After about twenty seconds of this I got impatient with waiting for death. I opened my eyes and rolled onto my back.

Ranger was leaning one shoulder against the doorjamb, his arms loosely crossed over his chest. He was dressed in his usual working outfit of black T-shirt and black cargo pants.

'I'm trying to decide if I should throw you out the window, or if I should get in next to you,' Ranger said, not looking especially surprised or angry.

'Are there any other options?' I asked him.

'What are you doing here?'

'I needed a safe place to stay.'

His mouth curved at the corners. Not quite a smile but definite amusement. 'And you think this is safe?'

'It was until you came home.'

The brown eyes were unwavering, fixed on me. 'What scares you more… getting thrown out the window or sleeping with me?'

I sat up in bed, pulling the covers up with me. 'Don't flatter yourself. You're not that scary.' Liar, liar, pants on fire! The almost-smile stayed in place. 'I saw the gun and the flak vest when I came in.'

I told him about the death threat from Junkman.

'You should have asked Tank for help,' Ranger said.

'I don't always feel comfortable with Tank.'

'And you feel comfortable with me?'

I hesitated with my answer.

'Babe,' Ranger said. 'You're in my bed.'

'Yes. Well, I guess that would indicate a certain comfort level.'

His attention dropped to my chest. 'Are you wearing my shirt?'

'I have to do laundry.'

Ranger unlaced his boots.

'What are you doing?'

He looked over at me. 'I'm going to bed. I've been up since four this morning, and I just drove nine hours to get home. Half of it in pouring rain. I'm beat. I'm going to take a shower. And I'm going to bed.'

'Um…'

'Don't look so panicked. You can sleep on the couch, or you can leave, or you can stay in the bed. I'm not going to attack you in your sleep. At least it's not my plan right now. We can figure this out in the morning.'

And he disappeared into the bathroom. Heaven help me, I didn't want to give up the bed. It was warm and comfy. The sheets were silky smooth. The pillows were soft.

And the bed was big. I could stay on my side, and he could stay on his side, and we'd be fine, right? Clearly, he didn't think my staying was a sexual invitation. We were adults. We could do this. I turned on my side, face to the wall, back to the bathroom, lulled into sleep by the distant sound of the shower and the rain on the window.

I came awake slowly, thinking I was back at Morelli's house. I could feel the warmth from the man next to me, and I edged closer. I reached out, and the instant my fingertip touched skin I realized my mistake.

'Oops,' I said.

'Babe,' Ranger said, wrapping his arms around me, gathering me close to him.

I meant to push away, but I was distracted by the scent of the sexy shower gel mingled with warm Ranger. 'You smell great,' I told him, my lips brushing against his neck as I spoke, my mind suddenly not totally connected to my mouth. 'I thought of you every time I took a shower. I love this stuff you use.'

'My housekeeper buys it for me,' Ranger said. 'Maybe I should give her a raise.'

And he kissed me.

'Oh shit,' I said.

'Now what?'

'I'm sorry. I'm having a major guilt attack over Morelli.'

'While we're on the subject, why aren't you in his bed?'

'Same old, same old.'

'You had a fight, and you moved out.'

'More like a disagreement.'

'I'm seeing an unhealthy pattern of behavior here, Babe.'

Tell me about it. 'I didn't want to move back home because Junkman was looking for me, and I didn't want to endanger my family.' Plus they'd drive me crazy. 'I was going to sleep in the truck, but it led me here. The GPS was on. I just followed it backwards.'

'And broke into my apartment?'

'I had a key. You don't seem especially upset or surprised that I borrowed your apartment.'

'With the exception of the seventh floor, the entire building inside and out is monitored. Tank called me when you pulled up to the gate. I assumed you had a good reason for needing the apartment, so I told him to let you stay.'

'That was nice of you.'

'Yeah, I'm a nice guy. And I'm late for work.' He rolled out of bed, stood at bedside, pressed speaker phone, and hit a button.

A woman's voice came on. 'Good morning,' she said. 'Welcome home.'

'Breakfast for two this morning,' Ranger said. And he disconnected.

I looked over at him. He was wearing the black silk boxers. They sat disturbingly low on his hip, and his hair was mussed from sleep.

How I'd managed to stop kissing him and give in to the guilt was a mystery. Even now, I was having a hard time not jumping across the bed and grabbing him.

'What was that?' I asked, thankful my voice didn't sound as breathless as I felt.

'Ella and Louis Guzman manage this building for me. I work here, and sometimes I sleep here. That's about it. Ella makes it easy for me. She does the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, the shopping.'

'And she brings you breakfast?'

'She'll be at the door in ten minutes. I've never had a woman here before, so she's going to be curious. Just smile and endure it. She's a very nice lady.'

I was dressed and had my teeth brushed when Ella rang the bell. I opened the door to her, and she bustled in carrying a large silver tray.

'Hello. Good morning!' she said, all smiles as she swept past me.

She was small and robust with short black hair and bright bird eyes. Early fifties, I thought. She was wearing bright red lipstick.

No other makeup. She was dressed in black jeans and a black V-neck knit shirt. She set the tray on the dining-room table and laid out two place settings.

This is Rangers usual breakfast,' Ella said to me. 'If you would like something different I'd be happy to make it for you. Maybe some eggs?'

'Thank you. This will be fine. It looks lovely.'

Ella excused herself and retreated, closing the door behind herself. She'd brought hot coffee in a silver pot with matching cream and sugar, a platter of sliced fruit and berries, a small silver dish of lox, and two small pots of cream cheese. A white linen napkin covered a basket of sliced, toasted bagels.

Ranger was in the bedroom, lacing his boots. He was dressed in his usual uniform, hair still damp from the shower.

'What is that?' I said, arm straight, finger pointing to the dining room.

He rose out of the chair and walked to the doorway. 'Breakfast?'

'You eat like this everyday?'

'Every day that I'm here.'

'What about the tree bark and wild roots?'

He poured the coffee and took some fruit. 'Only when I'm in a third-world jungle. And I'm almost never in one of those.'

'I've been eating that cardboard cereal in your cupboard.'

Ranger cut his eyes to me. 'Babe, I looked in my cupboard. You've got Frosted Flakes in there.'

'So,' I said, 'is this the Bat Cave?'

'This is an apartment I keep in my office building. I have similar buildings and apartments in Boston, Atlanta, and Miami. It turns out security is big business these days. I supply a variety of services to a wide range of clients. Trenton was my first base of operation, and it's the place I spend most of my time. My family is still in Jersey.'

'Why all the secrecy?'

'We're not secretive about the office buildings, but we try to keep a low profile.'

'We?'

'I have partners.'

'Let me guess the Justice League. The Flash, Wonder Woman, and Superman.'

Ranger looked like he was thinking about smiling.

'Okay, forget the partners,' I said. 'I want to get back to the Bat Cave. Is there a Bat Cave?'

Ranger took a bagel and speared some lox onto it. 'You're going to have to work harder for that one. It's not in the phone book, and GPS isn't going to take you there.'