Thanks so much for all the reviews to the last chapter! Still don't own them, make no profit, rating for language….

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Steph collapsed into bed. Livy was still crying. It had been three straight weeks. The vacuum was the only thing that worked, and Steph was going to go deaf from listening to it. Poor Ella had had to go buy another one so that she could still clean the building.

She flipped over on her back and tried to get comfortable. Ranger was rocking the baby, and Steph had every intention of using this precious time to sleep. But sleep wouldn't come. Without even meaning to, she rolled onto her right side and looked at his side of the bed. Her hand slid out over the smooth sheets and rested on his pillow.

They had been sharing a bed for a month now, but it was big enough that they could keep to their own sides. And with the baby, it wasn't often that they were both in bed at the same time. Still.

The fights between them, while unresolved, had been banked - set aside while they were sharing a small space. The tension, however, was ever present. It was there in the way she'd catch him looking at her before he masked his expression. In the way his hand would brush across her breast as he handed her the baby to be nursed. In her anger that still simmered just below the surface.

And god she wanted him. The feel of his lips on hers at his mother's house haunted her. It was becoming harder and harder to hang onto her resolve. But she had to. A few more weeks, and she had Livy would go home. Alone. As much as she wanted to trust him, it wasn't a mistake she'd make again.

"She's asleep," Ranger said, coming into the room.

She snatched her hand back from where it was still on his pillow. If he noticed, he didn't say anything. He stepped into the dressing room and reappeared a second later wearing only a pair of low-slung boxers.

"I figure we've got an hour," he said as he crawled into bed beside her.

She scooted back, away from him. She closed her eyes, but sleep was even more evasive now than it had been. The soft expelling of his breath grated against her nerves like sandpaper. The faint shifting of his fingers on the sheets reverberated in the silent room like a gunshot.

Of their own volition, her legs shifted, trying to give vent to the restlessness growing in her. She had the ridiculous urge to jump out of bed and run from the room. Or maybe just from him. His hand slid across the mattress and grabbed hers. Her whole body flinched in a startled response.

"Go to sleep," he said.

"I'm trying!" She knew she was being peevish, but was too annoyed to care. "Did you send those papers to your lawyer yet?"

He let go of her hand. "Not yet."

"Well, hurry it up."

"Are you trying to pick a fight?"

Yes. "No. I'm trying to sleep, and you're distracting me."

His gaze sharpened on her and grew dark. Before she knew what was happening, he had pulled her into his arms, tight against his body. His knee was tucked between her legs, instantly creating friction against her. She gasped.

"What kind of distraction?" he said, his low, low voice sending shock waves through her body.

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think, either. Not with his body pressed this tight, not with his hand sliding down her back, then along her hip. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the sensations, but that only heightened them. His hand closed around her hip and squeezed, his fingers digging into her flesh and shooting sparks of desire through her.

He was still staring at her, his heated gaze boring into her. "This kind of a distraction?" he said.

Her mind was too muddled to decipher his cryptic warming before his mouth lowered, his lips brushing against hers. For an instant, she lost herself in the tender gesture, just as she had done last time. But only for an instant. She tried to pull away, but his arms were bands of steel around her, giving her no chance for retreat. His mouth descended again, this time demanding more than a simple brushing of lips. The contact was harsh, his tongue forcing its way between her sealed lips, into her mouth.

She tried to move her head away, to escape the possession of his tongue, but more to escape the heat that she could feel growing. Her heart was pounding, and she was quickly loosing all reason or any ability to flee. Her instinct was to rub against him, to press her body so closely to his that they joined. She almost did. His mouth slid along her jaw and without meaning to, she arched her back and tilted her head, granting him access.

But then everything came rushing back to her - this myth of a marriage that he had forced her into, the spiteful anger that had been pouring from him for months, the fact that he didn't love her. And most of all, the knowledge that she was a millimeter away from handing herself over to him, body and soul. That would be fatal.

She shoved at his shoulders and wiggled her legs free. Her knee had a clear shot to his crotch, but an inch before it slammed against him, he caught her knee with his hand.

He wrenched his mouth away from her body. "That would be a bad idea." His voice was cold and low.

"Then keep your hands to yourself." She jumped out of bed and grabbed a sweatshirt to yank over her head. "You seem to be having a problem understanding consent recently. Well guess what? This is me not consenting!"

He stood and walked toward her. His eyes were flashing, and there was a muscle twitching in his jaw. He loomed over her, stopping only when his face was an inch from hers. "Who are you angry with, Stephanie? Me?" He slid his hands down her stomach, on the outside of her sweat pants, until he cupped her. From one kiss, she was hot and wet and throbbing. "Or you?"

