Disclaimer: Janet Evanovich is one clever lady. Characters and everything you recognize are hers. I'm just playing.

A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! You know how to make a lady feel good. I mean, maybe not as good as Ranger can, but, still pretty good! ;) So sounds like the smut wasn't too awful, so I'll continue to put some in whenever I feel like it! Speaking of, there will be some in the beginning of the chapter, if you'd rather skip it, you can skip until they get into the real dialogue.

CUPCAKE WARNING- things are starting to get anti-Joe here. And they're going to be getting worse... so, probably you want to consider just being done with my story now.

Also, shout out to Margret here! I wasn't planning to start the Helen bashing quite yet, but in honor of your encouragement and feedback, I threw in just a taste for you. I promise you'll get more coming up as well.

Chapter 3

I woke up slowly the next morning, at first confused as to where I was because, let's face it, my bed is not this comfortable. Then, I felt the tingle on the back of my neck and smelled the Bulgari. Ranger. I smiled as I mentally corrected myself, "no, Carlos."

I was tempted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but when I really thought about it, as much as my pre-caffeine brain could, I knew it wasn't. Because really, I'd never felt more right. No need to pinch myself.

I studied Ranger's face and was amazed by how peaceful he looked asleep. Come to think of it, he didn't usually sleep this much, but then again, he probably needed to catch up. I carefully pried myself out of his arms and went to answer nature's call. I was surprised that he didn't wake up either when I got up or when I snuggled back into bed. He just shifted his arm and pulled me back close to him.

I laid there looking for him for… I don't know how long. I realized, and not for the first time, that I simply feel more at peace when I am near him. And so I snuggled, feeling that peace and just letting it wash over me. Until, that is, I noticed that he seemed like he was stirring more and more. I don't know how I knew, but I knew that even if I was perfectly still, he'd be awake within the next couple minutes. So I decided to surprise him, and slowly slid further down the bed, taking in his naked form. Did I mention we hadn't bothered to put clothes on before falling asleep? Mmmmm… naked Batman…

As I was sliding down the bed, I was careful to try not to touch him or shift the bed too much. I wanted to surprise him. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to surprise Ranger when he was sleeping, but I was pretty sure he would know that he wasn't under attack. With that in mind, I looked at his morning erection and took it into my mouth. I felt all his muscles stiffen up at once and heard his swift intake of breath. Then he relaxed back against the mattress.

"Babe, he groaned out." He let me play with him for just a few seconds and then I felt his hands tangle in my hair and tug me back up his body. Once we were eye to eye, I could plainly see his desire. "I wanted this time to be slower, but damn, Babe, waking up in your mouth felt so good. It sure isn't going to be slow."

Ranger reached down and slipped two fingers inside of me. By his moan I could tell that he wasn't expecting to find me so wet for him, but what can I say, I'd been watching him sleep for so long and inspecting his naked body. Any other straight woman would have the same reaction! I guess finding me ready to go was the last straw though because without any warning, he flipped me onto my back and was pushing inside of me.

My eyes widened in shock, and then I wrapped my arms and legs around him. He was pushing into me as far as he could go and pulling all the way out with every stroke. And as he pressed in, he would rub against my clit, a little harder and a little faster each time until I felt myself tensing. Just when I thought I couldn't take any more, I heard his voice, husky with lust say, "Now, babe. With me." and I went over the edge while simultaneously feeling Ranger release into me.

We relaxed back into the bed, Ranger just collapsed onto me with his head on my chest and me still clinging to him unwilling to let him go. Some time later, he rolled us onto our sides, and we just stared into each other's eyes. Neither one of us really wanting to break a connection that we'd just discovered went even deeper than we could have imagined.

Finally, Ranger sat up against the headboard and rearranged me so that I was leaning my back against his chest between his legs. He was soothingly stroking my arm and I was completely lax against him. "So, what have I missed since I've been gone? What happened with Morelli?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. A couple of TV marathon's with Dougie and Mooner. They've actually found 'Charmed' now, they say it is the modern day I Dream of Jeannie, so that's new. Rolled around in trash a few times, toasted a cars. And there was last night's fire in my apartment. Like I said, the usual."

"Babe." Right. Not what he was looking for.

I took a deep breath. "Well, you remember what all happened before you left? Saving me at the bridge, and all that?"

I felt his body tense up. "Babe." Right, I guess that wasn't really something that he would forget. Or at least not this easily. Maybe in a dozen years after all the other stuff happened that I am sure will happen, but not yet.

"Well. Turns out Morelli got to the scene earlier than we realized."

"When?"

"Pretty much the same time you did. He was in the area when he heard the call go in over the radio about reports of a struggle on the bridge."

"Okay. So?"

"So, he saw you trying to get to me and he saw you jump in after me. Then he saw us after you pulled me out of the water and you were comforting me."

"I'll admit the bridge and river part was new, but it isn't the first time he's seen me save you or seen me comfort you."

