Disclaimer: JE owns them. I do not.

~oooOOOooo~

We're Safe. We're Home.

~oOo~

Chapter 1
Stephanie's POV

Brrrrrrrrrrng!

I flung my arm out and knocked the monster off my nightstand. Whoever invented alarm clocks should be shot. I, Stephanie Michelle Plum, am anything but a morning person. Don't talk to me before I've had coffee and—if I'm lucky—a couple of Boston Cremes, as well. Don't even think about trying to reason with me until my second cup.

I stumbled to the kitchen and saw that my breakfast fairy, known to most of Trenton as Ranger, had already visited this morning. There on the counter was a Tasty Pastry bag and a coffeepot full of hot, steamy goodness. I poured myself a cup, opened up the bag to pull out a donut, and plopped myself down on a stool. My eyes saw the folded note by the bag before my brain fully processed it. I set the coffee down and grabbed it, smiling. All it said on the outside, in beautiful, perfect script, was: Babe.

~oOo~

Babe,

Hope you had sweet dreams.

See you at the office at 10:00?

xoxo

R.

~oOo~

I smiled, knowing he'd crept in here while I slept to leave me my favorite thing in the world. Then I smiled harder, realizing that in the month since Joe and I had broken up permanently, donuts had fallen to a distant second in my list of favorite things. In their place? One Ricardo Carlos Manoso.

I hadn't told him how I felt yet. I wasn't sure he was ready to hear it. Plus, we had a good thing going, and I certainly didn't want to mess it up. He'd once told me his life didn't lend itself to a relationship. It had devastated me at the time, but whether he realized it or not, we were solidly in a relationship now. We'd grown progressively closer over the last month.

Most of the time, we spent the nights at either my apartment or his apartment on RangeMan's seventh floor. We had dinner together almost every night, either eating Ella's cooking in his apartment or out at Pino's, Shorty's, or Rossini's. We also met for lunch every day that he wasn't in a meeting or gone for work. Last but not least, almost every morning that I woke up alone in my apartment, I found coffee and donuts on the counter.

I looked at the clock on the wall and screeched. It was already nine fifteen, and I hadn't even showered yet. I stuffed the rest of the donut in my mouth, downed the coffee, threw a piece of a leftover pizza crust and some raisins into Rex's cage, and dashed off to the shower. I washed as fast as I could and then dried my hair and threw it up in a ponytail. I pulled on jeans, a tank top, and my tennis shoes, grabbed my purse, and flew out the door at nine fifty. If I was lucky, I'd be there before Ranger.

I pulled up in front the office at nine fifty-eight. I wouldn't admit that I broke a few speed limits on the way over. That would just give my mother one more thing to "Why me?" about. After grabbing my purse, I walked into the office.

"Skinny-ass white girl, where's the donuts?" yelled Lula.

I rolled my eyes. "Sorry, ladies. Woke up late and barely made it here by ten."

Connie laughed. "Have an appointment you don't want to miss?"

I felt him enter the room before I heard or saw him. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck and I felt a zip of electricity run through my whole body.

"Ladies. Babe," Ranger said, putting his hand on my lower back, his fingers skimming up under my shirt to rub bare skin.

"Mmm, morning, Ranger," I said with a big smile on my face. "Connie, any files for me?"

"Not today, Steph. Ranger, here are two for you."

I swore if Connie didn't take a deep breath soon, she would pass out. Lord knew how Lula was still standing. Ranger definitely had that affect on people.

"Babe, can I see you outside?" he asked quietly.

"Sure," I answered.

Waving to Connie and Lula, I said, "See you girls tomorrow. Connie, call me if something comes up. I really need to pay rent."

Turning, I followed Ranger out the door. I walked toward the alley, knowing without thinking it was where he was headed. As soon as I turned the corner, he pulled me to him, spinning me around and catching my head with his hand before it hit the wall.

Before I could blink, I was pressed tight between the bricks and Ranger's just-as-solid chest and hips. My hands automatically moved up to fist in his hair, drawing his head down so our lips met in a fury of emotion. His tongue came out and darted into my mouth to capture mine, twisting around each other. Our breath came in gasps, and I moaned as I felt my panties dampen from my arousal.

Ranger took advantage of my trembling body, and with the hand that wasn't being used as a pillow, he reached down to pull my leg up so it wrapped around his thigh, pressing me tight against him. He rocked his hips into mine, and before I knew it, I was thrusting right back at him. We were basically having sex standing up...in a public place...fully clothed. Soon, he released my leg, and our kisses gradually became slower and more tender, although still full of passion.

"I have a meeting at lunch. Want to have dinner and stay at my place tonight?" Ranger asked quietly.

I nodded, unable to fully trust my voice yet, and with quick kisses on my lips and forehead, he took a few steps and vanished around the corner.

I heard his truck start up, and by the time I came out of the alley, Connie and Lula were pressed up against the glass, waving at me and laughing. I rolled my eyes and gave them my best 'Burg glare before getting in my car and driving away.

The rest of the day passed in a haze. I spent time at home, folding some laundry, cleaning up around the apartment, and other things just to keep busy and pass the time before heading over to RangeMan at six o'clock.

Finally, at four thirty, I grabbed my purse and headed out the door. Fifteen minutes later, I was waving to the guys in the control room.

