Eight Nights

Chapter One - The First Visit

Just exactly how do I get myself into these situations? I attract crazy people like a magnet!

The last thing I can remember is watching Ghost Busters. I know, I know, it’s my favorite but after six hours of surveillance and rolling in the door at 4:00 a.m. I am tired and I am hungry. So who could blame me for falling asleep, right? Full tummy, good movie and a comfortable couch are all a girl needs. Well, maybe a full tummy, a comfortable bed and a gorgeous guy to share it with would be at the top of the list. But I don’t have the guy piece of the puzzle so I’ll stick with what I do have.

I’m sleeping snuggled up on the couch. Someone gently covering my eyes with their hand startles me awake. I instinctively reach out and grab the wrist trying to remove it. The large hand attaches to a very large wrist and hairy forearm. Well at least I know it’s a man’s hand. At least I hope. Ugh. Mental head slap. I just figure out it’s a man and I’m in nympho mode already?

Now to try and figure out which man it belongs to. I mean with all the breaking and entering that goes on in my apartment I have quite the list to choose from.

When I try to reach out to touch some other body part of my intruder, my hands are quickly grabbed and held above my head. Normally by now I’d be in panic mode. But for some reason I’m not. In fact, I’m pretty calm if I do say so myself.

The touches are firm, but gentle. Not rough and commanding like I expect if some crazy person is out to get me. After all I had some loon try to cut off my nipple. I know the “crazy out to get me” moves. But then again I’m Stephanie Plum, Bombshell Bounty Hunter. Nothing ever really goes as expected with me. Why should this be any different?

His breathing became louder. I started to feel his warm breath on my face. Could this be Joe? Nah. That putz took off after “the ultimatum”. He’s been gone for weeks. Ranger? Maybe. When he came back to my apartment after taking in DeChooch, he got beeped and had to leave. I’ve barely seen him since. Usually it’s when he’s driving away from the office. But this type of maneuver is more his style. But there’s no scent. Range wears the best cologne and always smells great.

“Ahh, Ranger?”

“Shhh” came the very soft breathy reply.

With his right arm stretched over my left holding my wrists, and his left hand covering my eyes, I can feel the heat radiating off of the part of his upper body that is covering mine. Unfortunately he whispers so soft I can't recognize his voice. Damn.

“Joe?” came out in an uncertain squeak.

“Shhhh”

Again with the “shhhh”? Who does this guy think he is? Shhshing me in my own home! Just as I am gearing up to go into rhino mode and figuring out how I could kick him since my legs are free, very soft velvety lips gently brush against mine. I go completely still. I couldn’t move I couldn’t breath. Then it happens again. Those soft wet lips sweep back across mine very slowly, very gently.

“Stay.” he breathes as he tightens the hold on my wrists slightly and lightly pushes down with his hand covering my eyes. He moves his face to the side and buries it in my hair taking a deep breath, drinking in my scent and letting out a sigh.

“Stay.” Again repeating the same tightening and pressing movements with his hands.

Geez, I get it. Did he think I am stupid? Well ok, I am stunned, but I’m not stupid. And all right, I’m breathing kind of heavy right now but I can still think, sort of. Ok, ok, and I’m a little tingly. I mentally rolled my eyes. Oh God, I am a nympho.

The sound of a combination grunt chuckle came from the mystery man. He removes his hands and I hear the rustle of clothes as he stands. Now I am cold. The sudden loss of his body heat makes me shiver slightly. The blanket that covers me moves up to my chin and the sides are tucked in. Then nothing. I strain to hear something, anything.

The sound of my dead bolt tumbling into place spurs me into action. I roll from the couch, jump to my feet and spring for the door like a panther. It’s what I have in mind anyway. But in reality I roll off the couch to the floor and hit my head on the leg of my coffee table. When I manage to get to my feet, I stumble into the kitchen for some ice to put on my forehead then proceed to the door and hook the chain.

I thought about going down the hall and out into the parking lot to see what I could see. Why bother? Unless he is inept, he could be half way to China by the time I get myself situated and out there. He manages to get into my apartment, turn off the TV and cover my eyes before I even wake up. Somehow I don’t think inept could be used to describe my mystery man.

I look around my apartment. Rex is face first in his soup can and nothing seems to be missing. I shrug and go to bed. “My mystery man” is the last thought I have before falling into a deep sleep.

The next morning I open my eyes and see daylight is streaming in through a crack in the curtain. Letting out a big sigh and rolling over I look at my clock on the nightstand. Just like a good little soldier, it's proudly displaying the time as 11:00 a.m. I slept through breakfast but I'm not missing lunch. If I hurry I can make it to the office then Mom's for lunch.

While in the shower replaying the events of this morning over and over in my mind, I’m starting to doubt it even happened. Could it all have been a dream? Why would anyone break in, kiss me and leave? It's probably the hiar. Yep, it was all a dream. I'm sure of it. I really did fall off the couch and hit my head so that explains the bruise but everything before that, a dream. Pulling on my usual uniform of jeans, T-shirt, flannel and Dockers I head for the office.

I open the door and stop dead in my tracks. Lula is completely decked out in deep purple. There is purple hair, spandex, nails and shoes. An eggplant is the closest thing I could come up with to describe a plus sized black woman being squeezed by purple spandex.

"Hey Connie, Lula. Got anything for me?" I said, directing my last comment at Connie as I plopped myself on the couch. Connie and Lula work for my cousin Vinnie in his Bail Bonds office. Connie is the office manager and Lula does the filing and occasional skip tracing.

"Hey Steph. Sorry, nothing for you yet today."

"Hey Girlfriend” Lula says as she turns away from the file cabinet to look at me sitting on the couch. "What's 'ematter? What's the bruise on your forehead?"

They can tell. They can always tell.

"Nothing really. Just had a really weird dream last night. It felt so real. It kinda freaked me out that's all." I said in a sigh.

"Spill it," they said in unison, as Lula stood with arms crossed and Connie stopping mid-stroke in her nail painting.

I told them about my dream. How the touches were gentle and the kiss barely there. Then how I woke up and fell off the couch. They sat staring at me expecting more.

"That's it."

"That's it?" again in unison

"Girl, you need to spice up them dreams." Lula stated and turned back to filing. Lula, being a former ho, could probably tell me all about how to spice up my dreams. Connie had already resumed painting her nails.

"You need to start dreamin' bout Batman. And don't have it end with one kiss and him leavin'," said Lula while shaking her head. "That kiss be just the beginnin', not the end." Like it was my fault my dream sounded pathetic.

"Yeah Steph, start thinking the right thoughts about the right man and you're dreams will get better," Connie decided to finally add her two cents.

"I can't control what I dream about! Besides, it felt romantic at the time," I whined, leaning my elbows on my knees and placing my head in my hands.

"Need something good to dream about Babe?" Oh shit. Where did he come from?

God wouldn't do this to me. Ranger's not there. I'm sure that's not him kneeling down to my level only inches from me. I can feel my face turning warm. I lift my face out of my hands and end up looking into those familiar dark Latino eyes.

"I might be able to help with that." A smile pulled at the corners of Ranger's mouth.

"Umm, no, no. That's ok,” I mumble. I scoot over, stand and back my way to the door. "Well I gotta run. Connie call me if anything comes in". With that I'm out the door.

Ok, now to get down the stairs and onto the Harley. I didn't make it.

"Babe?" Ranger says as he reaches out and touches my upper arm to turn me around.

"Yeah?" I can still feel the heat in my face.

"Got a job if you're interested."

"Maybe." Hell yes.

"It's legal. A distraction job but it's going to take some planning with the guys. We're meeting at Pino's tomorrow to go over the details. Want in?"

"Pino's?" Surprise sounding in my voice

A small chuckle rumbled from deep in Ranger's chest. "Yes, Pino's. You'd be surprised how often I get out voted Babe."

This took me all of two seconds to think about. Four well built gorgeous ex-army men and Pino's pizza?

"Sure. What time?" I hoped I wasn't drooling.

He reaches out and tucks some stray hairs behind my ear. His eyes and voice suddenly soft. "Noon. I'll send someone to pick you up at 11:45." He gently runs his fingers across the bruise on my forehead and gets a questioning concerned look on his face. Then he turns and I watch him walk away. That man has one very fine backside. Sigh. A great front side too. Ranger is my mentor and sometimes bounty hunter partner. He's the shit. He's good at bounty hunting, built like a brick house, strong and tough, and has the looks to pull it all together in one nice package. Speaking of his package… No! Stephanie don't go there!

He made it clear the night he came to collect his "fee" that he's not interested. I was there ready, willing and able but he had to suddenly leave. He's never come back. It's been three weeks and he hasn't come back. I check my watch. It's 11:50. Plenty of time to get to my mother's for lunch.

I rumble up to the curb in front of my parent's house and make my way inside.

"I see you're still riding that vibrator motorcycle," Grandma says excitedly. "When do I get my next ride? It made me tingle all the way down there."

"Not today Grandma. I've got work to do this afternoon." And the lies keep coming. Should I be concerned it's getting easier? Maybe I should go to church this Sunday. File all that under "think about later".

"Work? Stephanie did you finally get a position at the button factory?" my mother asks a little to hopefully, if you ask me, as she is coming out of the kitchen.

"No Mom. I'm still working for Vinnie."

"That no good pervert cousin of yours should be the one in jail not the one that gets people out. Put him in jail and throw away the key! Make the street safer for children and the elderly."

"And ducks," adds Grandma

My mother gasps "Mother!"

My eye is twitching full force by now. I need to get out of here but I can't leave before I've eaten. "Mom, what's for lunch today?" I ask hoping to distract her.

"Chicken salad. Get your finger out of your eye. You'll get pink eye," she replies curtly.

The rest of lunch went smoothly without any talk of Vinnie, his fetish for fowl, or the button factory. I said a silent prayer of thanks as I got on my bike and drove back to the office.

"Miss thing, you back awful quick,” Lula stated from behind Connie's desk.

"I was just hoping that something might have come in for me during lunch." Hope springs eternal. Yep, that's me. Just full to the brim with hope.

"Nope, nothin' girlfriend. All high bond cases. Stuff Ranger usually takes."

"Well Ranger can have them. I've had my fill of mean ones for a life time."

A grunt is all I get in response.

I decide to head home but not before stopping for some ice cream and chocolate. Hey I know how to kill my free time. At home I clean Rex's cage and let him run around on the couch for a while. Then place him back in his nice clean cage and feed him feeling pretty proud of myself. What a good hamster mommy I am. I decide to reward myself with some ice cream and a quick nap.

I snap awake when I hear knocking at my door. Who knocks at my door anymore? Looking out the peephole I see a very sexy set of Italian eyes.

"Come on Cupcake. I know you are in there."

I open the door and catch the distinct smell of Pino's meatball subs. "Hi Joe." I say flatly.

"What Cupcake? Not happy to see me? I've got Pino's subs." He waves the bag teasingly in the air.

"Joseph Morelli, what makes you think you can bribe your way into my apartment?"

" I don't need food to bribe you Cupcake." His eyes turn dark as he pushes me back into the apartment and up against the wall.

"No Joe. Don't." I don't know what it was, the way I said it with the soft tone, the look of sadness on my face or the palm of my hand on his chest, but Joe backed off. "We can't do this anymore."

His shoulders visibly slump as he runs a hand through his hair. "I know Steph. I know. Come on let's eat and talk, ok?" I think I was just witness to Joe Morelli finally letting go of 'us'.

We talked for a very long time. By the time Joe left at midnight I was physically and emotionally exhausted. We figured out it wouldn't work. It just took us time to catch up with each other. After our last argument where the ultimatum was given, Joe was called out on assignment. He said he jumped at the chance because he needed the time away to think. I told him I was grateful for that time also. We'll remain friends but I'm hoping the ache in my heart will ease with time.

I was suddenly so tired I could barely stand. I went into my bedroom and undressed. After putting on my sleep shirt I slip into bed. The moment my head hit the pillow I was fast asleep.

Chapter Two - The Second Visit

I felt the hand over my eyes. My hands are once again held above my head. He squeezed slightly to remind me not to move them. I felt something soft brush across my cheek, then my chin and down my throat. As he brushed it under my nose I recognized the scent. It's a rose.

Wait. Can a person smell things in their dreams? I've heard of people dreaming in color vs. black and white, but smells? My thoughts are interrupted. He's reached up and taken my hands in his. I felt his breath on my face.

This kiss was light and tender, yet firmer. Not like the lightly brushing of lips yesterday. There is more behind it. I can almost feel him holding the emotion back. Above my head he has used his thumb to soothingly caress the inside of my wrist. His upper body is pressed against mine. The heat from his body spread out and overwhelmed me.

In a flash the heat disappeared. He’s pulled the covers up and tucked them around me. Then he left. The emptiness of room closed in around me. I bolted upright and my eyes flew open. Was I dreaming? Am I dreaming now? I pinched myself just to make sure.

“Ow! Damn!” That hurt. Guess I’m awake now. Was I dreaming before? I flopped down on the bed, on my back. What is this dream supposed to mean? This whole thing screams Ranger. Is that what the dream trying to tell me? Go after Ranger? But he doesn’t want me. Or at least I don’t think he does. Although, there was that look on his face today before he left. He was just probably trying to figure out how I came to have a bruise on my forehead, and decided it wasn’t worth it to ask. He knows I'm a klutz.

I rubbed my temples due to a newly formed headache then reached over and turned on the light next to my bed. I hoisted myself out of bed and hit the bathroom to answer the call of nature. I also grabbed some aspirin

As I climbed back into bed my eye caught something on the floor, almost under the bed and hidden by the shadows. My mother's voice resonated in my head, ‘Stephanie, don’t you ever vacuum? What would the neighbors think?’ If she only knew how little traffic my bedroom is actually getting. I rolled my eyes at that thought and leaned over to pick ‘it’ up. As I brought 'it' under the light, I froze with it in the palm of my hand.

*******************************************

I’m shaking. No, my bed is shaking. Can Jersey have earthquakes?

“Bombshell?”

What? Who’s talking to me in the middle of an earthquake?

“Time to get up.”

“Go away Tank, and stop shaking my bed." I started out soft but ended yelling.

“Up and at ‘em sweetheart or I’ll be forced to take desperate measures.” I could hear the grin in his voice.

“You wouldn’t dare,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Come on Bombshell. You don’t want to be late and miss lunch do you?”

I popped up at the mention of lunch. “Lunch? Huh?” That’s me, always on the ball.

“Lunch meeting? Noon? Pino’s? Any of that ring a bell?”

“Shit! What time is it?” I catapulted out of bed and headed for the shower.

“11:15," he chuckled.

Eek! Only 30 minutes? “Tank, you’ve only given me 30 minutes!” I squeak. “It takes double that for just the hair!”

“Then you better get a move on Bombshell. Boss doesn’t like it when people are late.” I heard him laughing as I shut the door. Oh, he’ll think it’s real funny when he has to be seen with me in public with wild hair.

"Stephanie, your hair always looks great to me and I'd never be ashamed to be seen with you," Tank said softly through the bathroom door. His ESP seemed to be working. And did he just call me Stephanie?

Too much to think about and I can't come up with a response so I started the shower and jumped in. Coming as a complete surprise to me, we were out the door right on time and headed to Pino's

Tank looked over at me while driving and asked, "How did you bruise your forehead?"

"Umm, I had a dream the other night. When I woke up I sort of fell off the couch and hit my head." Turning 3 shades of pink I shifted in my seat and looked out the window.

"Must have been some dream," he chuckled. "You ok?" That sounded serious.

"Yeah I'm fine." Hardly. I had, what I thought, were two wonderful dreams only to find out they could be real! That means someone is really breaking in. While the breaking in part isn't surprising the fact I don't know who it is scares me. Why wouldn't I be fine? I shook my head to clear the thoughts. I looked out the window to see we are parked in front of Pino's. Tank has turned toward me and is staring. Did I miss something?

"What?"

"Steph, you can't lie to me. What's wrong?" His brow was wrinkled and concern sounded in his voice.

"Honest Tank, I'm ok." I tried really hard to sound like it too.

He grabbed my left hand as I tried to exit the SUV. He shook his head as a small smile played on his lips. Then in an instant he turned dark and looked intently into my eyes, "Bombshell, you know I'm here if you need me. You can ask anything at anytime."

Gulp. All of a sudden I lost my ability to speak. Two beautiful chocolate eyes were burning right through me. With my abilities severely limited, I managed to nod my head, give a weak smile and get out of the car.

Tank and I made it inside Pino's to see Ranger, Lester and Bobby seated at a table in the back. The three of them sat with their backs to the wall facing us. Figures. I mentally rolled my eyes.

"Hey Tank it looks like you and I get our backs to the door. That's not going to disturb our lunch is it? I mean, it will be pretty disruptive if you keep turning around every 5 minutes. You might lose out on the last piece of pizza," I said teasingly with a huge grin plastered on my face.

"Bombshell, there are only a handful of people I trust to watch my back. Four of them are here with me. Three are facing the door. I'll be fine" He leaned down and whispered, "I'd rather be sitting next to you anyway."

Huh? The look of surprise must be showed on my face because he started to laugh. I glanced at Ranger, Lester and Bobby. All three are sporting wicked grins.

" Ya know, you four goons should look into jobs with the Psychic Network. I'm sure your ESP rating is off the scale and Miss Cleo could probably use the help," I said as I plopped into my seat.

Great, that set them off laughing. Now I know why I'm here. I’m the entertainment.

I ordered my usual and while the guys ordered their food, Ranger getting a salad of course, I tried to come to terms with Tank's comment. Four of the people he trusts are here? That means I'm one of them? He's delusional! The first time I worked with him, I was asleep on the floor and he got shot! Thank god for Kevlar.

Bobby leaned over the table from his seat, "Stop it Steph. It wasn't your fault and you're getting better. We all trust you."

Before the shock could even register in my brain, Ranger started talking. "This is going to be a tricky job. The guy we're after isn't stupid. He's not going to easy to lure out. He was brought back into the system like that once before. This guy learns from his mistakes. He lives above the bar where he hangs out. He can get to the bar from the inside of the building so he doesn't have to go outside. There is a woman and her 5-year-old boy living with him. I don’t want to risk them to try and get him out of the apartment. We need to get him outside with as little disturbance as possible."

