**Again, thank you for the beautiful reviews from the last chapter. You all have been fantastically supportive of me as I worked through this story. I think I'm going to do about another seven chapters, give or take a couple, before I wrap this one up. Anyway, that said, this one has a smut warning on it…though I tried to make it passionate without being vulgar it's still full of sex. So anyway, enjoy.**

October 10…2pm

Oh, boy. I'm completely giddy right now. Completely. I can't even help it. The smile on my face won't go away. I just want to jump out of bed, sing, and spin myself in happy little pirouettes around the room. But I'm containing myself, so I won't wake Ranger.

I know he hasn't been sleeping very well, if at all, the last few nights. Right now, though, he looks as peaceful as a little baby. Okay, so nothing about the man is babyish, but you know what I mean. He's just sweet and adorable this way. He's all curled up on his side with his face snuggled against my breast, his arm is slung across my body with his hand tucked under my hip, and his thigh's draped over my knee holding me in place so I couldn't move if I wanted to.

Not that I want to go anywhere. The content, peaceful look on his face filled my heart to overflowing. So I was happy to just watch him. And I did, for a long time, just enjoying the beauty that his relaxed features presented. That was part of the reason I couldn't stop smiling. I knew I was the reason he was finally relaxed and happy. I put that little sleep smile on his face, just as he put the smile on mine.

I also enjoyed the silence of the room. It gave me a chance to reflect on everything that's happened. Plus, it allowed me time to really look at him without the walls he had always put up between us. It made me happy to know he trusted me enough to sleep so soundly in my arms, like he knew I'd take care of him. And I would.

I laid propped up on all the fluffy pillows that rested against the headboard, while Ranger covered my left side like a warm mocha latte blanket. The position gave me just enough freedom of motion to hook the blanket over my right foot and pull it up to cover our cooling skin and end the goose bumps that started to cover his body. I felt totally protective of him as I tucked the blanket around him and kissed the top of his head.

I never felt so much love for another person before. I kept my left arm around his back, holding him to me, even though he didn't look like he was going anywhere. I was also having a hard time keeping my right hand still. I just wanted to touch his soft hair, trace the little lines on his forehead, run my fingers down the length of his hard bicep, anything and everything that was within touching distance intrigued me. That's why I picked you up, my little journal. I need to occupy my fingers, and my mind, so I don't wake him. He really does need some rest.

The last few days have been emotionally draining, from one end of the spectrum to the other. We'd started in such a dark place and talked through it all, until there was nothing we couldn't share. We're in a completely different place now, happy and in love without any doubts or secrets standing in our way. I could honestly say I love everything about this man and I think he can say the same of me. It's a wondrous thing.

Just knowing that he isn't hiding a stranger beneath the surface anymore made him even more real to me. It dissolved that final Batman fantasy once and for all. He is just my Ranger, and I knew he would be forever. I finally had all the information presented to me, every little detail that made Ranger the man he is. While the details themselves were ugly and terrifying, the person that immerged from that hell amazed me. I knew it'd take some time for him to believe I felt that way and I was prepared to tell him every day for the rest of our lives, but I don't think it'll take that long.

Something happened to him yesterday. I think he had some sort of revelation or something, because when I woke up there was a light in him that hadn't been there before. And while we spent the day at the house, cleaning and packing so we could go back to the real world tomorrow, there was a happiness in his eyes and a bounce in his step that I hadn't noticed before either. He really did seem happy. And it was absolutely wonderful to share that happiness with him.

There was something so sweet and almost innocent about his behavior. It was like the hardened man had vanished and this new, vulnerable being was in his place. He was everything I ever hoped to find in a partner. He was everything I wanted for my future, for the rest of my life. I had no doubts about him or our relationship.

I guess that's how we got here, snuggled in bed together.

I woke this morning to find him sitting on the side of the bed next to me. He'd obviously gotten up early, since he was showered and smelled almost as delicious as the breakfast tray he'd brought up for me.

I stretched and smiled at him. "You made me breakfast in bed?" I asked in complete surprise.

He leaned in and kissed me until my toes curled under the soft sheets. He certainly knows how to wake a woman up properly. "I owed you breakfast," he told me, though at that moment I was hardly hungry for food. I really just wanted a piece of him.

He was only wearing a pair of those thick, drawstring sweatpants that look so incredibly sexy on him. They hung loosely around his hips, adding a few more inches of that edible skin to the display his bare chest created. I was really fighting the urge to just lick him. It's not my fault, the man is yummy.

