At the time that I wrote this, I used the Trenton Country Club website for information on the The Clubhouse and Washington Ballroom. The website has since been updated, and I'm not sure if any changes have taken place to the areas I've described in this story. I also used an online map of Bordentown to get an idea of street names. I tried to stay true to Janet Evanovich's books, so anything familiar; places, characters, phrases, belong to her. The mistakes are mine. Warnings for language and smut.

I settled into the passenger seat of Ranger's Turbo. This was the third pity pick-up Ranger's done this week. My car was trash ... again. My used-to-be-blue POS Escape put up a valiant fight, but was no match for me and my car killing history. I still held on to a tiny bit of hope that someone, somewhere, could design a car that could survive me owning it. So far, the only car that has is my grandmother's '53 Buick. And I'd rather explode five crap cars a week than to have to borrow Big Blue ever again.

We were cruising down Route One and I suddenly sat up straighter."Hey!" I said to Ranger."Turn here."

Ranger gave me a sideways glance."Why?"

"We're almost at the Quaker Bridge exit, and I need to pick up a baby gift for Mary Lou."

Mary Lou Molnar, now Stankovic, has been my best friend since ... forever. We run in different circles now that she's married, has a pack of kids, and her days revolve around car pools and soccer practices. My days revolve more around shoe shopping and bullet-dodging. Even though we don't see as much of each other as we'd like, our friendship is one that is lifelong. I might not see Mary Lou for weeks, but as soon as we get together it's like we've never been apart. Mary Lou called me last night and told me that she was pregnant. Again. At least, I was pretty sure that's what she told me. I had to piece the conversation together because she was sobbing hysterically through most of it. I can't say that I blame her. I think four kids would be enough to make a padded room in a sanitarium look like a five star retreat.

Ranger took the exit for Quaker Bridge and parked in the lot. We got out of the Turbo and headed for the Macy's entrance. A few minutes later, Ranger and I were standing in the baby department of Macy's. I was looking confused, and Ranger was looking like he wanted to be somewhere else. I figured that this would be simple. Just run in grab something and be out in record time. But who knew there was so much baby stuff. Now that I was here, in pastel heaven, I had no clue what to get. Ranger was standing close behind me not being much help.

I stood in front of a huge display of baby clothes contemplating the green or yellow question. What color do you pick if you don't know the sex of the baby? A woman came up the aisle alongside me and smiled. I didn't think I knew her, but apparently being around baby anything makes people friendly.

"When are you do?" She asked me.

My mouth dropped open. I didn't know what to say. I was too busy asking myself if it was my clothes or the two chocolate chip muffins I had this morning that made me look as though I could possibly be pregnant.

Ranger, having heard the question since he was pressed up against me, wrapped his arm around my waist, his hand resting flat on my stomach."March," he said."We just found out."

My whole body contracted. I know, poor choice of words but that's really what it did. When Ranger decided to play, he didn't hold back.

"Congratulations," the woman said to us, before heading to the next aisle.

I turned in Ranger's arms, and narrowed my eyes at him,"What the heck was that?" I asked him.

"Babe, you made me stop here. And you're taking too long deciding on what to buy," Ranger said."I should be allowed to have a little fun while I'm stuck here."

"Since when are you interested in having fun?"

"I have my moments," he said, pressing a light kiss against my lips.

I pushed out of his arms."You'd better hope that woman doesn't know my mother, or Grandma Mazur, because if she does they'll be hell to pay."

I quickly chose three outfits before Ranger could find something else that he would consider fun to do. I went with yellow for the color, bought three different sizes just in case, and quickly made my way to the cash.

When we got back to Ranger's Turbo, my cell rang. I looked at the number, and then at Ranger."Shit," I said.

"Your mother?" Ranger asked. The corners of his mouth tilted up in the smallest of smiles.

I answered on the third ring."Ranger was kidding," I told my mother before she could start."It's not true."

"Why would he joke about a baby?" She asked."Who jokes about a baby? And what were you doing in the baby department? You are pregnant, aren't you?"

"No. I'm not pregnant," I said. I slid into the passenger seat and glared at Ranger."Apparently, I was taking too long picking out something for Mary Lou. Ranger got impatient and decided to cause trouble."

"So, there really is no baby?"

"Nope."

"You're sure?"

"Yep," I said, crossing my fingers and praying it was true,"I'm sure." Ranger and I have been very careful, but a prayer couldn't hurt.

She sighed and then hung up.

I blew a strand of hair off my forehead and looked over at Ranger."You're in trouble now," I told him.

"Not the first time, Babe," Ranger said.

"It might be the last time after my mother gets her hands on you."

Ranger's smile widened."I'd rather it be your hands on me," Ranger said, pulling out of the lot.

My body responded despite my best efforts to control it."Oh no you don't," I said to him."You're not going to sweet talk your way out of this one."

"I wasn't trying to talk my way out of anything," Ranger said."I was just being honest."

"Well, stop it," I said."We're talking about my mother here. You might want save your sweet-talking skills for the next dinner at my parents' house," I said."Because you'll need all the help you can get to get back on my mother's good side."

We were almost on Hamilton Avenue when Ranger spoke."Do you have something to do? Or do you want to come back to Rangeman with me?"

"You can drop me at the office," I said."I need to talk to Lula about a shopping trip."

Ranger cut me a look."Babe, we were just at the mall."

"Yes, but I need to find a dress to wear to that dinner you told me about," I told him."And if you thought shopping for baby clothes was bad, then dress shopping would probably kill you."

Ranger had asked for my help in picking up a FTA. Stephen Tavish was a white-collar con man. He was blond, had a big white fake smile, and a runner's body. He looked handsome and non-threatening even in his mug shot, but he's been known to make people disappear if they asked too many questions. He scopes out potential victims at fancy black tie events for people with more money than they know what to do with. So that's where Ranger was going to apprehend him. There was a dinner scheduled Sunday night for a newly elected politician. And Ranger was sure Tavish would be there. I was going along as Ranger's date, and decoy. He said it will be easier for a couple to blend in. So I needed a new dress fast.

"Will I see you tonight?" Ranger asked.

"Probably," I said."I can ask Lula to drop me off at Rangeman."

"I'll have a car for you tomorrow," Ranger said.

He sounded as though getting a brand new car was an everyday occurrence. Of course, now that I think about it, for Ranger it was.

Ranger parked at the curb in front of the bonds office. He slid his arm across my seat back, leaned forward, and kissed me. I opened my mouth to his and clutched the back of his head, holding him to me. Not that he was likely to go anywhere, but why take the chance. By the time the kiss ended, I was breathing hard and Ranger was smiling. Just once I'd like to see him break a sweat before we actually got naked. Lord knows I did every time I got close to him.

"Bye, Babe," Ranger said.

I rolled my eyes at him and got out of the car, watching Ranger drive off. I turned to go into the office and saw Connie and Lula with their faces pressed against the big plate glass window that took up the front of the office. They were smiling wide so I pretty much knew that they'd been watching us.

I blew out a sigh and pushed through the front door.

"Hey girlfriend," Lula said, still smiling.

"Don't start," I said to Lula.

"That was some kiss," Lula said."Wasn't it, Connie?"

"Yeah," Connie said."We should check you for burns."

"I tell you, if he ever kissed me like that, I'd faint dead away," Lula said, fanning her face with her hand."He is so hot. Capital H-O-Tkind of hot."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again, despite the fact that I totally agreed with Lula. I was hoping the idea of shopping would get their minds off my love life. Well, for a little while at least. It would take a miracle for them to do it long term."I need to go on an emergency shopping trip to find a new dress. Anyone interested in coming with me?"

"You know I'm always interested in shoppin'," Lula said."What kind of dress we lookin' for?"

"I'm helping Ranger with a FTA," I told her."He's going to pick him up at black tie dinner. And since I don't normally attend these kind of things, I have nothing to wear." Unless you wanted to count an eggplant colored maid-of-honor dress from when my sister finally decided to marry Kloughn. I didn't want to wear it then. And I sure as heck didn't want to wear it now.

"I'm in," Lula said."When we going?"

"Tomorrow morning," I said."First thing."

"I can't," Connie said."I've got a wedding to go to in Newark tomorrow."

"It's just you and me then," Lula said."We'll shop the shit out those stores."

"Okay," I said."It's a date."

"Did Ranger have to rescue you again?" Connie asked.

"Yep," I said."My car finally died."

"You got some bad car juju going," Lula said."I ain't never seen a person kill so many cars."

"It's just one of my many talents."

"While you're here, I have another skip for you," Connie said, handing me a file."He's not worth a lot, but he still needs to be brought in."

I paged through the file. Collin Martinez was wanted for driving under the influence. He's listed as being twenty-one, and had no prior arrests. Probably he got drunk for the first time at a party and managed to get pulled over on his way home.

I shoved the folder into my bag."I'm on it," I told Connie."I could use a ride to Rangeman if anyone's going that way."