He looked at me, "Babe, he's not going to be easy. I don't even want to imagine what you'll have to say or promise him to get him out on the first try. This job make take several visits to establish you as a 'regular' that he might trust. You up for it?"

"Ranger I told you I was in, so I'm in. Err, what is he charged with?" Thought I might as well ask and find out what I'm up against since I'm being adamant about doing the job.

"Charlie Santoni, charged with the rape and mutilation of his ex-wife," Lester said quietly.

"M-m-mu-mutilation?" Oh God, I think I'm getting light headed.

"Babe, I'll give you the file to read and if you don't feel comfortable you can back out."

That's one sure way to clear my head and bring me back to earth. Get me angry.

"Ranger," I took a breath for emphasis. "I told you I was in. Twice. I'll read the file and I'll do the job regardless of what it says. It's my job. You're all counting on me. I'm in," I said with assurance. Wish I felt sure when I said it. I’m glad I was done eating by this time because my stomach was in knots.

I had four pairs of eyes glued to me. The only response to my short rant was a slight nod from Ranger. That seemed to break the spell and the guys went on talking technical about electric gadgets for keeping us wired. I tuned them out. They’d hook me up and tell me what I need when the time came. I trusted them too.

I fiddled with the pizza crust left on my plate and was wondering why Ranger continued to ask me if I wanted to do this job. He asked me to do it. Of course I’d say yes. It never occurred to me to turn him down. He needed me and I’m there. Just like he does for me. Uh oh. I better stop this train of thought right now.

“Babe?” Ranger questioned as I rubbed my temples. Ranger was holding out the file to me. “Oh. Thanks,” I mumbled as I grabbed the folder.

“Ok. That’s it everyone. We’ll meet tomorrow at 9pm. Your place ok Babe?”

“Sure” Why not? I’d be the last one ready anyway.

“You’ll need some clothes in case this job lasts any amount of time. I’ll send Lester to take you shopping tomorrow afternoon. That alright with you?”

Now he’s talking. “Yeah,” I smiled trying not to sound too excited but I think my ear-to-ear grin gave me away. Ranger flashed his 200-watt smile and I could feel myself melt.

Tanks stood up to leave. “Thanks for the lift Tank.”

“Anytime Bombshell. It was my pleasure.” Smiling, he leaned down and pressed a kiss into hair on the top of my head.

“I’ll pick you up around one tomorrow Steph,” Lester stated while getting up.

“What? No lunch? I can’t shop on an empty stomach.”

“Fine. Make it noon.” He attempted to roll his eyes but it’s obvious he’s not from the burg. Bobby followed Lester out.

That left me at the table with Ranger. Geez, how awkward is this? He sat and stared at me. We never talked about ‘that night’. I don't I want to start now. I’m not bringing it up unless he does. I’m just going to wait until he says something.

“Well, I need to get back to my place and get my car. I have some stuff to do this afternoon. You giving me a ride or do I need to call Lula?” So I caved, but at least I didn’t ramble.

“Come on. I’ll give you a lift.”

*******************************************

Sitting at the table at the Cluck-in-a-Bucket I started to rethink my position. Connie, Lula and Mary Lou sat there and stared, just willing me to start. Oh boy. When I called Connie and Lula and asked them to meet me because I needed to talk about my dream, they stopped by and picked up Mary Lou figuring I needed all the help I could get. On the way over they filled her in.

“I think maybe…ummm…. my dream isn’t…like…really a dream.”

No response. My friends know me too well. I’ll cave and they are right.

“I mean…I think…” sigh, “the guy is real.”

Still nothing.

“I had another dream last night.” When I finished telling them all that happened, leaving out my discovery, I had two different reactions to deal with. Mary Lou sat with her mouth gaped open and Connie and Lula looked skeptical.

“Ok, for just one minute lets believe this guy is real.” I received nods all around. “What should I do?”

Lula was the first to speak up. “I’d be barricading my ass in my apartment is what I’d be doin’. I don’t want no freaky guy breakin’ in at all hours just to tuck me into bed.” Three grunts of “yeah right” were sputtered.

“Lula you’re just as curious about stuff as Steph is. You’d want to know who was doing it and why. Don’t even try to deny it,” Connie pressed. Lula humphed in her chair crossing her arms but remained silent.

“Oh my God, we’ll have to set a trap. Yeah, set a trap to find out who and why,” squealed Mary Lou while bobbed up and down in her chair.

“Steph, Mary Lou is right. We’d have to catch him in the act in order to find out what’s going on. But honestly, what difference does it make? I think you’re just having some vivid dreams that seem real.” Connie said, the voice of reason. Since when? I’m not sure, but she is being reasonable now.

I guess it’s time to pull out the proof. I dug around in my pocketbook to find the envelope. Slowly I placed it on the table. Six eyes, as big as saucers, were fixated on it.

“The thing is, when I went to get back into bed last night. I found this on the floor, sorta under the bed.” I opened the envelope and shook the contents out.

“Oh. My. God.” Gasped Mary Lou. “Maybe that was just left over from Morelli,” she said obviously grasping at straws. Mary Lou looked around the table at our faces. “Ok, never mind. I wasn’t thinking straight. It was the shock talking.”

We sat staring at a single red rose petal.

“That’s a nice rose petal Babe, but wouldn’t a whole flower be nicer?” I froze. “Ladies,” Ranger said nodding to the Three Musketeers.

“We gots to be getting' back to the office, right Connie? Vinnie’s gonna blow a vessel if we not back soon.”

“Lula’s right Steph. Vinnie will be pissy all afternoon if we stay out too long. Come on Mary Lou, we’ll drop you back home.” And off they went. Nice to know I can count on my friends in a time of need.

“What are you doing here Ranger?” He scooted next to me in the booth. I assume so his back could be against the wall.

But this seating arrangement is a tad uncomfortable - for me. I started to sweat in unusual places.

Ranger picked up the petal and studied it. “I stopped by the office and Vinnie was complaining about how all his help was off to eat fried chicken and gossip.” He turned the petal over and gazed at it like it might reveal some secret only to him. “I put two and two together.” Silently, he carefully placed the rose petal back in the envelope. Looking directly in my eyes, he slid the envelope back over to me. My knees turned to Jell-O at what I saw in his eyes. Tenderness, concern and could that be sadness, all flashed in his eyes.

“Did,” I pause to clear my throat “did you need something?”

“Just wanted to make sure you have everything you need for the job tomorrow.”

“Shopping tomorrow should take care of it.”

“I thought maybe we could grab dinner before everyone meets at your place.” What? Did Batman just ask me out on a date? No, he probably just wants to go over the details with me again since he knew I wasn’t paying all that much attention at lunch. It will be two colleagues having dinner and talking business. All very innocent I’m sure. But right now he's very close and looks quite edible and not so innocent.

He leaned in. "Well?"

“Sh…sh…sure, th…that sounds good. I…I… could be ready by 6 o’clock.” Some people have called me a conversational genius. None of them are sitting at this table right now.

He leaned closer. We were nearly nose-to-nose. I almost fainted “Six it is then.” He blinked, stood and looked at me for 2 beats longer than what was comfortable, then turned and walked out.

**********************************

Finally I pulled into my parking lot after dinner with my parents; I can’t wait to get up to my apartment. I have some serious thinking to do and it can only be done in the thinking position. I let myself into my apartment and the first thing I noticed was the smell. I immediately zeroed in on its source. Sitting in the middle of my coffee table was a large vase of 2 dozen red roses. Absolutely gorgeous. They have filled the entire place with their sweet aroma. As I moved closer, I noticed a note propped up against the vase.

Babe,

Thought you might enjoy these more. Looking forward to dinner.

R-

Everything went black.

Chapter Three - The Third Visit

I had the distinct feeling of movement. Specifically, it felt like someone was moving me. The mover had strong arms and a rock hard chest. Involuntarily, I cuddled in closer.

Hold it. What if this is my Mystery Man? I tensed and was getting ready to struggle when I heard a familiar voice.

“Babe?” I sighed with relief. Ranger gently laid me down, and then sat on the edge of the bed.

He brushed some of my hair off my face. “Something wrong Babe?”

“Mmmm…nope,” I said sleepily. “Why are you here?” I seemed to be asking him that quite a bit today. Oh well, I wanted to know.

Ranger gave a soft laugh, “I wanted to see how you liked the roses.”

With my eyes still closed, I smiled dreamily. “Ranger, they’re beautiful.” I felt all warm and snuggly at the moment so I rolled over on my side and tried to burrow deeper into the bed.

“Beautiful.” He whispered as he ran his fingers through my hair then down my jaw to my chin.

I think a moan was my response. It’s hard to be sure. My brain was scrambled as Ranger started to place small light kisses where he had just caressed my face. My hormones were wide-awake and screaming.

“Need any help getting into your pajamas?” he softly asked. Oh My God! He must have sensed my panic.

I felt, more than heard him chuckle. “Goodnight Babe. Sleep tight.” I received a soft kiss on my lips. Then I heard the sound of my front door being closed as he left.

Well hell. I needed to do a couple of things before getting into bed anyway. Letting out a huge sigh I forced myself up off the bed. I went around my apartment and turned on every light I had. I double-checked that the door was locked and the chain in place. I quickly changed into my sleep shirt and gladly found my way in-between the covers. Mystery Man can just think that I’ve stayed awake all night.

*********************************

I woke up slightly to roll over on my back. What a mistake that was. Before I could think, my visitor had me in the usual position. Oh god, I have ‘usual position’ with…well, I don’t know who he is.

“Look, I don’t know…” I started to say as I tensed. I would have finished, but his mouth pressed against mine prevented it. His smooth lips worked mine with a little more feeling this time. He gave few small licks with his tongue on the corners of my mouth. Almost like a hint. Like seeking permission, but not out right asking for it. I hope I hadn't moaned. Geez, all these extra hormones are going to get me in trouble some day. I felt him start to pull away. This is my chance.

I tried to open my eyes as soon as he lifted his hand but was blinded by lights I had left on. I snapped them shut. Damn. Damn. Damn. During our brief encounter he managed to tuck me in. This time however it was more cocoon like. Almost blind, I tried to get up, but just ended up tangled in a heap at the bottom of my bed.

That's it. Now I’m starting to get angry. Mystery Man has no idea the war he just started. This now feels like a challenge.

No self-respecting ‘burg girl backs down from a challenge.

I finally made my way out of the bedroom and went around turning off all the lights. Great, now it's so dark I have to feel my way back into the bedroom. Should it surprise me that tonight's great plan ended up working against me? Probably not. Making a bigger drama out of it then it needed to be, I threw myself back into bed after straightening out the covers and sheets. I drifted off while formulating my plan for the next night.

*********************************

I woke to the buzzing of my alarm clock. It's not a pretty noise but I know I need something not so pretty to get me going.

9:00a.m. Ugh. I wanted to sleep more but I needed to get out and run an errand before Lester came at noon. I did the shower, hair, make-up thing and was out the door and back in plenty of time. Now I needed to call my mom.

"Hi mom" I tried to sound chipper like Valerie would, but I don't think I pulled it off. My sister could out 'chipper' anyone.

"Stephanie, what's this I hear about you having nightmares?"

God, strike me down now. "I'm not having nightmares mom." Hearing myself say it, I was startled. In reality, nothing about the situation has been nightmarish. Hmmm…something to think about. "I'm just calling to tell you I can't make it to dinner tonight."

"Is that nice Joseph Morelli taking you to dinner? You should accept his proposal. He's not going to keep asking forever."

"No, Joe is not taking me out tonight. I'm working. And I'm not marrying Joe. As a matter of fact, we broke up." I regretted it the minute it came out of my mouth. This is not the way to tell my mother.

"Broke up?! BROKE UP! Stephanie Plum what are you thinking? What is going through that head of yours?" I could see in my mind the stacks of ironing that would be done this afternoon. "How many chances do you think you're going to get?"

"Mom, I'm not marrying someone I'm not in love with. Not for you, not for him, not for the ‘burg and most of all not for myself."

"What? That doesn't even make sense"

"Mom, it's hard for me to explain. As much as I could easily marry Joe and live the acceptable ‘burg life, I need to be true to myself first and foremost. That means I can't accept less then what I want. And while I'm not sure what I want yet, I can identify what I don't want. Joe, marriage and the ‘burg life that would go with it, is not what I want."

The silence was deafening. "Mom?"

"I heard you Stephanie. I didn't know you thought so little of me." What? Where the hell did that come from?

"Mom, I don't. As a matter of fact, I admire you more than you'll ever know. You've done something that I can't do. I get reminded of it everyday."

"You mean you don't want to do it"

"You're right. I don't want to, but part of the reason why is because I can't. I tried it with Dickie and look where that got me."

"Joseph is not Dickie"

"You're right he's not. But they both have the same ideas of who and what I should be. I couldn't do that for Dickie and I can't do that for Joe."

I heard an exasperated sigh. "All right dear. I just don't understand why you always choose the difficult roads."

"Because they are the best for me. The one time I didn't, look what happened."

"Yes, The DICK was an ass,” she said with a small laugh. "Be careful tonight. I'll expect you for dinner tomorrow."

"Ok Mom."

"Who are you working with?"

"I'm helping Ranger with a job."

"That bounty hunter?" She sounded appalled.

"Yes mom. We are both bounty hunters. We do the same job." Ok, not exactly. I go after drunk and disorderlies. Ranger goes after psychos.

"Bring him with you to dinner. I'll set an extra plate." What!

"Mom! What do you….” She had already hung up. I guess she's not that appalled.

************************************

Exactly at noon there was a knock on my door. When I opened the door Lester was standing there with a huge grin on his face.

“Ready to shop till you drop Beautiful?” I had turned around to grab my coat and pocketbook when Lester’s words stopped me cold. Beautiful?

I snorted. “Lester, I’m always ready to shop. Never, ever doubt that. The beautiful part, that remains to be seen.”

In what seemed like one smooth motion, Lester stepped inside, closed the door and was standing directly in front of me in a split second. “Stephanie, you are beautiful. You can take any man’s breath away, including mine. Never, ever doubt that.” I looked up into his eyes. My god, he was serious. He was also standing very close. Was it hot in here or is it just me? We held that gaze for just a second. Then he stepped to the side, put one hand at the small of my back and with the other, made a sweeping gesture toward the door. “Shall we?”

After lunch at Pino’s, we conquered Macy’s first. I found a couple of ‘distraction’ outfits fairly quickly. All basic requirements were met - short skirt, tight top. Of course, I had to model them all. While making my way out of the woman’s department, a drop dead gorgeous 3 piece suit got my attention. It was leather and the most beautiful color blue I had ever seen. I wouldn't call it powder blue. It was a little darker than that. There was a skirt just short enough or just long enough, depending on where you were going to wear it. It also had a jacket and halter-top. The jacket and skirt, when worn with a nice silk shirt, could make it look very business like. Replace the shirt with the halter and it was a great date outfit. Leave the jacket off completely and it was distraction worthy. I had to try it on but I’m not going to look at the price. It would only depress me. I couldn’t afford it but I had to know how it looked on.

I turned to look for Lester so I could let him know I wasn’t quite finished yet. It didn’t take much looking. He was directly behind me with the wolf grin firmly in place. I blushed. His ESP must have kicked in, because without saying a word he walked over to the sales woman. He smiled, said something to her, looked at me, and pointed in my direction. She nodded a couple of times. He turned back to her, said something else, and flashed his own version of the 200-watt smile. She turned bright red and scurried off to the back room. Less than a minute later she reemerged and was headed directly for me.

“Miss Plum? This way please.”

“Wha?”

“Mr. Santos said you’d like to try on the blue leather suit. I have your size waiting in the dressing room. Please follow me.” Who was I to say no? I followed her obediently. Once I had it on I swore I was never going to take it off. I came out of the room to look at myself in the larger mirror at the end of the aisle. Oh my god, this was a kick ass outfit. And damn if I didn’t look pretty good in it. I wasn’t going to look, but now I had to know how much it cost. I was sort of spinning in a circle, trying to find the tags, when the sales woman approached.

“Miss Plum, we had these brought up for you.” In her hands were perfectly matched FMP’s. I couldn’t help myself, I gasped.

Lester’s voice sounded outside the dressing room. “Let me see Steph.” I slipped the shoes on. Perfect fit.

I walked out to find Lester slouched in the ‘man chair’. You know, the one lonely chair that sits outside most women’s dressing rooms so a guy can sit and wait instead of stand and wait?

When he finally noticed me, his chin hit the floor. He recovered quickly but his eyes had turned dark and they were scanning me from head to toe very slowly. He didn't seem the least bit bothered about taking his time with taking an inventory.

“Doesn’t she look lovely?” crooned the sales woman. I blushed and put my head down to stare at my feet. A pair of boots came into my field of vision. Lester brought a hand up to my chin and raised my face to meet his.

“Yes,” came his deep throaty reply, “she looks stunning.” My face was really on fire now.

Needing desperately to get out of the situation, I took a couple of steps back then retreated into the dressing room. I grudgingly took off the suit and handed it over the door to the sales woman.

“Thank you. It’s a beautiful outfit,” I sighed.

“It’s perfect for you. It matched your eyes. Would you like to take it with you or have it sent to your home?”

“Oh no, no,” I laughed softly. “I’m not buying the suit. I just wanted to try it on.”

“It’s already been taken care of. I can wrap it up for you to take with you or we can have it delivered,” she said as she walked out of the dressing room and headed toward the register area.

“What do you mean ‘taken care of’? Who took care of it?” I screeched much louder than I intended as I followed her.

“Beautiful, don’t worry about it ok?” I started at Lester’s voice. Looking at the sales woman he said, “Please wrap it. We’ll take it with us.”

“Lester, you can’t put that on the Rangeman account! It’s too expensive and I’d never wear that for a distraction job!” I sounded panicked, but didn’t care. I didn’t want to take the risk of getting Ranger mad at me for spending his money on personal clothing.

