JE owns the rights to anything familiar - all mistakes are mine.

A little Ranger to start off the new year. I hope 2015 is good to all of you.

If Ranger wasn't careful, Stephanie Plum was going to be the death of him. Obviously he meant figuratively, however after the mess he'd pulled her out of today, it wouldn't be out of the realm of reality to amend that to literally.

He stepped into the hallway and gently closed her apartment door and then leaned against the wall right beside it, releasing a deep, exhausted breath. His shoulder ached all the way to his bones and he was certain he needed stitches in the knife wound on his calf, yet he stayed fixed to the wall, unable or...unwilling to leave her without protection.

The look in her eyes when he'd said he had to go told him she wouldn't have protested if he'd chosen to stay, but he was trying to adhere to her wishes to keep things strictly professional between them.

She'd surprised him with the request; most of the time she avoided the topic all together, or avoided him all together when she was confused about her feelings but that night she'd been direct and calm and told him in no uncertain terms if he wasn't ready or willing to be more to her than a good time in the bedroom then the stolen kisses, the not-at-all subtle innuendo, and the wandering hands had to stop.

Ranger hadn't realized at the time how difficult it would be to respect the clear lines Stephanie had drawn.

The very first time after, when he bit back a suggestive comment regarding a dress she'd worn for a distraction job, he immediately missed the playful banter they would normally engage in, not to mention the thought of how perfectly her body would mold to his when he pulled her close. Usually after a job like that those wandering hands she referenced would be memorizing every curve and every edge and now every time she was within arm's reach he had to fight the desire to touch her.

Even the memory of the baffling way she tended to hold her breath in the moment right before he kissed her often kept him up at night, restlessly pacing his empty apartment.

The reasons why he chose not to pursue a tangible relationship with her was the only thing keeping him from going right back inside and taking her to bed.

Ranger just hoped no one ever asked him exactly what those reasons were because he wasn't sure he knew anymore.

He let out one more breath and then removed his phone from his pocket. While he was texting Hal and Cal to come sit surveillance on her building, Stephanie's door opened and the woman who cost him many sleepless nights stepped backward through the threshold into the hallway where'd he'd taken up a silent vigil.

Ranger almost abandoned his iron will when he got an eyeful of the outfit he assumed she'd donned to go to bed. The pink shorts were short, highlighting her smooth, long legs and the tight, almost too small, white tank top accentuated the fact she wasn't wearing a bra. Her hair hung in loose curls down her back, making him want to bury his hands in the length of it and not until she turned around after tugging the door closed did all his lustful thoughts meld seamlessly into a quiet rage he thought he'd contained when the man who abducted her and held her captive for eight excruciating hours was handcuffed and hauled to jail.

The purple bruise under her eye and the matching one across the opposite cheek were visible even in the dimly lit hallway and his eyes automatically travelled to the red welts where the rope had cut into the delicate ivory skin around her wrists.

Anger coiled in his stomach and not for the first time that night he regretted the fact Tank had stopped him from killing the bastard who'd dared to try and take her from him.

"Jesus, Ranger!" Stephanie clutched at her shirt and he hated the fact he'd put the frightened look on her face. "You scared me. I thought you'd left."

Only his years of training kept his expression neutral. "I'm waiting for backup. Where are you going and why aren't you wearing shoes?"

She glanced down at her bare feet and then back up to his dark, assessing eyes. "You don't miss anything do you?"

"Concerning your body?" He let his gaze drift the entire length of her. "No."

A blush tinted her unbruised cheek at the breaking of the second of her rules regarding their current relationship status. She cleared her throat and then explained what she was up to. "With all the commotion today I forgot about the food I bought for Rex. I left it in the car and was just going to run down and grab it."

Right. Only Stephanie would call being kidnapped, bound and gagged a commotion. "Without shoes?"

"You seem to be fixated on my feet."

"Among other things," he murmured, letting his eyes wander again while color crept up her neck. "I'll get the food. You go back inside." Ranger pushed off the wall and headed for the stairwell.

"Don't you need the key?" She called to his back as he pushed open the door.

"Babe," he tossed over his shoulder and thought he caught the hint of a smile. Stephanie was under the assumption Ranger picked her locks, and although there wasn't one made he couldn't compromise, the truth was he'd had keys made for her apartment and for her cars and even one to her parents house very soon after he'd met her. It was easier that way.

When he hit the first step of the staircase he remembered the cut on his leg. The muscle was getting stiff. Bobby would be pissed when he learned Ranger had let the wound go so long without being treated.

He retrieved the rat kibble and hiked back to Stephanie's apartment. The moment he opened the door and saw her stretching her arm above her head to reach something in the cupboard over the sink, Ranger had an epiphany so deep and profound it stopped him in his tracks. He no longer cared about honoring her wish to keep things innocent between them. He no longer cared what it took or what he had to give up or what danger being with him might bring to her door. He wanted her, he needed her and he was going to have her in whatever way she wanted for as long as she allowed.

Leaving the bag of food on the counter next to the glass terrarium, he came up behind her and put his hand on the bowl she was trying to grab.

