I own nothing except any and all mistakes

It was just after one in the morning when Ranger's mobile phone rang. He wasn't asleep – hadn't really slept much for a while – and he wasn't doing anything in particular, but he still didn't answer.

He knew it was her without looking at the display. She'd been calling almost every day for the past two weeks. Since the day Ranger sent her home with Morelli so he could take care of the Eddie Abruzzi problem.

He'd been carefully avoiding her for those fourteen days; sending Tank to Vinnie's for files, staying away from her frequent haunts and of course, ignoring her calls. Ranger let them to go voicemail and then deleted the messages without even listening to them.

It wasn't fair to her, he knew that. He also knew how much of a coward it made him and yet he did it anyway, hoping she would eventually give up.

But Stephanie, among other things, was incredibly tenacious. It was part of the reason he'd been drawn to her in the first place. She rarely quit anything she set her mind on accomplishing and that is why his phone was ringing in the middle of the night. He wouldn't answer during the day so she was trying a new tactic, probably hoping to catch him off guard enough this late that he'd answer.

He took a drink from the bottle of water sitting on the table next to the phone and thought about the dangerous game he'd been playing with her. He hadn't realized until she gave in how far it had actually gone. It was when he'd taken her to bed, the second he'd buried himself deep inside her that he knew he'd made a huge mistake.

He'd gotten too close, let himself care about her too much, and if he was being truly honest, he'd let himself fall in love with her. Ranger wasn't even sure how it had happened. He'd never let himself get so involved with someone before. Sure, he'd been with his fair share of women over the years, there was no denying that, and they had always been more than willing to get into bed with him, but there was never anything thing after that - he never even bothered to learn most of their names.

The only exception had been the Mother of his daughter. And Stephanie Plum.

Ranger had wanted her the second she walked into that diner the day they met. It had surprised him; he normally didn't have that instant of an attraction to anyone. There was obviously something different about Stephanie. He didn't know what it was or how he'd let her get inside his head and he didn't know what to do about it.

All he knew was he couldn't sleep because every time he closed his eyes he saw her face.

He stared at the phone that was still ringing and vibrating against the glass of his coffee table.

It would be so easy to not answer. And then tomorrow, he could get his phone number changed. But it was one in the morning and she could be in trouble or hurt or….

The phone rang for the fifth time and with a sigh of resignation, he finally picked it up and pressed the answer button.

"Yo."

"Yo yourself," she replied and he almost smiled.

"Babe."

"Finally stopped avoiding me, huh?" He grimaced, wondering how it was she always seemed to see right through him.

"Everything okay?" Ranger asked, ignoring the jab. "Normally you're asleep and drooling on your pillow this time of night."

"Funny," she remarked caustically and he could picture her rolling her eyes. "Some things are okay – some aren't."

He heard a tone in her voice he couldn't quite identify and it had him removing his bare feet from the coffee table and sitting up straighter on the couch.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

"Yes…and no," she replied.

He was silent for a beat, trying to figure out what was going on inside her head. "You're being a little vague, Babe."

She let out a short laugh and he determined it was nervousness he was hearing. He shouldn't be surprised; he knew he made her nervous. He made most women nervous.

"Yeah, sorry," she said. "I don't need rescuing or anything but I do need help figuring out some things."

Uh-oh, he thought. That sounded like something emotional. Ranger had made a promise to himself to keep a physical, and most importantly, an emotional distance from her and helping her 'figure things out' didn't lend itself to keeping that promise.

He needed to end this conversation. He should have never answered the damn phone in the first place. Glib and chauvinistic – that always pissed her off.

"Is this one of those emotional girl things?" He asked and then shook his head. He was an asshole.

She was quiet for so long, he thought she might have hung up – which he hoped she had - but then she said, "Can we talk in person?"

No! No. Shit. The last thing he needed was to actually see her. He was fairly certain if Stephanie was within arm's reach of him he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off of her and then he'd end up in her bed - and in her - and then he'd walk away and he just couldn't do that to her again.

"Ranger?"

Shit. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" She demanded and he could hear the slight tremor that indicated she was on the verge of tears. He hated when she cried.

Ranger's eyes closed briefly while he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Is this really important to you?"

"Yes," she replied with no hesitation.

Damn it. He was going to cave. He knew he was going to cave. "Right now?"

"Yes," she said again.

He silently blew out a breath. Why couldn't he ever say no to her? "I'll be there in twenty."