“First off, what it costs is not for you to worry about. Secondly, Ranger wouldn’t care if I put it on the company account. Especially when he sees you in it.” The wolf grin reappeared.

I was starting to get ticked. Who did he think he was? I’m a grown woman with an income. I can pay my own bills and buy my own clothes!

Lester tried to head off the tirade he knew was coming. “Steph, if it makes you feel any better, I didn’t charge the outfit to Rangeman, ok?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, “Then who paid for it.”

“Geez Steph, can’t a guy buy you a gift without getting read the riot act?”

“Yo….you paid for it?” I know the shock showed on my face.

“Yes,” he said suddenly shy and breaking eye contact. I think Lester was embarrassed. “You looked really hot in it and I could tell you really liked it so I bought it for you.” Is that a pink flush I see on his cheeks? Great, now I feel bad. I think I hurt the big ex-army guy’s feelings. They may look tough and hard coated on the outside, but they are all gooey on the inside. Sheesh, who would have guessed? “I didn’t do it to make you feel less independent,” he said so softly I almost couldn’t hear him.

My anger had dissipated replaced by guilt. “Oh…. umm…. thanks Lester. That’s really nice of you. But you didn’t have to.” It was my turn to look embarrassed. I glanced up and Lester was absolutely beaming now. He really had a gorgeous smile. His features were angular but when he smiled it made his whole face, I don’t know, softer. Down girl. Let’s not get the hormones in an uproar. I think it was too late.

“I know I didn’t have to Beautiful. I wanted to." He paused. "So you’ll keep it?” he asked sounding uncertain.

With a smile as big as his I said, “Yes, I’ll keep it.” I lifted up on my toes and gave him a soft kiss. “Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure.” His eyes darkened and he looked serious. Yep. Definitely drool worthy. Gulp. It’s really warm in here. "You could wear it tonight when you have dinner with Ranger. Once we're on the job, ditch the jacket and you'll be all ready to 'distract'," the last word said kind of slowly.

"You want me to wear the suit you bought me, on a da….out to dinner with Ranger?" I squeaked.

He leaned down catching me with his eyes and said, "Beautiful, you may be out to dinner with Ranger, but you and I will know, I was the one who dressed you." Looking in his eyes, I got the distinct feeling that a part about getting undressed went unsaid.

What's going on here? Ranger and Tank were overly sweet, and something more, yesterday and Lester today? Lester knows I'm going out with Ranger tonight and he’s still acting this way? I don’t think my hormones can take it. In two days I've had three muscular, well built, drool worthy, gorgeous guys flirting with me. Not that it's a bad thing or that I’ve minded…yikes, I truly am a nympho.

We were just leaving Macy's and I wasn't sure how to get into Victoria's Secret without Lester. There was no way he was coming in there with me. I don't even want to think about what he might buy me from there.

"Don't worry Steph. As much as I'd like you to model Victoria's Secret for me, I'll sit outside on the bench."

Damn ESP. I blushed…again.

****************************************

Lester dropped me off around 4:00, which still gave me plenty of time to get ready for dinner. First though, I needed to call Mary Lou.

She picked up after 3 rings. "Hey, it's me."

"On my god Steph! I've been waiting for you to call. Any more 'dreams'?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't make it sound so dirty. Yes, he showed up again last night."

"What happened, what happened?!"

"Don't blow a gasket Mare. He kissed me and left. I tried to follow him but got caught up in my sheets."

I felt her eyes roll, through the phone. "Steph, I've been thinking about this…” she trailed off.

"And? Mare?" Silence. "Mary Lou," I screamed into the phone.

"I'm here Steph. Look, the kids are acting up so I gotta go. Wanna get together tomorrow afternoon? My Mom's taking the kids."

We made a date to meet late tomorrow afternoon. I really, really wanted to hear what she had to say about my late night visits and I needed to talk about what's going on with Ranger and the guys.

I was ready and waiting when there was a knock on my door at precisely 6:00. I was all decked out in my new suit. I had matched the skirt and jacket with a nice top at first, but then decided against it. I went with the 3 pieces only. If it were hot where Ranger was taking me, I'd remove the jacket and give the halter and skirt a distraction test run.

I was shocked when I opened he door. Ranger looked…looked…. I don't think there is a word in the English language that could describe just how gorgeous he looked. I was literally speechless. I could tell, however, that my hormones noticed and were screaming for some attention.

The black suit that Ranger wore made his mocha latte skin look that much more edible. I tried to discretely check myself for drool. I heard a small rumble come from Ranger so I think he noticed. He took a step forward, placed his right hand on the side of my face, and pulled me towards him. His lips came down on mine for a very sensual kiss. Almost as a reflex, I leaned my body into him, closed my eyes and put my arms around his neck. His hands came to rest on my hips as he pulled me closer. My knees became weak, which only made me tighten my hold. His tongue met my lips and I opened them slightly. He took advantage and his tongue swept in my mouth like it owned the place. Did I mention Ranger was an excellent kisser? I moaned into his mouth and he started to soften the kiss until he finally pulled away. I think I whimpered.

"Babe." He seemed to breathing a little hard. "I think we better get going because if we keep kissing like that we'll never make it out of the apartment." Being unable to speak, I nodded my head.

“Where are we going?” I asked as we glided along in the Mercedes.

“A restaurant.”

“Thanks, that helps a lot.” Since there was no response to my sarcasm, I turned to the window and watched the world streak by.

Our ride ended at a very nice place called Bucca’s Italian Restaurant. Immediately I knew I would like this place. They served meals family style - Big bowls and plates of food so everyone could share. Once we placed our order I started to feel nervous. I could feel him staring.

“Stephanie,” Uh oh, no Babe. This can’t be good “the night I took DeChooch in…”

I cut him off, “Ranger, don’t. You don’t have to explain.” He damn well better explain.

“Yes Babe, I do.” At least he called me Babe. He reached over the table and took my hand in his. “When my pager went off that night…I…I didn’t have to leave. I could have ignored it.”

I figured if I said anything at this point I would burst into tears. I was determined not to cry at the restaurant. So I waited.

“I almost did ignore it. The whole time I spent processing DeChooch, I could barely stand it. I wanted to get back to you so bad. But on the drive back to your apartment something deep down inside me suddenly didn’t feel right. I decided to ignore it, brush it off as nerves.” Huh? Ranger nervous…about seeing me? “The closer I got to you the more intense that feeling became.”

I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to cry. He’s not even looking at me any more. I’m going to cry.

“When I was finally in your bedroom, looking at you, in that soft light…you were so breathtakingly beautiful.” It’s almost like he’s talking to himself. He seemed totally unaware I was there. “It’s then I realized me being there wasn’t right.”

That did it. The last piece of my heart that was hanging on, let go and crashed to the bottom of my chest where the rest of my heart lay in tiny pieces.

The noise my chair made when I stood up must have snapped Ranger back into reality. He looked at me and had a complete look of panic cross his face. I must have been a sight with my tears streaming. “NO! NO! Babe you don’t…”

“Save it. Ranger, I understand. I have to leave now.” I turned and walked towards the front door. I was proud of myself for not making a scene since it felt like my heart had just been ripped from my chest and stomped on.

The only thing that kept him from catching me was the fact that Mr. Paranoid had to have his back to the wall. With the place being as small and cramped as it was, there wasn’t a whole lot of room between tables and booths. He had to maneuver carefully to get seated on the booth side to begin with. No way could be make a quick exit without toppling a table or two.

Just as I was exiting the restaurant, a couple was getting out of a cab. “Wait!” The man getting out held the door for me as I scooted inside. “Thank you,” I said as I quickly shut the door and told the cabby to drive. Surprisingly he did what I said. I must have looked really bad.

We drove a way before he finally asked me where I wanted to go. That brought me back to attention and I realized we were on the highway headed in the opposite direction of my apartment. I guess that could be considered good since it decreased the likelihood that Ranger could have followed us. I needed to get back to my apartment because we had the job to do tonight but I dreaded facing Ranger. Actually I dreaded facing all the guys. But I had a job to do and I was determined to do it.

I told the cabbie where I wanted to go as I dug around in my pocketbook to find my phone. The phone looked to be off or I have a dead battery. No wonder it hadn’t rung. I pressed the button and hoped. I guess someone up there was smiling on me tonight. The phone turned on. Then I saw my display letting me know I had 24 messages. I groaned. I’m not dealing with any of that right now. I dialed.

“Yeah?”

“Tank, it’s Steph.”

“Steph where are you? We’ve been trying to get in touch with you. Ranger called off the job tonight.” I said a silent prayer of thanks.

“Oh. Did he mention why?” Just because I’m hurt doesn’t mean I’m not nosey.

“No he didn’t. He sounded upset though.” Upset? Ranger? “You don’t happen to know anything about that do you?”

“Of course not. Why would I?”

“You are a terrible liar Bombshell.”

“Look Tank, I’ve had one hell of a night. I’m hungry and I’m tired. I’m not in the mood for explanations - to give one or to hear one. I’m going to grab some food and spend the night at a friend’s house. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Stephanie, if you need me…” he trailed off.

“I know where to find you. Thanks Tank, that means a lot.” I disconnected. I don’t think I could handle any mushy stuff or flirting right now.

The cabbie was eyeing me in the rear view mirror. “Do you know where the nearest McDonald’s is around here?” I stopped to look at his name stuck to the dashboard, “Jason?” We still weren’t close enough to my apartment. Nothing looked very familiar. Jason didn’t look to be very old, probably in his mid 20’s.

He smiled. “Sure thing.”

In less than five minutes I was in a McDonald’s parking lot. “Do you want to me to drive through or drop you off?” I really didn’t want to drive through but I didn’t want to be left stranded either.

“Will you wait for me while I go inside?” I’m not sure what he heard in my voice but he turned around to look at me. He studied my face for a minute then reached out and picked up his radio. He said some numbers and cabbie jargon then turned the car and meter off.

“Come on. It just so happens to be my break time,” he said with a huge grin. I couldn’t help but smile back.

I took my tray with its Big Mac Value Meal on top and stuffed myself at one of the booths. The place was empty except for an older couple sitting by the windows. Jason came around the corner with his tray. He stopped and looked at me for just a second. Finally, looking like he had settled some inner argument, he walked passed me and sat across the aisle, several booths down.

Oh hell. Now I feel bad, not to mention stupid. I picked up my tray and went and stood in front of his booth. “Can I join you?”

“Sure thing.” His smile really was contagious. I couldn’t help myself. I smiled back. “Thanks.”

After I was situated I looked up and noticed Jason had serious look of concern on his face. “Are you ok lady?” I felt like I was being tested. Jason was watching like he knew the answer to the question and was waiting to see if I passed.

“It’s Stephanie and no I’m not. I seem to have some man….no….men trouble.” I narrowed my eyes and gave him a look, “And don’t worry. I won’t hurt you, bcause you’re not one the men I’m having trouble with…are you Jason?” He looked a little shocked until he got my meaning. He smiled to himself while looking down and shaking his head, “No ma’am.”

I learned quite a lot about Jason over Big Mac’s and fries. He’s working as a cabbie to help cover college expenses. He’s pre-med and can’t wait for med school. His girlfriend is away at college in Chicago and he gets to see her every couple of months. I told Jason about my work and my family. He seemed to get a kick out of the stories.

As we pulled into my parking lot, the first thing I noticed was a black Bronco. Shit.

“Everything ok Stephanie?” He asked. I must have said that out loud.

“Honestly Jason I don’t know yet.” As if my words could have been heard across the lot, the driver’s door on the Bronco opened. A large, muscular figure started to approach us.

“I can back out right now and take you someplace else.” Jason sounded a little panicked.

Bobby was making his way from the shadows into the light of the parking lot. I must have been holding my breath because I suddenly gasped for some air, letting it out in a big sigh of relief.

“No Jason. It’s ok. He’s a friend.”

“Are you sure?”

I nodded and smiled, “Yes.” I went to open my door when Jason slid back the divider and handed me a business card. “Here’s my cell phone number. I mostly drive nights. If you ever need a lift or anything, just give me a call. Ok?” I nodded. By this time Bobby had made it to the door of the cab and was holding it open for me. Jason nodded his head in the direction of Bobby, “You sure this is ok?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Let me run upstairs and get you your money.” Bobby helped me out and then started around to Jason’s door. Jason was out and standing next to the cab before Bobby made it over.

“What does she owe you?” Bobby asked.

Jason narrowed his eyes, “Nothing. I wasn’t going to charge her.”

Bobby’s eyebrows met his hairline. “You weren’t?” Jason shook his head. A slow smile appeared on Bobby’s face. Shaking his head in disbelief he said, “She’s a charmer isn’t she?”

Hello, I’m right over here. I snorted. Men.

There goes that contagious smile again. “Yeah, Stephanie is a nice lady. She just had some troubles tonight. You’re not going to give her any more trouble are you mister?”

Bobby asked, “What’s your name?”

“Jason.”

“Jason, I’m Bobby. I don’t know how to explain this, but that lady causes enough of her own problems. I promise you, I’m not here to continue or start any problems for her.”

I’m getting really angry here. I decided to speak up. “Jason, thanks for the ride but you’ll be paid what I owe. You can’t make any money giving away free rides.” I looked at Bobby, “Pay the young man what he’s owed.” Then I turned on my heels and stomped up to my apartment.

I just wanted a shower and my nice cozy warm bed. I peeled off my jacket, kicked off my shoes and went directly to the shower. Twenty minutes later the hot water was gone and I looked like a prune. Wrapping one towel around my hair and one around my body, I stepped out of the bathroom to find Bobby sitting on my couch.

“Did you pay Jason?” A nod was all the response I received. He didn’t even turn around to look at me. “Thank you. I’ll pay you back. But now I’m tired and am going to bed. Lock up on your way out.” In a flash Bobby was up and blocking my way to the bedroom.

“Please Bobby, not now.” I could feel the tears in my eyes. I just wanted to get in bed and cry. “Just let me go to bed.”

He silently stepped aside.

I closed the door behind me and went looking for the most comfortable pajamas I had. I found a worn out old flannel nightshirt buried in my dresser and some thick comfy socks. I put the ensemble on and crawled into bed.

There was a knock on my bedroom door. I knew Bobby hadn’t left.

“Stephanie? Can I come in? Please?” He slowly opened the door. I guess my sobbing noises counted as a yes. I was lying on my left side near the edge of the bed. Bobby quietly came over, kneeled and gently put his hand on my right shoulder.

“Stephanie?” It was so soft I almost didn’t hear him. His gentleness made me sob all the more. “Do you want me to go?”

“No,” I sniffed. Bobby stood up and walked out of the room without a word. Great, when I want people to stay they leave. When I want them to go, they stay. A girl can’t win.

Just as I was getting out of bed, Bobby came back in with a chair from the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” He looked really confused.

“I thought you left.” I sniffled some more.

“Get back in bed Stephanie,” he commanded. I willingly complied. “I wasn’t leaving. I was just getting a chair so I could sit with you.”

“Oh.” I must have looked confused because he raised his eyebrows at me. “Ummm…well…most guys,” sniff “who want to comfort me usually….umm…” Geez, why can’t his ESP be working now?

“I’m not most men Stephanie.” I looked straight at him expecting to see, at least, a wolf grin. To my surprise there was no wolf in hiding or even a hint of innuendo. He just meant exactly what he said. “Come on…. in bed,” he said while making scooting motions with his hands.

As I squirmed to get comfortable, he settled in the chair he placed next to the bed. Leaning toward me with his elbow on his knees, he reached out and took one of my hands in his. “Just relax and get some rest,” he said softly.

I had a sudden thought that had me bolting upright. “Damn.”

“What? What is it Stephanie?” Concern was in his voice and eyes. I felt his hand tighten on mine.

Damn. I had a plan tonight for my mystery man. Damn. I was just too tired to go through with it. “Nothing Bobby. I just remembered something I was supposed to do tonight. It’s ok. I’ll just do it tomorrow.”

His grip on my hand relaxed. “Ok. I’m going to call Tank and let him know I found you and that you’re ok. I’ll let him know you don’t want any company.” Translation: they won’t tell Ranger I’m at home.

“How long are you staying?” I asked cautiously.

His mouth showed a small smile. “I’ll stay for awhile after you’ve fallen asleep. Ok?”

I nodded my head. Good.

I lay back down, gladly closed my eyes and sighed. I could feel Bobby brushing his thumb back and forth across the top of my hand. I started to wonder about Bobby. He had plenty of chances to make a move, or at least, make suggestive comments and he did neither. He never once tried to get me tongue-tied or to keep me off balance, but it was obvious he cared, right? Fabulous, now I’m conceited. Mental head slap. Not every man I know is after something. That got me thinking about Ranger. I guess after tonight, I know he doesn’t want anything. I started to silently cry. I decided this is all too much to think about and let my mind wander off into a deep sleep. The last thing I felt was Bobby letting go of my hand and lightly placing it back on the bed.

Chapter four - The fourth visit

For the fourth time in as many nights, I woke to a hand over my eyes and my hands over my head. I didn’t try to pull away and I didn’t try to fight. Honestly, I just didn’t have it in me. My dinner with Ranger had been horrible. If Mystery Man kept to his pattern, nothing he was going to do could have been worse. I guess on some level that meant I trusted Mystery Man not to hurt me. Somewhere, down deep, I knew he wouldn’t. He gave his usual signal for me not to move. I nodded my head to seal the silent agreement. Both his hands left me. This was a first. I could easily open my eyes at any time and find out who he was. I guess Mystery Man trusted me too.

I jerked when something warm and wet touched my face. It was cloth. It was a washcloth! He was gently wiping my face. I could only imagine what he saw. I had been crying so I’m sure my face was blotchy and red. My eyes were probably swollen and I have no doubt my face was streaked with black lines from my mascara and eyeliner.

Every once in awhile I heard him dip the washcloth in some water and wring it out. He wiped my cheeks, chin and forehead. Then every so lightly, he wiped around my eyes, seeming to take extra care underneath them and on the lids. When my face was done, he moved to my neck. The water he used was warm, so when the washcloth left an area, the cool air on my wet skin felt refreshing. All in all, it was a very comforting feeling. I found myself very relaxed by the time he was finished and even sighed.

