JE owns the rights to anything familiar

Loosely inspired by the song of the same name by Dope – no infringement intended – Also inspired by LilyGhost who put the bug in my ear about the song and this is what happened. I will never get anything else written if you keep doing this to me! ;)

Not seen a beta yet so please excuse the mistakes - or point them out and I will fix them. :)

Takes place shortly after the events of HARD EIGHT

"I feel like I should be worried about this."

I cut my eyes to Tank as I pulled over to the curb. He was looking out the windshield and I watched the muscle work at his jaw line.

Leaving the engine running, I fixed my gaze on the door of the bakery. "About what?"

He let out a small breath, and for Tank, it was the equivalent of an exasperated sigh. He turned his substantial head and gave me a 'do I really have to say it' look.

I left my expression blank, not in a mood to play games, so yeah - I was going to make him say it. He blew out another puff of air and turned back to the door from where my eyes hadn't strayed.

"This is starting to skate a line," he finally said.

"What line?"

"A stalker line."

That made me look at him and he met my eyes with obvious apprehension. His fingers curled into fists on top of his thighs as if he was expecting me to attack. "You think I'm a stalker?"

He swallowed once, probably debating whether honesty was the best policy in this situation. "I think you're…fixated," he murmured, testing the waters.

Tank was the only person I let question anything I did. We'd known each other a long time and I trusted him explicitly but there were limits, even for him, so he was being overly cautious. Obviously he was right. I was fixated. I couldn't get Stephanie Plum out of my head and that was why we were currently idling a block down the street from the Tasty Pastry for the third time this week.

It was becoming a problem - an addiction - and I didn't know if I was ready to admit that to him…or even to myself so I didn't respond and set my eyes back on the door.

It swung open and there she was. I didn't want to add any ammunition to his already stacked arsenal of examples, so I hid the smile threatening to overtake my face at the sight of her. I killed the engine and reached for the handle just as a dark green SUV pulled into the parking lot.

I cursed internally as Detective Morelli sauntered over to her and tried to read her lips when she opened them to speak to him. I couldn't make out what she was saying and when he reached out and yanked at the front of her shirt so he could leer down at her breasts, I thought my grip was going to snap the steering wheel in half.

I felt Tank shift in the seat beside me and loosened the hold because if he kissed her, I might actually break it. Thankfully, all he did was take a bite of her Boston Creme and then left as quickly as he'd arrived.

"Is she back with him?"

I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to that question so I got out of the car and slammed the door without answering.

She was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and the CAT boots she always donned when going after a skip and when I got closer, I could see why Morelli wanted to take a look. The red top was stretchy and low cut and gave enough of a hint of what was underneath it to make any man incredibly curious.

But only a boy would peer down her shirt in a public parking lot. A man who already had intimate knowledge about what was hidden beneath wouldn't need to look – every single detail would be permanently etched in his memory.

It certainly was in mine.

"That stuff will kill you," I said, sidling up beside her just as she took a bite of the doughnut. She jumped at the sound of my voice and nearly dropped her bag.

"Jesus, Ranger," she muttered after swallowing. "You scared the crap out of me." She clutched the precious pastry cargo to her chest and peered at me with wide blue eyes.

"Need to be more aware of your surroundings, Babe." That earned me a massive eye roll and I couldn't stop the smile I felt pulling at my mouth.

She leaned against the driver's side door of her rusted out piece of shit car and finished off the doughnut. "Haven't seen you for a few days; were you in the wind?"

Hmmm. Maybe I was a stalker. I'd certainly seen her but if she hadn't noticed I was around…

"I've been busy," I said and leaned my elbow on the roof of the car, pressing my body against hers. I hadn't been this close to her since the night I'd spent in her bed and the soft scent of her perfume and tiny hint of lace peaking out the top of her shirt made me want to take her back there. Right now. "Did you miss me?"

Her lips twitched at the corners but she was almost as adept at hiding her emotions as I was. Her eyes dropped to the bag in her hand and she pulled out another doughnut, quickly taking a bite to avoid answering.

"I saw Morelli leaving," I mentioned casually even though I was feeling anything but casual about it. I'd actually done everything I could short of dropping her physically into his arms to get her to go back to him but I wished to hell I'd kept my mouth shut. Just the thought of him touching her made my stomach clench into a tight ball and I don't even know what made me say those things to her.

I've never felt this much for a woman my entire life and I'm not sure I know how to handle it, obviously – since I told her to fix her relationship with that asshole.

"Well…you did tell me to work things out with him," she said, maybe reading my mind and glanced away as she took another bite.

