Disclaimer: JE owns the characters. Sorry, sorry, sorry. This chapter just got way too long, so I had to cut it.

A/N: This is for Rae. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABE!

An Unlikely Lover-Part Three

My body was frozen on the couch. I'm pretty sure that I haven't moved a muscle for the last hour. And the only reason that I know it's been an hour is because of the digital clock on the microwave across the room. Lester loves me. Really, truly, loves me. He loves me so much that he told me, without qualifiers, and that he wants to share his life with me.

I sighed. How long had it been my wish to find someone that wanted to share their life with me?

What about Joe and Ranger? A little voice whispered in my head.

What about Joe and Ranger? Ranger finds my antics amusing and lists me under 'entertainment' in his budget. And Joe? Joe's been nothing but an ass since Lester saved my life. One would think that he might be grateful that Lester risked his life for me. Joe had taken the stance that if I had married him and was a stay at home mom, I wouldn't have been shot at in the first place.

And Lester? The voice asked.

Lester. I grinned. He's… He's… He's…

Everything. The voice simply stated.

The trueness of the statement hit me like a bucket of ice water. Lester was everything. He was the one that I went to when I had a shitty day because I knew that he'd make me feel better. He never once bitched about me being a bounty hunter and he didn't harass me about coming back to work for RangeMan. He's even made it all the way through a dinner at my parents' house without pulling a gun on Grandma. Twice. He doesn't chide me over my eating habits and he's never once forced me into the gym.

Because he loves you the way that you are. The voice said. Unconditionally.

Unconditionally.

So why are you just sitting here? The voice asked.

Because I'm scared. Because I don't want my heart to get broken again. Because I'd never get over it if he walked away from me. Because I love him, too. Because I've never wanted to share my life with someone before he came crashing into mine. Because every moment that I spend with him, I fall a little bit more in love with him.

What happened to the little girl that jumped off the roof of the garage because she thought she could fly? The voice asked.

She got her heart stomped on too many times. Walking in on The Dick hadn't been too bad. But having Ranger send me back to Joe and the way that Joe has repeatedly hurt me... I just don't think that my heart can take another beating like that.

You're automatically assuming that Lester's going to hurt you? The voice asked.

Every man that I've ever loved has hurt me. Why would Lester be different? He'll get tired of me like Dickie did. Or he'll use me and toss me aside like Ranger did. Or he'll try to change me into another person like Joe did.

Or he'll love you everyday for the rest of his life and be everything that you've been wishing for. Lester could be the one man that's different from all the others that came before him. He has the insane thirst for life that you exhibit. His loyalty to his friends and bravery in the line of duty are unbeatable. He risked his life to protect you because he loves you. Why won't you risk your heart because you love him?

My heart pounded in my chest as I slowly stood up from the couch. I walked slowly to the door and stared at the handle. I'm going to need a lot of super glue to put my heart back together if this doesn't work out.

Costco sells it in bulk. The voice whispered. Just open the door and walk across the hall.

After closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I reached out and opened the door. The hall was empty as I stepped out and closed the door to my apartment. My feet moved slowly and it felt like hours had passed before I got to Lester's door, just across the hall.

Open the door and walk in. The voice commanded.

My hand didn't hesitate. I reached up and twisted the handle, the door slowly opening as I pushed on it. Lester looked up from the beer bottle that he was spinning on the kitchen table. His face was guarded and the smile he gave me was forced.

"Hey," he said quietly as I stepped in and shut the door.

Tell him! The voice shouted in my head.

"I love you," I blurted out. "I love you and that scares the shit out of me. I'm scared because every man I've ever loved has broken my heart. I'm scared because I don't know if I have the strength to put my heart back together if you break it. I'm scared because you might be the one man who won't break my heart. I'm scared because I want to share my life with you. I'm scared because when I'm with you, I feel like I'm home."

My teeth sunk into my bottom lip when I ran out of steam. Lester had stood up from the table when I started ranting and walked to me. I took a deep breath and looked from his chest up to his face to see how he was taking my outburst. The most beautiful smile I had ever seen was plastered across his face.

"It sounds like you're just as scared as I am," he said lightly.

My breath came out in a whoosh when I realized I had been holding it. "So what do we do?"

He reached up and caressed the side of my face. "We jump in with both feet and hold on to each other as tightly as we can."

I grinned. "Kinda reckless. Don't you think?"

"Love is suppose to be reckless," he said as he moved a little closer to me and wrapped an arm around my waist.

My hands came up to his hips and moved around to his lower back. "Is that why I've been getting it wrong all these years?"

He grinned down at me as he pulled me flush against his body, his eyes trained to my lips. "Yes. And we should both be reckless by letting me kiss you."

My laugh was cut short by his lips sealing around mine. His tongue slid into my open mouth and my hands fisted in the back of his shirt. Every thought in my head flooded out as he kissed me. His hands came up into my hair and tilted my head slightly to get a better angle. A moan worked its way up my throat as I felt him start to grow hard against me.

"How reckless can we be?" His voice was husky as he pulled back slightly, his lips brushing against mine as he spoke.

I blinked a few times to clear the desire from my brain. "You said we had to jump in with both feet. I think we should be as reckless as we can."

As soon as the words left my lips, Lester lifted me up in the air and guided my legs around his hip. His right hand firmly grasped my ass as his left hand came up to lightly cup my cheek. His eyes had turned dark green and filled with desire. Desire for me. Desire for what we were about to do.

"I love you." His voice was clear and definite as he stared at me.

My lips tilted as my heart melted at his words. "I love you."

TBC... Sorry! The smut's coming! I swear it, Rae!