So I'm back! I know, I know, I should've gotten this out sooner, but no chapter is better than a bad chapter, right? And if there's anybody still reading, please enjoy. I'm in this till the end.

Not mine.

Warning: slight smut. Read or skip, it makes no difference to me, just review!

"I'm so glad we could do this." I said, smiling over the table.

"Me too. It's been a while." Mark smiled back as he took the seat across from me. I couldn't believe that it had been almost three months since our one date. Carlos was busy with a take down and the girls had dates. I was feeling guilty about lying to my mother, so I called up Mark. It was the perfect time to play catch up with a great new friend.

"Carlos is okay with this, right? I don't want him to think I'm infringing on his turf." He asked the minute the waitress left with our drink orders.

I snorted. "Even if he wasn't, I'd tell him to get a grip. He doesn't own me."

"Still…" Mark actually looked worried. My man had a funny way of making everyone around him nervous. Except me.

I patted his hand. "Don't worry, my boyfriend won't stomp into the restaurant and beat you up."

Mark actually looked relieved. I giggled this time and picked up my menu. What Mark didn't know was that I made sure he didn't. There wasn't any grass growing in my head. The Burg gossip spread like wildfire and the minute I stepped into Pino's with Mark, the tongues would be wagging. In fact, I saw a few phones out before I sat down. I wanted to make sure that Carlos knew that I wasn't cheating. I smiled at the memory of the call.

"I have a date tonight." I said as a hello.

"With who?"

"Mark." I hopped on one foot to put my stiletto on.

Carlos paused. "And you're telling me… Why?"

I stopped fighting gravity for a minute and sat my shoe down on the bed. "Because we're going to Pino's. People in this town love to talk. I just wanted to make sure that you know I'm not cheating and go all he-man on him."

"Babe." I could hear him smiling. "I wouldn't go 'he-man' on him. If I wanted him gone, he would be."

I shivered at the thought. "So you don't care?"

"I'm not your husband, father or master. You can do whatever you want with him, as long as your panties stay on."

"Are you going to check me when I come home?" I asked huskily.

He was smiling again. "Don't tempt me." And he hung up.

So of course, I pulled the tiger's tail. Blushing, I lifted up my skirt and took a picture. Just for reference.

Babe!

"You're blushing. Why?" Mark asked, bringing me out of the memory.

"Just thinking."

"Must be something good." He grinned at me and I bit my lip. Thankfully, he took it as a sign to move on. "Did he tell you we had lunch?"

That worked perfectly. "What? When?" I practically screeched.

"About three days before you guys started dating."

"How did you know the date?"

"I follow Lula on Twitter."

I rolled my eyes. Go figure. Mark continued to look at his menu and I got anxious. "Well? What did you talk about?" I blurted out.

"You mostly. We compared notes on your dating techniques. I told him what to avoid about you, what made you giggle and how to nail you."

"What?" I asked, aghast.

He laughed now. "I'm just kidding. Mostly he wanted to make sure I wasn't a serial killer or a stalker."

"You're neither, right? You don't have creepy photos or anything?"

"None that I'll ever show you."

I punched him. "Jerk."

The rest of the dinner went similar to that. We took turns teasing each other, telling stories and laughing our asses off. The tongues were definitely wagging tonight.

I sighed and rolled my eyes at my phone.

"How many was that? Three?" He asked.

I stabbed the piece of cheesecake in front of me pretty forcefully. "Four. I'm sure my mother is booking the hall as we speak."

"Hasn't she met Ranger yet?"

I shook my head. The longer I wait the better chance he loves me enough to stay. "It's better this way."

"I'll say." He muttered mockingly.

"Hey!"

He just chuckled.

"Hi, ma." I said three hours later.

"You couldn't tell me you were seeing a man tonight?"

I rolled my eyes. Helen Plum grew up in a time where pleasantries were the norm and no one said anything bad to your face. She mostly kept to those rules even when her daughters get into very public shouting matches. The moment she finds out her daughter has a prospective man for marriage; decorum goes completely out the window. "I'm great, ma. How are you?"

"Don't take that sassy tone with me. I want to know about your date." She sounded excited at the prospect of a son-in-law.

"It was nice seeing an old friend."

"Old friend? Stephanie you didn't. You're not getting any younger, you know."

As if I didn't know. She reminds me every time I see her. "Mark's my friend, not my boyfriend."

"And who is your boyfriend? You've got someone. A mother can tell."

I put my key in the door and turned. Great, her freaky supernatural daughter sense was in hyper drive tonight.

The door opened before I could get my hand on the handle.

"Eep!" I screamed.

Carlos grinned at me.

"Ma? I'll call you back."

"Sure. Fine. It's not like I don't have anything else to do."

"Great." I hung up. "What are you doing here?"

He kissed me hello. "Making sure your panties are still on." He growled. Carlos gently pushed me back into the door. I gasped when he dropped to his knees.

"Carlos." I moaned when he stuck his head under my skirt. I grabbed his shoulders to stay upright.

"Everything's in the right place." He said, giving the front of my panties a light kiss.

I shivered.

Carlos got up and grinned. He kissed me again.

"He-man."

He shook his head. "Your man."

I rolled my eyes. "Pig is more like it."

"Are you just going to insult me all night or can we make love now."

I bit my lip. "Can I insult you while we make love?"

Carlos shook his head. "It's one or the other."

I took a minute to think about it. "Fine," I sighed. "I'll keep making fun of you."