"Well, according to him, it WAS different."

"How?"

I turned my head so I could look at Ranger. "According to Joe, jumping of the bridge was the absolute craziest thing you've done for me and goes way beyond friendship or mentorship. And, unlike Scrog, when he had figured you were mostly trying to save Julie, there was no way he could deny that you were willing to sacrifice yourself for me."

Ranger resumed stroking me soothingly. "For a couple weeks there, we coasted along like usual. Avoiding our feelings and the confrontation that was sure to come. Then, after I realized you were in the wind, I guess I got kinda sad and Joe figured it was because you were gone. Well, that's when it got ugly."

"What happened?"

"Well, I had a little bit of a pregnancy scare at the same time and… Joe, he decided that the only way you would have jumped off the bridge for me was if I'd been sleeping with you this WHOLE time. And I had to have been, you know, doing things for you that I wasn't willing to do for him." I blushed, but forged on. "I always made him use a condom, but he figured that among the other things that I'd let you do that I wouldn't allow him was going without. So he accused me of cheating and said that if there was a baby, it was yours and he called it names."

Rangers arms went around me and held me tight.

"Of course he was yelling this all at me the day after I'd had the scare and I'd already taken the tests so I knew I wasn't pregnant but he hadn't given me a chance to speak and explain fact. I was trying to tell him that I wasn't pregnant but that even if I was, it would have been his, but he just wouldn't stop yelling. And he grabbed me and started shaking me and telling me how I wasn't the only one who had cheated and did I really think that I was good enough in bed to have tamed the 'Italian Stallion'." I put air quotes around the phrase and rolled my eyes before clarifying, "His words, not mine."

Ranger cursed quietly and kissed behind my ear, then patiently waited for me to go on.

"He hadn't been listening when I tried to explain, and as soon as he said he cheated, I knew we were over. And I realized that I actually felt relieved. So I smiled, and that just made him angrier and he was still shaking me and I was telling him to let me go. Anyway, this was all happening outside the Tasty Pastry and I guess the Burg grapevine was in full effect. Someone called Connie to tell her all about it as it was happening and she called Rangeman. Tank and Lester came out and made Joe let go. He just kept screaming, and when I turned around and started walking to their SUV, he started calling me a whore." I winced at the memory of the scene. "I managed to keep Tank and Lester from killing him, though I don't think he realized how close that was even with the spectators, and got them to drive me back here. I hid out here on seven for a couple weeks until things cooled down, and then I just went back to life as usual."

"Babe, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. When I had that pregnancy scare, I told Joe I thought I might be pregnant and he just walked out the door. And as I sat there, thinking about being pregnant with his baby, I realized how much I love you and how I was with Joe because he was 'safe'. And because I was letting my mother tell me that he was my only chance to be something that I don't even want to be! I want to be Wonder Woman, or at least a badass bounty hunter, not a Burg wife!"

"And on top of that, like I said, I don't love Joe. At least not anymore and probably not ever in the way I should for us to be together and to get married. As I was getting the test and then waiting for the results, I realized that, no matter how it turned out, I couldn't marry him. And I wouldn't marry him. Because it wouldn't be right to marry Joe when I was completely in love with you. When I AM in love with you."

"When I realized I wasn't pregnant, I can't tell you how relieved I was. I decided I was going to end it with him and go after you whenever you got home. Well, actually, I was going to end it with him either way, but that just made me want to end it right that second. And I knew you didn't want a relationship, but I was going to take whatever you could give me for as long as you were willing to give it to me."

"Babe, I'm going to give you every part of me I can. I've got two more months on my contract with the government, and they'll probably call me off for one last mission for who knows how long. But if you'll wait for me, when I get back, I'll give you all of me, no qualifications."

"Ranger. Carlos. I'll wait for you until the day I die if I have to."

"It won't come to that Babe. You've already got me. And when I do go, know that I WILL be coming back to you," he said. "Now, if we're going to do this, I am going to ask you for a few things. I'd like you to get some training so that you're safer and better able to protect yourself both on your job and just when you're out and about. And I'd like you to run your skips through Rangeman and fill in any extra hours you have available here helping us track down our higher bond skips and doing some office work. How does that sound to you?"

I winced, and noticed Ranger tensing up. "Relax, Ranger, I'm not going to fight you. I guess I didn't realize how little contact you'd had with anyone here while you were gone."

"Babe, I didn't have any contact. And like I said, I went straight to your apartment. The first the guys knew of me being back was when I called asking them to bring my Porsche to your apartment."

"Well, I haven't started training or anything because I was still resisting and negotiating with Tank, Bobby, and Lester about that. But if we're going to be in a relationship, then I will agree now to do that for you. I'll even start carrying my gun around with me at all times. But uh… I don't know how you're going to take this since you only offered me part-time just now, but Ialreadyworkforyoufulltime!"

