Not mine, belongs to the rightful owner Janet Evanovich

Chapter 8: The Talks

No one was speaking. Ranger still had the gun trained on Joe.

Okay by me.

Tank had the decency to grab my shirt from wherever Ranger had thrown it. I think it was more out of fear that Ranger would shoot him because he got a good look at me, but it's the thought that counts. I guess I was going to have to be the man in the room full of wusses.

"Ranger, put the gun down." He narrowed his eyes, and then slowly lowered the gun.

"Wow, Manoso, it only took Stephanie two months to pussy-whip you." Joe sneered.

Ranger tensed up and I could feel the anger rolling off of him. Tank decided that it was best if Joe and David left, so he pushed them out the door.

I hopped, well I hopped as well as anyone can after an orgasm like that, off the table and put my shorts back on. Ranger just stood there, in all his glory, watching me.

"Where are you going?" He asked me when I headed for the door.

"I'm going to talk to David."

"What about Joe?" He asked through a clenched mouth.

"We'll deal with him later." This seemed to appease him, and I left the kitchen. I walked out the door and saw Tank guarding Joe, who was sporting a new shiner, and was unconscious, with Tank holding a stun gun. Huh, I wonder how that happened. Tank caught my eye.

"I don't know anything." I said, holding my hands up. I backed off the porch and Tank laughed at me. I went and knocked on David's door. Oh, I forgot to mention that we were next door neighbors.

"Hi," I said when he answered the door.

"Hey," he replied. "You happy?" He asked me after an awkward pause.

"Yeah, I am." I said.

"That's what I figured. You made some pretty loud noises that you never made with me."

"You heard us?"

"All night long." I blushed. "Who knew you liked to have your legs behind your head?"

"Well, I don't but Ranger wanted to try…and you're mocking me."

"Mercilessly." He smiled.

"David, I'm so sorry."

"About what?"

"Everything. I led you on. And then you had to find about me and Ranger like that. I know what you're feeling. When I saw my ex-husband on the table with Joyce…"

"Yeah, but this is different."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not going to hate your guts after this."

"You're not?"

"Stephanie, when we first met, you told me all of your troubles with the men in your life. I knew what I was getting myself into. It's my fault."

"I still feel partially to blame. You shouldn't have found out like that."

"Don't feel bad. Actually if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have known love."

"David, I…"

"David?" I heard a woman's voice say. "What's with all the racket?" Then she came into view.

"Jenny, so nice to see you." I said.

"Hey, Stephanie, you want to come in for breakfast." David put his arm around her and leaned in for a kiss.

"Thank you, but no, I already had breakfast."

"Okay, well maybe you and that hunk of a man can come by another time." Then she left and I turned my eyes back to David.

"So, you and Jenny, huh?" I said, smiling.

"Yeah, but it's nothing too special yet."

"She saw Ranger come."

"So?"

"He came here yesterday."

"Oh, right, I see your point. That's why I invited you to dinner. I realized that I wanted to be with Jenny."

"David, I'm so happy for you."

"I'm happy for you."

I paused. "This feels too easy."

"What do you mean?"

"Usually when I break up with someone, one of us is yelling."

"Well, maybe we're mature enough to know that the relationship was never going to work out?"

"Maybe, but something still feels missing. You're not going to stalk me are you?"

"No, I wasn't planning on it."

Hmm, maybe we were more grown up than the relationships with Joe. I hugged David. "You know that I love you like a best friend, right?" He said.

"Yeah, the feeling is mutual." I replied. I started down the stairs.

"Steph?"

"Yeah?"

"Who was the other guy?"

"That was Joe."

"And the black one?"

"Ranger's right hand man, Tank."

"Ah, okay, just clearing it up for Jenny."

I smiled. "Glad to see I'm still amusing people with my life."

"Yeah, but it would be better if you blew up a car."

I scowled. "None of those were my fault."

"I know." He laughed.

I glared at him, and then headed back to my house. Somehow I had a feeling I started off easy.

When Joe finally came to, I had taken a shower and was wearing actual clothes. He was sitting in my lounge chair, with Tank behind him in case he tried something stupid and I was sitting on the couch across from him with Ranger relaxing on the wall behind me with his arms and ankles crossed.

"Umm, hi Joe." I said lamely. Hey, no one else was talking, so I took the initiative. Big bunch of women.

"Cupcake…"

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for my fiancée."

"I'm not your fiancée. I thought that my letter was very clear…"

"You agreed to marry me. We will do it wherever you want. You don't have to do anything. Just show up and be happy."

"And then be a nice little burg girl and pick up a serving dish? No way, this isn't the nineteen fifties."

"Fine, then go back to work. We'll find you something safe."

"But I like my job." I thought for a moment. "Wait, why are we fighting about this? It's very simple. You are not my boyfriend/ fiancée/ husband ever. We are broken up, for good." You will never see this hot body again, I thought to myself…or at least I thought I thought it to myself until Ranger snickered. I turned around and glared at him.

"It is very hot, Babe." He said with an almost smile on his face.

"Glad to see your approval," I said, glancing down at the slight bulge in his shorts. He almost smiled at me again and then I turned back to Joe, who was no red in the face.

"So that's how it's going to be. You're going to be his whore." I felt the anger once again roll off of Ranger.

"Tank, would you mind taking Ranger outside."

"Babe…"

"I can handle it. And if I can't, I'll scream and apparently the cavalry will come."

"Hurt her, and you will wish you were dead." Ranger growled at Morelli when he walked past. When they had left, Joe was out of his chair screaming at me.

"Don't you see he's just using you? All you are to him is a piece of ass!"

"Joe, I think you're confused. That's all I was to YOU." This shocked him silent, and I continued. "All we did was fight, have sex, have a good day, have sex and yell, then repeat. Do you wonder why we don't work?"

"We're Italian. All Italians fight like that."

"No, all Italians don't fight like that. Only us. And I'm only half."

"Cupcake, we can work this out. All you need to do is quit your job."

"I did that! And look where it got me! Halfway around the country and running from the man I love!"

"Then stop running from me!"

"DON'T YOU GET IT? I DON'T LOVE YOU." I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Joe, you have no right to be here anymore! I'm not with you and I won't ever be with you again."

"Well, what about marriage? Don't you want to get married?"

"No, not really. I was down there and I'm not ready to go back, if ever."

"What about your mother!"

"She's the one that sent you out here, isn't it?" He didn't respond. "I've decided to live for myself now. Not the Burg, not my mother, not YOU, and not Ranger. Why don't you go back to your whore and stay there."

Joe was so dumbfounded that I pushed him out the door. "And if you ever come back, I will call the cops on you. And I have a lot of friends on the force here that won't help you." And slammed the door in his face.

I felt Ranger come up behind me and put a hand to my neck, and I leaned back into him. "Proud of you, Babe."

I smiled bigger than I have in months. "Thanks, Batman. I'm going to bed now. All this excitement has got me bushed."

I felt him chuckle as he let me go. "You never disappoint. I'm going to put my Babe to bed and I'll be back." He said to Tank.

My Babe. A girl could get used to that. He took my hand and led me back upstairs.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. And if you're disappointed by the David/Steph ending, sorry! I can't have two people yelling at her! That's just way to much of an anger vibe I'm avoiding. Keep reading and reviewing!