Chapter 3

They started out towards the terrace, arm in arm. The rest of the team, noticing Malcolm's intervention watched them go, thinking again how good they looked together and wondering if this was it for them; their moment.

They stood at the edge of the balcony, leaning on the guard rail, looking down at the ground below. It was cold, and Ruth unconsciously clutched her wrap tighter. Harry moved closer to her, removing his jacket and covering her with it.

"You'll freeze," she protested weakly, as the warmth from his jacket seeped in through her skin.

"I'll be fine. Did I tell you how beautiful you looked?"

"You did," she smiled, "but it's nice to hear again. As I said before, you don't look too bad either."

Harry tentatively wrapped an arm around her shoulders, nervous in case she didn't welcome his touch. He didn't need to be though; relief flooded through him as she laid her head on his shoulder. Both of them stood there, staring out at over the city, neither moving for several moments. Then he looked down at her and found himself staring into her eyes; a sight infinitely more beautiful to him than the night landscape of his beloved London. He reached up with his free hand and caressed her face. She shuddered and closed her eyes lightly. Slowly, he leaned his face closer and close to hers and touched her lips lightly with his own.

A thrill went through her as she realised that they were sharing their first kiss together, and on this magical night, it felt more right than she ever thought it would. She sighed and kissed him back with fervour, bringing her hand up to his face, caressing it as he had been caressing hers.

Harry felt like he was on a high; soaring above the earth. Ruth Evershed was kissing him back with more passion that he'd ever dreamed; devouring his mouth, making him want her more than ever.

When they slowly backed away, each of them was wearing a smile that matched the other. Ruth couldn't help but blush slightly at her actions. She'd never been this forward before; no man had ever made her feel the way Harry did.

Harry noticing her embarrassment was concerned that he'd overstepped. "Ruth I… are you okay?"

"Mmm-hmm," she nodded, closing her eyes, remembering. "That was… amazing."

"You mean you don't regret it?"

Her eyes snapped open. "No. Not at all. I've wanted to do that for longer than I care to admit."

"Me too," he confessed. "But I wasn't sure if my advances would be welcomed, and with me being your boss…"

"You didn't want to land yourself with a sexual harassment charge?"

"Something like that. We're friends too, or at least I like to think we are, I didn't want to ruin that either."

"We are friends Harry. You know, they say the best relationships are ones that are rooted in friendship."

Harry raised his eyebrow. "Really?"

Ruth nodded and, feeling bolder than ever, said, "So what do you think?"

"About you and me?"

"Us," she corrected with a smile.

"Us," he repeated. "I think I'd like that."

They kissed again, only briefly this time, before deciding that they'd arouse suspicion if they remained outside any longer.

They walked slowly back to the ballroom. "Another dance?" Harry asked.

"Definitely."

They danced together for the majority of the rest of the evening, occasionally swapping to dance with other members of Section D and before they knew it, it was after eleven. The band announced the last song for the evening and Harry sought Ruth out, politely cutting in on her dance with Zaf, to ensure she was in his arms one last time.

The evening had been so magical, and now, leaning into Harry's arms as they danced, Ruth felt more complete and happy than she had for a long time. She vowed not to let anything dampen her happiness.

The song ended far too soon for either Harry or Ruth's liking, and they stood staring at each other for a long moment before they left the dance floor and gathered up their belongings. They had said goodnight to their colleagues and wished them a Merry Christmas, and by the time Harry had gotten the car from the valet, it was nearing midnight.

They drove slowly, in silence, toward her house, holding hands on the gearstick all the way. When Harry parked up outside her gate, they sat staring at each other again, both flashing back to the scene on the terrace and this new relationship that they had begun.

Ruth looked at the clock; it was two minutes past midnight. "Merry Christmas," she whispered to Harry, indicating the display.

"Merry Christmas," he replied, lowering his lips to hers again, possessing her once more. Their kiss deepened as he sought entrance to her mouth with his tongue. Pulling away slightly he peppered kisses along her jawline.

"Harry…" she said breathlessly as he began kissing her neck.

"Hmm?"

"Perhaps we should continue this inside?"

Her words brought him back to the moment; was she really suggesting what he thought she was? "I… we… I mean… we don't have to… I know I got a little carried away there but I'm not expecting…"

She silenced him with a finger on his lips. "I don't have any expectations either; I just think that we should go inside just in case things… progress. Besides, I have something for you."

"I thought we'd agreed as a whole section that we weren't doing presents this year?"

Ruth shrugged "We did but…"

Harry leaned over her to the glove box and retrieved a beautifully wrapped box. "It's a good job I flouted the agreement as well and got you this then, isn't it?"

They smiled at each other before Ruth opened her door, signalling that she was ready to move inside.