"And did you?" Please say no. Jesus, could I be any more of a pussy?

She brought her eyes back to mine and blinked once before responding. "If I did?"

That was not a yes. "Then I would wish you two kids the best of luck," I said, lightly laying on the sarcasm.

That got me a raised eyebrow. "And if I didn't?"

If she didn't…then it would be really difficult not pick her up, throw her over my shoulder and take her to the first available private space I could find. I'd known the moment we were together, the second I was inside her that I was in trouble, that one time would never be enough, that she was like cocaine or heroin – an addiction that could never be sated until she burned me to the ground.

Apparently I was taking too long to respond because she said, "You did say something about being back in my bed if the break between Joe and I went on too long. Were you serious?"

That sounded like a test. Are you testing me, Babe? I am a man of my word; she should know that by now. I moved in front of her and pressed my palms flat on the window on both sides of her shoulders, caging her against the car. I leaned in close and could feel the soft puff of her breath on my cheek. "I'm always serious," I said and then closed the miniscule distance between our lips.

She responded instantly, wrapping her arms around my waist and when I traced the seam of her mouth with my tongue, her nails dug into the small of my back as she opened her lips to grant my demanding entrance.

As always with Stephanie, I got heated and hard faster than I cared to admit and if we didn't stop we were going to get very indecent in the middle of the Tasty Pastry parking lot. Apparently Tank thought so too because he chose that moment to send a text to my phone and the familiar pinging sound made me reluctantly push away from her.

I ripped the offending device off my hip and checked the display while I tried to calm my rapid pulse. The message said, Time to go!

I lifted my head and glared in the general direction of my car. Fucker.

Stephanie's breaths were slightly labored and when I brought my eyes back to her face, there wasn't any way to miss the dilated pupils, the puffy lips, or the decidedly pink tint to her cheeks. It was sexy as hell and did nothing to diminish my aggressive libido.

"I have to go," I said and I don't think I hid the regret very well.

Her tongue darted out to moisten her ravaged lips and I had to bite back a groan. I think I could spend the rest of the day, maybe the rest of my life, kissing her and be extremely happy about it.

"You're leaving me in this…state?"

I cocked a brow, remembering the time in that parking garage where she'd said something very similar. "How serious is this state?"

She almost smiled before saying, "How serious is yours?"

Since my dick was still throbbing behind my zipper, I couldn't really deny it. "Frighteningly serious."

She opened her mouth to say something else and my phone pinged again. I felt myself scowl but didn't look. I knew it was Tank, excelling at cock blocking.

"You have to go," Stephanie said and I nodded before pulling her to me for one more kiss - albeit a quick one – no tongue.

"Maybe I'll come by later," I tossed out as I stepped away and headed for my car.

"Okay," she said readily and I was grinning until I was in sight of my vehicle and could see Tank's ugly mug in the passenger seat.

I slid behind the wheel and purposely didn't look at him. He let a full ten minutes go by before opening his stupid mouth. "We have that meeting across town in thirty minutes and need time to change. That's the only reason…" he trailed off when I shot him a look that left no question about my thoughts behind his reasoning.

"Mats tonight at 1900," I said quietly as I punched the remote to open the gate of my building's underground garage.

"Fuck," Tank breathed but he knew better than to argue. We'd do our talking in the ring later.

*#*#*#*#*#*#*

I felt the tape split and then the skin on my knuckle as my fist connected with the steel of muscle surrounding Tank's ribcage. He took the punch with a short grunt before landing one of his own on my right shoulder.

"Alright," I said, backing into the ropes. "I need to re-tape." He immediately backed off and retreated to the opposite side of the ring. I glanced up at the door to make sure no one had gotten past Cal who I'd posted outside to keep away anyone who wanted to watch the show. I'd also scrambled the security feed or the whole control room would be watching and placing bets instead of working.

"Do I get my question now?" Tank asked as I worked the old tape off my hand. That had been our deal. If I split the tape he could ask one thing while I fixed it. I gave him a small nod of acquiesce as I kept my eyes on the task of removal.

"Are you in love with her?"

The question surprised me and my head shot up to his blank face. I was expecting something about Stephanie, but he was going right for the jugular with that one. I went back to my hands to stall for time because I had no idea how to answer. I wasn't even sure if I knew the answer.

"Don't forget I'm the only person who knows when you're lying," he prodded when I hadn't come up with a response.

I tossed the ball of used tape over the side of the ring and grabbed the towel hanging over the corner post, running it over my sweaty head. "I wasn't planning on being dishonest I just don't think I know the answer."