As I felt him start to lean in I whispered, “Thank you.”

Through the light touch of his lips on mine, I felt him smile. It lasted only seconds before he started to kiss me senseless. This time he was demanding. He increased the pressure on my lips and when his tongue requested to enter my mouth, I gave in easily. I felt myself responding some. I certainly wasn’t giving it my all, but I didn’t hold back as much either. Call me a slut. I don’t care. It all felt too good.

He abruptly broke the kiss and placed some stray locks of hair behind my ear. After tucking me in, he left.

I sighed big and heavy. I’m such a loser. Ranger doesn’t want me I’ve got Tank and Lester doing…who knows what to my hormones. And some guy keeps breaking in, kissing me then leaving. He doesn’t even want me to know who he is. He’s probably afraid that if I find out, I’ll eventually ride in his car and then it will blow up. This is all too much. Sleep…. take me away, who needs Calgon.

******************************

My phone notified me of the arrival of morning. I could tell by the ring it was my mother. I just knew it.

“Hewwo,” I managed to mumble.

“Stephanie Plum, are you still in bed? It’s almost noon.” What did I tell you?

“Hi Mom.”

“Don’t hi Mom me. You’ve wasted half the day.” Yep, I was going to waste the other half too. “I wanted to remind you about dinner tonight. Don’t forget to bring your friend.” Oh sure, yesterday he was ‘that bounty hunter’, now he’s my friend. If she only knew how right she was and how sad that made me feel.

“I’ll be there Mom but Ranger’s not coming.”

“What do you mean? Why not?”

“Because he’s not.” Because he’s not interested; because he doesn’t want me; because he doesn’t care; because he broke my heart.

“Don’t be ridiculous. He has to eat sometime.”

Knock, knock, knock, knock. Oh thank the lord. “Mom I have to go. Someone’s at the door.”

“Ok. Be sure to look before you open the door and I’ll see you and Ranger tonight.”

“I’m the only one coming Mom. See you at six.” I hung up before she could respond, or god forbid, ask me about last night.

I looked through my peephole and straight into the soft brown eyes of Joe Morelli.

“Steph? I heard you on the phone. Come on.”

Swinging the door open, I said, “I was going to open the door Joe. Geez, give me a minute.”

Joe looked me up and down. What’s that about? “Nice outfit Cupcake. I especially like the socks.”

Ignoring his comment, I asked what I really wanted to know. “Is that a Pino’s pizza box?”

He sported a sly grin. “It sure is Cupcake. Can I come in?”

“Only if you’re going to share.”

I shut the door behind him as he made his way into the kitchen to grab the paper towels. I went to my bedroom and put some sweats on and met him back at the couch.

“To what do I owe the honor of this visit?” I said teasingly. When he didn’t respond immediately, I shopped chewing my pizza and looked at him. He had a hurt look in his eyes. “Joe,” I said quietly, “I was only teasing. We’re still friends. You can come here with Pino’s anytime.” I smiled big hoping he got the joke.

He laughed. Whew.

“I heard you were crying at Bucca’s last night. That you ran out and caught a cab.” The concern in his voice was sincere.

I rolled my eyes. “How on earth did you hear that? Bucca’s isn’t in the ‘burg?”

“Well, Big Dog’s uncle’s friend’s cousin’s sister-in-law’s step-mom was there.” I had stopped dead in my tracks with a piece of pizza half way to my mouth. “Guess she saw the whole thing. I left out the embellishments and summarized for you.”

I don’t want to know.

“No, you don’t want to know.” Great, even Morelli has ESP.

I couldn’t help myself. “Did I blow anything up?”

“By the time you caught the cab, Bucca’s, and the strip mall behind it, were burnt to the ground.”

For one split second, I couldn’t believe what he had just told me. Then I lost it. I laughed. Not just a chuckle or even a hearty laugh. I mean, side-splitting, tears in the eyes, my stomach hurts, and can’t breathe kind of laughed. By the time I started to calm down I was curled up in a ball on the floor holding my stomach. Once I was calmed down enough to see straight, I noticed Morelli was staring at me with a huge ear-to-ear grin. I stayed on the floor for a couple of minutes to catch my breath and Joe went over to Rex’s cage and dropped in some pizza crust.

“I know Rex. She’s quirky, but you have to admit, adorable too.”

Joe reached out to help me to my feet. “Joseph Morelli, you may not believe this, but that’s the best thing that’s happened to me in four days,” I said smiling.

He brought his hand up to my chin to cup my face. “I’m glad I could make you smile Steph.” Suddenly our eyes were locked in a trance. He broke it first, but not before I noticed the sadness. “I have to get back to the station Cupcake. I’m glad you’re ok. I’ll see you later.” He gave me a peck on the cheek before he left.

I had noticed while talking to my mother that my answering machine was about to blink itself right off the table. I guess I needed to face something today. Might as well start with the calls.

Beep. “Steph, my mom’s going to take the kids. I told Lenny we had girl things to take care of so he was on his own. I’ll see you at 2 tomorrow.”

Beep. “Hey girlfriend. What’s this I hear about you goin’ out with Batman tonight? You’ve got some ‘splainin to do.”

Beep. “Babe…are you ok? We really need to talk. Babe…I…call me.” Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.

Beep. Tank’s voice boomed out of the small speaker. “Steph, where are you? The Boss called off the job tonight. We’ll reschedule.”

Beep. “Babe, where are you? Just let me know you got home ok.” He sounded worried. There was a long pause where all I heard was his breathing. “Babe…” That sounded defeated.

Beep. “Bombshell, what’s going on? Ranger’s panicked and really worried. Call me…please.” I guess when all else fails, try for polite.

The next 12 were from various people demanding I explain how I happened to burn down one the best Italian restaurants around. I erased them all. Suspiciously absent were calls from my mother. Hmm.

Beep. “Babe…Tank said he talked with Bobby and you’re ok.” Another long pause, “Stephanie…I’m sorry.”

Sorry? For what? Not loving me?

Huh? How did that get into my thick skull? What on earth would make me think he would ever love me? The answer hit me like a ton of bricks. I backed away from the phone like it had the plague and when my back hit the wall by the window; I slid down until I was sitting on the floor.

**************************

I looked at my best friend standing in the doorway holding a grocery bag. I knew what would be in it. She breezed by me and went straight for the kitchen. I watched as she unloaded two different kinds of Ben and Jerry’s, a box of chocolates, 4 candy bars, a bag of chips, a box of tissues and a bag from the Tasty Pastry. I loved Mary Lou.

I thought back to this afternoon while Mary Lou got the food ready. I don’t know how long I had sat on the floor. I alternated between crying and staring. The reason it hurt so bad is because I loved Ranger…and he doesn’t love me back. How could I have been so blind? I was fooled by all kisses and innuendo. I got sucked in and was played the fool. But did it have to hurt so much?

Sitting on the couch facing Mary Lou, I was waiting for her to start. We had just finished off two candy bars apiece when she finally spoke.

“Take a deep breath and start from the beginning.”

So I did. It all tumbled out between laughs, sobs and bowls of ice cream. I told her about my break up with Joe, the suggestive conversations with Tank and Lester, and finally the dinner with Ranger and my auspicious escape. She nodded her head and made sympathy sound in all the right places. It’s great to have a best friend.

“Steph, give yourself some time to get over the Ranger thing and then move on. Letting go of Joe was the right thing. You wouldn’t have been happy. So Ranger doesn’t love you. Mourn it, and then move past it. You’re smart, your pretty, and there are lots of guys out there that would be lucky to have you.”

“That’s just it. I don’t know if I can move on. I don’t know how. When Dickie and I divorced, I was hurt of course, but honestly I was more angry than anything else. The other day when Joe and I decided it wasn’t going to work, it pulled at my heart. He’s been such a part of my life since I was six, how could it not. But this thing with Ranger…it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.” I started to cry again so, as any diligent friend would, she grabbed more tissue and shoved it in my hands.

“Tell me about the mystery man.” She was changing the subject and we both knew it. I guess she figured

I needed an emotional break, although I don’t know if this subject was going to do it.

“What can I say? He was here again last night.” By the time I finished my story, her jaw was in her lap.

“You mean he washed your face?”

“Yep. If felt so…nice. I thanked him when he was done.”

“Really?” she squealed.

“Yes, really.”

“Oh wow Steph. How romantic.” One beat went by. “Are you going to try and find out who he is?”

“Yeah I am. I planned on it last night but…well…” I trailed off.

“You know who it is don’t you?” She narrowed her eyes at me.

“Not really. He doesn’t seem to be out to hurt me. He’s never done anything but be gentle. I think I’m going to play this out and see how it goes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to try and catch him in the act.”

“This is a game to you?”

“More like a challenge.”

“Oh well, heaven knows you can’t back down from that!” Her face turned thoughtful. “Steph, if it starts to turn…you know…wrong or something, you’ll let Joe or Eddie know, right?” Eddie is my second best friend and also a Trenton cop.

“In a heartbeat. Cross my heart.” I said this while drawing an ‘x’ over my heart with my finger.

She left a little after 5:30pm. That gave me just enough time to get to my mother’s for dinner. I arrived with 2 minutes to spare. A familiar sight was at the door as I pulled next to the curb.

“Hi Mom. Hi Grandma.”

“Stephanie how was your afternoon with Mary Lou?” I can’t keep anything a secret in the ‘burg.

“It was nice. It’s been a long time since we’ve had the chance to do that.” I made my way into the dinning room, but not before stopping and poking my head in the living room. “Hi Dad.” I got a grunt and hand wave in response.

The minute I reached the dinning room, I felt the knot start to form in my stomach.

“Mom, I told you Ranger couldn’t make it tonight. Why did you set an extra plate?”

Just then the doorbell rang. Oh my god…please don’t do this to me. My stomach felt like it was filled with lead.

“Oh hello there,” came my mother’s polite ‘burg voice.

“Mrs. Plum. This is for you. Thank you for inviting me to dinner.” I wanted to earth to swallow me up.

“Please Ric, call me Ellen.” That was my cue. I was in the kitchen and almost out the back door when I heard my grandma’s voice.

“Don’t run from this one Stephanie.” Huh? “No matter how hard it will be, stay and have dinner.”

“Grandma, you don’t understand…” I started. She cut me off.

“Yes Stephanie my dear, I do.” She looked as though she was going to say something but at the last minute changed her mind. “Sometimes the things that hurt us the most, are also worth the biggest risks…are worth a second look.” Did aliens steal my real grandmother? “Now get in there and have a nice dinner with the man who has that excellent package. I bet he’s wearing tight jeans to show it off too.” Nope, the real one was still here.

“Mother, Stephanie, come out here and greet our guest.”

I can’t do this, can I? My grandma didn’t give me the choice. She shoved me out the kitchen door into the dinning room. Who knew she had it in her? I stood looking down at the floor. I felt my face turn red.

“Well hello there big fella. What nice jeans. They really show off that excellent package of yours.” Just kill me now.

I could hear the smile in his voice. “Hello Mrs. Mazur. You’re looking lovely this evening.” I mentally rolled my eyes. Suck up. Ok, so maybe I wasn’t only hurt, but a little mad too.

Lost in my own thoughts I hadn’t realized the whole room had gone quiet. I looked up to find everyone staring at me. Wonderful. “Hi Ranger.”

“Babe.” Oh that went well.

My mother sat Ranger next to me. Of course. I wonder if gypsies cursed me as a child?

Surprisingly, dinner was almost normal; well, as normal as possible for my family. Ranger and Dad talked sports. Grandma made a few comments about Rangers ‘package’ and he handled them with tact and grace. Should I have expected less? After all, he’s Batman.

Dessert time rolled around and my mother and grandma went into the kitchen to retrieve it.

Ranger leaned over, “I was worried Babe.”

“That was considerate of you, but I was fine,” I said curtly.

“Look, Stephanie…” He was interrupted by dessert being served. I had to make my exit now or I’d never survive this.

“Mom, I need to get going. I have to work tonight.”

“Since when?” she asked. She knew I was running.

“Since this afternoon. Something came up that I need to take care of tonight. Dinner was great but I have to go.” I ignored Ranger’s raised eyebrow.

I grabbed my pocketbook and was half way down the sidewalk when I felt a light touch on my shoulder. I knew it would be too good to be true to escape free and clear again.

I hesitantly turned around to look in to the caring eyes of my mother.

“You forgot your dessert. I’ve wrapped it for you.”

I peered over my mother’s shoulder to look back at the house.

“He’s not coming out Stephanie. He’s not a stupid man. He can take a hint and from I heard happened last night, you gave him a big one.” Huh? “Don’t look so shocked. I heard what happened.”

“I figured you had Mom, but you didn’t leave any messages so I thought…” I ended lamely.

A question popped into my head. “I hadn’t told Ranger about dinner. How did he know to be here?”

“Your idiot cousin gave me his phone number. I threatened to send your grandmother over to retrieve it if he didn’t want to give it to me over the phone. Don’t look so worried. Ric had no problem with me calling him. He was eager to accept the dinner invitation. After I heard you ran out on him at Bucca’s and then you telling me he wasn’t coming to dinner, I knew the two were connected. I felt I needed to step in.” She paused for a second as if considering something all of a sudden. “Stephanie, he hasn’t’…hurt you, has he?”

I got her meaning. “No Mom. Believe me when I tell you, Ranger would never, ever hit me.”

She let out the breath she was holding. “Good. I didn’t think that he would but I needed to ask.” She paused again and looked as though she was trying to pick up where she left off. “Stephanie, I don’t know what happened at the restaurant, and I’m not asking you to tell me.” Since when? Maybe aliens took my mother instead of my grandma. “But I know you dear, and please don’t take this the wrong way…did you really listen to what he had to say? I mean, you do tend to jump to conclusions before you have all the facts. You’ve always been that way. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I’ve heard the sound of his voice when he talks about you. Don’t throw anything away unless you’re absolutely sure.”

I took a step back to really look at my mother. Was she trying to tell me that Ranger was now Ok in her book? I was speechless.

Since it was obvious I wasn’t going to respond, she continued. “Anyway I heard the button factory still has some openings. Think about it.” She turned and went back into the house. I wonder if there is any way I could contact some aliens and make a deal.

Just as my mother disappeared into the house, Ranger appeared in the doorway. Ok Einstein, now what are you going to do?

Neither of us made a move. Resounding in my head were the words he said 24 hours ago. “It’s then I realized me being there wasn’t right.” I shook my head to clear my thoughts. It was time for me to leave. I walked to the bike, got on and started the engine. I took one last look at Ranger. He was still standing in the doorway motionless. His hands were hanging loosely by his side, but his face and eyes looked different. It was too dark to make out anything very clearly. He looked lost… and hurt? Nah, it can’t be. Batman doesn’t do lost and hurt. I put the bike in gear and headed home.

Chapter Five - The fifth times a charm

At 3:00 a.m. I stood in my kitchen wondering if I should stick my head in a bowl of ice water. See, the big plan that was postponed, was to try and catch Mystery Man in the act by actually staying awake all night. When I returned home to my apartment after dinner at my mother’s, it sounded like a really good plan. Right now I was beginning to think it stunk. I’ve done everything I can think of to stay awake. I’ve cleaned the apartment and Rex’s cage, done laundry, called Mary Lou to tell her about dinner at my mother’s, surfed the TV and taken a shower. Now I was faced with a freezing cold bowl of water. Mary Lou suggested it when we talked.

Just as I was about to take the plunge, I heard the distinct sound of someone picking my lock. Oh my god, oh my god, now what? Mystery Man was breaking in. I had taken my gun out of the cookie jar earlier and stuffed in the couch. I didn’t want to use it but I didn’t know if Mystery Man was going to be happy about finding me awake. It wasn’t even loaded. Now I was left wondering how smart a move that was since he was going to catch me in the kitchen.

I could hear the front door open slowly. I was a little panicked now but I figured I always had a really cold bowl of water I could throw at him. Hey, I can improvise with the best of ‘em. The front door was closed softly and muffled footsteps could be heard.

“Bombshell?” It was said softly. I watched as Tank’s bulk completely filled the doorframe. When he saw me standing in the kitchen, he looked very surprised. “ Bombshell, you ok?” he asked with a mix of concern and surprise in his voice.

“What are you doing breaking in at 3 a.m. Tank?” I sounded so superior.

“I was coming off a stake out and noticed all your lights on.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, “Uh huh, just stopping by to tuck me in?” I knew I had all the answers.

The confusion on Tank’s face was quickly replaced by a wolf grin. His eyes turned dark as he stepped forward, “If that’s what you want Bombshell I’d be happy to oblige.” Uh, this wasn’t going exactly as I had expected. “But I’ll have to come back. Ranger’s downstairs waiting on me. Just let me drop him off and I can be back in a flash,” he said with the wolf grin firmly in place and taking a step closer.

“Ranger’s downstairs?” A laugh escaped from deep within Tank. The subject changed did not go unnoticed.

“Yeah. He told me to swing by here because he wanted to check on you. When we pulled in and saw all the lights on, told me to go up and check it out.”

I pushed past Tank and went to the window. Sure enough, there was Ranger in the parking lot leaning against the Bronco. He hadn’t noticed me at first, but must have sensed something because he turned and looked straight at me. We stayed staring at each other for a couple of beats before Ranger pushed off the Bronco and proceeded to open the door and get in. I closed my eyes and felt a tear escape.

Tank came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. I jumped at his touch.

“Hey Bombshell, what’s the matter?” He asked as he spun me around. Noticing the tears, he pulled me into his huge arms for a strong embrace. “Steph, tell me what’s wrong.” He walked me over to the couch. We sat side by side as Tank placed a comforting arm behind my back and around my shoulder. With his other hand he brushed some stray hair out of my face. “What’s going on with you and the Boss? This has something to do with what went down at Bucca’s, doesn’t it?”

I sniffed and nodded in reply. “Let’s just say,” I paused to sniff and catch my breath, “that reality gave me a cold slap in the face the other night at dinner.” I don’t even know if he heard the last few words through the sobbing.