"I'll take you," Lula said."We can stop at Tasty Pastry on the way. I've had a doughnut cravin' all day."

That was fine with me. I've never turned down a doughnut in my life. All worries about appearing pregnant were quickly forgotten when face with something fried and full of sugar.

We said goodbye to Connie and climbed into Lula's red Firebird. Lula turned the key in the ignition and turned the radio up till I could feel my teeth rattling, and we drove the two minutes to Tasty Pastry.

"This will be real quick seeing as how I already know what I'm gettin'," Lula said, as we pushed through the bakery door."I'm gettin' one of everything."

I usually either got two Boston Creams or a Boston Cream and a jelly doughnut. I was going to go with the jelly doughnut combo today. After all, fruit is good for you, right?

We took our bags back to the car and ate our doughnuts on the way to Rangeman. Lula turned down Ranger's street and parked at the curb near the Rangeman security gate.

Lula looked over at me."I ain't never been in Ranger's building before. What does it look like?"

"It looks like an office building," I told her."Clean, organized, and done in neutral tones."

"What about Ranger's apartment?" Lula asked."What's that like?"

"Same," I said."Except for the state-of-the-art kitchen and expensive furniture."

"I don't suppose there's any way I could sneak in and get a look?"

"Sorry," I said to her."The whole building is on camera. Ranger would be notified and you'd have to tell him that you wanted to snoop around in his building."

"I don't think I'd want to do that," Lula said.

I opened the door and slid out of the passengers seat."Thanks for the ride," I said to Lula.

"Do you want me to pick you up in the morning?"

"No," I said."Ranger said I'd have a car tomorrow."

"I can't wait to see what it'll be," Lula said."I hope it's a Ferrari. I'd look good in Ferrari."

"Don't get your hopes up," I told her."I don't think it'll be a Ferrari." But I was thinking I'd look pretty darn good in a Ferrari, too.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said, and walked to the gate.

I used my key fob to get me past the gate and into the building. I took the elevator to the seventh floor and let myself into Ranger's apartment. I put my bag down and went in search of Ranger. I checked the kitchen, office, and bedroom. No Ranger.

I was walking back to the kitchen when I heard the front door open, and keys being dropped in the silver tray by the door. A beat later Ranger strode into the kitchen. He closed the space between us and kissed me.

Ranger broke from the kiss and grinned down at me."You taste like a doughnut."

I hope he didn't just pollute the temple with a stray calorie, since he did have his tongue in my mouth."Yeah," I said."Lula stopped at the bakery on the way over."

I looked at my watch and saw that it was only a little after five. Ranger almost always works at least until six."How come you're not in your office? Are you playing hooky?" I asked him.

"No," Ranger said."I wanted to tell you that I won't be here for dinner tonight. I've still got a lot to do so I'll grab a sandwich downstairs, but you can call Ella when you're ready for dinner."

"You didn't have to come all the way up here to tell me that," I said."You could have just called me."

"Yes," Ranger said."But then I wouldn't have been able to do this ..."

Ranger curled one arm around my waist pulling me flush against him, and wrapped a hand around the nape of my neck as his mouth came down on mine. Ranger broke from the kiss a few moments later and looked down at me, his eyes dark.

I felt a little dazed, and my lips were tingling."Wow," I said, my voice sounding a little breathless."What was that for?"

"That was to persuade you to wait up for me."

With Ranger, no persuading was needed.

"It worked," I told him.

Ranger's smile widened."I shouldn't be too late."

I was still pressed up against him and I ran the tip of my tongue along his lower lip."Maybe I should do something to persuade you tohurry," I said against Ranger's mouth.

"You don't need to do anything to get me to hurry, Babe," Ranger said."Just knowing you're in my bed is enough." Ranger brushed a light kiss across my lips and released his hold on me.

"You'd better get to work then," I said.

Ranger grinned."I'll be up as soon as I can," Ranger said, before closing the door behind him.

I locked the door after Ranger and went back to the kitchen. I've stayed in Ranger's apartment a lot, but I don't think I'll ever be comfortable having Ella cook for, or clean up after, me. Ella had been hired to make Ranger's life easier while he hunted down bad guys, and ran multiple security firms, and saved the world. She hadn't been hired to take care of me just because I was sleeping with him.

I called down to the sixth floor and told Ella that I'd be okay on my own for dinner. Ranger didn't have any junk food in his apartment, or anywhere else in the building for that matter, but I knew there was one lone jar of peanut butter in his fridge. It was a well known fact that I couldn't survive in a place that didn't have peanut butter in it, so my jar of peanut butter was allowed to stay. I quickly put together a peanut butter and olive sandwich. And it was almost like I was at home except that the olives were imported and expensive, and the bread was whole-grain and homemade. I poured myself a glass of red wine to wash the sandwich down with and ate standing up at the counter. When I was done eating, I poured myself another glass of wine and took it into the den and flipped on the television.

I watched the news, an hour long show about Tuscany on the Travel Channel, a show on decorating cakes, and spent a half hour channel surfing. I couldn't find anything of interest and my wine was long gone. I looked at the clock again eight-thirty. Still no Ranger. I hauled myself off the couch and into the bathroom.

I took a long, hot shower and blow-dried my hair. I tugged one of Ranger's T-shirts over my head, by way of pajamas, and crawled under his orgasmic sheets.

The faint sound of clothes rustling woke me. I wasn't aware that I had fallen asleep, but the clock on Ranger's nightstand said ten fifteen, so I must have dozed off for a little while. I felt a warm body slide into the bed with me.

"I was starting to think you weren't coming back tonight," I said to Ranger. My voice sounded husky and I wasn't sure if it was from sleep or from being in close proximity to him.

Ranger smoothed the hair back from my face."And miss seeing you like this?" Ranger said, his lips brushing my ear, my cheek.

"You want to see me with my hair all messed up and my eyes puffy from sleep?" I asked him.

"You look sexy with you're hair all messed up," Ranger said, his mouth skimming my temple."It's like my fingers have already been tangled in it. And your eyes aren't puffy. They're soft and drowsy from sleep ... and desire."

No argument there. I could already feel my heartbeat quicken and all Ranger was doing was kissing my face. I might be in danger of cardiac arrest by the time he touched anything below my neck. There are some men you could take one look at and just know that they were going to be excellent in bed. And I knew Ranger was going to be one of them five seconds after meeting him. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending how you look at it, after the DeChooch thing I found out exactly how excellent he was. And I'm not just talking about the sex, either. He had set such a high bar that it was hard to settle for something less afterwards. But Ranger clearly wasn't interested in a relationship with me at the time, so he didn't leave me much of a choice about settling. Now that I had him all to myself, I couldn't keep my hands off of him. Which is kind of surprising because I don't think of myself as nymphomaniac material, or at least I didn't until now.

Ranger's hand slipped under my T-shirt and I could tell right away that I had on more clothes than he did.

"You do look good in my T-shirt," Ranger said,"but you look even better without it." He gathered the T-shirt material in his hands and tugged it up and over my head.

My breath caught in my throat as I felt Ranger's bare skin against mine. Since we've been together more than a few times now, Ranger seemed to have memorized my body. He knew when to go slow and take his time. When to apply more pressure and become more aggressive. And he always knew the exact moment to speed up. He knew what my body wanted, and needed, before I did. My brain only registered the firmness of his lips, the warmth of his breath against me, the slight roughness of his hands, and the solid weight of his body as it moved along, and over, mine. I came undone in his arms, as wave after wave of pleasure washed over me. Ranger, not waiting for me to completely come down from one hell of an orgasm, entered me in one smooth motion and started all over again.

I was laying wrapped in Ranger's arms when we were done. And I felt utterly relaxed, like my bones had dissolved. I tipped my head back and looked up at Ranger.

"That was definitely worth waiting up for," I said to him.

Ranger laughed softly."I aim to please," Ranger said, dropping a kiss into my curls.

I can say with absolute authority that he was excellent at pleasing.

I ran my hand along the muscles of Ranger's chest, and pressed my face into his neck inhaling the sexy scent of his Bulgari Green shower gel. How it managed to still cling to him after a full work day, and a remarkable round of lovemaking, I guess was just another one of the mysteries surrounding Ranger. I kissed the skin over his heart and then slid my body over his. I felt his swift intake of air, and smiled.

I leaned closer and whispered against his lips."I don't want you saying you've been doing all the work."

"I don't think making love to you qualifies as work, Babe."

"Even so ..." I said, kissing him lightly.

Ranger ran his fingers through my curls, and held my head still while he deepened the kiss. When we finally pulled away from each other, Ranger's lips tilted up in a sexy smile.

"I'm all yours," Ranger said, his voice quiet in the dark bedroom.

