Janet Evanovich I can be a badass

**Plot: **When Steph is given the file for a FTA local gang leader, she tries an unusual method to capture her skip. One shot. Babe. HEA. Morelli isn't hurt, but doesn't really feature.

**Warnings: **Babe, language, sex, violence. Rated M.

**Disclaimer:** As usual, all credit goes to JE for creating the characters and writing the books.

**A/N: **Just FYI this will switch back and forth between Steph's &amp; Ranger's POV – so you've been warned. This story was inspired by the song 'U + Ur Hand' by P!nk – which has nothing at all to do with the story line, but is a song I pictured Steph kicking ass to. So there you go. Enjoy.

**I can be a badass**

By Sasha

**SPOV**

"Hey, Connie. Hey, Lula. You got anything for me?" I asked, breezing into the bonds office. I dropped a box of donuts courtesy of the Tasty Pastry on Connie's desk and snagged one before Lula pounced.

"Yeah, Steph. One real charmer. Vincenzo 'Crack' Sanchez," she replied, handing me the file and snatching a donut quick smart. "He got caught carrying concealed. He hasn't got caught before doing anything, know what I'm saying?"

"Crack? Seriously?" I mumbled around my Boston Cream as I flopped down on the couch. So he was smart enough not to get caught when he did illegal shit. That would make him harder to catch but that didn't make him a 'charmer'. Besides, everyone in New Jersey carried concealed – it was practically a rite of passage. I glanced at the photo of him attached to the front of the file and blinked a few times. Connie had literally meant a charmer – the man was gorgeous!

"Oh, gurl," Lula started, crumbs flying everywhere before she swallowed and continued, 'He's the leader of the 'Streetz' gang. Crack is his nickname, 'cause rumor has it he cracks peoples' heads together when they do somethin' to piss him off," Lula said, giving a full body shiver for effect.

"Uh, Connie, last time I got involved with a gang, it didn't go so well," I said nervously, feeling myself go pale as I thought back to the Slayers and the terrifying experience I'd gone through. I very nearly hadn't survived.

"Nah, don't worry gurl. The Streetz have a good rep. Crack is a good guy," Lula said, wiggling down onto the couch with the box of donuts clasped tightly on her lap.

Damn, I'd been hoping for a second.

"Then what was with that full body shiver?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Gurl, I ain't want my head cracked against no-body's. That shit's gotta hurt."

I just sighed and rubbed a hand against my forehead tiredly. I didn't really want to get my head cracked either. I guess I could always ask one of the guys to ride with me.

"Steph, this guy isn't just gonna let some skinny ass white gurl from the Burg take him in nice and easy like, and he sure as hell ain't stupid enough to be tricked into going. This man has a rep to uphold. His rep is what keeps him, his boys and all their women and kids safe. He ain't gonna ruin that for nobody, no matter how sweet talking they are. This man is like Ranger, but with a few less legally correct enterprises – just as tough, with a tough crew. Other crews don't mess with his – they respect him. It would be like you tricking Ranger into getting taken in – not gonna happen. You get my drift?" Lula said in a huff, pulling a bear claw out of the box and downing it in three bites.

I sighed again and closed my eyes this time, thumping my head on the back of the couch.

"Oh, I'm getting your drift, Lula. You don't think I can get him," I muttered, cutting my eyes to the box as she relaxed her grip slightly.

I dived across the couch and snatched my own bear claw triumphantly and settled back into my seat.

"Nuh-uh. That ain't what I'm sayin'. Look gurl, you've been a bounty hunter for how long now? Three, four years? It's time _you_ started earning a reputation," she said, giving me a steely look.

Uh oh, I didn't like where this was going.

"Lula," I began, lifting a hand to ward off whatever crazy scheme she was thinking of.

"No, I mean it. You can be all good girl, nicey nice with the people in the Burg, but the people down on Stark and Calhorn, you need to get your badass on. You've been training for what, five months, you gotta have learnt somethin' by now," she stated, raising her own eyebrow as if to challenge me.

I thought about what Lula had said for a few long minutes and knew she was right on some level. I needed to decide whether I wanted to man up or go home.