“Shh…shh…there, there now,” he softly spoke while stroking my hair. “I hate to see you like this Steph. Please stop crying,” he begged. I eventually calmed down to just hic-ups and sniffles in-between a few tears.

Tank’s phone rang. “Talk…yeah…she’s…she’s ok…physically…” I knew who it was and I didn’t want to hear the rest of that one sided conversation. So I lifted myself off the couch and went into the bathroom to wash my face. When I looked in the mirror I almost screamed. That’s couldn’t be me staring back. No wonder I’m alone in bed at night. For the second night in a row my face was blotchy with streaks of black down my cheeks. The added bonuses were the big black rings under my eyes from lack of sleep. Lovely, just freakin’ lovely.

A soft knock came from the door. “Steph? You ok in there?”

“Yes Tank.” I opened the door to greet a concerned face. “I’m better.”

“Want to tell me why you’re up this late with all the lights on?”

“I just couldn’t sleep and got caught up in cleaning and stuff. Really, I’m fine.” I received a doubtful look. “Honest,” I said giving him a weak smile.

“Want me to stay?” There was no teasing in this question. He was truly concerned. I really do have great friends.

“No, no. I’ll be fine. Scoot along and take Ranger home.” As I was shoo-ing him toward the door, he stopped and looked at me. It looked as if he was debating with himself about something.

“You didn’t hear this from me Steph, but just so you know, Ranger’s pretty tore up down there.” Huh? “He’s a mess and wanted to come up, but thought it might only make things worse.” I didn’t know what to stay about that, so I asked a question instead.

“What job were you working on tonight?” Tank sighed.

“We were waiting to see if Charlie Santoni was going to show his sorry face outside the bar.”

Oh great. Now I’ve screwed up the job too.

“Bombshell, you didn’t screw up anything. We were just taking a chance tonight. Sometimes cases solve themselves with some luck and a chance.”

“Tank, I was supposed to do a job and I should do it. I let the whole team down.” I could feel the tears building up again. “When are you going to try next? I’ll do my part like we planned.”

“I’ll have to check and see, ok Bombshell? I’ll let you know when we’ll make our next move.”

“Ok”

“You sure you’re ok?” I nodded. He still wasn’t convinced. Could be because of the tears leaking from my eyes. After a few moments of silence, he gave me a quizzical look and a soft peck on the lips. “Call me if you need me.” Then turned and left.

I went into the kitchen and dumped out the bowl of water. Ranger was tore up? He’s a mess? I don’t understand. The other night he said…he said…. I wonder if my mother was right. He gave me flowers. There were all those incredible Ranger kisses. He looked panicked when I left him at the restaurant. He looked hurt when I left him at mom’s. What does all that mean? Maybe I need to ask him.

But wait, he also said he could have ignored the page he got the night he took DeChooch in, but didn’t. He said when he started back to my place he had a feeling that something wasn’t right. And that, that feeling only became worse the closer he got.

This was all too much. It started to make my head hurt. I still had a few more hours I wanted to stay awake but after the episode with Tank, I needed some help. The supply of food I bought the day I went shopping with Lester had run out. Well, except for what I considered the big guns. I still had an unopened bottle of No-Doze. What the hell? The box said they were as safe as a cup of coffee. But I had my doubts that even a coffee could keep me awake at this point. I pealed the wrapper off the bottle, popped two into my mouth and washed them down with the last of my Coke. Now, I think I needed another shower.

*****************************

I made it. The sun had just come up and the clock read 7:30. But this was no cause for celebration. Mystery Man never showed. Maybe after the night of face washing he figured I was high maintenance and wasn’t coming back. Or did he show up? Was it Tank? I honestly believe that Mystery Man is someone I know. Why else would he cover my eyes and not speak? He’s never been anything but gentle and there's always an incredibly strong feeling of trust. If I use those criteria, the list of who Mystery Man could be, becomes somewhat longer. Although there is one piece of criteria I've avoided looking at. Mystery Man seems to really care about me, or at least, really liked to kiss me. Before the other day, I would have to say that list had only two possibilities on it. But now…but now, I broke up with one of them and the other made it clear he wasn't interested. Who’s left? Two of the The Three Stooges have been acting funny lately. I’m sure they’re just teasing. What would Tank or Lester want with me? Well, beside the obvious… I really can’t process this now. I need sleep.

I just stood up from the couch when there was a knock at my door. Whoever it is had better have a damn good reason for coming to see me at 7:30 in the morning. I stomped my way over to the door and jerked it open.

Oh for crying out loud, here’s one of the Stooges now. “I’m not going running Bobby.” I shut the door in his face and headed to my bedroom. I knew it wouldn’t stop him but I wanted to make a point. Bobby was right on my heels.

“Hold up a minute Steph.” He reached out to grab my shoulder to stop me. I gave him the most menacing face I could muster after not sleeping all night. It must not have been too effective since he let out a small laugh. I thought it would work since it would only add to the menace I call my hair. “I’m not here to take you running. Tank left me a message last night to come and check on you this morning. He said you were staying up all night for some reason…and that you didn’t feel the need to share why.” How many mothers’ do I have anyway?

“Fine. You’re here and did what Tank asked you to do. Now go away.” I wasn't in the mood to be nice.

Bobby brushed past me into my bedroom. When I heard him rummaging through my dresser I thought I better find out what he's doing. We met at the bedroom door where he handed me some flannel pajamas and some socks. Pushing me toward the bathroom he said, "Go change."

I narrowed my eyes, trying for the evil look again. "It's a good thing this is what I was going to do anyway."

The look worked this time just as well as it did last time. I received the small laugh again. "Right Steph." Once I was finished changing, I came out of the bathroom and went straight for my bed. Sitting there in a kitchen chair next to the bed was Bobby, just like the night before.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you."

I rolled my eyes. "Why?"

"I thought I'd stay with you until you fell asleep. I'll go if you want me to. But since you stayed up all night I thought you might be spooked about something." How could I get mad at that?

"No, you don't have to go. It's nice of you to want to stay with me. I appreciate it Bobby." I crawled into bed and tried to settle in.

After a few minutes of silence Bobby asked, "Want to tell me why you stayed up all night Steph? I've heard rumors you've been having nightmares, is that it?" Ugh, how can the stories get so far from the truth? The 'burg grapevine, that's how. In this case though, I might be grateful.

I rolled onto my back and looked at the ceiling "No, I'm not having nightmares, I swear," I said resignedly. Should I tell him or not? Here's goes nothing. "I'll tell you but you have to promise me a couple things first." He nodded. "First, don't get all overprotective on me, ok?" Another nod. " Second, I don't want you to tell anyone." A pause, then a nod. Hmm, well at least he agreed. "I also need you to try and believe me when I say I'm taking care of the situation." He nodded again. "Well…it seems I've been having a late night visitor for the past few nights." I held my breath waiting for a reaction. When none came I continued. "This visitor, he's been breaking in and visiting me while I'm asleep in bed." I chanced a peek at the man in the chair. He hadn't moved and his eyebrows were up a few inches but he said nothing. "He comes in and covers my eyes with his hand and holds both my hands above my head." Nothing from the peanut gallery. "Then he kisses me, tucks me in and leaves." I lay still waiting for the shoe to drop. The silence stretched for what seemed like hours.

"Does he hurt you?" That very serious question came from a very serious looking Bobby.

"No. Actually he's never been anything other than gentle and caring. I never get the slightest feeling that he's out to hurt me. Actually it's just the opposite. I get the feeling he wants to take care of me."

"How, exactly, are you taking care of the situation?"

"Well, the first two nights I thought I was dreaming. Then I found something that made me realize it wasn't a dream. The third…."

"What did you find?"

"A rose petal." If he wondered why, he didn't ask. Just nodded for me to go on.

"The third night I left all my lights on to make him think I was awake. That didn't work, although I came close to catching him in the act. The fourth night, the night I had dinner with Ranger…well, you know how that night went. Mystery Man showed up, but I just couldn't care at that point. This past night I thought I would stay awake all night to catch him. He didn't show." I think I sounded disappointed at the end. "By the way, you didn't happen to see anyone hanging around the night you were here, did you?"

"No Steph, I didn't,” he said without emotion.

“Oh. Thought maybe you might have crossed paths,” I half mumbled.

Bobby leaned in close and locked his eyes on mine. “I promised you I wouldn’t tell anyone and I won’t. But you have to promise me something too.” Uh oh. “The minute you get the slightest bit uncomfortable with what’s going down with this guy, you tell me… immediately,” he commanded. I don’t think he was going to take no for an answer. Bobby continued to stare at me for another minute. For just a split second, I could have sworn something flashed behind his eyes. For the tiniest fraction of a second, I thought he was going to kiss me. He blinked and softly spoke, “Now close your eyes and get some sleep. I’ll stay for a bit.”

I did as he said. I was too tired to fight and his suggestion just sounded to good. I rolled over on my side, facing away from Bobby. What was that exchange all about? My over active hormones probably. Bobby hasn’t been acting any different than always. He doesn’t tease me much, never has. He is also the only one who doesn’t have a nickname for me. He always calls me Steph or Stephanie. Tonight was the first time that I’ve ever asked him to keep a confidence. Hell, he even took me seriously when I told him I could handle the situation. Hmm, maybe that last part should scare me… those were my last thoughts before sleep finally overcame me.

Chapter 6 -

When I woke up it was late in the day. I opened one eye. 5:37 p.m. to be exact. The weird thing is, there was the wonderful smell of food coming from somewhere. This might be worth investigating. I opened my other eye about the time I realized that a trip to the bathroom was the first thing I needed. Now with both my eyes open, I noticed there was something on the bed next to me. When I sat up I gasped.

Perched on the pillow next to me was a note and two pink roses. The note was neatly printed.

You had a long night, and you looked so peaceful,

I didn’t want to disturb you.

Consider yourself tucked in.

Holy shit. When did this get here? How did this get here? How could I miss a visit? Damn. Uh oh, was I starting to look forward to his visits? I don't cope well after first waking up, so I staggered out of bed and into the bathroom. I took care of my business including the shower, hair and make-up thing. Now it was time to find out what in the world was going on in my kitchen. I tentatively stepped out of my bedroom and made my way toward the kitchen. What I ended up seeing were Tank and Lester, side by side at my sink, doing something with food. I should probably be worried about the fact that people seem to come and go in my apartment and it doesn't even phase me anymore. But I was feeling a little cranky, and couldn't bring myself to care.

Without turning around Lester said, “Good morning, sleepy head.” I stuck my tongue out at him.

“I saw that,” said Tank as he concentrated on peeling a carrot. I rolled my eyes.

“I saw that too,” snickered Lester. Tank’s shoulders were slightly shaking. Great, just what I needed, comedians.

“Don’t quit your day jobs fellas.” I plopped myself in a chair. "So, what are you doing?"

"Its called cooking, Beautiful." Lester thinks he clever.

"WHY are you here cooking?" I decided to ignore Lester's comment.

"We are going to do that job tonight, if you're still available to do it. Thought it might help if we fed you first, Bombshell."

"Thanks Tank. Yes I'll do the job." I said as I slumped in my chair. I guess I didn't sound all the sure either, because they both stopped what they were doing and looked back at me. "What? I'll do it." Lester went back to his food preparation but Tank looked at me a couple of seconds longer. I held his gaze. I felt he was trying to tell me something but I wasn't getting it. He finally blinked and turned around.

Dinner was great. These guys could cook. I just cleaned my plate of the lasagna, garlic bread, and veggies when I started to wonder about desert. Without missing a beat between bites Tank said, "Don't worry Bombshell. We know better than to feed you dinner without dessert." Since I was feeling so mature, I stuck my tongue out at him again. "Careful with that," he said as he laughed.

A little while later, Lester served dessert. It was the most delicious devil's food cake I've ever tasted. I think it was after my second moan when Tank cleared his throat to get my attention.

"Steph," uh oh," will you tell us what's going on between you and the boss?" At least Tank had the decency to look sheepish when he asked.

"I'll tell you what, I'll answer your question, if you two will answer one for me?" I've been thinking about the timing of my Mystery Man visits.

"Sure Beautiful, go ahead."

I took a deep breath. Ok here it goes. I'm just going to spit it straight out. "Are either of you two breaking in at night after I'm asleep and…umm…tucking me in? I mean…well…if one of you is doing that…it's like…it's ok and stuff but I was just wondering if it was…either…of you two…or not. You know, either way is fine." Yep, I'm smooth. No doubt about it. Ugh. I let my forehead drop to the table. I didn't want to see their reaction. They were both quiet for what seemed like a long time.

"Uh, Steph? " Tank said cautiously

My reply was to the table "Yes?"

"Is this related to a similar accusation you leveled at me last night?"

"Yes."

"Bombshell, I can tell you that if it was me, you'd know about it." I lifted my head to see exactly what I knew I was going to see. A wolf grin firmly in place on Tank's face. Then within a second his face grew serious. "Steph, is someone bothering you? Are they hurting you?" He looked really concerned now. Cross Tank off the list, unless he's a really good actor. Not that he couldn't bluff me, but I just had a feeling his questions were genuine. I don't think they would have felt that way had he already known the answers.

"No and no. Someone…some guy, has decided to be my bedtime keeper is all. He's not hurting me and I don't think he ever will. I just thought I'd ask both of you." I suddenly realized that I hadn't heard from Lester. I turned slightly to look at him expectantly. He stared back unblinking. I couldn't read a thing on his face or from his eyes. What's this? Could it be Lester?

Before my mind could wrap around that idea, there was a knock at the door.

Tank stood and said, "It must be Ranger and Bobby. They're meeting us here before the job."

Huh? "What?" I must have screeched. Tank stopped in his tracks and looked back at me.

"It will be ok Bombshell, " he said reassuringly. Like hell it will. I have no desire to deal with Ranger after leaving him at my mothers. I don't have a clue what to say to him. Ranger didn't give me much time to think about it. The lock was picked and the door opened before Tank could even turn back around.

Ranger and Bobby let themselves in. "Is there a problem?" Ranger asked Tank and Lester before turning his burning gaze on me.

"No Boss. I was just coming to get the door."

Ranger nodded once. "Good, lets get to work and fill everyone in on this job."

Between Ranger and Tank, we were all pretty much up to speed quickly. They started talking about equipment and who would be stationed where. Ranger had only looked at me twice the whole time. Both times was when he referred to my part of the job. I had to get out of this room. I stood and the room went quiet. I had four sets of eyes trained on me.

"I don't think you need me here for this part so I'm going to go change."

Ranger nodded once. I scurried to my bedroom and shut the door. Flopping face up on the bed I began to think about Ranger. What did he want from me? He made himself pretty clear at our dinner. Then why has he been looking at me like I hurt him or something? Why did Tank tell me Ranger was upset the other night? I let out a heavy sigh. I was going to have to talk to him. There's no way around it. I don't want to keep going on like this, especially if we're going to keep working together. I raised a hand and gently rubbed it over my heart. If I could just get the ache in my heart to go away. A slight rap on the door broke my thoughts.

"Bombshell, you ready?"

Actually I was far from being ready. How long had I been on the bed? "Just another minute Tank." If he thought I didn't hear him chuckle and say the word 'asleep', he was mistaken. I dressed myself in less than two minutes. I was pretty proud of myself. As I was attending to last minute adjustments, Tank knocked again.

"Bombshell?"

"Come in Tank."

"Steph, umm…you need to be wired." I looked at him like 'duh!'. "Well you see, this stuff is a little different. We don't want the possibility of you being separated from the panic button. There's a greater chance of that if you just carry it. Ranger ordered some new equipment. The panic button will be attached directly somewhere on your body." He scanned me from head to toe as his eyes darkened slightly. "I volunteered to come in here and help you figure it out," he said with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

I rolled my eyes and put my hand on my hips with feet spread. "Grow up Tank. We have a job to do and I need to be wired to do it. Lets get this over with." I rolled my eyes again just for emphasis. I was in no mood for the leering and suggestive comments. "Tell me how it works. Then we'll work on where I'll put it."

Five minutes later I was dressed and ready. The new equipment was very cool. The panic button wasn't really a button at all. It was a sensor pad with sticky tape on the back. All it needed was skin contact and it made some sort of electrical connection. We placed it just under my left breast, with the mic under the right. My clothes wouldn't interfere and Tank said that no one in that bar had any business touching me there so I should be ok. And if they did touch me there, it needed to be set off anyway. To activate it all I had to do was reach down my shirt and touch the pad. It was accessible to either hand. So what if it would look like I was feeling myself? I figured if I really needed it that would be the least of my worries. Tank and I stepped out of the bedroom.

"Stephanie, you're with me," Ranger said. Uh oh. "Tank, Lester and Bobby, you know where to position yourselves." The guys all nodded, I rolled my eyes and we were out the door.

Riding in a car with Ranger was never a fun experience, even under good conditions. It's mostly boring because he does that 'zone' thing. Riding in a car with Ranger when the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, was a whole different ball game. I was so tense that every little noise or bump in the road made me jump. I felt like a tightly coiled spring, like if I didn't get sprung soon, was going to explode. To top it off, being this close to Ranger made my heart ache all the more.

Ranger moved to adjust a vent and I about leapt out of my skin right through the front window. He looked at me out the corner of his eyes. "Relax Stephanie. You'll be fine. The guys won't let anything happen to you." I turned my head to look at him. I wanted to ask 'What about you? Do you care enough not to let anything happen?' but I didn't. I noticed his jaw tighten slightly. He didn't say anything so I don't know if his ESP was working or not. We continued on in silence.

Ranger slowed and pulled into a lot a short distance from the McDougal's Bar & Grill. I studied the place out the window. Yuk, I don't think I'd ever eat anything off their grill. I had been momentarily lost in my thoughts when Ranger cupping my face and turning me to look directly at him suddenly jerked me back to reality. His face wasn't but two inches from mine. I sucked in a breath and held it.

"Above everything else Stephanie Plum, you have to know that if it's within my power, no matter what the circumstance, I would never let anything happen to you." My eyes went wide and I just about passed out. My only response was to blink. After several rapid heart beats, he let go of my face and returned to facing forward, tightly grasping the steering wheel. "We'll give the guys 10 minutes and then send you in." I still couldn't speak so I just nodded.