Ranger grinned, "Take a deep breath, Babe, it's okay! It's great in fact. You already work for me full time?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Well, close enough. After the whole Morelli thing, Tank and Lester brought me here and we were talking, and they both said that you had been trying figure out ways to convince me to work for you that wouldn't make it seem like you were giving me a pity job. They assured me that it wasn't a pity job, just that you and the rest of the guys were concerned that I would think it was and turn it down. They also assured me that you and your Merry Men, my words, not theirs, were all happier when I am around. So I agreed to come in and run some searches when I had time. Since I wouldn't sign the contract with the training clause, and because they were trying to pay me too much, they set me up as hourly while we negotiated. They made sure that I understood that I could work as many hours as I want."

Ranger nodded. "About two months in, I was walking by Lester's office and heard him cursing up a blue streak. So I knocked on the door to his office and stuck my head in to see if I could help with anything. Turned out he was having a problem with Excel and so I helped him straighten it out. When he looked at me in shock, I made a joke about how at least my business degree was good for something, and he responded that he didn't know I had a business degree. Then he dragged me into Tank's office and I told them all about my degree and E.E. Martin. That's when the negotiations started getting way more intense! They want to bring me in as full-time office staff and I don't want to be chained to a desk or to give up all my skips. I also don't want to leave everyone at Vinnie's hanging high and dry."

I could tell Ranger knew I meant Lula more than Vinnie since she was used to getting part of my skip money by now, but that it was still important to me to take care of Vinnie since he had given me a job when I needed it. I watched him think for a few minutes and he said, "Okay. How about this, Babe. Right now Vinnie has two classifications of bonds-high bonds that Rangeman covers, and low bonds that you cover. We'll work with him on splitting them into three categories instead. Rangeman will still take the high bonds with the team and I being primary on the takedown. You'll still help us with the occasional distraction for those, and you'll assist us on the research end tracking them down with searches and your Burg connections"

I nodded. No way I wanted to take over those cases! A distraction here or there was fine, but I didn't want to be the primary on those!

"You will take the middle range bonds, including some that are higher than you're used to taking now. But you'll do so under Rangeman's name and you'll have to take a Rangeman partner with you on all apprehensions, no excuses. Since we'll be paying you a base salary, and Babe, I will get you to sign a contract because I want to know you're here for good, you'll get a smaller portion of the fee and Rangeman will take the rest. Any low-range and low-risk bonds you'll give to Lula. She can call you when she needs help and can't bring someone in without it. You'll additionally agree to bring in Rangeman if you feel that there is an unusually high risk for one of the bonds. Regardless of how much of your time or Rangeman's time it takes, Lula will get to keep the entire fee."

This all seemed reasonable, so I just stayed quiet and waited for the other shoe to drop.

"BUT, you'll be probationary here at Rangeman, and therefore out of the field until you can pass the basic entry exams for physical fitness, self defence/combat, and marksmanship. Once you've done so, you'll be expected to keep yourself within the required Rangeman levels for these categories and to meet the weekly workout requirements. You can't have contraband on the floors of the offices and conference rooms, but I won't stop you from having it up here or anywhere else that can be considered private space."

I chewed my lip nervously. I wanted to train. I want to be safer, and after the whole Scrog thing, even though it really was a fluke stalker, I realized that Ranger was right about his lifestyle being potentially dangerous to me, so I knew it was important to him and I respect that. But I didn't think I'd ever be able to meet the fitness requirements, which meant that I'd never make it back into the field.

"Babe," Ranger said, using that damn ESP of his, "I wouldn't ask you to train if I didn't know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can do this."

He swung me around so I was straddling him again (and don't I remember what happened the last time I straddled him!). He nibbled on my ear and said, "if you agree, we'll set milestones, and I'll make it worth your while every time you reach one. And how about this, as extra motivation for us both and to prove how confident I am, I won't go back into the field for Rangeman until you do. I can't make any promises if I have to go on a mission, but I won't go out for Rangeman business until you've passed all the qualifying exams and made it back into the field yourself."

His hands were now freely roaming my body and it was no longer in a soothing manner. I could feel starting to drool and the last of my resolve drifting away with my saliva.

"Okay."

I watched as Ranger picked up the phone, pressed the button for the control room and told whoever answered that we'd be offline for the next week. Well, he'd earned a vacation, and I may not think I have, but I was more than willing to take it anyway before my life became one big training fest!

Before he started his full on assault, he said, "Babe, there is one last thing."

"Mmmm?" What does he want now? I can feel him between my legs and I know what I want!

"In a minute, Babe." Damn, I must have said that out loud. "About the fire at your apartment last night."

I sighed, "I know, I promise, I won't try to cook again. I'll just find somewhere I can order some takeout for the shower and then dump it in a bowl and pretend I made it."

"No, that isn't what I was going to say, what I was going to say is, I want to teach you to cook."

He didn't give me a chance to answer, just covered my mouth with his and then thoroughly distracted me.