*****I am having so much fun playing with these characters and inserting some of my own home and experiences. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Thanks Angela for sticking with me and being my sounding board. Standard disclaimer applies.

Her words humbled him because hed always thought that it was him that stood in the way of her and Morelli. Instead, it was her fierce loyalty to her friends that was a barrier between her and Morelli. She turned those big blue eyes on him as she took a deep breath. Ive answered your question, now I want you to answer one for me. She smiled tentatively when he inclined his head. With more than one word. He smiled widely and answered, Ok. Rolling her eyes, she asked the big question, Does your life lend itself to a relationship, now?

Chapter 6

"The five P's and the big L"

He was prepared for her question this time. When it had been asked before, he hadn't been sure of himself or her. This time, he had the answer ready. He just hoped that it was the one she was looking for.

"Babe, I want you to know that I can never offer you a normal life......" When she started to correct him, he silenced her with a kiss. "Just hear me out, OK?" He continued when she nodded, then laid her head on his chest.

"When we were together, that one time, I could see that a special bond was building between us. I have to be totally honest, Babe, it scared the shit out of me. All I could think about was what I couldn't offer you. I knew that I would never want to be a nine-to-five husband with 2.5 kids and a mini-van. Like you, decisions have altered my life."

He paused for a moment, thinking about the twist and turns his life had taken.

"The first decision was going into the Army. It altered my view of the world and brought people into my life that I refuse to leave behind. The second decision was to help you. You slipped under the wall I had built around myself and before I knew it, I couldnt let you go."

He played with one of the curls that he loved so much. "Yet, all I saw was a white girl from the burg and I knew that I couldnt give you that kind of life. It never really entered my thoughts that maybe you didnt want that kind of life." Feeling her warmth against his chest, he took a deep, steady breath and forged on with the remainder of his explanation.

"I watched you bounce back and forth with the cop, and I thought those were the things that you wanted. It wasn't until recently that I realized that maybe........, just maybe you might want the things that I could offer you." He wanted, no, needed to see her eyes when he told her the rest of it.

When he reached down and gently tipped her face up to meet his eyes, he was moved by the glistening unshed tears. He pressed a reverent kiss to her soft lips.

"Um......what exactly are you offering me Ranger?"

His smile was warm and open as he answered, "Love and.......the five P's."

Her heart did a little one-two step in her chest, but she grinned at his attempt to lighten the mood.

"OK, Ill bite. What are the five P's?" She asked as she attempted to raise one eyebrow and failed miserably.

"Provision. I know that you don't care about my money, but I can provide you with the security that money brings." He kissed her curls before continuing, "I can offer you Protection, even though I know that you can take care of yourself. I can help you learn to do it better." His hands caressed her face then ran gently down her arms. "We can give each other Peace, because God knows that we both deserve it."

He gripped her hips and turned her into his body. "I can also give you Purpose. I want you to work for me, at RangeMan. I mean it when I tell you that I'm proud of you, Babe. You have some of the best instincts that Ive ever seen." Now his hands moved inside her shirt to caress the soft skin of her belly, his thumb circling her navel.

A slow burn coursed through her body, as his hands brushed the curve of her breast. His mouth journeyed up her jaw to her cheekbone, bypassing her mouth. He nibbled on her ear as she scrambled for sanity.

"Uh.....and the fifth P?"

Scorching a path to her mouth with his tongue, he licked her bottom lip as she whimpered. He whispered it silkily against her mouth, his warm breath a caress on her face, before plunging his tongue inside her hot mouth.

Passion.

The inferno of their passion built as hot, greedy hands fought for purchase. He groaned from the intimate caress of her hands on his face, neck and chest. His brain burned with the need to brand her as his. Mine.

She sighed on a shaky breath as he took her breasts in his rough hands, stroking her nipples to stiff peaks. Her hips rocked forward, grinding against him, as his mouth plundered and he claimed her. Her need for him consumed her body and soul.

Her body did a victory dance at being pressed intimately against him, when he pulled her half on top of him. Forgetting everything but the feelings and sensations of his rock hard body, she gripped the hem of his shirt, intending to yank the offending object off. She jerked back as if shed been burned when she heard his hiss of pain,

"Oh, shit Ranger, I forgot, I forgot. I'm so sorry, did I hurt you? Are you OK?

She started to scramble off of him, but he cuffed her wrists pulling her back against him. With ragged breath, he reassured her, "Its OK Babe, but maybe, .....fuck, I cant believe I'm saying this .....maybe we need to slow down a bit.

She giggled shakily, but then groaned when she saw his still dark eyes. "Ranger, I can't take much more of this."