My body trembled. And I wasn't sure if it was from the words, the sound of his voice, or Ranger being underneath me. Probably it was all three of them. I traced Ranger's lips before covering them with mine. I let my hands wander as I kissed him. After I thoroughly caressed every inch of Ranger's skin I could reach, I found myself on my back with Ranger taking control again. That was fine with me, I thought. I could just lie back and enjoy. And enjoy I did.

We were at sitting at the breakfast bar the next morning. Ranger and I had showered together, which included only a little fooling around since he had to meet with Tank first thing. Once Ranger realized that I wasn't going to complain about his long hours, and that I'd more than likely be here when he came home, he was slowly going back to his early morning routine.

Ella had brought the usual breakfast assortment. Whole-grain bagels, no fat cream cheese, smoked salmon, and a frittata loaded with vegetables. Along with a full pot of coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice. I had to admit that the table did look pretty with all the good-for-you foods arranged perfectly, but this morning I would have traded my health for a stack of buttermilk pancakes with butter and extra syrup.

"Did you talk to Lula?" Ranger wanted to know.

"Yeah," I said."As soon as I'm finished breakfast I'm going to pick up Lula and we'll hit the stores early."

Ranger smiled."Babe, you don't have a car."

"I know," I said."But you said yesterday that I'd have a car in the morning. And since you always seem to have a car for me, I told Lula that I'd drive."

"What would happen if I didn't have a car for you?"

I blew out a sigh."I'd ask you very nicely to drop me off at Lula's apartment and we'd take her Firebird."

"How nice were you planning on being?" Ranger asked me, his eyes darkening.

"I think I've been nice already this morning," I said to him, my eyes narrowing."And you're not going to distract me. I have only a couple of hours to find something to wear. I don't have time to do anything else, car or not."

Ranger's smile widened.

"Are you going to give me a ride, or what?" I asked him. Jeez. Next time I'll just call a cab.

"Don't need to, Babe," Ranger said."There's a car for you in the garage."

"Why didn't you just say so?" I asked.

"You're adorable when you get mad like that."

Oh boy."Is it a Ferrari?" I asked.

"Sorry," Ranger said."It's not a Ferrari."

I didn't think so, since it would be hard to get an FTA into one, but still a girl could dream, couldn't she?

After we cleaned up the kitchen, Ranger ushered me out of the apartment and into the elevator. He pushed the button for the garage level, and I looked over at him.

"You don't always have to walk me down to the garage," I said to him."There are cameras everywhere. I'm totally safe. And do I need to remind you that Tank is waiting for you?"

"No, you don't need to remind me," Ranger said."And if I want to walk you to your car, then I'm going to walk you to your car," he said, stepping out of the elevator."Tank can wait a minute."

I was going to stick my tongue out at him, or do something else equally mature, when I caught sight of my new car and froze. I think some drool might have dribbled out of the corner of my mouth. It was a brand new black Mercedes ML550 SUV. And it was the flashiest, and most expensive, car Ranger had ever given me.

I turned to Ranger."I can't drive that!" I said, my voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard.

Ranger took my hand and tugged me toward the car."Why not?"

I looked at him, my eyes going wide."What do you mean why not? You know my track record with cars!" I said."This car is perfect. This car is beautiful. And I don't want it to get smashed up, blown up, or squished flat." That's how pathetic I am. All these things have actually happened to my cars. And sometimes they even happened all on the same day.

Ranger shrugged, obviously not concerned."It's just a car, Babe," Ranger said."It can be replaced."

Easy for him to say. He was used to owning expensive cars. And nothing ever happened to his cars. Well, unless I was driving them. And driving this car wasn't the problem. The problem was that I always felt bad when something happened to one of Ranger's cars. And something always happens to them.

I stood there chewing on my lower lip trying to delude myself into thinking that maybe, just maybe, the car wouldn't get destroyed this one time, when Ranger reached out and rubbed his thumb across my lip forcing me to stop.

"You're thinking too much," he said, sliding an arm around my waist, pulling me against him."I want you to use the car. Not only will it not break down on you, you'll also be tied into the Rangeman network. So if anything does happen, we'll be able to react faster."

Okay, that made sense. I blew out a sigh."Fine," I said."I'll take the car. But I make no promises about the condition it'll be in when it comes back." If it comes back at all.

Ranger didn't smile, but his eyes crinkled a little at the corners. He kept one hand on my hip and reached into his pocket with the other pulling out a set of keys and handed them to me."As long as you come back in one piece," Ranger said,"that's all that matters."

I stood up on tiptoes and pressed my lips to his."Good to know," I whispered against his mouth.

Ranger smiled at me."Have fun shopping," Ranger said.

"Oh, I intend to," I said."I'll have a much better shopping partner with me this time."

Ranger's smile widened. He gave my waist an affectionate squeeze before taking a step away from me. I opened the door to the Mercedes and slid behind the wheel. I waved to Ranger as he got into the elevator and took a moment to fully appreciate my new car. I closed my eyes and inhaled the new car smell. If there were cars in heaven, this would be what they'd smell like, I thought. I plugged the key into the ignition and drove out of the garage.

I dialed Lula's number before pulling out of the gate and told her that I was leaving now. Twenty minutes later, I stopped in front of Lula's apartment. She was sitting on the little front porch waiting for me. She took one look at the Mercedes and gave me a big smile. I unlocked the passenger door and Lula slid in next to me.

She shook her head at me."Girl, you must have done something real good last night to get this car."

"Are you implying that Ranger only gave me this car because I slept with him?" I asked her."Ranger has always given, or loaned, me cars. Even before I slept with him."

Lula looked around at the interior of the Mercedes."Have you taken a good look at this car? This is a excellent car. This here's a I-got-some-last-night-and-it-was-good kind of car."

I suppose that could be true. Ranger did get some last night. And it was good. But I didn't want to think that it was his sole reason for giving me this car.

"Enough about the car," I said."We need to focus on finding me a dress for tomorrow."

"Where we headed?" Lula wanted to know.

Ranger had given me his corporate card since, technically, this shopping trip falls under Rangeman business. The card had a limit high enough that if I was a different kind of person, Ranger could have been in financial trouble. As it was, I couldn't spend beyond what would make me feel comfortable. That meant shopping in retail stores and discount boutiques.

"We can start out at the mall," I said to Lula."If I can't find anything there, we'll hit the outlet stores."

"Sounds good to me," Lula said."I feel like I could shop all day. And I bet we're gonna find just what you're lookin' for."

Two hours into shopping, I still hadn't found anything. We left Quaker Bridge, stopped at McDonald's for a quick lunch, and then tried out a few stores in the area specializing in formal wear. Still nothing. We finally hit pay-dirt at a little boutique in Mercerville. Lula walked into the store, took one look at a red dress that was hanging by the door, and headed straight for it.

"Hold the phone," Lula said, taking the dress off the rack."This is it! You don't need to try it on for me to know this here's the one."

I looked at the dress she was holding. It was a floor length red chiffon dress with tiny silver beading that made it sparkle in the light. It had a low cowl-type neckline and thin spaghetti straps. I had to agree with Lula. If the dress fit, this would be the one.

A saleswoman came up behind us."Can I help you ladies with anything?"

"Someone could have asked us that hours ago," Lula said to her."But not no more. We found what we we're looking for."

I took the dress from Lula and walked to where the fitting rooms were. I dropped the dress over my head and it fit perfectly. It wasn't tight, but it was clingy in all the appropriate places. And the way the neckline was made, it looked like my cleavage was bumped up a cup size. I'm not a vain person, but even I had to admit that I looked good in this dress.

"Well," I heard Lula say,"are you gonna stay in there all day? Or are you gonna let me see?"

I walked out of the fitting room."What do you think?"

"Damn skippy!" Lula said."It looks like it was made just for your skinny ass. See, I knew it the minute I saw it."

"You think it's okay?" I asked Lula.

"I think it's more than okay. I think once Ranger sees you in this dress, you might not make it to that fancy-pants dinner at all."

She might be right.

"My shopping moons must be all in a row, 'cause while you were taking your sweet time trying that on, I found the shoes to go with it. You can thank me later. Around suppertime, maybe. I'm getting hungry ..."

"The shoes?"

"Oh yeah," Lula said."They're right over here."

The shoes were the same red as the dress, with only enough fabric to cover the pointed toe. There was a thin line of silver beading on the edge of the satin that made them a perfect match for the dress. The only other part of the shoe, besides the four-inch stiletto heel, was one strap. The strap started in the middle of the shoe, and crisscrossed over it to wrap around and buckle at the ankle.

I slipped the shoes on and they were a perfect fit. Lula was freakishly good at this.

"I think I found my calling," Lula said, looking me over."Am I good at this shit, or what?" Lula called the saleswoman over."She'll take the dress and the shoes," Lula said to her, then looked back at me."You got a bag to go with this?"

"No."

Lula turned back to the saleswoman."We need a bag, too."

"The bags are to the left at the back of the store," the woman said.