What the hell was that? Above everything else? I summoned my courage. "Ranger…" I was interrupted by Tank coming in over the radio.

"Everyone's ready for a jelly doughnut." I guess Tank thinks he’s clever too. I didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out he was talking about sending me in. I went for the latch on the door when Ranger grabbed my other wrist. "Stephanie," he started. Oh god, every time he said my name tonight it made me want to cry. Where did Babe go? Did I leave her behind at my mother's too? "Be careful," he finished.

The voice in my head was screaming 'You be careful too. Don't get hurt. I love you.' I ended up giving him a weak smile in return. It's all I could manage with the sharp pieces of my broken heart poking me in the chest.

When I walked into McDougal’s, I noticed Charlie Santoni right away. It wasn't hard. The place was hardly crowded and he was the only one at the end of the bar. The perfect place to watch the door. I noticed Lester and Bobby in a booth at the back. I made eye contact with Bobby to let him know I was fine so far, but didn't hold it too long. Didn't want anyone getting suspicious.

I considered the old stumble and fall routine when I remembered that Santoni was brought in once before by being tricked. I decided to sit several stools down from him. I wasn't alone for too long.

Bobby walked up to me and said "Hey sweetheart, can I buy you a drink?" I didn't know one of the guys was going to approach me. I'm sure I looked startled.

"Hi," I croaked out.

"So you all alone, Hot stuff?" I was starting to catch on. That's me, quick on the uptake.

I gave one of my best welcoming smiles. "Why, yes I am." Bobby motioned to the bartender to bring me a drink. When he looked back to me, he leaned in as if to nuzzle my ear.

"I'm gonna flirt with you and you're gonna put me off, then finally you turn me down flat. We found out that Santoni doesn't believe in 'intermingling of races'. If he sees you put me off, he might think you believe the same thing. If I come on strong enough he might come to your rescue." How could anyone, especially any conscious woman, not want to intermingle with Bobby? Bobby has the most gorgeous brown skin. If he and Tank were chocolate, I’d say Tank was dark chocolate and Bobby was milk chocolate. Hmm….I REALLY like chocolate. And Bobby and Tank were two well-built beautiful men... I mentally slapped my head. Get it together. You’re on a job for chirst’s sake. Keep the hormones down.

I let my huge grin turn into a slight frown. I lightly put my hand to Bobby’s chest and pushed back while making a sort of disgusted look. “No, no. I’m fine.” I tried to sound disgusted too.

“Oh come on baby. You look real friendly all dressed up like that…yeah, real friendly.” Bobby, very slowly, did a once over of my body. I know he was just playing a part, but his lecherous look gave me a shock and a real chill down my spine. He leaned down to my ear again. “That’s a very convincing disgusted look Steph. Don’t worry, we are supposed to be convincing. Don’t worry about hurting me either.”

Huh? What did that mean? Wait. He wants me to hit him! I can’t do that. Just as I was about to tell him that, he straightened and gave me a quick wink and a slight smile. I wasn’t sure when he wanted this slap to happen, but I had a feeling he’d let me know when it was time. The question was, could I do it?

The bartender finally brought my drink. In the best disgusting tone I could manage I said, “No thanks. I’m won’t be accepting any drinks from this,” I paused for effect, “man.”

“Hey, what’s this? Take the drink girl.” He said this a little less friendly. I chanced a look to the end of the bar. We certainly had Santoni’s attention. He was glaring at us. Well I guess, he was glaring at Bobby. Bobby stepped a little closer and I tried to push him back. No, I really did try. Just like the rest of the guys, if he didn’t want to be moved, you couldn’t move him.

I saw the look in Bobby’s eyes change. Uh oh, I think the slap is coming soon. Bobby leaned toward me putting one arm around my shoulder and the other, over mine that was resting on the bar. I made it look like I had to struggle to get free and stand. I didn’t really. He was holding me very lightly. “I said I’m not interested. Now get the fuck away from me.” As I yelled this, I raised my hand up and brought it down across his cheek. The minute I did it I wanted to throw up. Bobby’s eyes got wide and he brought a hand up to hold his cheek. Oh god, I really hurt him. I am going to throw up.

During our little exchange I hadn’t noticed that Santoni had moved from his spot at the end of the bar, over to us. Bobby probably had.

With a look toward Bobby that could kill, Santoni spoke. “Why don’t you just leave the little lady alone.” I didn’t like Santoni before, I really didn't like him now.

“This ain’t none of your business man. Get the fuck away," Bobby sneered. Before now, I had been standing between Bobby and Santoni, but now Santoni had moved next to me to be face to face with Bobby.

“Listen you disgusting, dirty, piece of …” That’s it. Time for me to shoot Mr. Santoni. I started to rummage around in my pocketbook to find my gun. Bobby must have read my mind. He grabbed my hand to get my attention.

“Fine. You take her.” Saying this, Bobby sort of threw my arm toward Santoni. He did it with enough force to make me stumble forward. I’m sure I looked as surprised as I was. Then he turned and walked back to the booth to sit with Lester.

Santoni had grabbed a hold of my shoulders to steady me after Bobby’s push. “Now, now, little lady. It’s ok. He won’t bother you again.” Oh how I wish Bobby had let me shoot this guy.

“Oh thanks so much!” I squealed. He led me back to my stool and took the one next to me. Ok, now if I can just get him outside.

“No problem little lady.” He flashed a yellow-toothed grin. Ewwww. He had been patting my hand that I’d placed on the bar. Now his hand had sought out and found my knee. Double Ewwww.

I smiled my best ‘pretty but dumb’ smile at him. “You’re so kind. How can I ever thank you?” I said as sickeningly sweet as possible. I want to shoot you, that might help. Sure would help me.

“Now, darling I have a couple of great ideas.” I got the yellow smile again, except this time is was smarmy. I wonder if he’ll come with me after I vomit on him.

“Well sugar, why don’t you just walk me to my car?” I batted my eyes innocently.

“McDugal has a room in back…” he trailed off as he pointed.

I scrunched my face. “Mmm…I don’t think so. I’ve got a nice big SUV with lots of room in the back. Wanna see it?” He was starting to look nervous. “The windows are tinted. Nobody will see.” I lifted and ran a finger down the front of his shirt. Mental note: have finger disinfected or removed when this is over. I flashed him the sexiest smile I could. “You helped me out with my …situation. I want to thank you properly.” My finger trailed lower until it was just above his belt buckle. I tickled him a little. Yep, first thing to do after I’m out of here, have this finger lopped off. I’ve got nine others.

I think the tickle did it. He stood, grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. “Whoa big fella, what’s the hurry?”

“Just come on.” He tightened his hand on my wrist and yanked me forward. I hadn’t had time to see if Bobby and Lester were following. I was too busy trying to keep from falling on my face. I was afraid if I did, he’d pull me out by my hair.

We stepped outside onto the sidewalk. He jerked me right up against him. Gross. Now what? Lop everything off from the neck down? “Where’s the fucking SUV?”, he growled. Now I was nervous. Where were the guys?

I caught some movement behind Santoni. Tank. Thank god. I needed to get him moving again so I wasn’t so close. I pointed down the street where I had seen the Bronco parked. Hey, if I can get him half way there on his own, why not? He pulled me in front of him and pushed me forward. I almost fell. “You’re one klutzy bitch.”

Before I could react to the bitch comment I felt a whoosh of air behind me and the sound of flesh hitting flesh. I spun around to see Santoni on the ground. Tank was standing over him with his foot on Santoni’s neck. “Hold on just a second Tank. Let me find my gun. I want to shoot him,” I said as I began to search my pocketbook. I pulled out a brush, compact, and my wallet before I found my gun. “Ok, I got it.” I looked up when I heard stifled laughs.

“What?” This only encouraged them. I threw everything back in my bag. “Fine, one of you shoot him.”

“Beautiful, we aren’t going to shoot him. We are going to take him back to jail.” By this time Lester had him cuffed. I watched as Lester and Tank carried Santoni to the Bronco.

“What happened to him?” I had a feeling I already knew.

“He fell into Tank’s fist,” Bobby supplied. I looked at him like, yeah right. Then it dawned on me. I had slapped Bobby. I ran to him and put a hand up to the cheek I had slapped.

“Oh Bobby. I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you? I was sick the minute I did it,” I whined.

His eyes softened as he smiled and looked directly into mine. “No harm done Steph. All part of the job. You did great in there!” he said as he brought his hand up to cover mine on his face. We held our gaze for a couple of seconds before moving away from each other.

The ride home with Ranger was quiet and not so tense, at least not for me. If it was for him, I didn't notice. My thoughts were elsewhere. The Three Stooges were taking Santoni in. I laughed quietly at myself… The Three Stooges. I shook my head slightly and smiled at the thought of them. Tank, Lester and Bobby, three of the best guys I had ever had the privilege of knowing. I had narrowed my Mystery Man list down to three possibilities. Hmmm….

I was drug up from the depths of my thoughts when I realized the car had stopped moving. We were parked in my lot and Ranger was looking at me. I think he might have asked a question.

"I'm sorry Ranger. Did you say something?" He frowned. "I was just caught up in my thoughts. Honest, I'm not ignoring you."

"Could have fooled me Steph." Oh no, that was not his happy voice and Babe was nowhere to be found. I sighed.

"Ranger I know we need to talk." I took a deep breath to give me a second to collect my thoughts. "I just don't think I can do it right now. Not tonight, ok?"

"Fine. How about tomorrow?" I shook my head and looked down at my lap. I needed more time. I wanted to try and clear up the Mystery Man situation first. Besides, if I caught Mystery Man in the act and it turned out to be Ranger, we could talk then.

I lifted my head to say something and the look on Ranger's face shocked me. His jaw was tight and his eyes looked hurt and vulnerable. He thought I was trying to avoid him.

"Ranger I'm not trying to run from this or avoid you, I swear. It's just that tomorrow isn't good either. How about the day after that?" I received a small nod. "I just need…more time…another day, that's all. Please." His jaw relaxed some and he nodded again, but not as stiffly this time. "Thank you."

I turned to get out of the car when his voice stopped me. "I've heard you've been having a late night caller." It wasn't a question. "You ok?" I searched his face and eyes to see if they would give away even the slightest hint. There was nothing there.

"I'm fine Ranger. I have it under control." He snorted at that, with his mouth curling into half smile. He didn't say anything else, just nodded, started the car, and drove away.

I stood in the parking lot wondering what that snort was about. He knew I didn't have it under control. But, did he know that because he was experiencing my lack of control or because he knows me too well? With a huge sigh, I turned on my heels and headed into my apartment.

Chapter 7

I awoke the way I had expected, with a hand over my eyes. I raised my hands above my head myself. Why wait for him to do it? I think my move caught him by surprise. In my movement upward, I actually brushed a hand against his chest. It was only for a brief second, but it was long enough for me to know, my list of three suspects was on target. At my touch he had flinched and pulled back slightly, but let out a muted chuckle.

I received the rose treatment again. God I loved that. It was just so relaxing to have that smooth scented flower softly tracing bare skin. "Let me see you," I sighed in a whisper. The rose left my skin and he placed his hands on mine. I guess after the brush, he wasn't sure what I was going to do.

I felt him lean over to get closer. He barely touched his lips to mine. Like the first visit, a light brushing was all I received. It was almost inaudible, but I heard him say, "Soon."

I whispered back, "Let me touch you." In response, I received a bone-melting kiss. My lips parted easily, as his tongue swept into my mouth seeking mine. Finding his target, our tongues battled for control, caressing, wetly slipping over and around each other. I finally relented and he deepened the kiss, pushing my head further back into my pillow.

My plan was to try and ask more questions, but after he lifted his lips from mine, I was left breathless and speechless. I was also panting a bit heavily. I took comfort in the fact he was breathing heavily too. He rested his forehead on mine, his hand on my eyes between us. He softly let out a half sigh, half groan. Slowly he lifted from me. He paused, I think, to stare. There were a few seconds between his body lifting off me, and then finally, his hand lifting from my eyes. After I was tucked, he left.

I thought about trying to go after him again, but it only took me a split second to forget that. He said I'd see him soon. I took him at his word.

I noticed it was 4:00 a.m. and decided I was hungry. I slid from the bed and into the bathroom, then headed for the kitchen. I didn't bother with the light because I knew exactly where my freezer was, and, exactly where the Ben & Jerry's was placed inside the freezer. Eating right out of the container didn't require anything more than a spoon. I was good to go.

Turning from the freezer, I noticed something sitting on my table. I walked over and flipped the light on, blinking wildly until my eyes adjusted. Sitting in the middle of my table, was one beautiful peach colored rose on top of an envelope. I knew who had left it.

I picked up the rose and smelled it, then reached for the envelope, and took the card out.

Please join me for dinner this evening at 7:00 p.m.

1569 Conrad Dr.

Dress is formal

I looked over the card and envelope thoroughly. There was nothing to give any hint to whom had left it. No writing was on the envelope and the card was typed. Well, damn.

A smile broke out on my face. I guess I have a date tonight.

*********************************

I was headed to the office. It had been a couple of days since I’d stopped in. Connie, Lula and Mary Lou had left numerous messages. I needed to fill them or they’d kill me. I also needed to go shopping for my date. I figured I could kill two birds with one stone.

Sitting in the food court, eating Ice Cream Sunday’s, we hashed it all out. I told them whole story of Ranger and Mystery Man.

"Girlfriend, you need to be listenin’ to Batman. He’s got somethin’ to say and you’ll be one sorry skinny ass white girl if you don’t hear him out," said Lula. Connie and Mary Lou’s heads bobbed in agreement.

"Yeah Steph, you never really gave him a chance when he took you to dinner," chimed in Mary Lou.

I sighed heavy. "I know you guys. We’re going to meet tomorrow and talk."

Lula nodded her head once in a determined gesture. "Good. And don’t you be runnin’ again. We know how you is. You be getting’ all scared, thinkin’ you’re heart gonna be broke, so you take off." She reached out across the table and covered my hand with hers. "I know it’s scary puttin’ yourself out there like that. But honey, if you don’t never take the chance, you’ll never get any of the good stuff either." Pulling her hand away, she said, "I just bettin’ Batman gots some good stuff to give too." Just thinking about that made all 4 of us drool.

"Whatcha gonna do about the Mystery guy, Steph?" asked Connie.

"I’m going to meet him for dinner," I said flatly. The Three Musketeers exchanged glances. "What?"

"Stephanie, are you sure it’s safe?" Mary Lou looked very concerned.

"Look guys, he’s had plenty of chancs to hurt me. Besides I think it’s someone I know, and, I’ve narrowed my list to three possibilities." Now that got their attention. Three chins dropped to the table.

"Who?" They almost screeched in exact unison.

"Spill it girlfriend," Lula said, going into rhino mode.

"Wait," I said putting up my hand. " I don’t know for sure, so I’m not going to say. I’ll find out tonight and I’ll call you all tomorrow." They looked skeptical. "I promise." They still looked skeptical. Too bad, I’m not saying a word until I know for sure.

After the Ice Cream binge, we headed to Macy’s. It didn’t take long to find the perfect dress, a little red strappy number. It was formfitting but fairly plain, in a classic sort of way. It had a great scoop neckline and the skirt…well…instead of saying it was cut right above the knee, this was more like, cut right below the crotch. Of course, we were able to find the perfect FMP’s and bag to go with it.

It was 2:00 p.m. when we finally left the mall. I was headed home in plenty of time for a nap before I had to get ready.

********************

My alarm woke me at 5:00 p.m. On the way home from the mall, I had stopped and borrowed Big Blue for tonight. I turned down the invitation for pot roast saying I had to work. I guess this was sort of like work. I was trying to catch someone, only it probably wouldn’t end with him going to jail…probably.

I took my time getting ready, doing all the little extras that needed to be done. I had just picked up my keys, and was headed toward the door, when my phone rang. Do I pick it up? I had a few minutes, sure, why not. Probably one of the girls wanting to make sure I didn’t forget anything.

"Hello?"

"Yo" My heart did a flip.

"Yo, yourself. What’s up?"

"I was just checking to see if we’re still on for tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, why don’t you come here about 6:00 and we can talk. We can have Pino’s or something, sound ok?"

"Perfect, but I’ll bring the food and cook." I rolled my eyes, fine, whatever Mr. Health Nut.

"Ok, but nothing too healthy."

"I’ll try my best." There was a pause. "Step, call me if you need me." I guess we were done because I heard a click, then a dial tone. Call him if I need him? What did he mean by that?

I put the phone down and it immediately rung again.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Beautiful." Lester?

"Hey, Lester."

" Look Steph, we need to talk." God, where have I heard that before in the last 24 hours?

"We do?" I squeaked.

"Yeah, we do. How about tomorrow night?"

"Um… I can’t. I have plans."

"All right. How about tomorrow afternoon?" What about tonight? Am I meeting you tonight?

"That sounds fine. 1:00 Pino’s?"

"I’ll meet you there, Beautiful." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Oh, and Steph? Don’t forget, you can call me anytime ok?"

"Yeah, sure," I said kind of puzzled.

I just hung up with Lester and the phone rings again. What on earth? I’m going to be late!

"Hello."

"Hi Steph, it’s Bobby."

"Hey Bobby, what’s up? I’m just on my way out the door."

"Ok, I won’t keep you. I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing with the late night visitor. You didn’t say anything yesterday."

"It’s fine Bobby. I’m taking care of it…really." Time for the direct approach. "Bobby I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to get going."

"Ok, Step. Call me if you need me." Then he hung up.

Huh? What’s with all the ‘call me’ offers tonight? Oh hell, I don’t have time for this. I put the phone down and bolted for the car. I really didn’t want to be late for this.

On the drive over, I kept telling myself I had three suspects, but in my heart I know who I wanted it to be. I know who I hoped it would be.