I ignored the temptation he presented and scooted up the bed instead. I fluffed the pillows behind me so I could lean back against the headboard, then he settled the tray on my lap and crawled in next to me. I couldn't help smiling at him. He was laying on his side, propped up on his elbow, just looking at me innocently. I didn't fall for his innocent act though. He was using that flirty smile and his eyes were wandering from my face to my breasts, which were barely covered by the sheet. Naughty man.

I picked up a grape and brought it to his lips. He opened just enough to extend his tongue to lick my finger before sucking the grape into his mouth. Oh, yeah, he was definitely in a naughty mood this morning. "You look hungry," I whispered, noticing my voice was all husky sounding.

"You have no idea how hungry I am," he answered, but the tone he used, yeesh, it had my nipples hardening and my doodah tingling for attention.

"Good thing I have all this food to share," I smiled back at him. "Maybe I should feed you again." He licked his lips and let his eyes slip back to my breasts. I was referring to the pancakes I'd fed him the other morning, but his mind was clearly in the gutter. Not that I really minded, I was right there with him.

I cleared my throat making his eyes meet mine again. Then he lifted an eyebrow at me and smirked. "No need, Babe. My hands are capable of taking care of my own needs."

I laughed as I thought about our masturbation discussion from last night. After reading his journal I wanted to know more about the video he watched of me, for self-pleasuring purposes. After a lot of badgering he showed me the video. It was totally tame, a little sexy, but far from pornographic. That's when I decided that men could jerk off to anything. He agreed, telling me he used his mom's Red Book magazine once. TMI.

"Believe me, I know they're very capable," I teased back, pretending his words didn't affect me. In actuality, just the thought of his hands had me soaking wet. I know firsthand what his hands could do to my body, as well as his own. I'd gotten a very good demonstration just last night, one that left me eager for more. "But isn't it nice not to have to do all the work yourself once and a while?" I asked with a little eyebrow lift of my own. I hoped my words got him just like his had gotten me.

He laughed and said, "Unlike you, I'm a very hard worker." The stress was all put on the word hard, causing me to look at his crotch. The sweat pant tent was standing tall, and I got even wetter looking at it. "In fact, I always aim to be the best at any job I take on," he said in a low, seductive voice that was filled with so much promise I think I whimpered a little.

I swallowed hard as my eyes moved from his erection up his torso to his gorgeous face. "You do?" I asked, to which he nodded his head yes.

"I do," he whispered as he leaned in and licked my ear. "I think I'm obsessed with a particular job. I can't stop thinking about it. I want to do it over and over again, no matter how long and hard the work is. I think this job is my destiny," he whispered into my ear.

I was melting into the mattress. "What's this job?" I breathed back.

He moved the tray to the ground, then pulled the sheet off me. It landed on my feet, so I kicked it off completely. He crawled over me, spreading my legs so he rested between them. When his lips were just an inch from mine he smiled and said, "Keeping you happy, satisfied, and well loved."

I definitely whimpered that time. With all the talking, the touching, and the freeness we felt with one another yesterday I knew we were finally ready for this next step. I wasn't scared about my reaction. I wasn't worried about his feelings if something went wrong. By talking about our fears together it seemed to dissolve them. Making love to him now wouldn't be about anything but sharing our love. It was exactly how it should be. "You should get to work then," I answered breathlessly.

Then his lips were on mine, soft, firm, and so tender. He was touching me so reverently, with both his hands and his mouth. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Watching his lips close around my nipple made the pleasure so much stronger. I combed my fingers through his hair and held on as his mouth made its descent down my body.

He licked and nibbled what felt like every inch of my skin, except one, the one my body was screaming out for. It was almost like he was purposely torturing me, while at the same time driving me to a point of awareness I'd never known before. Every touch and kiss brought me pleasure, almost enough, just not quite. I was a quivering, boneless heap beneath him. Words were beyond me. All I could do was expel a breathless moan that was neither pleasure nor displeasure, or maybe it was both. I'm still not sure, though I'd hedge toward pleasure.

Yes. It was too erotic not to be pleasure. Our eyes stayed locked together. Even as the pleasure grew and I wanted to let my eyes roll back into darkness, I didn't allow it. I never looked away from his gaze, just as he never looked away from mine. Even as it seemed all his focus was on laving the skin behind my knee, his eyes never lost focus on mine.

He smoothed his hand up and down my leg as his lips moved up the inside of my thigh, closer and closer to the Promised Land. His eyes bore into mine as his tongue stroked the sensitive skin where my thigh met my body. I was writhing beneath him, holding his hair, urging him closer, just an inch, maybe two, and he would have had me soaring, but he didn't take my hint. Instead he treated my other leg to the same torment, until once again he was right there, his breath against my clit, close enough to stroke me if he'd just extend his tongue. He didn't.