Carlos looked shocked for a second, then grinned. "Smartass." He said, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.

"But you love my ass."

He smacked it and I screeched. "And don't doubt it."

We disrobed quickly and dropped onto the bed. I scooted up to my pillows and Carlos quickly followed, stalking me like a panther.

It was dead sexy.

"Still want to make fun of me?" He asked, nibbling on my neck.

"Yep." I said.

He moved onto my earlobe. "And now?"

"Uh huh."

Carlos used his knee to spread my legs and settle in between my thighs. "Now?" He whispered.

"Gak."

He grinned into my neck as he slipped inside me. "That's what I thought."

We moved in rhythm. Our rhythm. Slowly at first to let the tension grow until it became primal. Carlos's grip on my hips tightened and I grabbed onto the muscles in his back. We were close.

"Ready to fly, Babe?"

"Mm, more than ready."

His finger flicked my clit and I was gone. My back bowed and I let a low moan out of my throat. Carlos fit his head into my neck and a few thrusts later, he barked out his orgasm. Before his muscles gave out, he rolled onto his back, bringing me with him and keeping us joined.

"Mmm," I moaned, kissing his chest. "This was unexpected."

Carlos snorted. "You send me a picture of your panties and you don't expect me to rush over here?" He gave me a kiss. "Like I could resist a text like that." Carlos made his way over to my ear. "But please, keep sending those kinds of pictures."

"Dirty man."

Carlos chuckled and I shivered, clenching my walls around him. He abruptly stopped and groaned. Carlos rolled me onto my back again.

"Ready for round two?"

"More than ready."

"Hey girl." Lula said the next morning. "How was date night?"

"Fine. Mark's good."

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Tank said that Ranger got a text from you, growled and almost snapped the arm rest of the chair."

I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

"Ooh, you guys were sexting last night? Me and Tank do that all the time. It's great foreplay."

Once again, Lula shared too much.

"So what was it?"

"None of your business."

"You're no fun." She pouted.

"Get back to work."

When she realized that I wasn't going to give anything away, she mock saluted me. "Yes, ma'am."

As usual, I spent half of my time doing paperwork and intended to spend the rest of the time on the floor. I liked to make time to take care of customers to remind me why I do what I do. Most of the time it goes smoothly, but every once in a while…

Shit hits the fan.

"Can I help you?" I asked a woman. She was wearing tight jeans and a tight leather strapless shirt. Her blonde hair was pulled back, making her face looked pinched.

"Yes. I'm looking for something to surprise a friend. I just got back into town and I really want to surprise him."

"Oh, so he's a special friend?"

She grinned. "More or less."

"Well, what did you have in mind?"

I spent thirty minutes with her, picking out unique pieces that would make her and her partner very happy.

"I think he'll be very pleased." I said to her at the register.

"Me too. You know, I don't know your name."

"I'm Stephanie. Stephanie Plum."

A gleam entered her eye. "Jeanne Ellen. We have a mutual friend."

"Oh yeah? Who?"

"Ranger Manoso."

My head perked up. "Oh?"

"Yes. It'll be nice to catch up."

I handed her the change. "Thanks for shopping. Come again."

"Oh. I think I will."

"Bitch!" Lula said when I told her the whole story. "She's a man stealing hobag."

"She's not a man stealing hobag." It was true. She could try to steal my man, but I had faith that he would laugh in her face. I enjoyed the fact that she thought I would whimper and cry at the fact that she implied she was buying lingerie for my boyfriend. In fact, I was ready to laugh in her face.

Lula snorted. "I think that's what she's planning to do."

"Sure. But I trust my man. She won't get anywhere."

"Yeah, but I saw what she picked out. It's pretty sexy…"

I grinned. I knew that. Carlos enjoyed that particular outfit last week when I surprised him with it after we had dinner at Marsillos.

He enjoyed it right up till the moment he ripped it from my body and fucked me senseless.

"Shit, girl. I don't like that face. You're not going to kill Ranger, are you?"

"Nope. I was just remembering the last time he saw that outfit."

Lula chuckled. "He liked it on you, right?"

"Mmhmm…"

"And if he sees it…"

"He'll see me."

"He'll remember how good you are and if he still cheats… well that just makes him an ass. You should cut her off before she gets her claws into him and beat her senseless. I'll help."

"I've got a better idea." I said, picking up my phone. "Hey, Baby." I cooed into the phone.

"Stephanie." I could hear the amusement in his voice.

"I had an interesting customer today."

"Yeah? Who?"

"Jeanne Ellen."

There was a pause. "She let it spill that we have a past."

"Got it in one. Give the man a prize."

"Babe. That's all it is. The past."

"Oh I know that. If you can trust me with past dates, I can trust you with yours. Besides, she called you Ranger. I know what that means." He chuckled and I twirled my hair. "Remember that outfit I wore last week?"

The chuckling stopped. "Remember? How could I forget? I still have the panties I ripped from your hot, little body." He growled.

"She bought that outfit today."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm. I thought I should give you the heads up. In case she wants to give you a peek at what you're missing."

"Good to know about that. Unfortunately, you're a little late. We're having lunch tomorrow. I was just about to call you about that. And she's got nothing on you, Babe."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. Are you going to go all 'she-woman' on me about lunch?"

I giggled. "No. I trust you."

"Do you want me to send you a picture of my underwear."

I moaned and thought about Carlos only in his underwear. "Wait," I said, shaking my head free of the thought. "You don't wear underwear."

"I know." And he hung up.

Be still my heart.