The beginning of this chapter might be pushing an M rating.

Things escalated very quickly. Ruth found herself sitting on the kitchen table, her jeans undone as Harry stroked between her legs expertly, their lips pressed together. "Harry, this better not be because you're trying to persuade me to stay here," she breathed, trying and failing to keep her composure.

"No, this is because I want to see you writhe in ecstasy under my touch," he said, his voice low and growling. He kissed her neck and Ruth suddenly found breathing an incredibly difficult task.

"Good, that's the right answer," she replied, a smile in her voice. Harry chuckled gently and pushed his fingers harder against her most sensitive flesh. She cried out as she climaxed, her head thrown back as her muscles clenched around Harry's fingers. That had felt intensely good, her brain managed to think. Why hadn't she stayed in bed for an hour or two more to enjoy Harry in the most primal way?

She came to herself again and opened her eyes, to see Harry licking his fingers. She felt a deep shudder run through her as he kept eye contact with her. She wasn't used to being this wanted.

"So, what were you saying?" Harry asked, his eyes glinting at her.

"I need my own place," Ruth said, trying to get her body and mind back under her own control. "It doesn't mean anything about how I feel about you Harry."

He bit his lip, because that is what he worried about. That she didn't want him. But then he knew that was being irrational, and there was more between them than simple convenience of her being in his house. "Ruth, I like having you here."

"And I like being here," she said. "I can't rely on you to keep looking after me. I need to be self sufficient Harry. I love you, and I want to be in a relationship with you. This doesn't change that."

"Alright," he agreed reluctantly. "I guess it is a bit soon for us to be living together. But I don't want to let you go."

"I know," she replied. She opened her arms to him and held him close, his breath whispering across her face. She smiled at him as her fingers laced behind his neck. "Look, I'll rent, rather than buy," she said, offering a slight compromise. "So if things go well between us… in the future, when we've been together for longer than a week, I'll move in with you with no problems at all."

"God I love you," he said. "And I know you're speaking sense. I'm just… really going to miss you being here."

"I haven't found a flat yet," Ruth said, wrapping her limbs around him, perched on the table again. "And I have a feeling that when we spend the night together it'll be rather memorable…"

"Mm," he agreed before kissing her passionately. "I think I can guarantee it." She chuckled before kissing him again.

Ruth spent the rest of the day (after spending an extra hour in bed with Harry) calling up estate agents to try and find a flat to rent. There were several leads and she arranged to meet up tomorrow to be shown around. Harry had gone to work, and she'd been so busy on the phone that she'd barely noticed his absence. Which was a massive improvement. When she'd finished for the day she saw it was already five o'clock. Perfectly acceptable to have a glass of wine then. She opened a bottle of red to let it breath and put the TV on. Some mindless game show. When it had finished, she heard Harry come in.

"Good day?" she asked as he collapsed on the sofa next to her.

"Exhausting," Harry said. "Section D has a mole."

"You're kidding!" Ruth said loudly. "Who?"

"I don't know," Harry said. "But I don't like suspecting my team either. And the fact I know its one of them means I have to treat them all with suspicion. I hate it Ruth."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, her hand on his arm, rubbing soothing circles.

"Oh I wish you were still there. Then there would be someone I trust." Ruth froze. "I didn't mean… I'm sorry. I spoke without thinking."

"I'm not sure if I want to come back to Thames House Harry," she said slowly. "Now that I've seen the other side of spying, I don't know if I could manage it. And I certainly couldn't do it to the standard I did… before."

"Its fine," he said. "Forget I mentioned anything Ruth, please."

"Okay," Ruth said, her eyes wide with her remembered fear.

"Oh Ruth, come here," Harry said. He wrapped his arms around her very gently and knew that she wasn't nearly past her fear. Not yet. He'd forgotten that for a few days. "I'm sorry."

"Mm," Ruth said. In the silence eventually she relaxed against him and he was relieved that he hadn't scared her. Or at least for not too long.

"How did the flat hunt go?" Harry asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Well," Ruth said. "I have about half a dozen places to have a look at tomorrow. I'm hopeful I'll find somewhere."

"I'm not going to say I'm happy about that, but I'm pleased that you are," he said.

Ruth laughed and kissed his cheek. "I love you," she said quietly.

"Love you too."

The romantic in me wants them to stay in Harry's house in a romantic bubble, but I think she needs to be on her own.