Nearly six months ago, Ranger had gone 'in the wind'. Two weeks after he'd left, I'd been kidnapped by an old skip that had recently been released from jail and tormented for six hours before Tank, Lester and Bobby had busted in and saved me. For some reason, this time had been a big wake up call to me to get my shit together. Possibly because Ranger wasn't there to hug me, sooth me and tell me everything was alright. Also could have been because the skip had strapped me down to a steel table, beaten me, broken a couple of finger, ripped off two of my fingernails, started making small cuts up and down my body and had repeatedly threatened to rape me. It had been one of the most terrifying experiences of my life – and when you had a life like mine, that was saying something.

Bobby and Tank had laid down some hard truths for me and didn't sugar-coat their words while I was recovering in hospital. I needed to get better at my job or I'd be dead within the next six months max. They'd made it very clear I'd been extremely lucky up until now. I had started training with the guys the very next week, and kept training with them three mornings a week for the last five months. Once a week I also either took myself to Sunny's gun range for extra practice, or to a self-defence or boxing class at a gym a few blocks from my apartment. I was leaner, fitter, more confident, I felt a hell of a lot safer and I actually carried a gun on my hip all day every day – along with a tracker, panic button, stun gun and cuffs.

Morelli hadn't been happy when I'd been kidnapped – oh, he'd been a bit worried about me, for sure, but he'd also yelled down the hospital with a lecture on how this was all my fault, I sucked at my job, I wasn't good enough, blah blah blah. He'd been less than thrilled when I'd started training at Rangeman. We'd broken up when I'd kept it up for three weeks and we hadn't gotten back together since. I wasn't as upset as I thought I'd be with our break up, and was especially surprised by how well I took the news when he moved in with his current girlfriend of three months a few weeks ago. She was nice, and a nurse at one of the local hospitals. They seemed like a good fit, and I'd never once heard of them having a yelling match in the street like Joe and I used to do on a regular basis. I really just wanted him to be happy, and I'd known for years that I wasn't it. I felt mostly relief that we'd both moved on from each other. Okay, so I had only moved on mentally and not physically. But it still counted. I was stuck bad on someone else who'd made it very clear that whatever we had could only be short term. But that was another matter, and something to think about only after consuming copious amounts of alcohol.

Anyway, I had my choice of any of the guys for a night of movies, poker, X-box or dinner out if I was feeling lonely. And I'd invested in a new shower massager for my other… feelings. I'd also been working at Rangeman on the three days a week I had training. I mostly did searches or monitoring room duty, but sometimes I sat in on client meetings with the guys, or went out on inspections. Tank was pretty flexible with what hours I worked, so long as I let him know when I was going to be there, and that I wasn't late for any of my training sessions.

The guys had not only taught me some physical combat skills, both offensive and defensive, they'd also taught me how to be stealthier, how to be more aware of my surroundings, how to pick locks, use a variety of weapons, and use the skills I did have to my advantage. I was actually enjoying it too; the first time I'd taken Bobby down on the mats sent a real thrill through me. I could now occasionally take Bobby, Ram, Manny or Lester down. Tank I had yet to manage, but I felt my day might be coming soon and I would relish it.

"I might have learnt some things," I mumbled thoughtfully.

"Good! This ain't just about you getting your street image up – you also gotta show some respect for the people you takin' in. They respect a badass," Lula said, waving her third donut at me as if to make a point.

I finished the last bite of my donut and dusted my hands off as I said, "Alright. I can be a badass."

"That's the spirit, gurl!" Lula cheered.

Connie simply looked bewildered that I was actually listening to Lula.

I jumped off of the couch. "I've got an idea, I'll see you ladies later," I said, shoving the file into my bag and giving them both a finger wave.

"Kick ass and take names later!" Lula shouted as the door closed behind me.

I shook my head back and forth. I was either bat-shit crazy and would be dead before the end of the day, or I'd come out looking like a badass, with some 'street cred'. I had to at least try. Having more of a kick-ass image would make taking in some skips a hell of a lot easier.

I jumped in my car and headed for Rangeman. I needed to borrow a few things off of Tank to make this work. Okay, maybe more than a few things. I hoped he wouldn't mind too much. And then I'd need a quick trip to the mall.

Oh yeah, I could make this work.

R*S

I paced back and forth in the elevator as it ascended to the fifth floor, thinking how I could convince Tank to let me borrow everything I needed if he put up resistance. I could always try the new move I'd been working on with Lester – maybe if Tank saw I could take him down he'd respect me more too?