"Wait!" she exclaimed as he was about to hang up.

"Babe?"

"You always come over here. Can I come to you?"

That got him up on his feet, his body tense. She had never been to his place – he didn't even think she knew where it was. This was not a good idea. He'd never had any women in his apartment - mostly because the entire building was monitored and he didn't want to hear shit from his men about having a woman over when they weren't allowed - but really, it was because it was always easier for him to leave when he wasn't in his own place.

"Earth to Ranger," she said impatiently into his ear.

Why couldn't he say no? "Got a pen?"

Ranger gave her directions and instructions on how to enter the building and then began pacing around his living room after she disconnected with the promise to be over soon. His feet finally took him to his computer where he settled into his desk chair so he wouldn't wear a path through the floor. He should have never agreed to this. He shouldn't have answered his phone.

Vince was working the front desk and called Ranger the second Stephanie appeared at the lobby door.

He realized this would be his last chance to end what he'd let get out of hand between them. He could have Vince send her away. She would be upset. She would cry, he knew, and then she would get mad and probably not want to talk to him ever again. That would be ideal.

Then he could go back to the life he had before he met her. He could forget the feeling of running his fingers through the riotous mass of her curly dark hair or how his lips tingled for what seemed like hours after he kissed her impossibly soft lips. He could forget the way his heart did a somersault in his chest whenever he saw her smile and most of all, he could forget how it felt to be inside her, how her eyes widened as he slid into what, for the first time in his life, felt like home.

He could forget she ever existed.

Something clenched inside his chest at that thought and he swallowed a lump that had suddenly developed in his throat.

"Send her up," he instructed Vince and then quietly set the receiver back into the cradle.

Ranger watched her ascent in the elevator from the monitor on his desk. She was wearing that indigo shirt; the one that drove him nearly out of his mind. The one that made the blue of her eyes so deep he thought he might drown in their depths. The one that was cut low in the front, showing just the right amount of the skin of her breasts and when she moved a certain way, the lace of her bra peeked out, taunting him. He felt himself stiffen inside his sweats and shifted in his chair. Jesus. He needed to get a grip. He couldn't answer the door with a massive hard-on.

He turned off the monitor and took two deep breaths, willing his body back into his control. A knock sounded on the door and he closed his eyes, inhaled one more time and let it out slowly.

You can do this, he told himself when she knocked again and then he lifted himself out of the chair, put on his blank, expressionless face and went to answer the door.

He swung it open and caught her with her hand in the air, ready to knock again. Her arm fell back to her side and her gaze lifted to his face. He realized his mistake when he watched it dip to his chest. He'd forgotten to put on a shirt.

Her blue eyes dilated to a deep navy and she unconsciously touched her upper lip with the tip of her tongue. Ranger thought she looked like she was thinking about using that tongue to lick his chest and he quickly came to the conclusion that he really wanted her to. He wanted her to lick him everywhere.

To keep himself from grabbing her and taking her right there in threshold of his apartment door, he bit down on his own tongue until he tasted blood. When he thought he could be trusted not to do that, he moved back, holding the door open wide in a silent invitation to enter.

Stephanie shook her head slightly, as if gathering her senses, adjusted the strap of the handbag hanging over her shoulder and walked past him into the little foyer. He tried really hard not to look at her ass as she went by but it was encased in a pair of jeans that rode just a little too low on her hips and hugged her in all the right places.

Ranger groaned internally and speared his fingers through the hair hanging loose around his face. This was going to be complete torture.

"Can I take your bag," he asked, mostly to get her to turn around so he would quit thinking about sinking his teeth into that perfect butt. She started at the sound of his voice and whipped around to look at him.

"What?" she said, a little breathlessly.

He pointed to her purse and she looked at it like she had forgotten that it was there. "Oh," she said. "Yeah, okay."

She handed it over and when her arm stretched out he caught a glimpse of the red lace of her bra. Damn. He would bet she had on the thong that matched. Definitely torture.

He knew he could just give into the lust and probably have her naked in under a minute but he was trying to do the right thing here so he took the bag from her and set it down on top of the sideboard that rested against the wall of the foyer.

"This way," he said and moved passed her, making his way to the living room and gesturing for her to follow.

Ranger went right to the spot he'd been occupying when she'd called earlier and silently prayed to any deity who might be listening that she choose any option but the couch, knowing he would have a difficult time stopping himself from touching her if she sat beside him. He watched her eyes widen as she took in the expanse of his apartment. He was sure that she was surprised. She and Lula thought he lived in the bat cave.