Tank's eyebrows rose to his hairline. It wasn't often I admitted I didn't know something. I was surprised myself. "I think I can help with that," he said. "If you'll permit me to ask a few more questions."

Oh what the hell, it's not like the conversation would leave the room. But I better make sure first. I gestured with my head to the benches along the wall and we made our way out of the ring. I grabbed my phone off the bench and called the control room to make sure the video and sound feeds were still scrambled and threatened severe bodily harm if I discovered otherwise.

Tank handed me a Gatorade and we both finished a bottle before the inquiry began.

"Have you slept with her?"

My hand froze mid toss to the recycler. Jesus. There were things I was not going to discuss with him and that was at the top of the list.

"Is that relevant to the original question?

"Not really, I was just curious." Tank flashed me a grin and I had to fight the urge to punch it off his face. "Okay," he said, throwing away his own empty bottle, "how often do you think about her?"

All the damn time. "Quite a bit."

"Mmmm," he responded unhelpfully as he wiped sweat from his arms with a fresh towel. "And what does it feel like when you haven't seen her for a few days?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you get tense, twitchy…cranky?"

That last one was a not very subtle insinuation. "I feel…turned inside out or upside down. Like everything is just…off."

"Mmmhmm," Tank nodded and swiped the towel over his buzz cut hair. "And have you been seeing any other women?"

"What? Of course not."

"Thought about any other women?"

No one else had even crossed my mind since the day I met Steph and I realized in that moment that I was okay with that. I didn't have any desire to think about anyone but her. "No," I answered slowly.

Tank nodded and tossed his towel into the hamper in the corner. "One last question. Do you get anxious when you see her getting close to any other man who isn't you?"

Does a blinding jealous rage count? "Maybe."

"Sounds like love to me," he said simply.

"Shit." I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes.

"Now you have to answer the real question," Tank went on.

"There can't possibly be any more questions. You asked a million already." I kept my eyes closed but could still feel his smile. Bastard.

"What are you going to do about it? Continue to stalk her or actually man up and make her yours?"

I was starting to regret getting out of the ring. Tank obviously needed a few more punches to the torso and maybe a couple to his kidneys as well.

"I don't even know if she feels the same way so I can't just go claim her."

He burst out laughing and that really made me want to drag his fat head back into the ring. Or maybe I'd just punch him in the throat right here.

"You're a fucking idiot if you don't know that woman is crazy for you," he managed to say after getting the laughter under control. "But the cop is hovering in the wings so you might want to speed up this seduction thing you have going on." He hopped up from the bench, wisely staying just out of my reach. "I'm gonna hit the showers before you decide to go another round."

"Coward," I called to his retreating frame. He flipped me the bird and disappeared inside the locker room.

I went up to the penthouse and showered and when I was done and dressed I added a little of the Bvlgari cologne that was the same scent as the shower gel I use. I'd noticed Stephanie seemed to like the way I smell and thought a little extra couldn't hurt.

I got a few looks from some of the men on my way out of the building but they knew better than to ask any questions. They were curious about my destination as they've rarely seen me dressed up but I let the looks slide and headed for the garage without comment.

After a brief stop, I pulled into her parking lot at just after nine. There was a light on in her living room but most of the other apartments were dark. Her neighbors were old and probably went to bed hours before.

I cut the engine and sat in my Porsche for the better part of ten minutes staring up at her window trying to figure out what the hell I was doing. Admittedly, I was attracted to this woman and there have been times when I thought I would lose my mind if I couldn't see her or touch her or even just hear her voice, but was I really in love with her? I didn't want to be...relationships weren't my thing and I'd purposely avoided them in the past because I didn't want the complications. I still don't want them...but I want Stephanie.

Fuck it. I'd just go up and tell her that.

I took the stairs two at a time and when I reached her door on the second floor I dipped my hand in my pocket for my lock picking tool but decided to surprise her instead. I lifted my fist and knocked three times.

A few seconds went by and I imagined her spying me through the peephole. Finally, I heard the security chain slide back and the door opened to reveal her in a pair of tiny shorts and a tight, stretchy tank top. She'd forgone a bra and my body responded accordingly. The woman was killing me.

"What's wrong?" She asked with wary eyes.

I pulled the single long-stemmed red rose from behind my back and held it out to her. "Why does something have to be wrong?"

She took the flower and I watched her eyes close as she held it to her nose and inhaled the fragrant scent. "Because you never knock and you're dressed like you just stepped off the cover of GQ. These are not normal things."