"You change," Lula said,"and I'll pick out a bag. It's not like I need any help with this."

I came out of the fitting room five minutes later. Lula was waiting by the register, a red envelope-style clutch was on the counter in front of her.

"Hurry up," Lula said to me."I'm gettin' hungry. Did you notice I found everything you needed in the time it took you to try somethin' on? Honestly, I don't know why I even brought you along."

"I brought you, remember?" I said to her.

"Yeah, but I think it's obvious to everyone here that you could have stayed home," Lula said to me.

"Are you all set?" the cashier asked.

"Yes," I said, passing the dress and the shoes over to her.

I gave the woman Ranger's credit card with only a tiny twinge of guilt. I did try not to spend too much. That should be worth something, right? And I think Ranger will approve of the end result.

When Lula and I got back to the Mercedes, Lula looked over at me.

"Do I get my supper now?"

"Yes," I said to her."And before you ask, yes, I'm buying. After all you did help me today."

"I did more than help," Lula said.

Here we go, I thought. I liked Lula a lot, but sometimes the price you have to pay for asking for help outweighs the actual help you end up getting.

We stopped at Cluck-in-a-Bucket on the way home. I knew I was going to have to listen to Lula talk about how she single-handedly saved the day, but I figured between the chicken, fries, biscuits, and dessert she might be busy eating and it may slow down her bragging a bit.

It was close to six when I dropped Lula off. I was going to make a short trip back to my apartment and drop my bags off. It would be easier just to get dressed there tomorrow, since all my hair and makeup stuff is there.

I took a right on Hamilton ten minutes later, and pulled into the lot behind my apartment building.

I parked and gathered the bags out of the back seat. I had the dress bag in one hand, and the bag with my sexy shoes and evening bag in the other. I beeped the Mercedes locked, turned toward my building, and bumped into a heavily muscled chest. Ranger.

He took the bags from me."What are you doing here?" He asked me.

"I live here, remember?" I said.

"I thought you were coming back to Rangeman after your shopping trip."

"I figured it would be easier to get ready at my apartment," I told Ranger."All my stuff is here, so I was going to drop off what I bought."

Ranger walked me into the building to the elevator. He pushed the button for the second floor and looked over at me.

"Pack up whatever you need and we'll take it with us."

"It would be easier for me to just meet you at Rangeman after I'm dressed."

Ranger just looked at me not saying anything. I blew out a breath. It wasn't really a big deal. I guess I should take it as a good sign that he wanted me with him at Rangeman.

"Fine," I said."If you want me to get ready at your apartment, then I'll get ready at your apartment. It doesn't make any difference to me."

Ranger let me unlock the door, but wanted me to wait until he'd looked around before I followed him in. No one has broken in for a while now, but Ranger was cautious all the same. He put my shopping bags down on the counter before leaning against it.

"I hope you plan on giving Ella a raise," I said to Ranger."She's going to need one after my stuff explodes in your bathroom."

Ella was Ranger's housekeeper. Every morning she cleans, straightens, and dusts Ranger's apartment making sure nothing was out of place. After all these years of dealing with just Ranger's things, I was afraid she'd quit once she got a look at all my crap.

My apartment was relatively neat. I didn't cook, so my kitchen was always clean. I didn't have much furniture, since most of it burned after my apartment got firebombed the second time. I didn't spend a lot of time lounging around in my bedroom, so aside from making the bed and picking up discarded clothes, my bedroom wasn't too bad, either. My bathroom, on the other hand, was a disaster zone.

"Don't worry about Ella," Ranger said to me."Just get whatever you need."

I grabbed an overnight bag from my closet and went into the bathroom and started dumping the contents of my bathroom into it. I grabbed hair gel, hair spray, a curling iron, my makeup case along with two or three extra lipstick tubes; since I didn't know which color I'd need, two bottles of nail polish, my perfume, and a bunch of hair brushes.

I headed back to my bedroom and pulled out another bag. This one for clothes. I only bought the dress and shoes, so I had to make do with the underclothes I already had. The dress didn't require a bra since it had one built in, but I still needed underwear. I dumped a red lace thong into the bag along with thigh-high pantyhose. I hated pantyhose. To me they seem like a modern day torture device. One of the biggest selling points of taking a job with Vinnie was that I didn't have to wear pantyhose on an everyday basis. But if forced to, I could tolerate thigh-highs. Barely. I also packed up my jewelry box. I didn't have anything aside from costume jewelry, but I didn't think anyone at the dinner would notice.

I carted my bags out to the living room."I think I've got everything," I said to Ranger, dropping the bags onto the floor.

He looked down at the bags by my feet, his eyebrow raised."You need two bags to get ready for one night?"

"I didn't know exactly what I would need," I told him."And don't forget, it was your idea to pack up my stuff and take it to Rangeman. You should be happy I stopped at two bags."

Ranger shouldered all of my bags, and headed for the front door."Do you want to take Rex with us?"

"Yes," I said. I wrapped my arms around Rex's cage, and followed Ranger out the front door. He waited while I leaned Rex against my hip and locked up after us.

"We'll take the Porsche," Ranger said."I'll send someone to pick up the Mercedes and bring it back to Rangeman.

I didn't think picking up my cars, or hauling them away, fell under security-related business, but Ranger seemed willing to pay his men to do it, so who was I to complain?

Ranger put everything, except Rex, in the back of the Porsche, and we drove back to Rangeman.

"You don't think people are going to get the wrong idea, do you?" I asked Ranger, when we were standing in the elevator."That I'm moving in with you?" I said, giving the mini-cam in the corner a finger wave.

"And if they did ... ?" Ranger asked.

"My mother is already not happy with you. I don't think us living together, without a wedding involved, will make her more willing to forgive you." I blew out a sigh."What am I talking about? I'm worrying for nothing," I said after a minute."This is a temporary arrangement," I told him."Everyone will see this stuff being hauled back to my apartment on Monday."

"We'll see," Ranger said.

I wasn't touching that one. I was married for about fifteen minutes a long time ago. And ever since then, I've had commitment issues. If I had to arrange all the crap in my brain into neat little mental folders, Dickie Orr would be in two separate ones. One marked asshole because, well, he was one. And he would also be listed under failures. I know my marriage ending wasn't my fault, since Dickie was a cheating pig, but I grew up in the Burg and Burg marriages were supposed to stick for life. So deep down, I still feel like I failed at being married, somehow. So you can see why I'm not in any hurry to try again.

The elevator doors opened and I unlocked his apartment door for us. I went straight to the kitchen, placing Rex's cage on the counter. And Ranger headed for the bedroom to put my stuff down. I pulled two Corona's out of the fridge and handed one to Ranger when he came back into the kitchen.

"Are you going to show me what you bought today?" Ranger asked me.

"Nope."

"Why?"

"I want it to be a surprise," I told him. I also didn't want it ending up crumpled on the floor, which I suspected was what would happen to it once Ranger saw it.

There was the smallest of smiles on Ranger's lips."It's that good?" Ranger asked.

"Lula thinks so."

"Babe," Ranger said, smiling,"Lula dresses in neon spandex."

"Yes," I said, feeling like I had to defend Lula,"but that's her style. Lula has excellent taste when it comes to what other people wear. You'll see."

"I can't wait."

"Well you're going to have to," I said on a smile.

"Did you already have dinner?" Ranger asked me."I grabbed a sandwich downstairs, but Ella can make you something."

"I'm good," I said."Lula worked up an appetite shopping, so we stopped at Cluck-in-a-Bucket."

We finished our beer and migrated to the den to watch television. Before Ranger and I started figuring out if seeing each other was a good idea, since we both had issues to deal with, he spent most of his time working. Now that we're together, he's trying to keep better hours so he has time to do mundane things like watching TV with me in the evening.

At ten-thirty I was ready to call it a day. I uncurled myself from the couch, and Ranger, and went to take a shower while Ranger checked in with the control room. He might have mellowed out some, but Ranger was still a workaholic. And I suspected he'd always be one.

I blow dried my hair and slipped Ranger's shirt over my head. I stepped into the bedroom. Still no Ranger. I slid into bed and five minutes later Ranger was in the bedroom. He quickly stripped off his black T-shirt and cargo pants. I've seen it all before, numerous times, but I couldn't have taken my eyes off him if my life depended on it. He joined me on the bed and reached out, his hands circling my waist, pulling me flat against him. As soon as he dipped his head, my body went damp in anticipation. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and just held on as anticipation soon turned into satisfaction.

I woke up Sunday morning to sunshine. Okay, technically I was awake about two hours ago, when Ranger kissed my bare shoulder and slid out of bed to get ready for work. But I was only half awake when he came back, hair still damp from his shower, to kiss me goodbye. Unless I'm forced to, I try never to get up before the sun. Ranger on the other hand, doesn't appear to need sleep. And we certainly didn't get a lot of it last night. Since the sun had finally lit up the bedroom, I left the comfort of Ranger's bed. I got dressed and headed to the kitchen to get breakfast for me and Rex.