Her eyes traveled over every surface and he could almost see her brain working, trying to match up the only image of him she'd ever seen to the rather opulent appearance before her.

Finally, she sank down into the leather chair across from the couch, looking at him with an eyebrow slightly raised and he let out a silent breath of relief. If she just stayed over there, he might make it through the conversation.

"This is ruining my image, isn't it?" he asked.

She fiddled with the hem of her shirt and took another look around the space. "It's not what I was expecting."

"You didn't think I actually lived in a cave, did you?"

Stephanie's cheeks tinted a pale pink in embarrassment, but she managed not to look away. "Maybe. Knowing you, it wouldn't be that far outside the realm of possibilities."

He felt a smile tugging at his lips. She could always make him smile. "Do you want some water?" He queried, tilting his chin towards the bottle on the table.

She nodded her head and he lifted off the couch to retrieve it for her. "But if you have wine that would be better," she amended to his retreating back.

It made him falter a step on the way to the kitchen, now more than wary of the conversation to come.

He had a bottle of Sancerre Rosé chilling in the fridge and made quick work of getting it open and filling two glasses. If she needed a dose of liquid courage, he knew he could use a glass himself.

Ranger watched her as he poured. She was nervous, unconsciously twisting her fingers together in her lap and chewing the corner of her bottom lip. He thought he knew what she wanted to say and he took a sip from his glass as he wondered how he would respond. He knew what he should say, but he didn't think he'd be able to lie to her. He never had before, but it would be best for both of them if he did.

Cradling both glasses by the bowls, he took a breath, steeling himself for what was to come and headed back to the living area.

She lifted her head as she reached for the offered goblet of wine and when her fingers brushed over his as she took the glass, their eyes met and held. Desire skittered through both their expressions.

Stephanie looked away first, clearing her throat and pulling her hand away from his. She cradled the wine glass to her chest with both hands as he made his way back to the couch. He settled into the leather and she took a healthy swallow of the cool liquid.

"How long have you lived here?" She asked and Ranger took a drink of his own before he answered.

"About two years. Is that really what you came here to ask?" He never was one for small talk and right now, he had even less tolerance for it. He wanted her to say what she really wanted to so they could end this and be done with it. Like pulling off a band-aid, he wanted it over quickly.

"No," she replied slowly and took another drink before continuing. "If I ask you something, will you promise to give me a truthful answer?"

He set his glass down on the table and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I've never lied to you, Stephanie, and I don't intend to start now." He knew he should, but what he said was the truth. He never had before and he didn't want to now. He'd hidden things from her, told her partial stories, sometimes he just didn't say anything at all, but he'd never lied.

Stephanie nodded and took one more sip of wine before setting her glass on top of the end table next to the chair.

"I know you know you could have gotten me into bed without making that DeChooch deal, so why did you do that?"

It was the exact question he'd been expecting and the lie was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't make himself say it. "Are you sure you want the truth? Because I can guarantee you won't like it."

She swallowed hard, and he knew she doubted herself, but she nodded a second later and he let a beat go by before answering.

"I did it because I thought there'd be less chance of you getting emotionally attached if you thought you owed me something."

Stephanie nodded slowly as if that was the answer she'd been expecting. "Are you telling me you didn't know that I was already emotionally attached?"

That he hadn't been expecting. "No, I'm telling you since we both knew I wasn't going to stick around after, I thought it would be easier for you to deal with."

She narrowed her eyes and he could see that Italian temper of hers brewing behind them.

"I am capable of having mind-blowing sex with someone without any strings attached, you know. What, did you think I'd demand a ring after?"

His ego lingered on the mind-blowing part for a beat before he moved onto her actual question. "No Steph, I just wanted you to be okay with it being a singular event."

Stephanie blew out a frustrated breath and leaned forward in the chair. "I feel like you're talking in circles. Let me see if I have the facts straight…You wanted to fuck me, but were afraid I'd turn into a clinging, needy girly girl and demand some sort of commitment from you so you concocted a deal so I'd feel like it was business and not a one-night stand. Does that about sum it up?"

It was a little cruder than he would have put it, but it was truthful. "In a nutshell."

"So it was to make things easier...for me? Are you sure about that?"

Ranger had the distinct feeling that he'd just walked right into a bear trap. "I was, but now I don't really know anymore."

