babe."

That got me an eye roll and then those blue orbs dropped from my face and did a slow, appreciative scan of the rest of my body. "Jeez," she murmured. "You look different."

"Good different or bad different?" My voice was low and filled with the lust coursing hot through my veins.

"I don't think it's possible for you to be bad in anyway," she said.

"Oh, I can be bad. I can be very, very bad." Color flushed to her face and her eyes went dark. I leaned in and covered her mouth with mine. Her lips parted without my prompting and our tongues touched. She tasted like butterscotch and I'd bet she'd recently devoured a package of TastyKakes. Sugar was the go to when she was nervous.

I delved into every crevices of her mouth and pulled back a second before I lost all control. Her eyes held a slightly glazed expression and her breath was a little ragged. "This outfit is going to be a problem," I said and watched her brows furrow in confusion.

She glanced down at herself and then back up to me. "What's wrong with it? I thought I looked pretty good."

I reached out, grasped onto her hips and pulled her up against me. "You look fucking amazing in this outfit," I whispered in her ear, "but can you feel what it's done to me?" She nodded her head and I slid my hands around to the small of her back, splaying my fingers across the smooth expanse of her skin and drawing her even closer so her breasts pressed against my chest. I could feel her nipples harden between the thin material of her shirt and mine.

"If you can do this to me, the other men at the bar won't stand a chance. There might be a riot." I let my fingers dip down and slide into the extremely low-cut waistband of her shorts. She inhaled a sharp breath and I dropped them a little lower. "Maybe we should skip the take down tonight," I suggested and waited for the protest I knew she would give me. One beat of my heart and then another and she hadn't responded. "Steph?"

"You're too close," she finally said. "I can't think straight when you're this close to me."

I pulled back slightly so I could see her face. Desire burned bright in her eyes, turning them a dark navy blue. She wanted me. There was no mistaking that look. She wanted me bad. If I didn't let go of her right now, I could have her. It would only take a second to get her naked and on her back in the middle of the bed where I could dive deep inside and drive her to the point of madness. Ten years ago I wouldn't even have thought about it. My twenty year old self would have already had his cock embedded so completely she'd be screaming his name and begging him to never stop.

I released my hold on her hips and stepped back, putting considerable distance between us. I was mildly surprised by my own actions. Was this maturity? Evolution of my personality? I watched her shoulders drop slightly and she exhaled slowly in what could only be interpreted as relief. I discovered in that moment that it was respect. I had too much respect for Stephanie to do what I so very much wanted to do right now. It should be her decision. She needed to be the one to decide she wanted this.

She stood there in her mile high boots and her tantalizingly low riding shorts taking in shallow gasps of air and staring at me like she was weighing the pros and cons of begging off on the job and getting into bed with me. The blue shimmery halter top rose and fell with each breath all I could think of was watching it fall to the floor after I untied it.

"What happened between you and the cop?" I asked suddenly. What? I said it should be her decision, I never said I wouldn't try to lead her down a path.

Her eyes narrowed into a glare. "Why would you bring up Joe right now?"

"Because," I said taking a step back towards her, "you want me. And if you were getting what you need from Morelli, you wouldn't want me like this."

"Every woman in the free world wants you, Ranger. This is hardly surprising."

I closed the gap and moved in front of her, ignoring her attempt to deflect my logic. "If you were getting what you need, you wouldn't have this look on your face."

Her boots made us the same height so she didn't have to tilt her head when she met my eyes. "What look is that?"

"The one that's screaming how much you want me naked and inside you."

She opened her mouth, I thought to say something, but fisted her hand in my shirt instead and pulled me against her. Her tongue thrust into my mouth and her hands were suddenly everywhere at once. Around my back - up and under my shirt - over my hips - across my abs - scraping fingernails over my nipples.

When she cupped my erection through my jeans I almost lost control.

"Babe," I breathed and reached for the snap of her shorts. She moved deftly out of the way of my hand and pushed me away from her with such surprising force I almost stumbled.

"We have a skip to catch," she said, straightening her shoulders and smoothing out the front of her shirt. "When the job is done, we're gonna come back here and we're going to do this. And Ranger?"

I raised an eyebrow because I seemed to have used up my allotment of words.

"It's going to be good."

She spun around and sauntered out of the room and all I could do was watch her perfect ass sway out through the doorway.

Stephanie Plum had just turned the tables on me. Holy fucking shit.