"Hi, guys," I said to Hal and Lester. "Ranger in?"

They nodded and Lester added, "He's in a meeting, Beautiful. Said to tell you when you got here to head upstairs, and he'd be up when he could."

"Thanks," I said, turning toward the elevator.

Using my key fob, I let myself in to the apartment. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and flopped down on the couch to watch some TV, kicking my shoes off.

The next thing I knew, I awoke to a soft caress on my cheek.

"Wake up, Babe," Ranger said softly before picking me up and settling me back onto his lap.

"I could get used to this," I sighed.

Ranger chuckled. "You slept right through Ella bringing up dinner, Steph. Did you get any sleep last night?"

I thought back. "Not really. I was too keyed up. I couldn't stop my mind from going a hundred miles an hour. Something is worrying me, but I don't have a clue what it is, so I couldn't fix it and get to sleep," I admitted.

Right then, my stomach decided to let us know I was hungry.

Ranger laughed, his head falling back and a huge grin splitting his face. God, what that sight and sound did to me. "Let's feed the beast, Steph." He stood me on my feet before standing up himself.

We grabbed the plates Ella'd left, and I laughed when I looked at the difference in our dinners. Ranger's plate was piled high with chicken, wild rice, and half a plateful of steamed veggies. On the other hand, mine was filled with a huge piece of bubbly, cheesy, saucy lasagna. There were also two pieces of garlic bread. We sat down on the couch close to each other to eat, and the first bite of my dinner had me moaning.

"Babe."

I laughed. That word had so many meanings, and I knew this one was, If you keep that up, I'm going to forget any boundaries we have, strip you naked, and fuck you right here on the couch.

"Sorry, Ranger, but you have no idea what you're missing."

I picked up the last bite of the first piece of bread, dipped it in the sauce, and offered it to him. I expected him to shake his head no, but he surprised me and grabbed my wrist lightly, bringing my hand up to his mouth. His lips wrapped around my fingers, pulling the bread out of my grasp. He kept it there, and soon, his tongue snaked out, and he pulled my fingers into his mouth to suck all the sauce off.

"I know what I'm missing, Babe. Thanks for sharing," he said, giving me a wolf-grin.

It was several minutes before I breathe normally, let alone eat. The tease...

We ate quietly, and after washing the dishes together, we settled back on the couch with me resting in his lap. We talked about our days, and I admitted to being bored out of my skull at home with no skips.

"Steph, next time, come here and hang out with the guys that are off, or run some searches if you want. Even if bounty hunting's slow, there's always something for you to do around here. Promise me," he said.

I nodded and, changing the subject, asked about his meeting.

"Just a new client—a bank—but it all went pretty smoothly. The manager came in and we set up security for the bank, as well as for his home. It's a decent-sized account, so that's good."

Ranger had been opening up more and more the last month, so I was only a little surprised at how easily he had answered my question. It used to be that trying to drag any information out of him would result in me storming out in frustration.

We spent the rest of the evening snuggling on the couch watching movies, and finally, at eleven o'clock, he stood up and carried me to the bedroom. Handing me a T-shirt from his drawer, he pushed me to the bathroom. I quickly took care of the necessities, pulled on the shirt, and then scooted out to the bed. Ranger was in the bathroom for less than half the time before came out in his black boxers and sank into the bed beside me. He pulled me back against him so I was lying with my back plastered to his front.

I was just about to drift off to sleep when I heard him whisper against the side of my head in Spanish.

What he'd said had sounded sweet and loving, and as I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, I wondered what it meant.

~oOo~

The next thing I knew, Ranger was shaking me softly awake.

"Babe, wake up." When I didn't move or open my eyes, he said, "Stephanie, I need you to wake up now. It's important."

"Whattimeisit?" I mumbled.

"It's three in the morning, Babe," he said as he sighed.

I shot up. "Ranger, what's wrong?"

"I got called an hour ago, Steph. A last-minute mission. I have to be out of here in ten minutes."

I began to cry, clutching onto him for dear life. "Where? How long? Is it dangerous?"

He rubbed my back, holding me tight against him. "I can't tell you where, Babe. Hopefully just a couple of months, but it could be four or five. And yes, it'll probably be a little bit dangerous. But I will come home to you, Stephanie. Don't give up on me. I will come home."

He held me for several more minutes as I cried and then kissed me fiercely. The kisses turned tender once more, and he finally rested his forehead against mine.

In a quiet whisper, his voice was shaky. "Get some rest, Babe. Stay here while I'm gone. Work for RangeMan part-time to help out with the bills. Let the guys take care of you. Please. For me. I..." His voice broke. "I love you, Stephanie. I didn't want to tell you now, but fuck, I wanted you to know, just in case."

Barely able to get the words out, I told him, "I love you, too, Ranger. Come home to me as quickly as you possibly can."

He pushed me gently down to the bed, pulling the covers up to my chin, and after one last soft caress of his hand against my cheek, he turned to leave. "Don't get too crazy," he said quietly.

"Don't get shot," I said in our standard response.

With that, he walked quietly out the door of the bedroom. I heard him pick up a bag in the hall and let himself out the apartment door. Only then did I let myself fall apart.