Sorry! I tried to block off the smut in chapter 2 with *s, but the formatting on fanfic took them out-? I hope no one was traumatized! ;) Advance warning for more smut in this chapter!

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Chapter 3 – Mine!

I was in dessert heaven, lying on a giant piece of pineapple upside down cake. It was still warm, and I couldn't resist licking off a giant scoop of whipped cream. "Mmmmmm, so yummy…" I moaned. I could see a ring of pineapple up ahead with a juicy cherry right in the center. I leaned over to it and startled nibbling on the cherry. All of a sudden, my pineapple upside down cake started bouncing up and down. What the hell? Was I on a pineapple upside down cake flavored trampoline or what? "Hold still so I can have a bite!" I ordered the cake. Then I bit down on the cherry- hard.

"Babe!"

Why was my pineapple upside down cake talking to me? And why was it calling me Babe? Only Ranger was allowed to call me Babe! Ranger. Shit! I slowly opened my eyes and found myself lying on a warm, naked Ranger. He was wincing and rubbing a very red nipple. Hmmm….

"Dreaming of me, Babe?" he smirked.

"Don't flatter yourself! I was dreaming of a giant piece of pineapple upside down cake!" I smirked back.

Ranger barked out a laugh and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me down on top of him. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" he asked, shaking his head.

I smiled my most innocent smile at him and batted my eyelashes.

"Trying to convince me you're sweet and innocent, Babe?" Ranger grinned.

"Of course. I'm a very good girl." I answered in a husky voice as I peered at Ranger through my eyelashes.

He groaned, and part of the "dessert" I was laying on got noticeably harder.

"Sorry, Babe," he growled. "But your status has been permanently changed to bad girl." He pulled me up his body, and I was very aware that he had slept naked. No silk boxers, nothing. Be still my crazily beating heart!

"You're overdressed." He whispered and pulled off the only article of clothing I was wearing – his t-shirt.

We both groaned as our bodies rubbed against one another. God, I loved to feel his skin against mine!

His hands tangled in my hair and pulled me down slowly. He pressed his lips against mine, kissing me softly.

"Dios, Babe! What you do to me!" he moaned against my lips.

Since he had been completely in control of the activities earlier tonight, it was only fair that I was in charge now, right? With that thought in mind, I straddled his waist and began kissing his neck. Ranger grabbed my waist and started to roll us over, but I sat up, preventing him from ending up on top. He turned my face towards his, and I could see the question in his eyes.

"My turn to be in charge." I whispered in his ear.

He growled, his eyes growing dark and filling with lust. He lay back, breathing heavily. I could tell it was difficult for him, but he laid still and let me explore every inch of his neck and chest with my tongue, lips, and teeth. His hands fisted in the sheets as I slowly drug my tongue around his bellybutton. When I flicked my tongue across the head of his cock, his eyes flew open and his hips jerked off of the bed. I locked my eyes on his as I slowly licked his entire length.

"Babe!" he gasped. "I'm not going to last long if you keep that up!" As much as I wanted to take him in my mouth and watch him lose control, I selfishly wanted him in me even more. I leaned down to suck the skin at his hip in my mouth, leaving a mark, and then licked and nipped my way back up his body.

I straddled his hips, and he reached up to caress my breasts, palming them in his dark hands. He pinched the nipples, tugging with just the right amount of pressure. I rocked my warm, wet center against his length, and we both groaned at the delicious friction. I grabbed his cock in one hand, stroking him up and down a few times before I positioned myself above him. As I slowly lowered myself onto him, his hips jerked up, and he was buried deep within me. I cried out, and he grabbed my hips, panting. "I tried, Babe, but I couldn't take it anymore!" he groaned.

His hands on my hips raised me up and plunged me back down on him as if I weighed nothing. At the same time, he was thrusting up hard and fast to meet me. After only a few strokes, I was ready to come undone. "Ranger!" I panted "I'm so close!"

"Cum for me, Babe." He whispered in a husky voice. I could see a thin layer of sweat on his forehead as he thrust into me over and over.

I screamed as I came, collapsing on his chest. He rolled us over then, never pulling out of me. He yanked my legs over his shoulders, and I cried out. This position made everything so intense! I could feel every hard inch of him, and he rubbed my g-spot with each thrust. I arched my back, and he grinned. "Does that feel good, Babe?" I wasn't capable of coherent speech, so I only moaned my assent.

He reached down between us and pressed one finger against my drenched and swollen lips. Getting it wet with our juices, he moved his finger up to my clit and began to stroke the hard nub. "I'm almost there! Cum with me!" he panted.