I changed Rex's water and filled his bowl with hamster crunchies. There was no movement in the pine shavings. If I knew Rex, he was holding out for something other than hamster food. I poked around Ranger's cabinets and found some whole-wheat crackers. I dropped a cracker and a couple grapes into the cage and watched Rex back out of his soup can, stuff the cracker into his cheek, and scurry back to his bed. I never would have gotten up for a whole-wheat anything, but then again I'm not a hamster. Hamsters don't know about birthday cake.

I cut two slices of bread for toast from a loaf that was sitting on the breadboard and programmed the coffee maker. When the coffee was finished brewing, and my toast popped out of the toaster, I took them to the dining room table. I pulled out the file on the skip Connie had just given me along with the three open ones that I had yet to bring in and got to work.

I spent most of the morning on the phone. I didn't want to be running around all day attempting to catch someone if I had to get dressed up tonight. Usually when I chased someone down, I end up getting scraped, bruised, dirty, or cut up. And any one of those would ruin the look of my dress. So I spent the morning hanging around Ranger's apartment trying to track down my FTA by phone.

Ranger had mentioned last night that he was going to have lunch in his office so he could finish all his paperwork, since he'd be leaving early tonight. I don't think he knows that normal people don't work overtime on Sundays, but this was Ranger and he wasn't even close to normal. At twelve, I took the elevator down to the fifth floor, and walked past the control room waving to the men I knew on the way to Ranger's office. He was on the phone when I stepped into his doorway. Ranger acknowledged my appearance with a smile. The smile got bigger when I settled myself into the chair across from his desk.

He wrapped up the phone call."Babe."

"I needed to stretch my legs," I told him."And I thought I'd see if you'd had lunch already."

"No," Ranger said."I haven't had a chance yet."

"It's a good thing I came down. We wouldn't want you fainting from hunger."

"I don't faint," Ranger said.

No kidding. I don't think Ranger's body would do anything without his permission first.

I left Ranger and headed to the little kitchen where Ella kept food stocked for the Rangemen. I grabbed a couple of sandwiches and two bottles of water and went back to Ranger's office. I handed him a sandwich and a bottle of water.

"So," I said, unwrapping my sandwich. I'd chosen chicken sandwiches, and while I'll admit that it was pretty with it's ruffled lettuce, ripe tomato, and more than likely fat-free mayo, it would have looked so much better with a few pieces of bacon on it."What's the plan for tonight?"

Ranger took a bite of his sandwich."The dinner is at six," he said."We need be there early so we'll have a chance to grab him before the food is served. I'd like to leave before five."

I looked at my watch. Four hours to get ready. It could be done, I thought, but I'd have to hurry.

When we finished eating, I stood and gathered up the trash."I should get going if I want to be ready in time."

"I'll be up in a little while," Ranger told me."I have some paperwork to get through before I leave for the night."

I walked around Ranger's desk with the intention of giving him a quick kiss, but Ranger had other ideas. As soon as my lips touched his and I started to pull away, Ranger held me in place with a hand on my neck, deepening the kiss. When his tongue stroked mine, I forgot for a moment that we were in his office. That's not good when everything in the control room is on camera.

Ranger lifted his head, and there was a slight curve to the corners of his mouth."That was much better," he said to me, letting me take a step back.

"I'm leaving now," I told him, quickly walking out of his office before I either kicked him in the knee or threw myself at him.

I took a shower. I blow-dried my hair, all the while trying to figure out what to do with it. I knew I wanted to wear it up, but figuring out how was the hard part. After fifteen minutes of pulling, pinning, and spraying I finally succeeded, so I quickly moved on to my makeup and nails. By the time Ranger showed up, all I had left to do was slip into my dress and shoes.

"I like the new look," Ranger said, checking out the combination of my hair effort and the bathrobe I was still wearing.

I narrowed my eyes."Are you mocking me?"

"No, Babe," Ranger said."I like how you fill out my robe."

Oh boy."Are you going to have enough time to get dressed?" I asked Ranger.

Ranger looked at his watch."Yes," he said."All I have to do is take a quick shower."

I've just spent the last couple hours doing my hair, choosing and putting on the right makeup, painting my nails. Not to mention the hours spent shopping for something to wear in the first place. And all Ranger had to do was take a shower. In fifteen minutes he'd be ready to go. And since it was Ranger, he'd look perfect, too. I sometimes wondered if Ranger and God had some kind of deal worked out. It would explain a lot.

Ranger went to take a shower and I pulled the dress out of it's bag. I dropped it over my head and smoothed it down. I stepped into my shoes and buckled the straps. I was just finishing putting my faux diamond earrings on when Ranger came back into the bedroom.

I gave Ranger a little spin."What do you think?" I asked him.

Ranger did a full body scan on me. His eyes dilated black, and he took a step toward me.

I put my hand up stopping him."What are you doing?" I asked him.

"I just want to get a closer look," Ranger said, his eyes focused on my chest.

"I know what you want," I said to Ranger."And it isn't about just getting a look. Lula was right."

Ranger finally lifted his eyes back to mine."Right about what?"

"Lula said that once you saw me in this dress we might not make it to the dinner."

Ranger smiled, his hand on my waist."We have a little time," he said.

"No we don't," I said, trying to sound firm, but the truth was, Ranger was looking pretty darn good himself. He had on a perfectly tailored tux, minus the jacket. I've seen Ranger in SWAT clothes, jeans and a T-shirt, and nothing at all. And while nothing could top Ranger being naked, a tux was a close second. To me, and probably every other woman on earth, just looking at Ranger in formal wear could cause an instant orgasm. I've always thought that the only thing better than a man wearing a tux was getting the man out of a tux, so I had to agree with him. I wouldn't have minded skipping the dinner altogether, either.

Ranger wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my neck."I bet I could change your mind," Ranger whispered close to my ear.

I slid my hands up his chest, feeling the coolness of the white dress shirt he wore."You could. But you might lose your skip if you do."

"It's not fair to look this beautiful and not let me do anything about it," Ranger said as he stepped back from me."But unfortunately, you're right. We'll pick this up when we get back."

I watched Ranger shrug into his tuxedo jacket. Yep, I thought, fifteen minutes and he looked perfect. He definitely made a deal with somebody.

Ranger followed me out of the bedroom and down the hallway to the front door. He grabbed a set of keys before escorting me into the elevator. The doors closed behind us, and Ranger glanced at the camera.

"I hope none of our accounts have a break in right now," Ranger said,"because every eye in the control room will be glued to this monitor."

I smiled up at him."You think you look that good?" I asked him.

Ranger's lips curved up a little at the corners."Not me, Babe. You. Half my men are already in love with you. And this dress will ensure that the other half will be, too."

"And here I was thinking that the men were following me around only because you told them to."

"That had better be the only reason they do."

The elevator doors opened and I gasped. Ranger must have met with the car fairy again, because in front of me was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. Even better than the one I had. It was a black Mercedes CL550 coupe. And I was in love.

Ranger opened the passenger door for me and I settled into the leather seat."Where do you get all these cars on such short notice?" I asked Ranger as he slid behind the wheel.

"I have a source," he said.

I figured I didn't really want to know any more about what kind of source he was referring to, so I dropped the subject. We made the ten minute drive without saying much. Ranger was in his zone, and I was trying to figure out how the evening would play out. Are we going to wait until the end of the night to grab Tavish? Cuff him as soon as we see him? I didn't know. But I knew Ranger. He probably had it all planned out, and would tell me what he wanted me to do when he was ready for me.

The dinner was being held in the Washington Ballroom at the Trenton Country Club Clubhouse. The Clubhouse was a colonial mansion built in 1808. It was a beautiful building, but somehow seemed out of place here in Jersey. It looked like it belonged somewhere in Georgia on an oak lined driveway, not in the middle of a New Jersey golf course.

We followed a line of cars up the long drive to the Clubhouse. There was valet parking for the event and we waited patiently for our turn. By the time the passenger door was finally opened for me by one of the valets, I was starting to feel like Cinderella at the ball five minutes before the clock struck twelve.

Ranger settled his hand at the small of my back, and escorted me into the building."We stay together at all times," Ranger said in my ear."As soon as it's possible, we grab our guy and get out."

Fine with me, I thought. We stepped into the foyer of the clubhouse, and it was wall-to-wall people. I had no clue how we were going to spot Tavish. I had a hard enough time seeing the person in front of me. I turned my head to look at Ranger, who thankfully kept a hand at my waist so we wouldn't be separated.

"How are we supposed to find Steven Tavish in this crowd?" I asked him.

I felt Ranger's lips at my ear again."The crowd will thin out once we're inside the ballroom."

I was hoping he was right, because right now spotting one man among this sea of tuxes seemed next to impossible.