****************************

At 6:58 I pulled up in front of a very nice two-story home. Conrad St. was located on the outskirts of Trenton. Much more 'suburbia' than the 'burg. The street, and the house, were easy enough to find. I sat in my car staring at the house. What was I doing? Am I crazy? I'm going to walk into an unknown house, into an unknown situation. And that's different from what I do everyday, how? I slapped the palm of my hand against my head. 6:59 p.m. One minute left. I still have time to drive away. Who am I kidding, I'm way too nosey to do that. I also know, deep down, this is not a dangerous situation. But what if this isn't the person I really want it to be? Don't get me wrong, my list of three is not a list of shabby choices. I just don't want to hurt any of those people either. I let out a big sigh. 7:00 p.m. The knot that had been forming in my stomach is now officially one big heavy rock. I think I'm going to throw up. I took a few deep breaths and stepped out from Big Blue.

As I made my way up the walk, I noticed the house is nicely landscaped. The path and window lighting gave the house a nice warm welcoming glow. With a trembling finger, I went to reach for the doorbell, when I saw a note taped to the door.

It's open

Wonderful. My last hope, that maybe I had the wrong house, was dashed. The rock in the pit of my stomach just got bigger. I know I was visibly shaking. I turned the knob, opened the door and walked in. The front part of the house was dark. To my left was a room that looked to be a den. Stairs were directly in front of me. On the left side of the stairs, was a hallway that led to the back of the house. To my right was the living room. There was light fading in from the other end. It took two tentative steps for me to reach just inside the living room. The room stretched out to my left. I immediately looked in that direction. At that end of the room were sliding glass doors that lead directly out to a patio and then, I assume the back yard. The light in the room was coming through the glass doors. Small string lights had been wound around the patio railing, the arbor at the end of the patio stairs, and scattered in the trees and bushes closest to the house and patio. If I hadn't been so nervous, I would have thought it was a breath taking sight.

Just then a figure appeared at that end of the room. He had come through a door on his left I hadn't noticed. He stood in front of the glass doors, his frame outlined by the lights behind. I couldn't see his face. I didn't need to. I knew immediately who it was. Neither one of us spoke or moved. We just stood, at opposite ends of the room, looking at each other.

After what seemed like hours, I broke the trance. I needed to get something out of my bag. It only took a few second of digging to come up with what I needed. As I got ready to use it, I held on to it for dear life. A few more seconds went by, neither of us speaking. Out of the darkness, came the ring of a phone.

I watched him carefully as he stepped to the right, leaned down, and picked up his phone off the table. He flipped it open and silently pressed it against his ear.

I softly spoke into my phone, "I think I need your help."

Thanks to Pat for supplying the nickname.

Chapter 8

Out of the darkness, came the ringing of a phone.

I watched him carefully as he stepped to the right, leaned down, and picked up his phone off the table. He flipped it open and silently pressed it against his ear.

I softly spoke into my phone, "I think I need your help."

Bobby started to walk toward me. Into his phone he whispered, "What exactly do you need my help with?" By the time he was done speaking, he stood in front of me. Without waiting for an answer, he snapped his phone shut and threw it over on the chair. He took my phone and did the same thing. He put his hands on my shoulders.

"Bobby, it was you? I…I don't understand…what…" I trailed off. Honest to god, I had no idea what to say. I have no doubt the surprise in my voice was also reflected on my face.

"Steph." He paused. "How do I explain?" he said in a whisper to himself. "Let's sit down." Removing his hands from my shoulders, then grabbing my hand to entwine our fingers, he turned to lead me to the deck.

The minute I stepped outside, I was in awe. I thought it looked great from inside; being outside was ten times better. Those little white lights were everywhere, over our heads, on every side and down the stairs. It made the lighting perfect for…oh god, I better not go there. Once outside, I had stopped dead in my tracks. Bobby must have been surprised because he jerked back a step when I stopped. He gently tugged on my hand to get my attention.

“Come on,” he urged by motioning his head toward a 2-seated glider in the corner. We both sat and waited. If he thinks I’m going to start this conversation, he’s crazy. He needs to explain.

“Steph, I have a lot of things I need to say. So please just let me say them before you ask any questions, ok?” I nodded my head slowly. He looked down at our hands that were still entwined and started, “First I need to know if you’re angry with me?” He looked up for a response. I said I wouldn’t ask anything, so I just shook my head. He looked relieved. “You don’t know how nervous I’ve been about that,” he softly laughed, “I’ve seen you mad. So I’m glad you’re not angry. I just felt I needed to come up with a way to get your attention.”

“You have it. You’ve had it for the last 7 days,” I whispered. He looked me in the eye, gave a weak smile and nodded.

“Good. Second, I want you to know that I’m not expecting anything from you. I don’t expect you to proclaim your undying love for me. I’m not kidding myself Steph. I know who your heart belongs to. We all do. I just wanted to get one night with you.” I must have looked startled because he stopped. Letting out a big sigh he said, “This isn’t coming out right.” He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.

“Look, I’m not talking about sex Stephanie. I would never expect that. I would never ask that of you because I know you’re in love with Ranger. I just wanted one night where it was you and me. I wanted to wine and dine you, sweep you off your feet…just one time,” he paused. “Once I found out that you and Ranger are getting together tomorrow night, I knew I needed to make my move.” Our eyes were locked at this point. All his emotions were there, out in the open. All the caring, tenderness, and love were clearly written on his face. He looked beautiful.

But he was right. As much as I did care and yes, on some level, love him, I wasn’t in love with him. Ranger had my heart and Bobby knew and accepted it. Could I give him this one night? This one date? And if I did, what would Ranger think? I wanted to believe that Ranger would understand. But Ranger and I were so questionable right now. How can I base a decision I make now on a conversation I haven’t had yet? That must be what Bobby meant when he said he needed to make his move before tomorrow. He was giving me some wiggle room on the hook if I decided to stay. Bobby’s deep voice broke into my thoughts.

“I know you’re trying to decide whether or not to stay. I understand that, but I have one last thing to say.” He stopped to make sure he had my full attention. “ I had a partner in crime.” My eyes went wide until what he said had sunk in. I then narrowed my eyes, and was about to say something, when he raised his free hand in a stop motion. “Let me finish, please.” I nodded once. “I know what you’re thinking. I swear to you Steph, I was the only one who made the nightly visits to…tuck you in. Oh my honor…” he trailed off.

Ok, I believed him. None of the guys have ever lied to me. Tricked me sometimes? Sure, but never an outright lie. I nodded my head again and gave him a look that said ‘spill it’. “He was just a look out. I didn’t want Ranger or Morelli walking in on me.” Bobby looked down at his lap like he was embarrassed. I waited. He knew what I was waiting for. He also knew that no matter how long he stalled, he’d still have to tell me. I had an idea who, but I wanted him to say it. “It was Lester.”

It was Bobby’s turn to look surprised...at my lack of surprise. “You knew?”

“Not until you said you had help. Let’s just say, I know what the topic of my lunch date with Lester will be tomorrow.” I gave him a shit-eating grin.

Bobby laughed. “Don’t make him squirm too much.” I watched as Bobby’s smile faded. He looked thoughtful when he said, “I’m done. Go ahead and start asking.” I just sat for a little while. I’ll admit I have lots of questions, but where to start?

“Why don’t you have a nickname for me?” I startled him. He sat up straighter and blinked a few times as if to say ‘huh?’

It took him a few seconds to gain his composure. “ I…I don’t really know. Should I have one?”

I thought about that for a second. “Yes, I think you should.”

He chuckled. “I’ll work on that.”

“See that you do.” With that settled I let out a sigh, now for the hard stuff. “Bobby…where do I start?” I paused and dove right in. “I’m not angry. I’m really not. Everything that has gone on between us in the past 7 days was wonderful. I seemed to know from the start that it was someone special to me who was making the visits. It’s been beautiful and touching. I’ll never, ever forget it.” I paused and gave a soft combination snort chuckle. “I’ll probably even miss it.” Realizing what I just said out loud, I hurried on. “But you’re right in some ways. I’m not in love with you. I do care and love you, but not in that way. Although, I think you’re wrong about me and Ranger.” Now it was my turn to put my hand up. “Things have happened between us that I’m not sure can be fixed. I’ll have to find that out tomorrow. For tonight,” I said giving him my biggest smile, “I’ll stay.” His whole face brightened as he returned my smile. Damn, he was one gorgeous man. “But,” I paused. His whole face dropped. I suddenly felt like a big turd, but I needed to make myself clear on this. “You’re also right about no sex. I won’t sleep with you tonight Bobby but not because of the reason you believe. I don’t know where I’m headed with Ranger, but that has nothing to do with my decision. It’s because it’s just not the right time for us. It may never be.”

He raised a hand to touch my cheek. “I’m well aware of that…more than you’ll ever know.” I covered his hand with mine. He sounded sad.

“Look Bobby, we have the here and now, let’s not bog it down with the unknown future ok?” I smiled big again. He smiled back, but it was definitely a wolf grin.

“Steph,” he said as he scooted closer to me. Uh oh. “I know we’re not going to have sex…but what about,” he leaned in closer to me, “kissing?” He closed the distance between us and gently brushed his lips against mine, moving his hand from my cheek to the back of my neck.

Smiling against his lips I said, “Didn’t you get enough of that this past week?”

He chuckled, “No, not nearly enough.” Before I had a chance to respond, his mouth was covering mine. Lightly licking my lips, his tongue sought entrance. I parted my lips ever so slightly and he took advantage. His tongue, thrusting in and out, explored my mouth. I had both my palms placed on Bobby’s chest, but ran them up to his shoulders and then the back of his neck when he deepened the kiss. It wasn’t the kind of kiss that said I want to rip your clothes off. It was more of a kiss that conveyed tenderness, caring, love and longing. Bobby started to ease back some. He eventually lightened the kiss, and ended it with soft gentle touches that were all lips and no tongue. I think all my bones had melted.

He pulled back a few inches to look at me. He held my gaze for a couple of beats before leaning in and touching his forehead to mine. His eyes were closed but he was smiling. “God you taste so good, so sweet,” he whispered softly. He pulled back suddenly and had a look on his face that said ‘I’ve got it’. “Sweetlips.” Huh? I must have looked as confused as I felt because he went on and explained. “Your nickname. Sweetlips,” he said triumphantly. A huge blinding smile displayed on his face.

Ooohhh. Wait. “But Bobby, aren’t you afraid…” I started. He cut me off, turning very serious.

“Steph, I’m not afraid of anything. I’m proud you’re here with me tonight, not ashamed. It’s nobody else’s damn business why I would choose to call you that. And if anybody ever asked, that’s exactly what I’d say.” He paused as if a new thought suddenly occurred to him. “Steph, you’re not ashamed of being here with me, are you?”

“What? No!” I know I sounded offended but I couldn’t help it. How could he think that? I tried to push him back some, but he didn’t budge. Not too much of a surprise there.

“I’m sorry Steph. I didn’t mean to offend you. Please forgive me. I hadn’t taken into consideration how you would feel about me calling you that. I don’t want to embarrass you. I won’t call you that if you don’t want me to.” God, could this man get any sweeter?

“Bobby, I don’t give a rat’s ass what anyone else would think. I didn’t want it to effect you negatively. Hell, I’ve got Cupcake, Babe, Bombshell and Beautiful on the list. Sometimes I forget my name is Stephanie!” I put my hands back behind his neck and looked him straight in the eye. “If you want to call me Sweetlips, you can. Whatever you do or don’t call me is between you and me, got it?” There was that big, beautiful smile again.

He started to rise off the glider but I stopped him. “Wait, I have one more question…for right now.” I didn’t want to close myself off for later. He knew that’s what I was doing and smiled, but sat back down wordlessly. He stared at me. “Why? Why this way? Why sneak around?” I don’t think I asked the question exactly as I wanted, but I think he got my meaning.

“Steph,” he sighed, “I’m not as forward as the other guys. I don’t make overt gestures toward women. I think, maybe, I’m a little too shy for that.” He blushed. It was hardly noticeable because of his beautiful milk chocolate color, but he was too close for me not to notice. “Oh sure, I’m big, strong, intimidating and can go off to invade third world countries like it was an everyday occurrence, but around women…” he let the statement hang.

“Well you’ve had some practice. You’re an excellent kisser. I can only wonder what…” I slapped my hand over my mouth. I sometimes I have to do that when I can’t control it.

I looked at Bobby wide-eyed. Oh shit. He knew where I was going with that. I got the full-blown wolf grin. I’d be a liar if I didn’t say he looked delicious when he smiled like that. He leaned in until we were nose to nose. I think he wanted to make sure I was going to listen to what he had to say. “I have no problem getting women, Stephanie. I just usually never have to do any of the work.” Don’t brag or anything. Sheesh, these guys really knew what they looked like and what effect they have. “But there have been a few times, and you are one of them Sweetlips, where I’ve had to step up and make myself known.” He pulled back a bit. His look had softened, and his voice was a whisper by the end. “And Stephanie, you have the same effect on men, you’re just not aware of it.” Damn, I hate ESP. I gave him a look that said ‘you’re crazy’.

“And anytime you want to know the answer to your question about my…abilities, you just let me know.” The wolf was back. “I promise you, I don’t disappoint.” I rolled my eyes as we stood.

“You’re sure not having any trouble being forward now.” He pulled me close, one arm around my waist.

“That’s because I know where we stand, Sweetlips.” He kissed me again, but this time it was quick, sweet and tender.

“Uhh, I get the feeling that every time you say Sweetlips, it puts the idea in your head to kiss me.” He slowly smiled. I’ll take that as a yes. “Well, isn’t that going to be a problem after tonight?”

“If, after tomorrow night, you’re not in any committed relationships, then I would hope not.” I knew what he was saying. If Ranger and I didn’t work it out tomorrow, Bobby was still in the game. “But if you are, then every time I say Sweetlips, it will remind me of how good you taste. And that for one night, I got to experience that and you were mine.” He wasn’t teasing or being forward. He was stating facts. I was beginning to think I couldn’t take much more of the wonderful treatment Bobby was dishing out tonight. It’s been a little emotionally overwhelming. “And, as far as tonight goes, don’t be surprised if I do kiss you whenever I call you that.” Looks like that wolf is going to stay around tonight.

“Come on, Sweetlips,” he said leaning in and giving me another quick kiss, “let’s eat.” He had a ‘see I told you so’ smile on his face. I couldn’t help but smile right back.

Like everything else tonight, dinner was wonderful. Bobby cooked it himself, of course. We had some sort of fish in a wine sauce thing with all kinds of side dishes. Bobby was a great cook. We had dinner out on the deck. It was very relaxing to sit outside with a soft warm breeze blowing and soft music playing in the background. We just talked and shared stories about our pasts, and our lives now. There was no pressure for this night to be anything more than it was, two people having a first date. I wasn’t ready to face that fact it was our first, and most likely our last, date. I’ll do that at the end of the evening. I was enjoying myself too much for that.

When we were finished eating, Bobby cleared the dishes. He wouldn’t let me help, and I wasn’t about to argue. As I waited outside, I decided to explore the back yard. There was a small path that led from the steps and I followed it to a corner of the yard where there was a pond. Soft spot lights highlighted it and the various trees, flowers and plants scatter around. I knew I was relaxed when I didn’t jump at Bobby coming up behind me and placing his arms around my waist.

“Your pond is beautiful…very relaxing.”

“hmm…yeah. It’s a great place to spend some time.” I hadn’t noticed before, but I could hear the music out here. It’s like it was coming from the pond. Using his ESP powers, Bobby answered me before I could ask. “Some of the rocks are really just disguised speakers.”

“Oh.” That’s me, queen of conversation.

Bobby turned me around to face him. His hands rested on my lower back and mine were on his upper arms. “Can I have this dance?” I nodded and smiled, moving my arms to wrap around his neck. He tightened his grip some to move me closer, and then rested his cheek against my head. We danced through two songs without saying a word. Bobby broke the spell when he whispered, “You look beautiful tonight Stephanie.” His warm breath on my ear gave me a slight chill and I tensed. He felt it and pressed a small kiss into my hair. “Relax, I didn’t forget the rules.” He pulled back and looked at me. “I can’t believe you haven’t asked?”

“What? Did I miss something?”

He gave a laugh that rumbled through both of us. “No, Sweetlips.” He pulled me close again and gave me a quick peck on the lips. He really meant what he said. “You haven’t asked about dessert.” My eyes had become wide with hope, and a smile spread across my face. He rumbled again. “Come on.” He let go of me, took a step back and reached down to hold my hand. “It’s on the table.” Hey, no need to twist my arm. He led me back up the path to the deck.

Sitting on the table were two plates, each with a huge piece of chocolate cake. I gasped when I saw it. “Its chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling, chocolate icing, all covered in a hot fudge sauce.”

My jaw dropped. “I…I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.” Maybe I should tell Bobby when I’m going to move in. Bobby silently pulled back the chair for me to sit. All I did was sit and stare.

“Aren’t you going to try some?” I just looked up at him blinking. Bobby knelt down beside me and picked up my fork, my eyes following him the whole time. He gently cut off a small piece from the slice with the fork and lifted it to my lips. He didn’t say anything. He just waited. I opened my mouth and Bobby fed me the cake.

The minute it hit my tongue I closed my eyes. Between the rich taste of chocolate, and the soft texture of the cake, I was overwhelmed. I was going to pass out. As I started to slowly chew, a soft, low, extended moan escaped from deep inside me. As I swallowed, I suddenly realized how I must have looked and sounded. My eyes flew open and I was staring directly into Bobby’s deep dark brown eyes. I could tell he wanted to kiss me. I could feel him holding it back. We both knew the kind of kiss he wanted to give. The kind that says ‘you’re staying here with me tonight’. We stayed locked like that for several beats. Then I saw him start to gather his resolve. In an instant he had backed away and was headed for his side of the table.

He plopped himself in his seat, put a huge chunk of cake on his fork, and held it up to his lips. “I guess you like it?” He smiled a cocky smile, and then shoved the cake in his mouth. I busted out laughing. Half way through our pieces of cake, Bobby got up and went into the house. He emerged a few seconds later with two big glasses of milk. Oh yeah, this man knew how to eat food.