She went still in front of him and whispered out a weak, "Thanks," as he set it on the counter beside the sink, probably wary of his close proximity. He understood; she was trying to protect her heart and he couldn't fault her for that but things were about to change - for both of them. He curled his fingers around her shoulders and slowly spun her until she was facing him. Stephanie wasn't as adept at concealing her emotions so he could clearly see the cautiousness waring with absolute desire consuming her expression. He lifted a hand and smoothed a thumb lightly under her damaged eye. The process repeated across her cheek and then he let his hand drift down her neck, over her shoulder and finally stopping just above the marks on her wrist. He closed his fingers around her forearm and brought it up to his mouth. The kiss was gentle, carefully avoiding the worst of the indentations.

"I wanted to kill him for this," he told her in the quiet voice he reserved only for her. Ranger kissed her other wrist and added, "I will if they ever let him out."

She met his steady gaze with a look of deep understanding. "I know," she agreed softly, "I saw it on your face when you burst into that basement...and I know it's wrong, but I don't think I would have minded very much. He was a little deranged."

Ranger felt the corners of his mouth twitch. Stephanie was the queen of understatement. He threaded his fingers through her brown mass of curls and brought her face closer to his. The almost smile turned into a full-fledged grin when she inhaled a quick breath right before their lips touched. It had been so long since he'd tasted her, he didn't ever want to stop and kept up the indulgent, drugging kiss for several long moments.

When she snaked her arms around his back and pulled him so close he could feel her heart pounding against his he thought it was possible he would never let her leave his side again. If something had happened to her today, if he hadn't arrived in time to save her...he reluctantly broke the kiss and leaned back to see her face. His heart did a slow flip under his ribs and he opened his mouth to let her know his intentions just as someone rattled her door handle so hard it shook in the frame.

Ranger acted instinctively, shielding Stephanie behind his imposing body as he pulled his gun from the small of his back. He clicked off the safety and had it trained on the door just as it burst open with a grunt from the intruder pushing on it.

"Your door is sticking again, Cupcake." Joe Morelli entered the apartment carrying a bag of what smelled like meatball subs and not paying attention to his surroundings. "I heard you got yourself into another predicament today so I brought comfort f..." The cop trailed off, finally noticing the locked and loaded pistol aimed at his skull.

He made a move for his own weapon but Ranger said, "Don't even think about it."

Morelli paused, fear flashing briefly before his blank cop face dropped into place. "What the fuck is this?" He demanded with a hint of resentment.

Ranger felt Stephanie move beside him and fought the urge to push her down below the cabinets, out of harm's way. Morelli was a dick, but Ranger knew he would never hurt her.

"You're not welcome here anymore, detective Morelli, so you can take your food and go. Oh, and leave the key on the way out."

Anger broke through, furrowing his brow, but with a gun pointed at him, he wisely didn't make a move. "Steph?" He questioned instead, moving his eyes to her, asking if she was going to let this happen. Ranger didn't know what he was expecting but it wasn't Stephanie wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning into his side, not saying a word.

It sent a very clear message and everything was suspended for a long minute in disbelief, maybe by all of them, before Joe cursed under his breath and then spun on his heel and left the apartment. The only sound before the slamming of the door was his key clattering on the small table in the tiny foyer.

Stephanie eased her grip and moved from Ranger's side, sliding in front of him and leaning her back against the counter so she could see his face. "What was that?"

Ranger leaned forward and placed his palms down on the counter on either side of her hips, caging her in. "It's over between you and Morelli. If he shows up again, I might shoot him next time."

Normally she would lob back one or two sarcastic comments but this time her only response was a slightly lifted eyebrow. He smoothed his thumb over it and kissed her lightly before continuing. "I feel like I should warn you that things are about to get very unprofessional between us." The hint of a smile was back but she was serious when she said, "Are you sure you're ready? Because there won't be any going back."

"No," he admitted, but went on before the frown the confession triggered got too deep. "I used to be sure about everything. I used to know exactly who I was and what I wanted out of life and then this crazy, beautiful, unbelievable magnet for disaster walked into that little dingy cafe and all the things I thought I knew disintegrated into a pile of dust."

Remaining completely out of character, Stephanie again said nothing and Ranger continued, now saying more than he thought he'd ever said in his whole life. "What I do know, inexplicably and unequivocally, is I want you. In my bed, at my side and in my life - permanently. Can you live with that?"

The beginnings of tears were making the blue of her eyes shimmer and she opened her mouth, he hoped to finally say something, but then she fisted a handful of his shirt at the collar and dragged his mouth to hers for a kiss that told him all he needed to know.

When she finally let them up for air, Ranger was pressed tight against her, hard and ready to start the bed part of his declaration. "I have one condition," Stephanie said, halting his now freely wandering hands.

"Only one?"

She gave him a look but didn't rise to the bait. "You have to have someone bandage or stitch up your leg because I do not want to try and get blood out of my sheets."

He dropped his eyes to the dark, wet spot on his calf, seeing he was dripping blood onto her floor and there was even some smeared on her leg where'd he'd brushed up against her.

Ranger was smiling when he met her eyes again. Most women would be freaked out after being kidnapped and then having a guy threaten their ex with a gun while bleeding all over their kitchen but Stephanie Plum wasn't most women. She was his woman and there would never be another doubt or question or discussion about it again.

"Deal," he said and then he kissed her one more time before calling Bobby.