The elevator doors opened and I stepped out, calling out hello to a number of the guys. I navigated into the maze of cubicles, pausing at Lester's desk as he sat in his chair halfway into the hallway.

"Something on your mind, Beautiful?" he wondered, taking my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

I leant against the wall of his cubicle and noticed he had the monitoring camera for the elevator up on his third screen.

"Just wanted to talk to Tank. Is he in?" I asked, pausing as I felt a familiar tingle race down my spine.

I glanced up from Lester to see Ranger lounging against the open doorway to his office on the opposite end of the hallway. I couldn't hide the large smile of relief that swept across my face as I saw him. Thank God he'd made it back from wherever the hell he'd been, alive and in one piece. He crooked a finger at me slowly and I tried to bite back a shit eating grin as I gave Lester's hand a quick squeeze in apology and moseyed across the floor to Ranger.

His hand gripped my arm as soon as I was within reaching distance and pulled me into his office, shutting the door softly behind me.

"Hey, stranger. Long time, no see," I said, leaning back against the closed door as he invaded my personal space.

"Babe," Ranger replied, giving me a half smile and tucking a loose curl behind one of my ears.

"Are you okay? Everything go okay?" I asked softly, running my eyes over him to make sure he still had all his body parts. He did. His hair was shorter, just brushing his chin. He looked a little more tired than normal, but nothing to be alarmed about. He was still as handsome and toned as ever. Maybe even slightly more toned than usual. His clothes were fitting tighter than normal, and his shoulders and arms appeared to be bigger. I stared at his shirt, wondering if his abs were even more defined than usual too. I also wondered where he'd been and just what he'd been doing. Usually when he came back from being 'in the wind', he was a handful of pounds lighter. But I'd been wondering that every day since he'd been gone, and I knew better than to ask. If he wanted me to know, he'd tell me.

I was taken back when his lips suddenly pressed against mine, giving me a warm, slow, tender kiss.

"I'm fine, Babe," he said, his breath tickling my lips before he moved back in for another toe-curling kiss. "I've been training some of my replacements. It's good to be home," he murmured, his thumb gently running across my bottom lip as he took half a step back.

"It's good to have you home," I replied, my hands automatically clasping the front of his shirt to hold him close to me. "Replacements?"

The air practically fizzled between us as his eyes darkened and crinkled slightly at the corners. His eyes dipped down to my lips but his body tensed moments later and he raised his eyes back up to mine.

"Yeah, Babe. Getting too old to do the shit I was doing," he explained.

I stared at him for a long beat, and ran my eyes back over him head to toe. Too old my ass; he was in the best shape I'd ever seen him in.

His hand reached up and massaged my neck gently, making me groan quietly and close my eyes. "Saw you in the elevator; you okay?" he asked softly, his lips brushing against my temple.

"Hmmm?" I swayed closer to him and then realised he wasn't about to kiss me senseless again, he was actually talking to me. "Oh, yeah. I just wanted to ask Tank if I could borrow some things."

"Ask away, Babe," he said

"O-Oh! Well, uh. I'll be happy to, uh, rent them. And I'll pay for them if something goes wrong. Well, okay I probably won't be able to pay you back for the car, but all the other stuff. Maybe we can work out a payment plan. I've been working here some, so you could just keep half of my paycheck each week – it will still take a while, but –"

"Babe!"

"What?"

"You're rambling. Just tell me what you need," he said gently, giving my ponytail a playful tug and flashing me a quick grin.

"Okay. One of the big black Explorers with oversized tyres and dark tinting. Two thigh holsters, a glock… and a vest."

Ranger just stared at me intensely for a beat as I mentally reviewed my list.

"Oh! And also that short-barrelled, pump action shot gun Tank let me try the other day," I asked, my eyes glazing over a little. It was so badass, and perfect for what I needed.

"Babe, you invading somewhere I should know about?" he wondered quietly.

I bit back a large smile and raised an eyebrow at him, "That's classified," I sassed. He just raised both of his eyebrows at me. "Don't worry, I won't be stepping on your toes. You can keep the third world countries all to yourself," I said, flashing my teeth at him.

He grinned and shook his head at me slowly, placing his hands on either side of my hips and drawing me against his body. He tilted his head slightly to the side, as if saying, _'Explain'._

"I'm just trying something new," I said, with a small shrug.