Livy started crying from the other room. Without responding, she turned and rushed from the room, away from him. She gasped for air as she grabbed Livy from the bassinet by the rocking chair and cuddled her close. "You have the most wretched man on earth for a father, Livy."

She heard his low chuckle from the bedroom doorway, and without looking back, flipped him off over her shoulder.

…

He turned and went back to bed, leaving Steph to nurse Livy. He hadn't even meant to kiss her. The baby was only a month old, it wasn't like she could have sex. He had come up with a plan when it came to Stephanie: be there for her and the baby, help her. Basically ingrain himself in her life until she forgot they were supposed to be filing for divorce. And give her enough space that she forgave him.

The plan was full of holes, and he couldn't tell if it was working. One minute she seemed to be softening, and the next she was biting his head off. Now and then he'd catch her looking at him, her eyes so full of disappointment he could barely stand it.

But he had no intention of letting her walk away, letting her divorce him. It was as simple as that. It was probably cruel, but that's just the way it was. Another sign that he was weak where she was concerned - he'd been able to walk away from every woman he'd ever met, and had been sure he could have walked away from her if necessary. Now he knew that wasn't possible. He wanted her - needed her- more than he should.

It wasn't only Steph's resolve that was slipping.

He forced himself to go to sleep. He hadn't had more than two hours of sleep at a time since Steph and Livy moved in - neither had they - but he was used to it. He could command his body to go to sleep at any time, and wake up fully rested, even if it had only been an hour or two.

He woke when Steph came to bed, but only long enough to ascertain that there was no threat before instantly falling back asleep. Three hours later, Livy cried, waking him again. He glanced at the clock, surprised, as he picked her up to take her to Steph. She was sleeping longer at night, thank god.

He got Steph awake enough to nurse, and then walked a fussy baby around the living room. She would calm in his arms, but each time he tried to lay her down, the squalling would start again. He had meetings lined up tomorrow. He could go without sleep if necessary, but would rather not. So finally he just went back to bed and took Livy with him.

…

Steph woke three hours later, her breasts aching. But Livy wasn't crying yet. While trying to find a comfortable position to steal a few more moments of sleep, a slight movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She propped herself up on her elbows so she could see better.

Ranger was sound asleep, lying flat on his back. Livy was curled up on his chest, her little butt poking up into the air and wiggling back and forth.

Steph felt a slow smile spreading over her face as she stared at them. It had to be one of the most adorable sites she had ever seen. She lay back down on her side so she could continue watching them. The room was dark, but there was enough moonlight streaming in through the open drapes to allow her to see.

She wanted to be angry with him - her life would be so much less complicated if she could stay angry with him. But invariably, each time he pissed her off, she had no ability to sustain it. He went and did something like this where he proved how good of a dad he was being, how good their lives could be together.

But that was the crux of it. Their lives could have been good together. But he hadn't wanted that - he'd walked away. Now he was back, but why? Just to impress Julie like he'd said? And for how long?

In the month they had been living together, there had been flashes of the tenderness that she had so desperately needed from him months ago. But that was all. There was no love or affection. There was lust, but there had always been that. He was giving her his time, his presence. His body if she wanted it. But not his heart.

If he didn't love her, not really, how the hell could she trust him to stick it out?

Before, the lust simmering between them had always been a bit thrilling, a little exciting. Now, it was deadly. The passion, without any real love, or trust, between them, was strong enough to swallow them both whole. Their relationship would destroy her - if not through the passion that she would eventually succumb to, then certainly through the control he was ruthlessly exerting over every aspect of her life.

She was terrified she was going to give in to him. Regardless of how much she loved him, she had to have that divorce.

…

The next week passed with more tension than the one before it had. He started spending more time in the apartment with her and Livy, rather than disappearing to his office. Even if Joe were in the apartment, he'd stick around. Somehow, they were getting along. Maybe between them, the lines had been drawn and decided.

The restlessness that had sprung up within her from his torturous kiss the week before continued to plague her. It grew, until she thought she would lose her mind if she had to be stuck in the apartment with him another day.

Finally, she confronted him. "You're lawyer never sent me the revised divorce papers."

"That's because I didn't give them to him."

She turned to him and glared. He was sitting in the rocking chair with Livy, who for once, was blessedly quiet. She had been sprawled on the couch, but now she sat up to face him. "It's been over a month, Ranger! We need to get the child support figured out so that we can get on with the rest of it."

He didn't reply.

"Well, are you going to give him the papers?"

"No."

Her feet came off the coffee table with a thud. "What the fuck? Why not?"

He shrugged, like the whole thing was unimportant. "Because I'm not giving you a divorce."

…