"Stephanie," he whispered, the words falling against my neglected center. I whimpered in response. "Do you want this? Do you want me to keep going?" I shook my head yes, but he told me I'd have to answer. He stubbornly stared at me, waiting for my lips to form the word, "Yes."

When I finally said it, he smiled at me and dove in, tongue first. Just, holy crap. I thought the inattention earlier had been torture, but it was nothing compared to the way he brought me to the brink time and again, only to back off, leaving me wanting and needing something I couldn't define, other than him. I needed him.

When I finally willed the strength to make myself speak I pulled his hair to get his attention. He nipped me in return, causing a shudder to run through my body and a moan to escape my lips. Still I knew I had to speak. "Ranger, please, make love to me now. I need to be with you," I begged him.

That's when he sucked my clit into his mouth and pushed his finger inside me. God. It didn't take long, but when it hit, it was the strongest, deepest orgasm I've ever had (as of that moment). It seemed to last hours, though it couldn't have been more than minutes, maybe seconds. I don't know.

When it passed, his lips worked back up my body until he was kissing and nibbling the skin on my neck. I wrapped my legs around his waist, but to my frustration he was still wearing those sweat pants I'd admired so much earlier. At that moment I hated them for standing in my way.

He laughed like he knew what I was thinking, but before I could tell him to remove the damn things he was kissing my lips. I forgot to protest against the pants after that. Nothing really mattered but the way our lips fit together and the taste of his tongue against mine. There was no arguing anything when he kissed me like that. Hell, I'm pretty sure he can make me forget my own name with his kisses. Anyway, I was floating in kiss euphoria, happy as can be.

Then the next thing I know, he flipped us over. He laid on the pile of pillows I'd fluffed and looked up at me. "Why? What are you doing?" I complained. I really wanted him to make love to me. I wanted him to take me, make me his, but he had other plans.

He lifted his hands and caught the sides of my face. His thumb moved over my lips as he smiled at me. "I'm letting you drive this time," he told me in a deep voice, which betrayed his calm exterior. He was as turned on as I was.

I considered what he'd said. He always teased me about only letting women drive in his bed not his car, and well, I knew the bed part was true. He enjoyed letting me take control in the past, yet this seemed different somehow. "You want to be with me, right?" I questioned.

He sat up so we were face to face and kissed me gently. "More than anything, but I want to go at your speed. I almost lost control with you earlier. I don't want to do that again. I want you to feel comfortable and safe with me," he admitted, in a reassuring voice.

All of that made sense. We'd talked about going slowly and gently this first time, but that wasn't how we started at all. I was glad he was able to put the brakes on, yet I was frustrated that the mood was altered. "I want the passion I felt earlier," I told him.

It was true. I didn't want some clinical joining, just to get it over with, to see if we could do it. I wanted the spark that had been there earlier. The spark we always had together. He nodded and smiled again. "Me too, Babe," he agreed, before kissing me again.

I shouldn't have worried about passion being a problem between us. With just a kiss he brought back all the greedy, needy, want inside me. I wrapped my legs around his back. As we were still sitting, facing, with me on his lap it wasn't hard for his fingers to find my nipples or my hips. Both of which he caressed and enticed until I was rocking myself against the hard length of his erection, still trapped under the sweat pants.

I needed him out of those freaking pants. I unwound my legs from his back at the same time I pushed him back onto the pillows. He laughed in surprise and cocked an eyebrow at me. "I'm driving," I told him, which earned me a thousand-watt grin.

I lifted the waistband of his pants and moved it down, so I could expose his erection. I wanted to grasp it or lick it or mount it as soon as I laid eyes on it, but I contained myself. Instead I grasped the sides of his sweat pants and tugged them down over his hips and off his legs. I kissed the arch of his foot, and then licked his ankle bone, before placing his foot on the bed.

I watched him, looked into his eyes as he had done to me, and followed a similar path. I licked and kissed my way up his legs, until he was breathing heavily. I moved forward, letting my hair trail over him, but it was the only thing I touched him with. His cock jumped at the contact, clearly ready for more, but he wasn't getting it yet.

Instead I licked his balls and blew air across them. "Shit, Babe," he groaned at me. His pleading eyes were too cute. He wasn't winning, not yet.

So I moved up his body, kissing his abs and chest, licking his nipples, nibbling his collarbone. I was turning myself on as much as I was him. I needed to taste him. I couldn't wait, so I dipped back down and took him my mouth. His fingers instantly tangled in my hair. "Fuck, just a little, please. I don't want to cum like this. I want to be with you," he practically moaned.