We followed the stream of people past the double stair case and into the ballroom. The ballroom was large enough to accommodate a bar, complete with bartender at the ready, a hardwood dance floor that could easily fit at least a hundred people, and a whole slew of linen covered tables that took up the rest of the room. It wasn't really my kind of thing, but it was beautiful none the less.

The tickets for the event had table numbers on them, not quite assigned seating, but close enough. We found our table and sat down.

"What do we do now?" I asked Ranger.

"We sit here for a few minutes and see if we can spot Tavish," Ranger said."If we don't, we'll try the dance floor."

I turned my head and looked at him."You can dance?" I didn't know why I was surprised by this. Ranger could do, and was good at, everything.

"Yes," Ranger said to me, lifting my hand to his lips,"I can dance."

His lips brushed my knuckles as he was talking, and I was starting to now get worried about dancing with Ranger. I was having a hard time concentrating with Ranger's lips touching my hand. What would happen when we danced and every other part of our bodies would be touching? I wasn't sure if I was looking forward to it or dreading it.

We stayed seated until most of the guests were settled either in their seats or on the dance floor.

"I don't see him," I whispered to Ranger, since we were no longer alone at the table.

"I don't, either," Ranger said."On to Plan B."

"And that would be dancing?"

"Yes," Ranger said,"that would be dancing. We'll be able to move around. And we'll also be able to see more of the room."

Ranger stood and pulled my chair out for me before leading me to the dance floor."If this capture is a bust at least I'll have had the chance to dance with you," Ranger said to me.

While I was happy beyond words that he had said that, I wasn't exactly sure what to say back. So I went with humor and broke the seriousness of the moment.

"I guess it's a good thing Tank isn't your partner for this job," I said to Ranger,"it would have been a little awkward."

"Yeah. And Tank wouldn't have looked as good in that dress as you do."

I laughed at the thought of Tank in a red sparkly dress, then grimaced when I actually visualized it. It wasn't a pretty picture.

Ranger took me in his arms just as the song changed into a something slow. I was right in worrying about dancing with Ranger. His body kept brushing against mine, and I was afraid my eyes were starting to glaze over. Not good when you're supposed to be on the lookout for someone. As a distraction from Ranger, I was watching the people around us on the floor. I thought it was good that I wasn't really the jealous type, because the women, I noticed, were not shy in checking out Ranger. Okay, I am the jealous type, but I couldn't blame them. He did look hot. I've pretty much gotten used to ogling women by now; having been with Morelli who was close in the hot department. And now with Ranger. I pressed myself closer to Ranger, and enjoyed my good fortune, not being one to question my luck if I had any.

I scanned the bar area briefly, and to my surprise, my eyes collided with Steven Tavish. He gave me a smile, that I'm sure has broken many hearts, and tipped his drink to me. I stiffened in Ranger's arms.

"What?" Ranger asked me, feeling my body suddenly go still.

I looked up at him."I just found our guy."

"Where?"

"He's standing next to a table by the bar talking to an older man sitting at the table," I told him. I didn't think it would be a good idea to tell Ranger about the smile and the drink salute.

"Probably drumming up business," Ranger said."I don't want him to suspect why we're here, so we'll stay out here for a few more minutes. Just try to keep him in your sight."

"Sure," I said."No problem." Yeah, right. Like I was going to be able to see him when the song ends, and everyone goes back to their tables. Did I mention that the place was packed?

I rested my chin on Ranger's shoulder, enjoying this time with him all the while keeping my eye on Tavish without seeming to. The song ended a few minutes later, and just as I feared, people moved between the dance floor and the tables and I could no longer see Tavish.

"Crap!" I said.

"What?" Ranger asked, pulling back a little to look at me.

"I lost him," I said.

"It's still early," Ranger said."We'll let the next song play out. By then most of the people should be sitting down again."

He was right. We'll have plenty of opportunities to catch Steven Tavish tonight. Having reassured myself of that, I relaxed into Ranger's arms. He pressed a kiss to my temple and rested his cheek against the side of my head. With Ranger's body warm against mine, and his arms strong around me, I completely understood why dancing was long ago considered foreplay.

Five minutes later, people were returning to their seats. And there was still no sign of Tavish anywhere. He seemed to be acting flirty with me earlier, maybe I'd have a better chance of drawing him out and away from the other guests if I wasn't with Ranger.

"How about I wander around alone for a few minutes," I said to Ranger."Maybe I can start him talking and you can grab him."

Ranger cut his eyes to me."I don't think that's a good idea," he said.

"Why not?"

"I don't want you alone with this guy."

"Jeez," I said, rolling my eyes."I only suggested talking to him, not sleeping with him."

"Babe," Ranger said,"he's not going to be thinking of much else."

"I'm sure the man can have a simple conversation without wanting to jump my bones," I said to Ranger. See, it was smart not to have told Ranger about the smile/salute thing, since it would have kind of hurt my argument.

"All right," Ranger said."We'll try it your way, but I want you to keep in mind that this guy looks innocent enough, but he has killed people. If he does anything to make you feel uncomfortable walk away. This takedown isn't worth you getting hurt over."

"Fine by me," I told him. I didn't really want to talk to Tavish at all, never mind alone. But this seemed like the quickest way to an apprehension.

"I don't want to chance him spotting me and trying to run," Ranger said."But I will be following close behind you."

"As long as you aren't going to be too far away," I said to Ranger."Because the only weapons I have are my knee, and these shoes."

Ranger smiled."Don't worry, Babe, as always, my eyes will be on you the entire time," Ranger said. He kissed me lightly before blending in with the crowd.

I took a deep breath, and started moving toward the foyer. I turned to see if I could spot Ranger and bumped into a smiling, blond guy. I was right. Tavish had been purposely waiting until I was alone to approach me. I didn't know exactly where Ranger was, but I could tell by the way my body tingled that he was close by. Just knowing he was watching gave me the courage I needed to pull this off.

"Hi," I said to Tavish, giving him a smile that was more friendly than flirty. I wanted to talk him, but I didn't want to encourage him too much.

"Hi yourself," he said to me, his eyes giving my body a very thorough once-over."I saw you walk in and knew that I had to meet you."

Ulk. The thought that he's been watching me the whole time made my stomach feel queasy.

"Steven Tavish," he said, holding out his hand.

"Stephanie," I told him. I was hoping he wouldn't notice that I had purposely not given him my last name. I didn't want to take a chance on him recognizing me or my name.

He took my hand in his and kissed it. He also waited a beat too long in releasing it. Great. Now I have creepy murder guy cooties on my hand. This wasn't turning out good. Maybe now wasn't the best time to try apprehending him, I thought. I was suddenly nervous about being alone with this guy.

I tugged my hand loose."I should be getting back," I said, taking a step away from him.

He closed the distance between us and grabbed my arm. His grip wasn't tight enough to hurt, but it was firm enough to let me know that he didn't want me to leave just yet.

"What's the rush?" He asked."We haven't had a chance to get to know each other."

"My boyfriend will be looking for me if I'm gone too long," I said. And it wasn't entirely untrue."He wouldn't like seeing me talking to another guy." Again, not entirely untrue. Ranger probably had his hand on his gun right about now. I had to get away from Tavish without causing a scene. Also without Ranger shooting him for grabbing me, which I had to admit was appealing at the moment.

He still had hold of my arm and I felt his fingers tighten. Tavish apparently wasn't used to not getting his way.

"Seems to me like you need a new boyfriend," he said."One who isn't so possessive."

Even as he was saying this, he was pulling me towards the door.

"Are you all right?" I heard Ranger ask from behind Tavish, his eyes on the hand wrapped around my arm. Ranger's face didn't show any emotion, but his voice sent a chill down my spine. Tavish must have picked up on the tone of Ranger's voice, because he immediately dropped my arm.

"Yes," I told Ranger, rubbing the spot where Tavish's fingers had dug in. I was fairly certain I'd have finger-size bruises forming there in a few minutes. I stepped around Tavish and stood close to Ranger. Ranger circled my waist with his arm without taking his gaze off of Tavish.

"We were just talking," Tavish said, obviously recognizing the danger he was in.

"Didn't look like just talking from where I was standing," Ranger said, his voice deathly calm."Maybe someone needs to talk to you to about keeping your hands to yourself."

"I swear, I wasn't going to do anything to her," Tavish said."I was just escorting her back inside."

"It's okay," I said to Ranger,"I'm fine. Let's just forget about this and go back to our table." I mentally had my fingers crossed that Ranger would pick up on my subtle, 'lets wait to grab the bad guy until you're not so tempted to shoot him' plea. I looked up at Ranger, and a knot formed in my stomach. Ranger wasn't going to let this go.

"See," Tavish said,"she's fine. If you'll excuse me ..."

As he started to walk away, Ranger let go of me and clamped a hand down on Tavish's shoulder, stopping him."I think we need to have a discussion. Outside," Ranger said to Tavish. And he steered Steven Tavish toward the front entrance.

