Okay! So I am officially mortified by the major delay in posting and can not apologies to all of you lovely people who have taken the time to read this fic! The only possible excuse I can give is that real life has been getting rather inconsiderately in the way, but lucky it seems to have let up for a little while Please keep reading… not long left now me thinks!

The cold wind hit her instantly, and she let out an involuntary shiver. "Here" he breathed, "allow me." And he gently pulled at the lapels of her thick coat to wrap it further around her. She blushed softly under his firm touch and was unable to distract her gaze from his.

"Thanks." Her voice came in a shaky whisper, dampened by the heat of his close proximity. She smiled as he tugged harder at her coat causing her to fall against him. Slowly he bent his lips closer to hers. She closed her eyes and pouted slightly, eager to feel his mouth against hers once more.

"What the hell… Adam! Look at the state of the kitchen!" Fiona's outburst from the other side of the wooden door caused them to jump apart. A guilty look clouded Ruth's face instantly, but Harry, it seemed, could do nothing but grin widely.

"Shit!" she whispered. "The peas! Do you think we should have…"

"No."

"You don't know what I was going to say!"

"Yes I do. You were going to say we should have cleared up."

Her blue eyes sparkled even more brightly than he could ever remember. She matched his smile and in doing so told him she liked how well he knew her. "Yes, well, we should have done, cleaned up, I mean."

He took a step towards her and snaked his arms quickly around her waist and brushed her ear with his scorching lips. "Oh, but I think our time was more better spent, don't you agree?" The small gasp that escaped her confirmed that she definitely did.

His lips began to trail down her jaw, teasing their way towards her mouth. "No. No, Harry. Stop." She pushed lightly at his chest, and he stopped immediately, unable to hide his disappointment. "I just mean, not here, that's all." Harry's face broke into a wide childish grin that immediately irradiated any line or scar of service he so commonly wore. It was a smile that radiated into every part of her, making her knees weak and her heart murmur.

He could clearly see the effect it had on her. She seemed to by radiating a blinding light. Her hair sparkled, her curves accentuated, the warm glow bathing and shining off of every inch of her. Then he realised…

"Ruth." He looked suddenly sombre, his head snapping up to look over her shoulder. "Did you leave your lights on?"

Completely bewildered by the shift in conversation, Ruth looked at him. "What?"

He nodded in the direction of the front gate. "Your car head lights, Ruth. They're on."

She spun around and found that, true enough, the lights of her small hatchback were shining in their full glory. "But..." she stammered, racking her brains to see if she had checked them when getting out of the car. "But… I didn't even have my lights on when I drove here? How could they be on? I've not been out of the house since we've been here and no else has keys for it and…" A daunting realisation hit her square in the face. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. "They wouldn't…" Her eyes found his in bewildered annoyance.

He chuckled softly and her irritation. "Oh, after tonight, I wouldn't put anything past those two."

"But what the hell were they playing at? My battery will be as flat as a pancake!" Wanting her even more than he ever imagined was possible, he drew her close into his arms.

"I've got a good mind to..." He kissed her softly on the lips. "…that's breaking and entering…" Another kiss. "… I can't get home…" His hand slid beneath her jacket and pulled her closer into him. "… bloody spooks…" And with that she melted into him and allowed his hands and his lips to embrace her wary self.

Gasping for breath, Harry withdrew slightly from her. His lips brushed her ear invitingly as he rasped "Let me take you home."

Unable to fathom any words that would break through her clear desire and anticipation, she nodded breathlessly against him.

"Come on Cinderella," his hand found hers and he raised it to his lips with a gentle kiss. "Your carriage awaits."

With Wes safely tucked up back in bed, Adam returned downstairs to be greeted with the rather amusing sight of his slightly inebriated wife on all fours picking up frozen peas off the kitchen floor. She sensed his approach and spun round to face him. "What the hell do you think they've been doing?"

His childish grin earned him a handful of frozen peas to the face. "Ow!"

He pulled her up into his arms and whispered in a low voice, "Exactly what we should be doing!". Gently he planted a kiss on her lips and he felt her smile against him.

"Adam?" she murmured, as he pulled away from her. "Do you feel guilty?"

"All the time!" he smiled, playfully.

"I'm serious! Do you feel guilty about Harry and Ruth, about tonight, about the headlights?

"Now, that was your idea!"

"I know, but I'm beginning to think that maybe we have just pushed our luck a little too far! "

He caught her lips in his once more, and kissed her reassuringly. "They'll thank us for it in the end."

There had been no discussion about where they were headed and Ruth had not even passed comment when Harry had stepped out of the car and followed her up to her front door and through it into her house. However, it suddenly dawned on her that they were now stood her hallway and had seemingly found themselves at a complete loss for what to do next. In an attempt to ward off any unease, especially as the evening's events seemed to be heading in a very inviting direction indeed, Harry smiled at her reassuringly. "I'd love a cup of tea, if it's not too much trouble?"

Ruth looked at him and could not help but admire his ability to make her feel at ease in potentially uncomfortable situations. She sighed inwardly, as her heart swelled at the sight of him stood there in her hallway. He looked so perfect, so relaxed and settled in her surroundings. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull him close against her and continue exactly where they had left off on the sofa.

Suddenly realising she hadn't actually spoken for the past minute or so, Ruth shook her head and soothed her imagination as she struggled to find her voice.

"Tea! Right, yes. Of course." Harry followed her slowly, breathing in his surroundings with every step, as she made her way through the house to the small kitchen at the back. It was so her. Everything about the house was delicate, yet strong, beautiful, yet flawed. Every inch seemed to swell with care and attention, yet scream out to be cherished and loved.

Reaching the kitchen, he found her busying herself with two mugs, as the kettle whistled contently in the corner.

"You're nervous." It wasn't a question, he just knew her too well.

Not daring to look at him, she felt her cheeks burn. "Yes" she whispered.

"Don't be." He swiftly crossed the room and gently turned her to face him. "I want you Ruth. You're an incredibly beautiful woman and, well, you've seen what effect you have on me." They both blushed slightly at the memory. "But, you must realise, that's not all I want. I do want you Ruth, but I also know you. I can read you. I need you in my life. Without you, well…"

The words died on his lips as she slowly lent towards him and kissed him tenderly. She smiled honestly and whispered against his slightly stubbled cheek. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For wanting me. For knowing me. For…"

"…loving you?"

The question hung between them, and neither one dared to meet the other's eyes.

Finally she tilted her head back slightly and looked directly into his warm eyes.

"Are you allowed to say that?"

"What?"

"That you love me?"

"I didn't say I did."

"Yes, but it was implied."

"What if it was?"

"Well, as my boss, are you allowed to imply that you love me?"

"I am if you, as an employee, would wish for the implication to be made."

"But I don't wish for the implication to be made."

"You don't?" Harry's heart began to steel over with an icy frost, as it caught up with his spinning head that was still processing the exchange of words. He had pushed her too far, he conceded. He had scared her off before they had ever even properly begun.

Realising her error, Ruth caught his hand in hers and squeezed his fingers gently. "No, Harry. I don't want you to imply it, I want you to say it." Relief flooded his eyes, before they seemed to brim over with emotions that could only be recognised as desire, necessity and love. They both smiled intimately into one another.

He took a deep breath. "I love you Ruth."

"Even though I have hot chocolate stains all over me and frozen peas in my hair?"

He chuckled. "I love you because of those things."

"Good" she giggled. "Because I love you too, Harry. I really do."

Not too sure about the ending to this chapter- but had to leave it somewhere. One more chapter and an epilogue maybe? Let me know what you think xx