"You're not sure? I've always been under the impression that you're sure about everything."

"You make that…difficult for me now," he admitted. She made him question everything he used to think he never wanted and it was making him crazy.

Stephanie settled back into the chair cushions with a certain determination on her face that he found made him want to brace himself for some sort of impact. "And telling me to fix things with Joe, that was for my benefit too?"

He lifted a shoulder in a non-response and she pressed her lips together in a fine line before saying, "You know what I think? I think the whole thing was for you, so you could get what you wanted and pretend it didn't mean anything to you….but it does, doesn't it?"

Ranger scooped his wine up off the table and took a long swallow. She had gotten right to the heart of what he'd been trying to deny from the beginning and he suddenly felt irritated that she'd found him so transparent. "What do you want from me, Steph?" He asked, more harshly than intended. He felt like she'd just cut out his heart and laid it on the table, open and vulnerable. He did not like the feeling.

She dropped her gaze to her lap and ran her fingers absently over the new burn scar on her arm, courtesy of that asshole Abruzzi. It was healing but was still pink and looked like it probably hurt. Ranger felt himself frowning and wishing he'd gotten to Abruzzi before he'd had the chance to hurt her.

"I want you to tell me that I mean something more to you than a business transaction," Stephanie replied quietly.

When she lifted her eyes back to his face they were wet with gathering tears and Ranger couldn't take it anymore. He pushed himself off the couch, moved around the table to the chair she was occupying and snatching her hand from her lap, used it to pull her up and into his embrace.

Her arms snaked automatically around his waist and he held her tightly to his bare chest. "You are the most important thing in my life, Babe," he told her softly. "And I'm sorry that I've made you feel like you don't mean anything more to me than a casual encounter, because you mean everything." There was a hitch in her breath and he could feel her tears wet against his skin. "I don't …I don't know how to do this and I've been handling it…badly." She sniffed once, nodded her head and he pulled back, making her look at him.

He used his thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks while she clung to him. "What do you want to happen between us, Babe?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But I'll never figure it out if you don't give us a chance."

Ranger pressed his lips to her forehead. "I won't fit into your burg lifestyle, you know that."

"I don't fit into that lifestyle," she countered instantly.

He couldn't argue that point. Stephanie had mostly broken the mold she'd been told to conform to her whole life.

Ranger swiped at her cheeks again, taking note of the purple tint under her eyes. She'd apparently been having as hard a time sleeping as he had.

"It's late and we're both tired. Let's get some sleep and then we can talk about this tomorrow."

Stephanie nodded and pulled out of his arms. "That's probably best," she agreed reluctantly, but when she started heading toward the door, Ranger stopped her.

"Where are you going, Steph?"

"Um, home?"

He shook his head and held out his hand for her. "I don't want you to leave, Babe."

"You don't?"

"Not even a little."

She smiled; the first one since she'd arrived, and took his offered hand. Ranger led her to his bedroom, hitting the light switch when they crossed the threshold.

"The bathroom is right through there," he pointed to the archway leading to the master bath. "There should be a new toothbrush under the sink. Closet's in there too, where I'm sure you can find something to wear to bed." He guided her into the room with his hand at the small of her back and then closed the door so she could have some privacy.

While she was getting ready for bed he put the wine away and washed the glasses, but returned to the bedroom when he heard her come out of the bathroom. The sight of her in one of his black Rangeman t-shirts and nothing else made the breath freeze in his lungs. He didn't know if he'd ever seen her look as sexy as she did right then and he thought he'd have to sleep on the couch if he had any chance of behaving himself.

He lost the battle to not look at her legs as he moved past her to turn down the bed. He held up the covers so she could climb in. When she was ensconced between the sheets, he pulled the duvet up and over her, kissing her temple before taking his turn in the bathroom.

When he was done and returned to the bedroom, she was lying on her side facing away from him and he thought she'd fallen asleep. He turned out the lights and then stood for moment listening to the sound of her even breaths before he headed for the couch in the sitting room.

"Where are you going, Ranger?" She asked into the darkness and he froze in the doorway.

"To the couch. Go back to sleep."

"I don't want you to leave," she said, echoing his earlier statement.

"You don't?"

"Not even a little." Ranger smiled with all two hundred watts and when he slid into bed and spooned his body against hers, pulling her close, he knew for the first time in a long time, he would sleep well.

And tomorrow? Tomorrow they would figure out the rest together.