I followed slowly behind them not knowing what to expect. I wasn't sure if Ranger was going to arrest him or beat the crap out of him. Probably both.

By the time I made it outside, Ranger was standing next to Tank who was quickly cuffing Tavish. Tavish was breathing as though he were in pain. I took a closer look and realized he wasn't exactly standing upright, either. I decided I wasn't going to ask what happened. I preferred at the moment not to know. I looked around for any possible witnesses, but it was eerily quiet outside the Clubhouse. No valets, no people in fancy gowns, no cars with headlights shining. Only the four of us. The only sound, it seemed, was that of Tavish's labored breathing.

Ranger handed the keys to the Mercedes to Tank."Take the car back to Rangeman," Ranger told Tank."I'm going to personally see to it that gets to the police station." Ranger looked over at me."Would you rather go with Tank back to Rangeman?" He asked.

"No," I told him."I'll go with you."

Ranger loaded Tavish into a standard issue Rangeman SUV, and we took off for the station.

I looked in the rearview mirror at the now quiet Tavish sitting in the backseat, and cut my eyes to Ranger."What happened back there?"

"Mr. Tavish seemed to have a little trouble walking."

"Was this before or after you had a 'talk' with him?"

Ranger looked over at me."Do you really want to know?"

"No," I said, sighing,"I guess I don't."

Fifteen minutes later, we were pulling up to the Trenton PD. It was too late to use the front door, so Ranger parked close to the drop off entrance at the back of the building. I pushed the intercom button at the door, and informed the officer on duty that we had a skip to bring in while Ranger got Tavish out of the back of the SUV.

The door buzzed opened, and we escorted Tavish into the building. I hadn't thought about it on the way over here, but now I was very much aware of the way we were dressed. I'd grown up with half the people who worked here. And I've probably had some memorable encounters with the other. I knew I was in for some relentless teasing from whoever was on duty tonight. I took a deep breath, and steeled myself for what was about to happen.

We handed Tavish over to a uniformed officer. And then, while we were walking to the desk to get our body receipt, it started. A loud, shrill whistle filled the area.

"Lookin' good, Steph," Big Dog said.

I went to school with Big Dog's partner, Carl Castanza. And if Big Dog was here then, unfortunately, so was Carl. Great.

"Jeez, Steph," Carl said,"you didn't have to get all prettied up on our account."

I rolled my eyes at them, and glanced up at Ranger. The corners of his mouth were turned up ever so slightly. He thought this was funny. The jerk.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" I asked Ranger, as more people filled the hallway.

"Yes," Ranger said to me, amusement obvious in his voice.

"Hey Eddie," Carl yelled,"Come check out Steph. She must think she's in the Vegas PD or something."

Eddie Gazarra came and stood beside Carl and Big Dog."Yup," he said."Vegas for sure. What's the occasion? Are you Cluck-in-a-Bucket's three-millionth customer?" Eddie, Carl, and Big Dog all started laughing at that one.

"Shouldn't you do something?" I asked Ranger."What happened to wanting to shoot anyone who harasses me."

"They're just having a little fun, Babe," Ranger said."They're harmless."

"You're wearing a tux in case you forgot," I said to Ranger."Why aren't they having any fun at your expense?"

"They know better," Ranger said.

I gave Ranger one of my best Burg glares and placed my hands on my hips. I saw the flash of white as he smiled at me before his blank expression came down, and he turned towards Big Dog and Carl.

They looked first at Ranger then at me before gulping and finding something more pressing to do than teasing me.

"What's going on?" Another voice joined in. Shit! It was Morelli. As if things weren't going bad enough tonight.

Eddie who has known me forever, and is semi-related, wasn't as easy to intimidate. Probably he was feeling brave since he was a cop and was standing in a police station, and knew that Ranger wouldn't kill him in the middle of one."Stephanie was just dropping off a skip and she got all dressed up for the occasion," he said.

Morelli came into my line of sight. I saw his eyes dilate black, as he looked me over, before he caught himself. I snuck a peek at Ranger hoping he didn't notice the look, but he was talking to the docket lieutenant and didn't appear to notice. Of course, knowing Ranger, he was seeing and hearing everything that was going on.

Eddie finally went back to work, still laughing, and Morelli walked over to me.

"Who's the guy?" Morelli asked me.

"Steven Tavish," I told him."He's wanted for shaking down old people for money."

"And the dress?"

"We caught up with him at Senator Cambell's benefit dinner."

Morelli's eyes hardened when he spotted the bruises on my arm. He cut his eyes to Ranger.

"It wasn't Ranger," I said to Morelli."I know you two don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, but you know Ranger would never physically harm me. Jeez."

"Who was it then?" Morelli wanted to know, the line of his mouth tight.

Here we go again, I thought. I mean, I appreciate all the concern and everything, I really do, but I think there has been entirely too much testosterone flowing tonight.

"It was no big deal," I said."Tavish got a little grabby for a minute, but no one got hurt."

"You've got bruises on your arm and you're telling me no one got hurt?" Morelli said, his eyes hardening.

"I've had worse," I said. And it was true. I've been shot, burned, was chased by a drunk guy holding a chainsaw, and had my shirt lit on fire while I was still wearing it. So you can see why a few bruises on my arm wasn't anything to get upset about.

"I'm going to make sure Tavish gets to his cell okay," Morelli said after a beat.

"No! I'm pretty sure between Ranger and Tank, he doesn't need anymore lessons in etiquette tonight."

For the first time since we started talking, Morelli smiled.

"Men!" I said, in total frustration."You're all acting like cavemen. I can take care of myself, in case you've all forgotten. And if I'm not going to make a big deal out this, than neither should any of you." I said all this knowing, that if Ranger hadn't shown up when he did, I would have pushed Tavish's nuts clear up into his throat. But I figured that was different, since I had a legitimate reason to hurt the guy.

Ranger got his body receipt and made his way back to me. He nodded to Morelli."Are you ready to go home?" He asked me.

I was pretty sure Ranger used the word home just to annoy Morelli. And seeing as how Morelli's cop face slid into place; the one that blocked out emotion, I'd say Ranger scored a direct hit.

There's a lot of professional respect between Morelli and Ranger, but beyond that there had always been an underlining competition between the two of them. They're both in law enforcement. One lives by the book. And the other lives by his own sense of right and wrong. Which, more times than not, puts them on opposing sides. And I'd have to say that the driving force for the competition is me. Not that I'm full of myself or anything. It's just that when I was with Morelli, a lot of our arguments were concerning my relationship with Ranger. Morelli had always said that Ranger was dangerous. Whether he meant a danger to our relationship or a danger to my life, I was never sure. Probably both. And I couldn't blame him, really. Ranger had tried to move in on Morelli more times than I could count. And Ranger has made his fair share of enemies over the years. So all the fights Morelli and I'd gotten into were justified. And now that I was with Ranger, the tension between the two of them has escalated.

I blew out a sigh."Yeah," I said."I'm ready."

Morelli locked eyes with me for a beat, his eyes softening."It was nice seeing you," Morelli said. And, ignoring my don't-make-a-big-deal-out-of-this speech, Morelli collected Tavish and led him away.

"What was that about?" Ranger asked me when we were back inside the Mercedes.

"What was what about?"

"Your conversation with Morelli."

"Oh, that," I said."He saw the bruises on my arm and wanted to know who put them there."

"Let me make a guess," Ranger said."He asked if I caused them?"

"Morelli knows you wouldn't do that," I thought I'd effectively avoided the question. I thought wrong.

"That's not what I'd asked," Ranger said, looking over at me.

"He might have asked something like that at first," I said."But once he calmed down, he knew you weren't responsible."

"He was probably pissed that he didn't have a reason to arrest me," Ranger said on a smile.

"That's not funny," I said."Morelli doesn't want to arrest you. He still cares about me, and he knows that arresting you wouldn't be good if he wanted to keep any good feelings between us. Or if he wanted to keep all the parts he was born with."

"Yes," Ranger said."But, Babe, my being in jail would keep me away from you. And I don't think Morelli cares right now about anything else."

"Morelli and I have been broken up for a while now," I told Ranger."He's moved on."

"Is that what you think?" Ranger asked me.

"Don't you?" I asked.

"No," Ranger said."I think he'd get back with you in a heartbeat if you showed the slightest interest."

"Well, I guess we'll never know then," I said,"because I haven't showed the slightest interest." The last thing I need right now is Ranger wanted by the police for murdering Morelli.

Ranger pulled out of the lot, and we made the ride back to Rangeman without either of us mentioning Morelli again. I didn't know if that was good or bad. I was going with good. Maybe Ranger honestly believed Morelli wasn't going to be an issue between us. I didn't care to think about any other possibilities.