"You need backup?" he asked, his thumbs brushing back and forth against my skin where my shirt had ridden up slightly from my jeans. I shivered at the pleasant feeling and glanced up again to find his eyes warm and dark.

"I don't think so. Can I call you if I do?" I answered, giving him a questioning look. I knew I could always call Lester or Bobby or any of the other guys, but there was just something special about having Ranger as backup.

"You know you can, Babe. Anytime," he replied, leaning down to give me another satisfying kiss.

God, these tender kisses would be the death of me!

I blew out a breath and dropped my head down onto his shoulder, saying, "Okay, thank you." I wasn't even sure if I was thanking him for the kiss or for letting me use the stuff. It was a toss-up.

Ranger pressed a kiss against my curls and stepped back. "Let's grab your gear, Babe. On one condition."

My head swung up fast as I stared at him with trepidation. "Uh, oh."

"Dinner on seven. With me. For six nights of my choosing," he said quickly, not making me wait or worry too long.

"Six?" I clarified.

"One for each of the items you want to borrow," he said, with a small quirk of his lips.

"Just dinner?" I asked warily.

"Maybe a movie," he added with a satisfied nod, like he enjoyed the idea of us curled up on his couch together watching a movie.

I held back a shudder at the feeling of how much I would enjoy that and pinned him with a glare, "That's not what I'm asking."

He stared at me for a minute, trying to convey something to me that I couldn't quite get. I looked back at him steadily and his thumbs stopped brushing across my skin.

"What if we just see what happens?" he asked softly.

"Hmmm," I stared at him thoughtfully, trying to read him, scanning his face.

This was new for him, soft tender kisses, explaining where he'd been, not applying much pressure or throwing out innuendos left right and centre. It kind of sounded like he wanted to have a date with me, but I swiftly pushed down my hopes on that, and my hopes that maybe, just maybe his opinions had changed on the subject of relationships. He wasn't a man that changed his mind once he'd made a decision. But could I have six nights of intimacy, or if I was lucky, mind blowing sex with a man I loved so deeply, and then just walk away and act like he hadn't just broken my heart again? I guess we were going to find out. I'd long ago accepted that I would take whatever Ranger would offer me. Life was too short to hold out for a commitment. At least that's what I kept trying to tell myself.

"Okay, deal," I said slowly.

A large smile gradually stretched across his face. I wondered if he realised just how beautiful he was when he smiled like that.

"Tonight."

"Huh?" I answered eloquently.

"I want dinner with you tonight. You free?" he said, adding on the question at the last second.

It was nice of him to pretend that I might have other plans.

"I'm free," I confirmed.

"Good. Tonight then, six pm. Let's go," he rested a hand on the small of my back and propelled me out of his office and into the control room to grab a set of keys.

Our next stop was the armoury on the second underground level below the garage. I hadn't even known the Rangeman building went underground until a couple of months ago, when Lester had taken me down there to choose a gun I'd be most comfortable with. I'd been down there only a handful of times since. Access was restricted to the core team, and you needed a fob, eye scan and a special code to get down there. I was pretty sure things below ground weren't always strictly legal, but I knew better than to ask. What I didn't know couldn't hurt me.

Ranger made me try on a few vests until he was happy with one that fit. I'd just wanted one in black, so I'd come to the right place. Ranger took me back up to the fifth floor once we'd gathered what I was after so I could say goodbye to the guys.

Then I was back in the elevator, giving Ranger a small smile and the room a finger wave as the doors slid shut.

**RPOV**

"Tank," I said, raising my voice slightly as the elevator descended down to the garage with my Babe safely tucked away inside. I didn't need to shout as whenever I stepped out onto the fifth floor, all of my men fell silent.

He just tossed me a set of keys and kept walking past me towards the elevator.

"Can I come?" Lester asked with a grin, popping up beside me.

"No."

So almost all of my men fell silent when I stepped onto the fifth floor. Cousins you'd known since you were both in diapers generally didn't fear you as much when they knew they could dob on you to your mother. Still.

"But –"

"No," Tank and I answered together as we climbed into the open elevator.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a large shit eating grin stretch across Tank's face after the doors slid shut.

"What do you think our girl's up to now?" he asked.

_Our _girl? Since when? She was _my_ girl.