He chuckled at her frustrated groan, feeling the same. Both lay in the lounge breathing heavily, thinking how close they had come to having sex.

Ranger wanted her more than he wanted to see the sun rise, but he had told her his feelings, now he needed to know hers. He started to ask, hating to sound needy, but knew that they couldn't move forward without the words. His mouth opened to say so, when she started speaking.

"Ranger, thanks for opening up like that. It means more than you'll ever know." She pierced him with a determined look and he lost himself in the emotion that swirled there. "I don't have a whole lot to offer, but I do love you. I realized after you were shot, rescuing Julie and me, that I'm in love with you. I kept that love hidden because I knew that you had the power to hurt me. I guess I thought that if I said the words out loud, they couldn't be taken back. As much as I feared you not loving me back, I feared losing you more."

Her words released the pressure valve on his heart. He hadn't realized how much hed wanted, no, needed to hear them. And she thought he had the power? No, it was within her control to either lift him up or bring him to his knees. The insecurity behind her words angered and slashed through him at once. He tamped down on the desire to lash out against those who had made her feel unworthy, cursing himself for not being blameless.

"Babe, you have so much to offer. Look at where we are now. Without you, I wouldn't have gotten my daughter back from Scrog, or found the juveniles that were stealing me blind. I also would be hanging in the breeze injured and unprepared if you hadnt taken control and gotten us to a safe place."

She sighed at his fervent words and thought about how they had been each others support system for the past three years. Stretching and yawning, she asked, "So, where do we go from here?"

"Forward." He knew he was being vague, but when he asked her, he wanted it to be perfect.

She seemed satisfied with his answer, snuggling down beside him, resting her head in the curve of his shoulder.

"Ranger?"

Listening to the cicadas chirp in a nearby brush, he answered lazily, "Hmmm?"

"I seriously need some ice cream." She rolled her eyes at his bark of laughter. "Glad to see it doesn't hurt you to laugh anymore."

"Never said it didn't hurt, Babe, but there are worse things." His look gave her a pretty good idea of what was worse, and she couldnt agree more.

If she was going to survive another night of sliding naked between the sheets with Ranger without having sex, she was going to need some sugar therapy. Hopping out of the lounge she went to the kitchen to get the makings for banana splits.

He watched as she slid the knife through a long ripe banana, placing the halves on opposite sides of the bowl. She popped the ice cream in the microwave, setting it for 20 seconds. He gave her a questioning eyebrow, leaning against the bar.

She smiled sheepishly at his silent question. "It softens the ice cream so that it's not so 'hard to get out'."

Images of something 'hard' popped into both their minds. The timer snapped them out of their thoughts. As Ranger watched her roll the scooper through the softened cream, his pants tightened to bursting. He shifted uncomfortably when she sucked a finger between her soft lips.

"Babe." Concentrating on her creation, she gave him a distracted hmmm. "You're playing with fire."

In a swift move, he grasped her wrist, bringing her hand to his mouth. Like a cat, he licked the remaining ice cream and chocolate sauce from her fingers. The sucking sensation sent a spark of release through her body.

Watching her dazed expression, he lifted the can of whip cream and sprayed a trail across the top. Scooping out several cherries from the jar, he scattered them before offering her one. His eyes nearly rolled back in his head when she sucked the cherries from between his fingers.

""Ummmm, she blurted out, "nuts....I need uh....nuts." At his pained expression, she tossed on a few nuts and scurried to the couch. Pulling her knees under her, she had the fleeting thought that dessert might not have been such a good idea after all. That was until the first bite of the sugary concoction hit her system, soothing her raging hormones.

Ranger came to sit beside her, choosing to ignore her moans in favor of flipping through the channels. He shook his head when she offered him a bite. "Babe. I don't know how you eat that shit, it'll kill you. And how the hell you eat the way you do and not blow up, without exercising, is beyond me."

She smirked, "Great genes." When she saw his doubtful expression, she continued, "Ranger, haven't you noticed how I'm never able to sit still? I have all this nervous energy and I guess that it keeps my metabolism running on high. Even when I sleep, I toss and turn all night."

He frowned at her comment. "Babe, every time we've slept together, I had to check to make sure you weren't dead because you slept so soundly."

She shrugged her shoulder, "Thats not my normal sleeping pattern though. Most mornings, my bed looks like a cyclone hit during the night. Maybe its like you mentioned earlier, you give me Peace, so I sleep better when you're in the bed with me."

She was right, of course. He always slept better, more soundly, with her body surrounding him. When she returned from putting her bowl in the sink, he moved so she could claim her position in the curve of his body. As she settled in her rightful place, he felt the Peacesettle within him and knew without a doubt that he wouldn't give it up again.