Ranger turned into Rangeman, and parked the SUV in a spot near his truck. Normally the SUV would've been parked in the employee lot with the other fleet vehicles, but Ranger was all about safety. Especially my safety. He wasn't about to park the SUV there, since that lot was further away from the building. I'm sure as soon as we entered the the elevator some poor Rangeman guy would have to come out and move it to it's rightful place among the multitude of shiny black cars.

We got out of the car, and Ranger wrapped an arm around me walking me to the elevator.

"Tonight was nice," I said to Ranger, leaning into him,"until we met up with Tavish."

"Yeah," Ranger said."That could have gone better."

"You do realize I would have handled him," I said, looking up at Ranger."You didn't have to step in."

"Steph," Ranger said,"he put his hands on you."

"Technically," I said to Ranger,"he had only one hand on me."

Ranger gave me a dark look.

I blew out a breath."I was trying not to cause a scene," I told him."But if he hadn't let go of me, he more than likely would've been walking funny. And he probably wouldn't have been able to father any children. You don't need to worry about me so much."

"Babe, I love you, so I'm always going to worry about you," Ranger said."You might as well get used to it."

I knew I wasn't going to win, but hearing him say that helped with the feelings of defeat.

The elevator opened on the seventh floor. Ranger unlocked his apartment door and followed me inside. I heard Ranger's keys hit the silver dish and a second later a heavy thud along side it that I was guessing was his gun. Then Ranger was pressed against my back, his arms crossed under my breasts. He kissed the nape of my neck and I shivered. I felt him smile against me when he felt my reaction to the kiss. With Ranger, it didn't take a lot.

"Now getting back to what we were discussing before we had to leave."

I smiled at that. I knew exactly what we'd been talking about. And so did my body."I don't know if I remember what we were discussing," I said to Ranger.

His lips moved to my ear."Do you need a reminder?" he asked, his voice dropping to sexy whisper.

That particular tone never failed to raise goose bumps over my entire body.

"Maybe you could give me a little hint," I said to Ranger, my voice sounding strained even to my own ears."It might come back to me."

"I think I can do better than a hint," Ranger said. He turned me in his arms, and his mouth came down on mine. I wrapped my arms around Ranger's neck and leaned into him, letting him support my weight. I felt his hands at my back, and the sound of my zipper being lowered was loud in the otherwise quiet apartment. Ranger's hands slid across my now bare skin. His hands were warm, and his touch was gentle.

"Cold?" Ranger asked me, his lips grazing mine.

"Not nearly," I said.

"Maybe we should move this to the bedroom," Ranger said.

And before I could manage an answer, Ranger scooped me up, and carried me down the hall. My arms were still around him and when he set me down, I was pressed up against him once more. Ranger slid the straps to my dress off my shoulders, and the dress pooled at my feet, leaving me in my red thong, thigh-high stockings, and four-inch heels.

Ranger looked me over slowly, his eyes darkening."You're so beautiful, Babe," he said.

"You don't look so bad yourself," I whispered. My hands moved up the wall of his chest, and I slid his jacket off of him before working the buttons of his shirt."But you're a little overdressed."

Ranger laughed softly."Steph, that's not a problem from where I'm standing."

I pressed a kiss to his now exposed chest."Well it's a problem for me," I said.

"Glad you think so," Ranger said, softly.

When my hands got to the waistband of his pants, Ranger pushed my hands away and urged me to lie back on the bed. I raised myself up my elbows and watched with interest, as Ranger stripped off his dress pants before joining me on the bed. He made short work of my remaining clothes, which was impressive because the ankle straps on my shoes were tiny. Ranger took his time. The places that he wasn't kissing on my body, his hands were touching and stroking until I felt my stomach, along with a few other places, clench impatiently. We kept our eyes locked on each other when he covered my body with his, pressing me into the mattress. As soon as Ranger started moving, I felt mine close and I was afraid they may never open again.

I was lying limply on my side with Ranger's body curled around mine. His arm was thrown across my chest, his hand lightly curled around my breast. And while his breathing was measured and even, mine was in the never-want-to-move-again range.

Ranger nuzzled my neck, kissing the spot just below my ear."You're being awfully quiet," Ranger said, against my ear.

"Talking requires moving," I said to Ranger."I don't want to move for the next fifty years."

Ranger kissed my shoulder, and his thumb brushed back and forth across my nipple. I know it was Ranger and everything, but I didn't think he could possibly have anything left.

"You can't be serious?" I said. I barely got the words out, because Ranger's hands were already skimming my body.

"I couldn't be any more serious," Ranger said, flipping me onto my back. And when his lips moved below my navel, I knew exactly how serious Ranger was.

Ranger's alarm rang shrilly in the predawn darkness. He rolled away from me and turned it off.

"Do you have to get up already?" I asked squinting in the general direction of the clock.

Ranger gathered me close to him again."I have a few minutes."

"How many minutes," I asked, kissing his jaw.

"As many as you need, Babe."

Hmm. That sounded promising. I'm not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination but, with Ranger, there are some perks to waking up early.

A half hour later, Ranger was in the shower, and I was trying hard to find the energy to get up. None of my body parts were thrilled at the thought of moving. Only knowing that Ella would be knocking on the door soon with breakfast gave me the boost I needed to roll out of bed. I debated getting dressed, but decided it was easier just to throw on a pair of sweats and a tank top. In any other place, being awake at this hour would be a miracle, never mind being dressed and coherent. But at Rangeman, everyone was up well before the sun.

Like clockwork, I heard Ella's knock at the front door. I took the breakfast tray from her and headed for the kitchen. Ella has been known to stray from the norm when I've had a more disastrous day than normal. On one particular morning, after a hostage incident with a former FTA of mine, Ella whipped up a batch of french toast for me. She thought the sugar would help me feel better, and get me through the day. And she was right! Today was one of Ranger's usual breakfast. Egg white omelet, complete with vegetables, dry whole-wheat toast, and fresh fruit beautifully sliced. Ella had taken pity on me and had made a turkey sausage and low fat cheese omelet for me instead.

I was pouring coffee when Ranger came into the kitchen. He was dressed in Rangeman gear, black cargo pants, tight black T-shirt that clung to the muscles of his chest, black Bates boots, and black gun and holster. I'd worked with Ranger for a while before we ever slept together. And I felt that I knew him pretty well. But every so often I get caught off guard by how intimidating he can actually look. He looked deadly. Even his still damp hair didn't help detract from the image.

Ranger smiled at me, his eyes crinkling a little at the corners. And he went from looking like Rambo setting off on a mission, to looking like an incredibly sexy guy whose mission was ... me.

I smiled back at him as he walked to where I was standing at the little kitchen bar. He dropped a light kiss on my mouth, and sat down in the stool next to me.

"You look like you'll be out on the street today," I said to Ranger.

"I have a few accounts to check on, but I should be back in the office by lunchtime," Ranger said."If you don't have any plans, we can have lunch together."

"Sounds good," I said."I'm going to have to check in first at the office. If Connie doesn't have anything urgent for me, I'll meet you back here."

Ranger spooned up some fresh fruit onto his plate and I loaded up a piece of toast with fruit for when I finished my omelet, thinking that was as close to a dessert as I was going to get here, and we dug in.

"So, what's up with our dinner date?" I asked Ranger.

"He'll probably be in court this morning," Ranger said."From what I hear, if he does manage to make bail, it'll be set too high for him to pay."

"Just for stealing money from people?" It sounded a little extreme in my opinion. I've seen murderers, and gang members make bail. And very low bail half the time.

"Although he's never been convicted, he has had murder charges brought against him," Ranger said to me.

"I guess that makes sense," I said.

I'm not exactly sure what he was planning on doing to me last night if he'd gotten me alone. And I was getting some scary vibes from him, but he just looks so normal. All that blond hair and big smile. Of course, he wasn't smiling when he had hold of my arm.

"Earth to, Babe," Ranger said to me.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts."I was thinking," I said to Ranger.

"That's always dangerous."

"Very funny."

"How's your arm feeling?" Ranger asked, reaching for my wrist, and looking down at my arm.

"It's a little sore, but it's nothing to fuss over," I said to him."I seem to recall getting shot in the arm, and you telling me I only needed a Band-Aid. And now you're concerned over a couple little bruises?"

"They aren't all that little, Babe," Ranger said, still holding my arm, kissing the inside of my wrist.

"But they are just bruises," I said."And I have a feeling that Tavish is in more pain than me this morning."

"He's a big boy," Ranger said."He can take it."

"Hmm," I said. I wish I could say that I felt sorry for him, but I didn't.

Ranger pressed a kiss to my knuckles before returning my hand to the table. He finished the last of his coffee and stood."I have to get to work."

I stood, too, and followed him to the door.

"I'll call if I can't make it back," Ranger said to me.

"Sure."

Ranger picked up his keys with his left hand, and used a fingertip of his right hand to tilt my face up. He kissed me gently before pulling away.

"Later, Babe," Ranger said, closing the door behind him.