It both annoyed me and made me so proud to see how well my Babe got on with my men. She accepted them as they were, didn't expect them to be something that they weren't, listened to their thoughts and opinions, worked, laughed and played with them without batting an eyelid. Something I couldn't say for the large majority of the community. Sometimes though, I wish my Babe didn't get on _quite_ so well with them. I didn't like sharing her, and now that Morelli was out of the picture and my field contracts were done… I was getting ahead of myself.

_Tonight_, I promised.

"Not sure, but I want to see whatever it is," I replied slowly.

We climbed into Tank's personal car, a silver Range Rover that Stephanie wasn't likely to recognize as easily.

Tank had briefed me on what had happened regarding Stephanie while I'd been away. Some parts of his report had made my gut clench and my heart freeze – other parts made me feel overwhelming pride for her, and for the men who'd taken her under their wings and been able to accomplish in months what I hadn't managed over the past few years. I wanted to inspect every inch of her from head to toe; kiss where she'd been bruised, check to see each of her slender fingers was healed, see that her fingernails had grown back, and kiss each and every new scar that asshole had given her. If the skip that'd kidnapped my Babe hadn't died during her rescue, he'd be suffering a fate worse than death right now.

We followed Stephanie to Quaker Bridge Mall, pulling in a few spaces down from where she'd parked.

"You think there was a sale on at Macy's that she needed to be armed for?" Tank asked curiously.

"It's possible. Not sure I want to go in to find out," I muttered, watching her, trying to figure out where her mind was at.

"How much trouble can she get into in a mall?" he wondered.

We both paused and looked at each other before jumping out of the car and quickly striding into the mall. I hung back further than Tank, to make sure Steph's 'spidey sense' didn't alert her to my presence.

She was in and out of the mall within fifteen minutes and we were on the road again. When she pulled into her apartment parking lot, I circled the block and parked half a block up on the opposite side of the street to wait.

Tank and I sat silently for nearly an hour before Stephanie came back out again. She was far enough away that I couldn't make out exactly what she was wearing; just that she was in black from head to toe.

We pulled out after her and followed her for a good twenty minutes as we headed into the shittier part of town.

"Don't like this, man. What's she doing down on Calhorn Street?" Tank grumbled.

I knew I was tense, alert, scanning for any threats. When she rolled to a stop outside of Crack Sanchez' headquarters, something in my guts twisted.

"Fuck," I said softly.

She had no business being here. Vinnie had no fucking business giving her skips in this neighbourhood. I pulled up across the street, as close to Steph as I dared and cut the engine.

Both Tank and I sucked in a deep breath as she jumped out of the Explorer.

She was dressed in tight black jeans, black CATs, a tight black shirt that showed a hint of cleavage and her vest. Her hair was up in a high ponytail and she had on large oversized black sunglasses. Her lips were painted a bright red that instantly made my cock hard and images I didn't need right now to flood my brain. I focused again and took in the two thigh holsters she had strapped on, locked and loaded. On her belt were spare clips, two sets of handcuffs, mace and a Taser. She carried the short barrelled shot gun over one shoulder.

I held my breath as she marched determinedly up to the door.

**SPOV**

I rolled my shoulders and marched up the concrete path to the door, channelling my inner Ranger. I knew I looked badass as fuck; I just needed to follow through.

"Vincenzo 'Crack' Sanchez!" I shouted a couple of yards from the door.

I pumped the shot gun with one hand as my other hand was poised, hovering and waiting to draw one of my handguns if necessary.

"You are in violation of your bond agreement! Get your ass out here!" I yelled calmly, my voice not wavering once.

Well, now I looked _and_ sounded like a badass.

I could do this.

"Fuck off, Bounty Hunter Bitch," someone shouted back from inside. They sounded young, too young to be Sanchez, whose file had placed him at twenty eight. I hoped like hell they weren't standing behind the door.

I took aim and blew the front door clean off its hinges. Oh, yeah, I loved this shot gun.

"Fuck, lady! Are you crazy?" the same voice asked, a young guy that was about eighteen ran out of the house with his hands up.

I simply pointed to the bare front yard on my right. He kneeled down and placed his hands on his head.

