Disclaimer: JE owns them. I do not. Disclaimer applies to the entire story.

~oooOOOooo~

The Learning Process

~oOo~

Chapter 1: Realizations
Stephanie's POV

Why in the hell was I dreaming about mosquitoes? After nearly five minutes of buzzing, I realized it was the stupid alarm clock, not the small bothersome bugs I'd thought. I reached over, picked it up in one hand, and threw it across the room. From under lowered lashes, I watched in satisfaction as it as hit the wall with a crash and fell to the floor in tiny little pieces.

I stumbled out of bed and into the shower, lathering up with the Bvlgari body wash that reminded me of Ranger. I'd asked Ella to buy some for me the last time I was staying at RangeMan. Now, every month, I get a few new bottles mysteriously delivered to my bathroom. I never questioned the Bvlgari gods—I just thanked my lucky stars.

After changing into a T-shirt and jeans, I headed into the kitchen to a freshly brewed pot of coffee and a bag of donuts from the Tasty Pastry. Ranger might have thought my donut obsession was disgusting and unhealthy, but he also knew if I didn't get my sugar fix in the mornings, I got very cranky at night!

I finished my breakfast standing over the sink, grabbed the keys to my car, and headed to the bonds office. As usual, my bank balance was low, so I needed work. Hopefully, there'd been some FTAs overnight. When I pulled up to the curb in front of the building, I noticed Ranger's Cayenne already there and my heart flipped a little.

I walked in and saw that Vinnie's door was closed.

"Morning, Connie. Lula."

They both looked at me, their eyes wide.

"Close your mouths, geez! I practically need to wipe the drool off your chins... I take it Ranger's in with Vinnie?"

They nodded, both looking a bit sheepish as they closed their mouths.

"Skinny-ass white girl! Why aren't you all hot and bothered? You and Super Cop been over for months now. Shouldn't Ranger be in your bed by now?" Lula asked.

My eyes fluttered over to Vinnie's door and I said, "Yes, well, he hasn't made a move yet. I don't know if he still wants me like he did since I'm not a prize he can win anymore." I shrugged. "If he wants me, he knows where he can find me. I'm certainly not stopping him."

We heard a thump from inside Vinnie's office, and Connie put her fingers to her lips. She quickly pulled open all her drawers and looked under the base of the light on her desk. Finding what she'd been after, she held it up. In her fingers was a tiny bug, obviously planted by Vinnie.

I blushed, knowing Ranger had heard what I'd said. I put my finger to my lips and mouthed silently, "On the count of three, scream into the mic."

When I got to three, we all screamed directly into the mic. Vinnie's high-pitched scream filled the office. Lula and I collapsed onto the couch in a fit of giggles.

Two minutes later, Vinnie's door opened and Ranger sauntered out, looking cool, calm, and collected. The other two immediately stopped giggling, and even though I tried, I couldn't stop another few from slipping past my lips.

He walked purposefully over to me and bent down, pushing a curl behind my ear. "Babe, can I see you outside?" His voice was low and seductive—but that could have just been what I wanted to hear.

I nodded silently, gave a finger wave to Connie, told Lula I'd pick her up later so we could catch the skips Connie had given me, and then followed Ranger outside.

He immediately pulled me to the car and tossed my folders into the open window before pushing me up against the side of the vehicle. His hands roamed over my face, down my arms, and to my waist. He pulled me tight against him before his lips crashed into mine. We kissed for several minutes, our tongues dancing, until he finally broke away.

"Feels a bit different, now that it isn't poaching," he said quietly.

"D-Different how?" I stuttered. "Bad different, or good different?"

"Definitely not bad," he admitted. "I gotta go, Babe. Lots of work today. Call if you run into any trouble." He nodded at the folders in the car. "Want me to bring dinner over tonight? Can catch a movie at your place."

I nodded, still breathless. "That'd be good. See you then, Batman."

His eyes smoldered as he looked down at my lips, and then he tore his gaze away and gave me a half smile before walking away toward his SUV. Before I could move, he was gone.

Miraculously, Lula and I ended up getting all three of my FTAs without rolling in garbage once. By six o'clock, I'd gotten them all rebonded, visited my parents' house to say hello, and had even had a chance to shower away the day's grime. Afterwards, I changed into little shorts and a red tank top before Ranger came in with dinner.

When he knocked on the door at twenty after six, I opened it to find his hands full. He had a salad for him, a pizza with almost everything for me, and a six-pack of Corona for us both. I took two beers into the living room. After putting the rest in the fridge, he brought in the food, grabbing napkins for us both and a fork for himself on his way out of the kitchen. We settled onto the couch and I picked up the remote.

"What's the the movie tonight?" he asked.

"I debated between Ghostbusters, again, and Gone in Sixty Seconds. I realized I wanted something we hadn't seen in a while. So, Nic Cage, here I come. You can watch for Angelina Jolie," I said, grinning.

I watched his eyes darken as he looked at me and said, "She's not my type."

I swallowed hard and pressed play, effectively cutting off that line of conversation. I wasn't ready for that yet, and I didn't think he was, either.

We spent the next two hours laughing and watching the movie together, quoting the best lines. A quarter of the way through the movie, he had turned onto his side, and I was spooned in front of him. His fingers were tracing lazy circles on my stomach, having moved under the bottom of my tank top. Every time he laughed, his warm breath caressed my ear.

I'm not sure I even saw the last few minutes of the movie, I was so wrapped up in the sensations that were Ranger. By the time the credits rolled, I realized that over the last few months, I had fallen in love with the man pressed against me. Now, the question was... What was I going to do about it?