"I do have a mysterious reputation to maintain; don't want to get too predictable."

She gave me a small smile and opened the door wide to allow my entrance. I slipped in past her and she closed the door and then leaned up against it. "Are you on your way somewhere?"

I slowly shook my head as I let my eyes travel the length of her impossibly toned legs. My skin was starting to itch with the desire to touch her. "So this…" she took her own long look, "is for…me?"

"If you want," I said softly as I erased the distance between us.

"I want," she said boldly as she grabbed the lapel of my button down silk shirt and pulled me to her mouth. My hands found their way into her hair and hers found their way up and under my shirt as our tongues entwined in a fiery dance.

"Ranger," she breathed when I finally broke away and dragged my lips across her jaw.

"I know," I replied. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. I was going to talk to her first. Tell her I wanted her to be mine…but I hadn't kissed her in hours and my lips were fully and defiantly ignoring the plan. I could not get enough of her. Ever. I reached that spot just below her ear and sucked the skin into my mouth. A soft moan sounded from her throat and the rest of my body forgot the goal entirely. I took her by the hand and tugged her toward the bedroom.

Unlike the last time, there were no stuttered protests and she was right on my heels.

I had us both naked in record time and as I buried myself inside her I knew without a single doubt this is where I wanted to be for the rest of my life.

The alarm on my watch sounded, bringing me reluctantly out of a deep and dreamless sleep. I tried to turn it off but found my arm trapped underneath a warm and incredibly soft body.

"What's wrong?" Stephanie murmured with a sleep thickened voice as she snuggled closer to my side. I dislodged my arm and cut the alarm.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep."

She pressed her lips to my bare chest and stretched her arm across my stomach as I turned onto my back. "Do you have to go?" She asked softly and I gave my automatic response.

"Yes." It wasn't true, not really. I'd made plans to run with Tank at 5:30 but he wouldn't shed a tear if I cancelled.

"Yeah, okay," she murmured and rolled away from me. "I know the drill." She settled on her side, with her back to me and pulled the covers up and over her exposed shoulder.

I sat up and peered around the room for the clothes I'd so hastily discarded the night before. They were in a pile near the door so I headed that way. She watched me pull on my pants and then her words made stop when I had one arm in the sleeve of my shirt.

"Is this where you tell me to go back to Morelli again?"

Fuck. Of course she would think that. And was that what I was doing? Of course it was. Things had got gotten too close and intense so I was doing what I always did – walking away at the first opportunity. What an asshole. I'd come here last night with the intention of telling her I wanted more and instead had let my body take over so I could feed my addiction for her and now I was going to leave and let the cop swoop in? If I let that happen I would probably never have a chance with her again. That thought made bile rise to my throat. I retrieved my phone from my pocket and dialed Tank.

"I can't make it this morning," I said when he picked up on the second ring. "And I need you to cancel everything on my schedule today."

"Yeah, I know. I already took care of that."

"What?"

"Actually, I cleared your calendar for the next two days."

What the hell? "How could you have..."

He cut me off with a low chuckle. "I know you, man. Now, if there is nothing else, I'm going back to sleep." He waited a couple beats for my response and when none came he disconnected. Son of a bitch.

Stephanie was watching me stare at the phone in my hands with wide eyes. I dropped the shirt that was half way on back to the floor and lowered myself onto the mattress next to her. I brushed the hair back from her face while I tried to figure out how it was that Tank seemed to know me better than I knew myself. I'd have to figure that out later. Stephanie was the only important thing to me right now.

"No, Babe. I won't ever say that to you again and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't see Joe anymore, not in a romantic capacity, anyway. I don't like to share so the break you are on is going to have to become a permanent one."

Her lips pressed together in a tight line as she searched my face for the truth. I let her see it. For the first time I let her see.

"You're serious," she finally said and I gave her a small smile.

"I am always serious."

"You want to be with me?"

"Very much."

"Holy shit."

"That was my reaction too. Do you want to be with me?"

"Very much."

I leaned down and gently kissed her lips. "Glad we're on the same page and apparently I have a clear schedule for a while so what are your plans today?"

She ran her palm up and over my arm squeezing my bicep along the way. "I don't know but I think the first thing on the agenda involves you getting back into this bed. Without your pants."

"That's a good plan."

I wasn't sure what was going to happen or if we could even make this work but my pants found their way back to the floor and when I slid beneath the sheets and she pressed her naked self to my body I knew I'd gladly spend the rest of my days drinking her in.

She's my cocaine, my heroin. My addiction.

AN: I finally got your red rose worked into a story, Margaret!