When I looked up, I found Sanchez leaning against the doorway, watching me with interest. He would have easily been five foot ten, well-built and was probably four or five shades darker than Ranger. His black hair was cropped short in a clean crew cut. He had two diamond studs, one in each ear, and piercing dark brown eyes. He also had a cleanly trimmed moustache and slight beard. I took in the green collared shirt and dark wash jeans that hugged his toned body and had to remind myself that this was a gang leader, an FTA and not someone I should be ogling. His muscular arms were folded casually across his chest, so I figured I wasn't in too much danger.

"You got some balls, Mañoso's woman," he remarked coolly, giving me a small nod.

I bristled at the 'Mañoso's woman' comment.

"It's Plum, or Stephanie. I don't answer to Mañoso's woman," I returned, glaring at him through my sunglasses.

I think he still got the message, because he smiled slightly and inclined his head.

"So, Plum. How's this gonna work?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

It was kind of an infectious grin, but I kept my face schooled.

"It could go one of two ways. The easy way, we dump any illegal crap you have on you, cuff you, and take you for a ride to the Station to get rebooked."

"The hard way?" he asked, grinning still. I was starting to feel like he wasn't taking me seriously.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the punk that was kneeling on the ground shift like he was about to leg it.

"Don't even think about it!" I barked at him, like Tank barked at me in the gym when I was slacking off.

The guy jumped but sat down hard on his ass in defeat.

I made eye contact again with Sanchez. The smile was gone now, and he was considering me more closely. "The hard way?" he demanded softly.

"I get my paycheck whether you're injured, dead or alive," I said simply.

He sighed slightly and scanned our surroundings. Lula was right; he did kind of remind me of Ranger.

"Look, it's your first offence; you probably won't even get time. You've got a lawyer right? I can have you rebooked as soon as we get there," I explained sharply, starting to get impatient.

"You know I can't just let you take me," he finally said.

I glanced around at all of the attention we'd drawn. There were at least twenty people lingering in shadows and doorways up and down the street.

"I know," I said, nodding slowly. Most men thought it was insulting to be taken in by a woman. I thought that was bullshit, personally, but hey, if they won't join you, beat them. That was one of Tank's favourite mottos, anyway.

I watched him carefully and saw the exact moment he'd decided to make a run for it. I launched off of the ground and tackled him mid-air when he darted right, both of us landing hard on the concrete path. We struggled, but with my recent training, I was able to flip him onto his stomach, hold him down and cuff him. He was tough and he was gorgeous, but he was no Ranger.

I heard movement to my left and lifted the shot gun off of the ground where I'd dropped it and pointed it at the punk in one swift movement. He had pulled his own gun and had it shakily trained on me.

"Drop it!" I ordered.

Sanchez cursed as he looked around and saw his guy. "Dominic, put the fucking gun down. She'll kill you in a heartbeat," he ordered. "Not to mention what fucking Mañoso would do to you," Sanchez muttered too quietly for Dominic to hear.

Dominic glanced at me again and dropped his gun, shooting his hands straight up into the air.

"Go back into the house, and stay there if you know what's good for you," I growled.

Dominic sprinted inside.

"Let's go, Plum. I think we've put on enough of a show for both of our reps to stay intact," Sanchez mumbled underneath me.

I blinked down at him and shook my head, "You might want to consider organizing a better welcoming party in future," I suggested ruefully.

"What, you want coffee and cake next time?" he said, snorting.

I jumped up and dragged him to his feet. "I never say no to cake. But I meant, if that had of been one of your enemies knocking on the door, you'd have wanted a bigger, braver dude on the door," I said quietly.

He glanced over his shoulder at me as I pushed him towards the Explorer and gave another small nod.

"Most my guys are out with the flu at the moment. It's a fucking nightmare," he grunted.

I just rolled my eyes as I secured him to the seat with floor shackles and shut him inside the back seat before walking smoothly around to the driver's side and climbing behind the wheel. I didn't even trip or stumble once.

See, I can be a badass.

**RPOV**

Tank and I sat dumbfounded as we watched Stephanie blow open Sanchez's door, tackle him, cuff him and get him into her car.

"Did that really just happen?" Tank asked as I pulled out behind Stephanie.

I nodded slowly, trying to will away my raging erection. I didn't fucking dare look over at Tank, because if he'd had the same reaction, I'd have to kill him and that would be hell on our friendship.

"Damn," he cursed.

I just nodded again.

