***Okay, last chapter. Totally managed to finish this in one day and I still have an hour to shower and get ready before my husband gets home from work. Whoot! Whoot! Hope you like their happy ending. I cut it off there, but feel free to imagine all of the smut that would follow. Thanks for the follows and reviews.***

When the door was closed I stood staring at it, afraid to turn around and look at Ranger. "Babe." It was whispered against my neck. "I can remember last night."

I stiffened at his words. I guess part of me had been hoping he'd forget and things would go back to usual for us, while another part of me was really hoping he meant what he'd said and we could be together, but neither part of me wanted to hear what he said next. "I was really messed up from the pain meds." That was enough to set me off. He wasn't going to walk out on me again.

"Of course you were. Why else would you be so nice to me? Be so excited to see me? Tell me you needed me? Tell me you loved me and wanted us to have a future together? Kiss me and hold me and not once mention that you only wanted me as a fuck?" I still hadn't turned around. I hadn't looked at him, but he was still there at my back, holding my shoulders so I couldn't step away.

"You're right," he whispered along my skin. "I wouldn't have done any of those things if I wasn't under the influence of narcotics."

"So that card, you wrote that while you were drugged up too?" I asked in a harsh voice.

"Would it be easier for you if I said yes," he asked in a low growl.

"Fuck you, Ranger," I yelled at him as I struggled to get away, but even injured he could restrain me easily. "Let go of me and get out if that's what you want."

He spun me then and pressed me against the door as he held my hands above my head with his good arm. "It's not what I want," he yelled back at me. I could see the anger in his eyes as he stared at me. "What I want is for you to tell me the truth."

"What truth is that?" I knew I could twist or throw my weight at him. With his injured ribs he wouldn't be able to hold me, but even as pissed as I was I didn't want to hurt him.

He pressed his forehead to mine so we were staring into each other's eyes from only an inch away. "Would you have said the things you said to me if I hadn't been drugged?"

I struggled to free myself again, but he only held me firmer. "No."

The laugh that came out of his mouth was dark and hollow sounding. "Did you mean them or were you just playing with me?" I twisted then, trying to pull my hands free as I turned away from him. He grabbed my chin with his left hand and forced me to look at him. "If you meant it, say it again." I kicked him, then, but he only laughed. He lifted me off the ground and held me against the door with his body. "Tell me."

I glared into his eyes, meeting the hard look he gave me. "Yes, I meant it."

"Tell me now, in the daylight, while we're both sober," he demanded. "If you meant it, say it again."

I took a deep breath and whispered, "I love you, Ranger."

"You're not going to leave me and run off after Morelli?" he asked in that still deadly, cold voice.

"No, I'm not going back to Morelli," I breathed as his body moved against mine. "I want you."

"You're mine?"

"Do you want me to be?" I asked back.

"Yes."

"Then I'm all yours," I moaned as his lips found mine.

He broke away long enough to whisper into my ear, "I love you, Stephanie. God, I love you so much."

With those words, something shifted between us. The anger and doubt was gone. I pulled him back to bed. He sat on the edge and I crawled over his lap, straddling his hips. We just sat there looking at each other, his hand moving into my curls. He pulled me to him and kissed me again. I melted a little, losing focus as his lips brought me close to the edge of ecstasy. "Babe," he moaned. "I bought those flowers on the way here."

"It doesn't matter anymore," I told him as I leaned in to kiss him again.

"No, it does matter," he said as he caught my shoulders and moved me away from him. "I stopped at the floral shop and bought the flowers, then I was driving here. The alarm sounded on one of our accounts. I was a few blocks away. I was the closest man to the scene," he told me. I nodded back. "I pulled on the vest I had in the backseat and responded. When I got there Morelli and another cop were just getting out of their car. I don't know what was going on, but for some reason they didn't have eyes on the second man. I only had seconds to react. It was just an instinct to cover him."

I nodded back to him. "I'm glad Joe wasn't hurt," I answered. He nodded to me as he looked down and took my hand. "I know you made the right decision, like you said you had the vest on, but God, Ranger, you have no idea what the thought of losing you does to me. It's not okay to trade your life for anyone."

"That's what I'm trying to say to you. I didn't think about it. I just did it. That's what I'm trained to do. I was trained to take a bullet without second thought. It's what made me an excellent soldier and bodyguard," he said. "It's also what makes me a horrible person to be in a relationship with."

"I know you said you didn't want to be with me until you were out of the field, but that's not fair to me," I said, practically begging him to give me a chance. "I get shot at just as much as you do. So does Joe and you thought he was an acceptable partner for me."

"Steph," he said stroking my cheek gently. "I came here last night to tell you that I was to the point in my life where we could have that someday if you wanted it."

"Then, yes, I want it," I assured him.

"I couldn't even make it to your house without proving myself wrong though," he told me. "I'll never be able to get away from this life."

"So you think we're better off alone? Wasting all this time we could have together, because something might happen to you, someday?" I asked. He didn't say anything he just looked down again. "No, no, no. For a smart guy you're being really stupid right now. That's not how this ends for us."

"Babe," he said with a sad head shake.

"No, I'm done walking away, because you think it'll be better for me. I don't care if we have six months or sixty years together, Carlos. We belong together for however long we're given. I'm not going to let you go again," I told him. "I love you."

"Babe," he whispered to me. "Please…"

"No, I'm not letting you go," I whispered back. I felt the tears on my face, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to lose this fight. "I need you." He pulled me against his chest and held me, my tears soaked his tee shirt, but I didn't let go. I couldn't let go. "Please, just let me love you," I asked in desperation. He held me a little tighter, but didn't respond for a long time. I'm not sure what was going through his mind, but he finally kissed my hair and sat me up.

"You're sure about this? You can handle my life?" he asked. He looked up into my face and wiped my tears with his thumb as I shook my head yes. "We do this and it's forever," he warned me.

"That's all I ever wanted," I assured him.

He pulled me back against him and kissed me then. I'd never felt a kiss like that before. It was sweet and tender and passionate and steamy, all at once. Somehow we ended up lying back in the bed, wrapped around one another. I cuddled against him and held him closer. "Me too," he said quietly, then touched his lips to my forehead. He picked up my hand and laced our fingers together. "Nothing will tear us apart again," he whispered then he pulled my hand to his lips and kissed each finger with a single word spoken in between each kiss. "Our. Love. Will. Last. Forever."

I smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him again. "Forever," I repeated to him before I sealed the deal with another kiss. I was glad we both finally chose to follow our hearts this year. I didn't know what could make it better, but he did.

"I want to make love to you," he whispered into my ear. I felt my body start to hum at the idea. "Every day for the rest of my life." His lips connected with the skin on my neck. Holy hot flash.

Definitely the best Valentine's Day ever.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY YOU BEAUTIFUL BABES.