Disclaimers: The characters are not mine, Janet Evanovich owns everything.

Alert: Minor spoilers though book Eighteen.

After stumbling into my bedroom, stripping my cloths, and positioning myself in my thinking position I could not help but wonder what did I just get myself into.

Chapter 2

After tossing and turning for what seemed like forever, pondering why Ranger asked me to go away with him, where we were going, and at some point what I could do to get out of it (by the way I know what you are thinking, why would I want to get out of going away with Ranger...simple answer for you, I do not trust my deprived Hungarian Hormones after being celibate for over six months and we already established why sex with Ranger can not happen) I finally fell into a restless slumber. When my alarm began blaring at 6:30 I really wanted to shoot the offending object, I felt like I had slept all of twenty minutes. I rolled out of my cozy bed and stumbled into the shower.

Thirty eight minutes later, I was showered, shaved, and dressed in my typical black on black RangeMan uniform with hair and makeup complete. I grabbed my purse and threw in my gun and was on my way to the office in hopes to have a few minutes to grab a cup of coffee before my four hour shift began. After climbing in my Civic which I must say is a step above my typical POS cars I blasted Metallica in the hopes of it clarifying some of the thoughts running a marathon in my head or at the very least to drown them out. When I pulled in the garage at the Haywood Street seven story building I was truly tempted to loop around and pull back out. After further inspection I noticed Ranger's Turbo was not parked in its typical spot so I chanced it and parked.

Riding the elevator up to the fifth floor I began to formulate a plan that would hopefully work. Ranger said that he had a lunch meeting with his lawyer, and after being gone for three weeks and his vehicle out of the garage already it was safe to assume he would be tied up all morning hopefully out of the office checking back in with accounts and or dealing with other matters that occurred while he was away. Now all I had to do was make it through my shift leave a note on his desk telling him I was unable to accompany him this weekend and head back home to hide before he could suck me into his force field and my natural instinct of flight would faultier. I stopped my musing when the doors open on the control room floor. After a quick finger wave to Lester and Manny on the monitors I made my way to the break room to grab a Cup of Joe. It looked like Ella baked some delicious muffins and placed them next to the coffee with some fresh seasonal melon but my stomach was in knots so eating would not be an option. With caffeine in hand I made my way towards my cubical after sneaking a quick glance at Rangers office and feeling relieved that it was dark.

When I reached my desk the first thing I noticed was a white paper bag that looked as if it came from the one and only Tasty Pastry. After sitting down and booting my computer up so I could tackle the half dozen files that appeared in my inbox over night I decided to investigate the bag. Once I reached in the first thing my hand touched was a thick piece of paper upon pulling it out I could not help but smile when I notice the familiar script of Ranger:

Babe,

Looking forward to spending the weekend with you.

One of the men will pick up Rex this evening and Ella will take care of him with the help on the guys, not that she needs it. Hal offered to help Lula with any problems she may have with her F.T.A.'s this weekend, so don't worry about her.

I will be out of the office all morning, but will be at your apartment to pick you up at one.

~R

What this man does to me! Without me even voicing my some what fake reasons for getting out of this weekend away he debunked all of my excuses. His ESP is now working when we aren't even in the same room together, this is so not good. After placing the note down I reach back in the bag and with complete shock pull out a Boston Cream doughnut. Batman knows me too well, and all I can think is what am I going to do now. I quickly push that thought out of my mind, stuff the Boston Cream into my mouth (hey I do have my priorities) and got to work on my inbox, there is nothing like a distraction.

Before I even realize it, I was finishing putting the last file which happens to be a background check for a new employee into my outbox and took a quick peek at the clock, CRAP...it's already ten after twelve. After quickly shutting down my computer, packing my bag and saying goodbye to Hal and Cal who have taken over on the monitors, I b-lined it for the elevators to race back home. On the short drive back to my apartment I decided I had no choice but to just go with the flow, allow Ranger to take me away for the weekend, he seems like he has put some thought into this, right? What's the worse that can happen, oh yea I forgot, I will fall even more in love with the man who doesn't want a relationship with me thus leading my heart to crack a little bit more.

I decided to dress in an ice blue sundress with silver strap flat sandals, and leave my hair down; I figured that would work well enough for anywhere we are heading in the middle of the day. I quickly gather some makeup and hair care products, although I am sure Ella has already pack them for me- what can I say I'm a Jersey girl I would rather have twice as much then not enough. I also grab a light weight sweater incase I get chilled with the air conditioner and put them in a small travel bag. While thinking if there is anything else I would need that Ella wouldn't know to pack I remember that I have Ranger's birthday present as he was not here to celebrate on August twelfth and place the wrapped packages and card in the bag. Just as I was zipping the bag closed my locks tumbled, I walk out to greet Ranger and my feet froze to the floor as "Abercrombie Ranger" came into view, can you say YUM?

Ranger is wearing dark washed jeans that looked as if they were designed for his body with a white Polo shirt and a kick ass pair of Nike Cross Trainers. I had to restrain myself from jumping his bones in my hallway. By the smirk that tugged at the corners of his lips I am pretty sure he used his ESP to read my mind. You see I find "Abercrombie Ranger" very cute, but the bad-ass in front is not found of that endearment. Last time I called him cute he mumbled something about his testosterone levels. My mind must have gotten carried away because the next thing I knew Ranger was in front of me.

"Babe" that one word has so many meanings when is passes his lips.

"Hmmm" was my only reply, you see my brain gets a bit frazzled when he is in my personal space.

Ranger ran his finger tips along the strap of my sundress and spoke again "pretty." When I raised my eyes from looking at his fingers on my shoulder to his eyes I could have gotten lost in the soft chocolate pools in front of me.

Taking my hand Ranger asked "you ready to go?" that one comment snapped me out of my stupor and my response came out a bit harsher then I attended.

"Where are we even going?"

"Away Babe" was his reply and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and stick out my tongue.

Before I got the chance to process what was happening I was seated in the passenger seat of Rangers Turbo and we were pulling out of my parking lot. I glanced over at the beautiful man next to me and decided to ask yet again, "Where are we going Ranger?"

Ranger took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance at me; he proceeded to take my left hand off my lap place a kiss to palm before entwining our fingers and placing them on his muscular right thigh. Only after all of this did respond to me. "Babe, please let me get out of Trenton and onto the interstate and then I will answer your questions"

I can never resist when he uses the world please, so I let it drop for the time being and began to stare out the window in front of me. The last thing I remember was us merging onto I-195 East.

Edited 12/28/12