My Babe had literally blown me away. I was so proud of how far she'd come since she'd first walked into that diner four years ago. So proud of how she'd handled herself. So proud that she now took her safety seriously. So proud of the strong, confident, gorgeous woman she was.

I wanted her.

I wanted her badly.

I wanted her to be _mine. _

We followed her to the cop shop, where she got Sanchez rebooked by Connie and then she drove him home again. Sanchez gave her a complicated handshake that left my Babe bewildered and swaggered back inside his house. We stuck close to Steph until she made it out of the shittier neighbourhoods and then doubled around her to get back to Rangeman first.

When she stepped off of the elevator on five with a beautiful smile on her face, dressed like a fucking badass's wet dream, I pushed off of the wall where I was waiting and scooped her up into my arms. I wrapped her legs tightly around my waist as I strode back into the elevator and used my fob for the seventh floor. I carelessly unloaded the shot gun with one hand, letting the shells fall to the floor of the elevator and tossed the gun through the rapidly closing doors, hoping but not really caring if one of the men caught it before it hit the ground.

"Ranger?" she asked me sweetly.

I responded by covering her lips with mine and kissing her senseless.

**SPOV**

I could feel how hard Ranger was between our bodies.

His lips and tongue were kissing me so deeply, pleasure thrummed through my body.

When I found myself dumped on his bed and his body covering mine, I didn't hesitate to wrap my arms around him and pull him as close to me as I could get.

My vest and shirt were first to go, casually tossed over his shoulder before his lips were on my skin, making me moan and writhe as he pleasured me.

His hands explored while his mouth was busy. He groaned, _out loud_, when he found a third gun tucked away at the small of my back. It landed in his bedside table with a quiet clunk.

"Fuck, Steph. You have no idea how hot it is to know you're taking your safety seriously," he muttered, moving to unbuckle my belt and ripping it off swiftly, sending everything that had been attached to it flying.

His quick fingers removed the two guns and thigh holsters, which were also added to the drawer in his bedside table.

The sound and feel of him lowering the zipper on my jeans felt incredibly erotic. As he stood to pull my boots, socks and then my jeans all of the way off, he swiftly stripped and covered my body with his gorgeously naked one. I felt slightly disappointed that I hadn't been the one to enjoy undressing him, but then his mouth and fingers were doing something incredible to my body and most of my thoughts drifted away.

Our foreplay was long, gratifying and intense. We'd tasted and touched and teased – driving each other higher and higher as we explored and reacquainted ourselves with each other's bodies. By the time I was completely naked, I was begging him to enter me.

"So proud of you, Babe," he breathed against my lips as his cock rubbed along my entrance, before thrusting slowly inside me.

I moaned into his mouth as he stretched and filled me to perfection. He paused inside of me for a long few moments before rocking against me smoothly, pulling almost all of the way out and thrusting back deep inside me.

"Oh, God, Ranger," I whispered, shutting my eyes against the feelings he was stirring inside me.

This was nothing like the last time we'd been together. This was so much more. So much more intense, emotional, _right_, a little voice whispered inside my head.

A single tear rolled down my cheek as he loved me slowly and thoroughly and took me over the edge three times before he let himself go, breathing my name into the darkening room.

R*S

I stretched languidly against him a long time later, finally recovered and enjoying the warmth of his body.

Very soon doubts and thoughts started to creep back in. Did this change anything? Just because we'd slept together and it wasn't like last time did it mean something different? Did he want me for longer than one night, or six as it happened? It felt like he wanted more.

I couldn't help myself. I had to ask. I had to know. I knew I couldn't do this again if things hadn't changed for him.

"So… has your opinions on relationships changed?" I asked very quietly, slowly tracing patterns on his chest.

I couldn't bear to look at his face while he answered. He might not know it, but his answer would determine how much we would see of each other in future. If he said no, I was going to have to climb out of his bed, get dressed, go home, and cry myself stupid for at least a good twelve hours. Then I'd have to stop training with the guys, stop working at Rangeman, and try to figure out how to avoid him from this point forward for the rest of my miserable life. I needed to remember exactly how this felt so I wasn't stupid enough to succumb to it, to him, again.

"No."

My heart shattered silently inside my chest. My finger stopped tracing patterns. I slowly bent down and pressed one final kiss to Ranger's chest, just above his heart. God, I'd miss him. I'd miss the guys. I'd miss everything about what having him in my life meant.