His words started a throbbing deep inside me. I wanted to be with him too. So I took one last long lick of his delicious dick and started back up to his waiting lips. I crawled over his hips, straddling him until he pressed against my wet center. I rubbed myself against him, once, twice, "Steph, please," he moaned at me. Then he was rolling a condom over himself before pushing against my opening.

I was waiting for his entrance, but it didn't come. He stilled, just waiting there, begging for me to take what I wanted. He really was going to let me steer this. He gave me control of the situation and myself. He gave me the position of power. He made me the decision maker. He was giving me the choice to do this or not. It all made me love him so much more than I thought possible. He was giving me back a part of myself that'd been taken.

I felt like a strong, powerful, sexual being and I wanted to share that with him. So I leaned down over him, pressing my breasts to his chest and meeting his lips with mine. As we kissed, our hands explored and roamed over each other's bodies. I moved my hips against him, getting him back in the right position. I wanted this, him. Now.

"I want this, do you?" I asked him.

He nodded his head. "Yes," he agreed.

I tilted my hips and pressed down, taking just a fraction of him inside myself. His head dropped back and he squeezed his eyes shut. I moved my hands to his solid chest and pushed myself upright. I looked down at him. My beautiful, sweet man. "Ranger," I whispered to him, needing him to look at me. He blinked and smiled, his black eyes were filled with so much love it made tears start to gather in my eyes. I leaned down to kiss him again, and as our lips met I pushed my hips down, taking every long inch of him. He moaned into my mouth and I could tell he was struggling not to thrust up into me.

I smiled to myself, even as I still kissed him. My control freak was working so hard to let me do it my way. How could I not love him even more for that? Even if it didn't seem as necessary as it did before we joined. I stilled, just holding him inside me, as I realized he'd given me another part of myself back.

I sat up. Looking down at him, from his messy hair to the spot where we were joined together, he was all mine. Every inch of his perfect maleness was mine, physically and emotionally. We were bound for life.

I closed my eyes briefly, as I thought about how far we'd come since that first night we shared together, after the deal. While that had been good, I knew this was going to be great. We were in love now, in a way I doubted few couples ever found. I thanked God for giving me Ranger. He was a gift, for sure.

I opened my eyes and just enjoyed the perfection of that moment, of my revelations. It was like the heavens heard me or something, because sunlight suddenly poured into the room and shimmered over his beautiful skin. I moved my hands up and down his chest, fascinated and awed that we were here together.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

I was alright. I was wonderful. I had no bad memories or feelings surface. There was nothing standing between us, nothing. "I'm great. I just needed to hold you inside me for a minute," I told him.

"I know what you mean," he whispered back. And he looked like he understood the magnitude of my thoughts and feelings. Maybe his were as deep and as strong as mine.

"I love you, Ranger," I told him, because no other words mattered. Then I placed my hands on his chest and began to move myself.

"Uhh, Babe, ohh, I love you too," he mumbled as I found a rhythm that seemed to work for us both. His hands gripped my hips lightly as he rocked against me, meeting my rhythm without complaint. The way I was able to control what our bodies did had me right on the edge of another orgasm, for some reason, I just couldn't get there.

He noticed my frustration and winked at me as he moved his thumb to my clit. That was all I needed. I came slowly, almost gently, just like the rhythm of our love making. He watched me like I was the most fascinating thing in the world. Then he sat up and wrapped his arms around me. "You are so beautiful, Steph," he whispered before he kissed me.

That kiss ignited something inside of me that didn't want soft or gentle. I wanted him to really make me his. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and bit his ear. "It's your turn to drive," I growled at him.

His hands clasped my hips and he lifted me as he somehow sprung onto his knees and flipped me onto my back. "This is alright?" he asked as he hesitated above me.

"Yes, please," I practically begged.

He didn't need any further convincing. He remained on his knees and lifted my hips to his. In one smooth movement he was inside me, and then we were off. His grip tightened as he took me harder. His body sliding against my magic spot on each thrust. No thumb was needed to get me where I wanted to go that time. I clenched around him, shuddering, and crying in delight as one orgasm turned into another until he finally joined me.

Afterward, I crawled up onto the pillows and collapsed into a happy, sated heap. After he returned from the bathroom he crawled in next me and snuggled into the spot where he remains.

"That was amazing," I told him.

"It was," he agreed as he kissed my breast, seemingly too tired to turn his head to kiss my lips. "It's never felt like that before. Thank you for letting me love you," he told me.

"My pleasure," I laughed back at him, which earned me a little swat on the ass. "Thank you for loving me."

He chuckled that time. "It's impossible not to," he whispered before kissing that same spot again.

We didn't speak after that. I just held him until he dosed off. He was right though, it was impossible not to love him. Loving him seemed like part of me, just like he himself was.