My nails dug into his thighs as I cried out, and seconds later he followed me over with a final thrust and a "Stephanie!"

He collapsed on top of me for just a minute, breathing heavily. I gasped for breath too, while my inner muscles twitched and milked him of every last drop. Finally regaining his breath, Ranger rolled onto his side, still buried deep inside me. He pulled me so that I was snuggled into his chest. I sighed happily. I loved feeling his warm skin on mine.

Suddenly my brain began working again, and I froze. Skin on skin? Crap! Ranger wasn't wearing a condom, and we hadn't used one last night either. He must have assumed that I was on the birth control pill or shot. Unfortunately, that assumption was wrong. There were too many times where I could barely afford my rent and groceries. I had to cut back on "extras," and the birth control was one of the first things to go. My reasoning was that Joe always wore a condom anyway. Mostly because of our one time pregnancy scare, but also because I wasn't a hundred percent sure that he was always faithful. When I had started working at Rangeman and actually had enough money to buy such "luxuries" as birth control, I was single. It seemed silly to pay for birth control when I didn't even have a date. Sigh. Yep, that's me. Always prepared. Great. How exactly did I go about bringing up this subject? Not to mention the discussion about what the heck was going on with the two of us?

Ranger was holding me tight, drawing lazy circles on my back. He must have noticed me tense up as I pondered how on earth I was going to broach the subjects of a relationship and birth control with Batman. "Deep thoughts, Babe?" he whispered.

"Um, Ranger, can we talk?" I began, but I was interrupted by the landline ringing.

"One second, Babe." Ranger leaned over me to answer the phone.

From the change in his voice and his stiff shoulders, I could guess that the call wasn't good news. He slammed the phone back down in the base and slowly pulled out of me. We both groaned at the feeling of loss, and Ranger stood up. "We'll have to talk later, Babe, sorry. The alarm just went off at one of our biggest client's. The cameras are showing two intruders in the store. I have to go."

I nodded my understanding and pulled the sheet up over my chest as Ranger quickly pulled on his cargos and the t-shirt I had slept in. I scooted down to the edge of the bed where he sat tying his boots. I touched his cheek. "Try not to get shot." I said softly. Ranger flashed me his killer grin.

"Try not to go crazy, Babe." He replied. "Go back to sleep. We can talk when I get back, OK?"

I nodded again and watched as Ranger slid a gun into his waistband and ankle holster and a knife into his boot.

He walked out of the bedroom, and I heard the apartment door shut. I lay back down on the bed and covered my stomach with my hands. I couldn't be, right? I sighed and looked at the clock. 3:30. Why did the bad guys only come out at ungodly hours of the night? And how the hell was I supposed to go back to sleep with all of these crazy thoughts running through my head?

I tried to go back to sleep, but I spent the next few hours tossing and turning and having strange dreams. In one, I was pregnant with twins- one that was Joe's and one that was Ranger's. I woke up screaming from that one. I think the reason why is pretty self-explanatory. Gah! Full body shiver!

By the time the clock read 6:30, I had given up on getting any more quality sleep. Ranger still wasn't back, but I got up anyway. I took a nice long shower and enjoyed the Bulgari body wash, excellent water pressure, and huge hot water tank that made Ranger's shower infinitely better than my sorry excuse for a shower. Since I had so much time, I actually styled my hair and put on makeup. I found an extra uniform that I had left in Ranger's closet and pulled it on. I wandered into the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboard that Ranger had dubbed mine. It was full of all of the contraband that was verboten in the rest of the building- Tastycakes, candy, peanut butter, sugary cereal, Pop-Tarts, and the like. I found a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and poured some out. I knew that Ella would bring me pancakes or anything else I wanted, but I always felt guilty asking her to bring up something just for me. I finished up my cereal and rinsed out the bowl, leaving it in the sink.

I checked the clock. 7:55. If I headed down now, I would be on time for the 8:00 Morning Meeting. Hmmm…. This might actually be the first Morning Meeting that I would be on time for. Ever. In the entire time that I had been employed at Rangeman. That in itself made it worth going down for!

The Morning Meeting was at 8:00 so that the Core Team could catch the night shift going off duty and the morning shift just going on duty. The conference room was always packed full of muscular men in tight black uniforms. Since I almost always arrived late, I usually chose to stand against the back wall to avoid disrupting the meeting. Today, though, I was on time! When I walked through the door, Lester did a double take. He fell out of his chair in mock surprise and cried out, "Beautiful! Did someone mess up your alarm clock? You do realize it's 8:00 am, right?"