We sat, ate our cake, drank our milk and told each other funny stories about food. Bobby told this one story of how he, Lester, and Tank took bets on whether Lester could shoot milk out his nose. He said he and Tank were laughing so hard at watching Lester try their side’s hurt. But the best part was when Lester finally was able to do it, Ranger walked in; after all it was his kitchen. It surprised Lester so much, he started to cough and choke. Bobby said the he and Tank laughed so hard at that point, they fell off their chairs and had tears streaming down their faces. Heck, Bobby was having a hard enough time telling the story now. He was trying to talk through the bouts of laughter that were shaking his body. He had me going pretty good too.

Once we settled down and finished our cake, we moved back over to the glider to sit. Bobby put his arm across the back of the seat and I curled up into his side. Sometimes we’d talk and sometimes we’d sit in silence. If he called me Sweetlips while we talked, he did in fact, kiss me… every time. Usually it was a short peck on the lips, but other times it was more, and I wasn’t complaining. At one point it became a game. He was working hard at fitting it in where he could. By that time, he was trying to say Sweetlips between every word and kiss me. Plus, through all of that, we were both laughing so hard it was hard to breathe.

About an hour later, it was getting late and time for me to leave. I could feel the exhaustion creeping up on me. I let out a big yawn. Bobby gave me a tight squeeze with the arm he had around my shoulder. “It’s getting late Steph. I can tell you’re wearing out.” He smiled a soft sweet smile.

He stood and held out a hand to help me up. I had kicked off my shoes when I curled up with him on the glider, and now I was searching for them. Bobby found the pair and bent down to help me into them. His soft touches on my ankles and feet were quite arousing. Whoa…down girl.

Standing up, Bobby held out his arm to me and asked, “Can I walk you to your car?”

Once we were at my car door, it suddenly became awkward. Not knowing what to do or say, I looked down at my feet. Bobby placed his hands on the sides of my face and lifted my head to make me look at him. “I had a really great night Stephanie.”

“Me too,” I sighed, and managed a smile at the same time.

With his hand still on my face, he brought his lips down to meet mine. “Thank you.” There was that whisper. I had only heard it a few times during his visits, but I’d never forget it. Hearing it now made me shiver. Before I could respond, Bobby’s mouth came crashing down on mine. This was not like the kisses earlier. This was a genuine bone melting, knee weakening, I want to rip your clothes off, kind of kiss. His hands moved to tangle in my hair and my arms went around his waist. By the time we broke for air, I didn’t know if I could drive myself home. Bobby had pushed me back against the car with his body, and right now that was the only thing that kept me standing.

He slowly started to back away from me, giving me time to compose myself enough to stand I guess. Still with his hands in my hair, he spoke his three last words that would end our night. “Good Night Stephanie.” He held my eyes for a few seconds, then dropped his hands, turned, and walked back into the house.

*********************************

The drive back to my apartment was done in a haze. The entire night had been surreal. I thought about all Bobby had said to me. He gave me his heart, and for one night I took it. I just hope to hell I didn’t return it any less than it was before. I don’t know if tonight was the right thing to do, but I know it was something we were both compelled to do.

By the time I pulled into my lot, I was so sleepy I thought about just sleeping in the Buick for the night. Nah, I wanted my soft, cozy bed. As I walked into my dark apartment, the memory of walking into Bobby’s dark house flooded back. It made me smile. Before I could hit the light switch on the wall, a deep voice came from the direction my living room.

“Welcome home.” Uh oh. The voice wasn’t a happy voice. “I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to talk to you. Did you have a good night out?”

Chapter 9

“Jesus! You scared me! Don’t do that!” I screeched. A soft light flicked on in the living room.

“Sorry Stephanie.”

I had regained some of my composure. “It’s ok. Just…crap, just don’t do that again.” I dropped my bag and keys on the hall table. “Why are you sitting in the dark in my apartment?”

“ I told you, I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to talk to you.”

“ I told you I had plans, that I wasn’t going to be home.” I was in the living room standing next to the couch, watching him as he sat in the chair. He didn’t say anything, but stood and walked over to directly in front of me.

“You never answered my question, Stephanie.”

“I forgot the question, remind me.” I didn’t forget. I knew what he wanted to know. He wanted to know where I was tonight. Maybe he already knew and was waiting for me to confirm it. Well, I was going to make him work for it.

Very patiently he said, “I asked if you had a good night out.”

“Oh. Well, as a matter of fact, yes I did, Ranger.” I walked around him to sit on the couch. I didn’t want to have this conversation. I was tired and wanted to go to bed. Most of all, I wanted to hang on to the warm snuggly feeling I had come home with. If Ranger and I talked now, that wouldn’t happen.

“You’re all dressed up.” It wasn’t a question, so I didn’t say anything. Ranger walked over and sat down beside me. Since I was all the way at the end of the couch, that didn’t give me any room to move. “Morelli?” I looked at him like he had two heads. I didn’t dignify that with an answer.

I stood up, stepped away from the couch, and turned to go into my bedroom. It was the only thing I could do to get away. “Look Ranger, I’m tired and my feet are killing me in these shoes. I just want to change clothes and go to bed.” I had almost made into my bedroom, but in a flash Ranger had me backed against the wall.

He didn’t say anything, just looked deeply into my eyes. I felt myself starting to get lost in them. I slowly closed my eyes and put my head back against the wall. The next thing I knew, I felt his warm breath on my ear. “ I was worried and just wondering where you were tonight, that’s all.”

I sighed big and pushed him back slightly so I could bring my head forward to look at him. “If you must know, I was on a date.” There, that wasn’t a lie. “I was perfectly safe the entire time.” Again, not a lie. I hadn’t felt the need to tell him it was with Bobby. I wasn’t hiding it, but I wanted my special night with Bobby to be just mine for a little while longer.

When I looked into Ranger’s eyes, I saw hurt and confusion flash across them. If I hadn’t seen that look before, I might not have known what it was. It was the same look he had when I left him at my mother’s house. He quickly replaced it with the patented questioning raised eyebrow. Oh no, he wasn’t getting off that easy. This was not going to become all about my date tonight.

I ignored the silent question and asked one myself. “What do you want from me Ranger?” It looks like this conversation is inevitable tonight, so I might as well get the ball rolling.

I caught him totally off guard. A look of surprise was not something I had ever seen on Ranger’s face before. I took it as a rare treat. I also worked his moment of surprise to my advantage by pushing him back far enough to get away. I walked over to the chair he had been sitting in and plopped down. I figured this was safe since we both couldn’t fit …not side by side anyway. He turned to watch me, but hadn’t moved from where we had been standing, so I waited. For just one time with this man, I wasn’t going to cave. He wanted this conversation, and he got it, ready or not. I may run, dodge, avoid and procrastinate, but when I finally dig my heels in, I’m in for the long haul.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he slowly walked over and sat down at the end of the couch directly in front of me. I stared at him expectantly. He let out a big sigh and dropped his head slightly. I guess Batman finally figured out the intimidation factor was not working tonight.

“What I want from you, Stephanie, is the truth.”

“Ok.” What else was there to say? I hadn’t lied to him about anything, so if he asked that to make me tell him more about my date, he was going to be disappointed.

He let out a small sigh and when he looked up at me I saw a hint of anger. “Don’t play games with me Stephanie.” Huh? Excuse me? What the…? I was starting to boil, and I didn’t want to do that. I needed to stay calm. If I wasn’t going to run, I needed to stay calm and detached.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them, I was calmer and able to speak without shrieking. “I’m not playing games with you, Ranger. You said you wanted the truth from me. I haven’t lied to you about anything. What else was there for me to say?”

His eyes cleared of anger as he blinked at me, and then he looked down again. I’m guessing that was not the reaction he was expecting. It suddenly occurred to me that I had him off balance. Oh, he was hiding it well, but I could tell he didn’t know where to go next. If I wanted control of this conversation I needed to make my move now.

Here I go. “Ranger,” his head snapped up when he heard his name, “this isn’t getting us anywhere. Why don’t you explain to me what happened the night you took DeChooch in? What you meant at the restaurant when you said you knew being there with me was wrong.” I almost choked on that last sentence it hurt so much.

A look of desperation was on his face when he spoke. “You took it all wrong…”

“Then please explain it to me now.” I held my breath, crossed my fingers and my toes. I was so tense right now that if he touched me I’d shatter into pieces. God, please let me be wrong.

“The reason I left, the reason I said it felt wrong was because…” he lowered his head and trailed off. Oh God, no. Please. Please.“…Because, I didn’t want you to do anything just because you thought you owed me.” I was motionless and still holding my breath when he moved to kneel in front of me. He placed both his hands on either side of my face and said, “I want you with me because you want to be with me, not out of a debt owed.”

My hands had been resting on the arms of the chair when Ranger released my face and covered my hands with his. “Stephanie, when you ran out of the restaurant, I knew you just misunderstood, and that I could explain it the next time I saw you. Then, when you left me at your mother’s…” He paused and took a deep breath. “I was beginning to think I had lost you, and I didn’t know how I was going to fix it if you wouldn’t give me the chance. Now you tell me you had a date tonight.” His closed his eyes and swallowed. “I’m…I’m afraid I have lost you for good.” When he opened his eyes, what I saw in them shocked me. He was scared and vulnerable. “I couldn’t take that Stephanie. I couldn’t take losing you before we ever gave ‘us’ a chance.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He wanted to be with me. HE wanted to be with ME. He WANTED to be with me. Holy crap. No matter how I said it, it was the same message. Then a thought struck me. “Ranger, why did you avoid me after that night?”

He took another deep breath and let out another big sigh. “Steph, I didn’t know how to tell you what I was feeling. Hell, I didn’t know what I was feeling or why. I couldn’t face you until I had that figured out. Once I did, I asked you to dinner.”

We stayed where we were for a few minutes, Ranger kneeling, and me sitting. This whole time Ranger had been absentmindedly rubbing the backs of my hand with his thumbs. I hadn’t even noticed it until now. I think we were both trying to digest everything that had been said.

Ranger broke the silence first. “I’m sorry if I was pressuring you into telling me where you were tonight. It’s none of my business,” he said as he let go of my hands and sat back on his heels. “ I just need…” He paused. I could tell he really wanted to this to come out right. The look of sadness and fatigue on his face when he spoke again pulled at my heart. He didn’t meet my eyes, but focused on the floor. “If it was Morelli, I understand. I know all the players in that situation. If it’s someone new,” he looked pained when he said that, “I guess I just wanted to know what else I was up against.”

I slid from the chair onto my knees to face him. Taking his hands in mine, I started to move my thumbs in the same soothing way he had just done to me. This got his attention and he looked up. “Ranger, there are two things I need to tell you.” I paused to look into his beautiful brown eyes to make sure I had his attention. “ Joe and I broke up.” I waited while his features slowly took on a skeptical look. “We really did. He came over the other day when he first got back into town. We had a long talk. It’s over.” His eyes went wide for a split second, then, narrowed as if to say ‘and the second thing?’ This one was going to be more difficult to explain. I pushed on “Secondly, tonight was a one time thing. Yes, it was a date and I had a wonderful time, but it will never happen again.” I could tell by the look I was receiving, that wasn’t going to cut it. “I’m not going to say who I was with. Not because I’m hiding it or it’s a secret, but because it’s really no one else’s business. You’ll most likely find out. The ‘burg grapevine will undoubtedly pick it up and spread it around.”

“Then wouldn’t it be best if I heard it from you and not from the grapevine?”

“That’s just it, I don’t feel that I have to explain it to anyone…including you. Whatever stories you’re going to hear, you’re going to have to decide to believe or not. I’ve been honest. I told you I was on a date and it was a one-time thing. The fact that I’m not sharing the details does not make it dishonest.”

“The fact you’re not sharing the details could mean you’ve got something to hide.”

“The fact I’m not sharing the details means it’s private, it’s mine, and it’s my right to keep it that way. Again, you’ll have to believe what you want. Look, I’m not in any committed relationship. I didn’t break any commitments, spoken or unspoken. You’re the one who left that night and didn’t explain.”

“You’re the one who left me twice, not giving me a chance to explain.” Ok, he had a point, two points to my one, as a matter of fact. This finger pointing was getting us nowhere. He studied me for a few minutes. “What if, when I find out who, I go to him to verify what happened?”

I let out a breath. I was getting tired of this fairly quickly. “That’s up to you. I’m not responsible for what he chooses to say.” I removed my hands from Ranger’s and sat back on my heels. We looked like bookends sitting there. “Ranger I’ll say this much, but that’s it. I didn’t sleep with him. And before the night even started, he knew my heart belonged to someone else, and respected that…” I gave a small snort. “He knew it even when I refused to admit it.” Did I just say that out loud? I hurried on, “You either believe me, or you don’t. I’m not going to play ‘he said, she said’ games.”

“Who?” I rolled my eyes.

“Ranger, I’m not going to say.” I was getting a bit pissed.

He rose up on his heels, then reached over and pulled me up on mine. Keeping hold of my hands he asked, “No, Stephanie. Who is it that has your heart?”

Oh god. Could I do this? He put himself out there earlier when he talked about wanting to be with me because I wanted it. There was even a mention of an ‘us’. Shit. Time for me to put up, or shut up.

Fighting the urge to laugh off his question, and an even stronger urge to run, I summoned all the courage I had.

“You,” I said looking at the floor. Hey, I didn’t run or make fun, but I couldn’t look him in the eye. Which turned out to be ok, since he rectified that situation fairly quickly. Grabbing the sides of my face with his hands, he lifted my face until our eyes met.

“What?”

I swallowed hard knowing I was going to have to say it again. “You, Ranger. You.”

In a split second, Ranger had me in a tight embrace. “Oh god, Stephanie. For a minute there I thought…” He stopped when his mouth met mine. My lips parted eagerly when his tongue pressed for entrance. We devoured each other. Our lips pressed tightly together, while our tongues thrust and licked, trying to gain control. His hand went back and fisted in my hair. He broke the kiss and pulled back on my hair while he started a line of wet kisses and licks up my jaw to right below my ear. He sucked, licked and nipped at the same spot below my ear until I thought I would go crazy. A moan escaped from my lips, which earned me a moan from him in response. The kissing and licking continued downward until he stopped at the point where my shoulder and neck met. He paid quite a bit of attention to that spot, sucking and flicking his tongue back and forth across my skin, until finally gently biting. This caused a louder moan from me, and spurred my hands into action. I slipped my hands around to his back and started to pull his shirt out of his pants. I need to touch him, feel his smooth skin. Ranger continued his downward trail of kisses until stopping at the hollow of my neck where he stayed to lick and suck. I was caressing his back - up and down with my hands. The up motion was done with palms flat and a slight pressure. The downward motion was the scraping of nails just hard enough to make him shiver.

Leaving my neck behind, Ranger came back up to my mouth, applying another breathtaking kiss that had me melting into him. His hands left my hips and slid down the outside of my thighs. On their way back up they went under my dress and stopped at the 3 inches of flesh that was exposed between the top of my thigh highs and bottom of my panties. His hands gripped my upper thighs. His thumbs started to ever so gently brush the soft sensitive skin of my inner thigh. My hands came around to his chest where I pulled the rest of his shirt out and lifted. He broke our kiss for only the time it took me to pull his shirt completely off. Then his lips came crashing down on mine again. I ran my hands up his chest and stopped to rub his nipples with the pads of my fingers, causing him to moan into my mouth. His hands came up further under my dress to my lower back, only to slide down under my panties, pull my hips forward into his, and start to caress and knead my ass. “Ohhh, Babe…” he whispered against my lips.

When I heard him call me Babe, I think my heart stopped. It has been too long, way too long, since I heard that come from his lips. I didn’t think it was possible for me to become more turned on, but that’s what happened. I became frantic. I pressed my lips against his. Before he could take control I pulled away. “Say it again.” He looked puzzled for a brief second, and then he smiled the sexiest wolf grin I’ve ever seen on his gorgeous face.

“Babe.” One of my hands went and fisted in his hair and I pulled his lips to mine. I had initiated the kiss and I wanted to keep control. I kissed him hard and deep then suddenly pulled at his hair to bring his head back.

“Say it again,” I said panting in a hoarse whisper.

“Bab…” I didn’t even let him finish before my mouth went crashing into his. I gave him everything I had. All the feelings, longing, and need, that had been bottled up for so long came rushing out in this kiss. I needed him naked…now. My hands had just started to undo his belt buckle when there was a knock on the door.

Oh no…oh hell no!

I ignored it, and it seemed that Ranger was going to ignore it too.

Knock, knock. “Come on Beautiful, open up.” Lester?

I didn’t stop. Ranger didn’t stop. We just kept at each other. Ah ha! I got the belt undone, now for the button…

Pound, pound. “Steph I know you’re in there. Come on. I want to hear about how your date with Bobby went.”

Have you ever had an experience that brought your whole world to a crashing halt? Well…I just did. It’s a lesson on how to go from 60 to zero in a second flat.

We stopped mid grope. Ranger brought his hands out from the back of my panties, and at the same time, released our kiss, and then sat back on his heels. He looked at me and blinked. Fuck.

“Beautiful, I’m just going to let myself in…” Lester trailed off. That would be very bad, very bad right now. I don’t know what was going through Ranger’s head right now, but it didn’t look good.

I didn’t have much time. I stood, straightened my dress, and went to open the door.

“Hey Steph, just wanted to see how your date went,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at me. He didn’t give me time to answer, but pushed past me. By the time I closed the door and followed Lester in, he was frozen still. Ranger had stood and proceeded to find his shirt and put it on.

Lester, being ever so articulate, said. “Hi Boss.”

Ranger nodded and replied, “Lester.”

“Uh, sorry Boss. Didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I’ll be going.” Lester turned to leave, when Ranger’s voice stopped him.

“No need. I’m leaving.” What!

“Ranger, wha…” He cut me off.

“Save it Stephanie.” The same words I used at the restaurant.

Lester just had to give it one more try. “No really Ric. Stay. I’ll see you both later.”

“No,” Ranger barked. “I got the information I came for.” He crossed the room without even looking at me, and walked out the door.

THE END

Thanks to everyone for their help, ideas and support. It’s been a blast.

A big thanks goes to my husband for being roped into doing my editing. LYAAFUTEOT

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” - J. Lennon