Sorry again for not updating for ages. I could go on and make excuses but in all honesty I had no motivation for anything. I'm sorry.

Thank you for the reviews and kind words! It means the world to me.

Not mine, not making money

In italics: from Hard eight by Janet Evanovich

Running is a weird thing. I have avoid3ed running my whole life with various results. I do it because I have to, not because I like to do it. I mean who in their right mind like to run for no reason at all (if you don't count fitting into your jeans.) The only time I run voluntarily is when I'm catching FTA's and that is because if I don't, I won't have a home anymore. The second time is when I run with Ranger. I make a big deal about having to run with him but actually I enjoy that. With him even the thing I hate the most is enjoyable. And maybe because I get to look at him when he's running has a slight importance. When he runs he looks free, handsome and like he could run forever. Not like me, sweating, panting and swearing when I get the stabbing feeling in my sides. He looks like God made him to run, me to eat doughnuts.

But here I am in the dense forest running like a dear. Gracefully I jump over the fallen trees and the roots sticking out of the soil. Connie is running beside's me, clearly not as gracefully as I am. In her defense, she is hurt. Her ankle is twisted and her knee is bleeding badly from a previous fall.

My hair whips around as we continue to put distance between us and the cabin of death. Every time I close my eyes I can see Morelli's dead eyes stare at me from beyond the grave. they looked like they blamed me for what happened and I did too. I mean if I hadn't been there he might be still alive. This whole mess was totally my fault.

In the panic of getting out alive I had been able to grab matches and Joe's old jacket. I figured these would be good to have if and when we had to stay over night in the forest.

We ran for several hours and only then did we stop both panting from the stress and the journey. No other noise was heard and I was relieved. We had stopped in a small clearing and when I looked up I could see that the sun was heading down. I had seen so many programs on the TV, that I knew we had to quickly find a place to stay in for the night. Obviously there wasn't any hotels or any other buildings near us and I wasn't sure if it would be safe to stay in them. So I told Connie to gather food and wood from the area as I searched for a quiet place to stay in.

I headed towards the cliff nearby. It towered over me and after walking a bit more I found a little cave hidden from view by some large stones and huge pine trees. I poked my head in and decided that this was going to be our home at least tonight. I walked back to the clearing and helped Connie find some food.

After about a half an hour we had plenty of berries and other food from the forest and we headed for the cave. Connie agreed with me that this was the best place for us this night, and we sat down and ate some berries. We were both quiet and neither of us had really an appetite.

The woods started to get darker and colder but we didn't want to draw any more attention to us that wasn't necessary. So starting a fire was out of the question. We decided to sleep in turns with Connie starting. She fell asleep quickly and I adjusted myself near the entrance to the cave so I could see everything but still hidden from view. You could not see or hear us if you weren't a foot away. As it got darker I got lost in my thoughts, or more like memories.

He moved against me and desire skittered through my stomach and burned low in my belly. He was hard everywhere. His thigh, his gun... everything was hard.

He lowered his head and kissed my neck. He touched his tongue to the place he just kissed. And then he kissed it again. His hand slid up my t-shirt, his palm heating my skin, his fingers at the base of my breast.

"Pay-up time" he said. " I'm collecting the debt."

I almost collapsed on the floor.

He took my hand and tugged me toward the bedroom. "The movie" I said. "The best part is coming up." I all honesty, I couldn't remember a single thing about the movie. Not the name or anyone in it.

He was standing close, his face inches from mine, his hand at the back of my neck. "We're going to do this, babe." he said. "It's going to be good." And then he kissed me. The kiss deepened, became more demanding, more intimate.

I had my hand splayed over his chest, and I felt the toned muscle under my hands, felt his heart beating. So he has a heart, I thought. That's a good sign. He must be at least part human.

He broke from the kiss and pushed me into the bedroom. He kicked his boots off, dropped his gun belt, and stripped. The light was low, but it was enough to see that what Ranger promised in SWAT clothes was kept when the clothes were shed. He was all firm muscle and smooth dark skin. His body was in perfect proportion. His eyes were intense and focused.

He peeled my clothes off and wrangled me onto the bed. And then suddenly he was inside me. He once told me that time spent with him would ruin me for all other men. When he had said it, I thought it was an outrageous threat. I no longer thought it outrageous.

We lay together for a while when we were done. Finally he ran his hand the lenght of my body. "It's time." he said.

"Now what?"

"You didn't think the debt would be paid that easily, did you?"

"Uh-oh, is this the part with the handcuffs?"

"I don't need handcuffs to enslave a woman," Ranger said, kissing my shoulder.

He kissed me lightly on my lips and then dipped his head to kiss my chin, ny neck, my collarbone. He moved lower, kissing the swell of my breast and my nipple. He kissed my navel and then my belly and then he put his mouth to my- omigod!

I could still feel his touch on my skin as I sat in the cold cave. I could feel that my eyes were heavy and I fought the urge to close them. Even if I did close them, the shock of seeing Morelli's dead eyes shook me awake again. As I was going to wake Connie up I could feel people in the woods. They we're probably looking for us so I didn't move a bit, sat still and watched them search the woods, praying to God that they didn't find us.

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