I flipped Lester the bird and the rest of the Merry Men chuckled as I walked over to sit next to him and Bobby. Bobby leaned over. "Hey, Bomber. How are your arms feeling?" he asked in a quiet, concerned voice.

"Fine, thanks." I replied, smiling at him.

"And your back?" Lester asked with a mischievous grin.

I blushed furiously and smacked Lester on the arm. I had just gotten settled when Tank and Ranger walked in, talking in hushed tones to one another. The attitude in the room immediately shifted from lighthearted to "officer on deck." I rolled my eyes. Once a military man, always a military man, I guess.

Ranger walked to the front of the room and scanned the assembled group. When he got to me, his eyes widened ever so slightly. Bobby and Lester smirked knowingly and looked down, trying to hide their expressions. "Gentlemen, Babe." He nodded his head in my direction. I blushed and smiled back.

Lester wagged his eyebrows at me, but I refused to acknowledge him. The men each gave reports on their assigned areas and duties while I zoned out and thought about the serious discussions that Ranger and I would soon be having. Groan. Why me? Ack! Now I sounded like my mother! Was that a sign? As soon as you get pregnant do you get weird mom urges to moan and complain? I sat still. No urges to iron or tipple. Phew! Evidently I exhaled a little too loudly because Lester and a few other guys were looking at me like I had grown another head. I just grinned back and shifted around in my seat, trying to pay attention as Binkie droned on about the break-in last night.

After several more agonizing reports, the meeting finally broke up. I was headed towards my cubicle to run some searches when I heard Ranger call my name. I stepped back into the room and waited while it cleared out. "I'm surprised to see you up so early, Babe! I got ready down in the gym so that you could sleep in." Ranger grinned.

I gave him a rueful grin back. "I couldn't sleep. I had a lot on my mind."

The blank face slammed down, and Ranger looked at me. "Anything to do with what you wanted to talk about earlier?"

I cleared my throat, but my voice still came out a little strangled. "Everything to do with that, actually."

Ranger nodded in acknowledgement. Truly, he barely moved his head a fraction of an inch, but it was as close to a nod as Ranger got. He motioned for me to walk through the conference room door. I assumed that he'd want to talk in his office, so that's where I headed, Ranger following behind me.

I sat down on the leather couch, and Ranger settled in next to me, holding my hand and tracing patterns on my palm.

"You wanted to talk?" he prompted. I took a deep breath and nodded. Just as I had gotten up the courage to begin, my cell phone rang.

I looked down at the screen and groaned. My mom. I answered the phone as cheerfully as I could, "Good morning, mom!"

"Stephanie Michelle Plum! What's this I hear about Joseph getting attacked at your apartment? How could you allow those men to harm your fiancé? Do you know that he's considering filing charges for assault? Why me? Maryellen Colucci's daughter never has armed men attacking her fiancé!"

I mimed banging my head on the coffee table while my mom continued her rant, and Ranger smirked. When I finally couldn't take it anymore, I interrupted her. "Mom! Joe and I are not engaged. He is not my fiancé, and no one was attacked." Hmmm…. I didn't think anyone had been attacked. Best not to tell my mom that I didn't know what the Merry Men had done with Joe after I left.

"Well, according to Mrs. Donatelli, Joseph came over to have dinner with you and was attacked by Ranger and his men." My mom said in an accusatory voice.

"He came over unannounced with a pizza, and we got into an argument. The guys came over to pick me up for a job we had to do last night, and Joe left. That's all, mom. Nothing else exciting. Now I have to go! I'm at work. I'll talk to you later!"

"Fine, but I expect you at dinner tonight, Stephanie!" my mom demanded.

"We'll see, mom. Work is pretty busy right now. If I don't make it tonight, I'll definitely stop by for dinner soon."

We exchanged goodbyes and I hung up. Taking a deep breath, I looked at Ranger. "Sooooooo…." I began weakly.

Ranger looked at me expectantly, but I couldn't make my mouth form any words. He searched my eyes and must have seen panic there because he took my hands and began rubbing them soothingly. "Stephanie, what's wrong?" he asked in a low voice. Crap. He used my full name. He only does that when he's serious or pissed at me. Since I hadn't started talking, I knew he wasn't pissed yet. But he probably would be soon. Very soon. Like as soon as he found out I wasn't on the pill.

I cleared my throat. "Well," I began weakly. "I thought we should probably talk about what happened last night."

Ranger nodded and continued to sit quietly, blank face in place.