I jumped off of the bed quickly, faster than he could grab me, surprising him. I'm sure he'd been looking forward to round two and three, but there was no way that was going to happen with the way I was feeling right now.

"O-Okay. Well, um. I guess I better get going. I'll see you later," I said quickly, scooping up my clothes and yanking on my underwear.

I'd finish getting dressed in the hallway outside of his apartment. I couldn't stand to be in the same room with him right now, let alone the same apartment. I had to get out now, before he saw me break down.

"Stephanie."

I shivered at the warning in his tone. I wasn't sure what he meant by it, so I just grabbed my purse off of his bedroom floor and pulled my shirt down over my head. I couldn't go into the hallway topless, after all. There _were _still cameras out there.

"Uh-huh. I'll be out of here in no time, don't worry," I said, the fabric momentarily blocking my sight.

"No. You won't."

In the half a second it had taken me to pull my shirt down, Ranger was standing a bare inch from me. I blinked at the look he was giving me – something between frustration and… affection?

"Ex-excuse me?" I stuttered, my heart pounding in my chest as he grabbed my purse and jeans and tossed them back onto the ground.

He took steps forward and I took rapid ones back until he had me trapped against the wall. His hands pressed against the wall either side of my head as the length of his naked body pressed against my semi-dressed one.

"My opinion on relationships hasn't changed, but my opinion on a relationship _with you_ has."

My heart literally stopped in my chest as I finally looked up at him to meet his gaze with my own teary one.

"Wh-what are you saying, Ranger?" I whispered croakily.

"I'm saying I want a relationship with you. I want _the_ relationship with you. I want you to share my bed and my life for the rest of our lives," he stated emphatically, reaching up to brush away the few tears that had fallen onto my cheeks.

"I – uh. But… You?" I blinked rapidly and suddenly had to look everywhere but at him.

His hand gently gripped my chin, forcing my gaze back on him.

"I love you, Babe."

I stared at him, waiting for whatever usually came next. He just kept staring at me with his warm brown eyes.

"Y-you love me?" I stammered, rapidly blinking away more tears that seemed to be trying to fall.

"I do, Steph. I love you, and I want only you," he said, his words rumbling in his chest, reverberating against my own.

"Are you s-sure?"

He gave a light growl and lifted me before tossing me back on the bed and pinning me beneath him. His lips trailed warm kisses from my shoulder, up my throat, until they found my mouth and softly teased me.

"Let's try this again. I love you, Babe," he said, staring at me meaningfully as if waiting for something.

"Oh! God, Ranger. I love you too, I love you so much. I'm just in shock. I mean, I've been in love with you forev –"

The rest of my words were lost as his mouth descended on mine and proceeded to take my breath away. He kissed me with such tender passion that I felt a few more tears trickle down my face.

Our lovemaking after that was slow, raw and achingly sweet. I'd never felt so loved in my entire life.

We lay together afterward, Ranger's arms wrapped around me tightly, holding me securely to him as if he was afraid I'd try to bolt again.

I nuzzled his neck and kissed him there softly once, twice, until one of his hands slid into my hair and lifted my head high enough for him to taste my lips. I smiled against his mouth and felt his smile in return.

"So, does this count as one of your six dinner nights?" I teased as I settled my head on his shoulder and rested my hand over his heart.

"Steph, now that I have you here, I'm not letting you go again," he murmured seriously against my hair. "I'm hoping to spend the next twenty odd thousand nights with you."

I tensed slightly, taking that in. Spending the rest of my life right here with Ranger sounded pretty good to me. We still had some things to hash out, like if Rex could move in too, where my cookie jar was going to go, if I'd start working at Rangeman full time or not, if I had to eat healthy twenty-four seven… but I knew all of those things were relatively small compared to the love I felt for him or compared to what I would do to ensure I didn't lose him. I was definitely willing to compromise if he was.

My stomach took that moment to rumble loudly.

"Speaking of dinner?" I asked, lifting my head to smile at him sheepishly.

"Babe."

"Sorry, being a badass is hungry work," I said stoically, shrieking as he flipped me over and started tickling me.

Oh yeah, life with Ranger was going to be good.

_The end._


End file.

Janet Evanovich, Humor, Romance