I blew out a breath. "What did you mean when you told Joe I was yours?"

Ranger looked startled for a just a second before he recovered, but I could still see little tension lines around his eyes. "Babe?" he clarified.

"You said 'She's mine, and I protect what's mine.' I want to know what you meant. There's no point in us discussing anything else until you answer that." My heart was beating double time.

Ranger looked slightly pained. I wondered if he wished he could take back what he said. Of course, instead of answering the question directly, the man of mystery had to throw a new question back at me. "What did you mean when you told Morelli that you'd rather be my whore than his girlfriend?"

I blushed. "I'm pretty sure you know what I meant."

He looked at me with a calm, steady gaze. "Clarify it. Just in case."

I took a deep breath and blew it out. "Joe wanted me to choose. Those are the two options he gave me. He's always been jealous of you. He has accused me of cheating on him with you more times than I can count. Every time we have an argument, he blames you. Every time we end up in an off phase, he blames you. I know I told Joe that I would be happier being your whore than his girlfriend, but I can't do that, Ranger, and I think you know that. I can't do casual sex. What I meant was that I can't be with Joe anymore. I'm tired of the fighting, the belittling comments, and the judgment. I want to be with someone who understands me, someone who gets me, someone who doesn't want to change me into their idea of the perfect woman." I took a deep breath and looked down at my hands. "And I guess I was hoping that that someone could be you."

I peeked up at Ranger through my lashes and saw him sitting very still, almost as if he were in shock. "Your turn to explain." I whispered.

He gave his head a slight shake, as if he were trying to reorganize his thoughts. The glazed look left his eyes and instead they became dark and filled with emotion. "I think I'd rather show you what I meant." He said huskily. He gently laid me down on the couch and kneeled down beside me. He placed a soft kiss on each eyebrow, my nose, chin, and forehead. After each kiss, he whispered mine. My eyes filled with tears as I realized what he was telling me. He did want me!

His lips crashed down on mine, hungrily possessing my mouth. "Mine!" he growled. He kissed that magic spot behind my ear that always makes me shudder and then trailed kisses along my jaw and down my neck to my shoulder. When he got to the spot where my shoulder and neck met, he bit down hard on the mark he had left last night, sucking my skin into his mouth. "Mine!"

I cried out at the sharp sting of pain, and he unbuttoned my cargo pants and pulled my pants and thong down and over my sneakers. He nipped and kissed up my thigh, leaving little love bites as he went. When he finally reached my aching center, he found me wet for him, and he groaned. He growled, "Mine!" as he lowered his mouth to my pussy. I gasped as he licked my slit from bottom to top then plunged his tongue deep inside of me. Soon he added 2 fingers and began pumping them in and out of me while I moaned and bucked my hips. I was so close. I could feel it building, and then he pulled his fingers out of me. I whimpered and opened my eyes, searching for him.

"Don't stop!" I pleaded breathlessly.

"Mine!" he barked out, as he plunged his fingers back inside of me.

As I shattered, I grabbed Ranger's arms. "Yours!" I screamed.

A possessive look filled his eyes. He stripped off his pants and climbed onto the couch, hovering above me. His lips met mine for a searing kiss. He ended it by gently tugging on my bottom lip with his teeth. He nuzzled my neck and whispered into my ear, "You are mine, querida. For now and for always." He positioned himself at my entrance and paused, searching my face.

"Yes, Carlos." I whispered. "I'm yours."

He froze and leaned down, brushing his lips against my ear. "I love the sound of my name on your lips." he said softly. "There's only one thing I'd like more."

"What?" I asked breathlessly.

"To hear you scream it." And with that, he thrust himself in me, completely filling me.

At his sudden invasion, I threw my head back and screamed, "Carlos!"

At the sound of his name being screamed from my lips, Carlos let out a roar. His face got a frenzied look, and he thrust in and out of me almost urgently. I gasped and moaned as he did wonderful things to my body.

Soon his hands grabbed my hips just a little bit tighter, and his thrusts became harder and faster. I knew he was close. So was I. We both exploded at the same time; me shrieking "Carlos!" while he roared "MINE!"

He collapsed onto the couch, holding most of his weight off of me. I gasped and panted, trying to get my heart rate and breathing under control. When I finally had, I brushed my fingers through his hair and whispered, "Carlos, please tell me that your office is soundproof."

At that, I got the 1,000 watt smile. "Nope. Sorry, Babe!"

I groaned and buried my head in my hands.

Still more important discussions to come, but this chapter was already getting long! Let me know what you think!