She had only been gone a week.
Her mug had disappeared; she was irrationally and quietly upset about it. Then Dempsey arrived and took it out from his desk drawer, cleaner than she'd seen it for months, and filled it with coffee.
Her desk has a computer and she stare at this thing called a 'Mac' and wonders if she'll be confined to more desk work. Then it was moved to sit between them, thank goodness. Dempsey returns with a bacon roll and information on a big bank job and an invitation to surveillance. He bashes at the keys and shrugs, gets out a map book instead and they tackle it the way they have always done. The same, but it's not.
There is a new woman in the department. Louise is a secretary whom Spikings is allowed to share with upstairs one day week. As she watches the woman who is watching Dempsey, Harry feels a coil of jealousy and disappointment. There's something so tiresome about the secretary being a woman, why isn't there a man capable of the job? Why isn't the woman in the training school learning to shoot. She despairs, but holds her tongue. If the woman stops eyeing up her partner, maybe they could have something in common.
Dempsey is sat in Spiking's office, lounging next to her as they wait for the boss to finish sorting out another 'bloody mess' caused by Dave or Watson. She's not aware what, only that it's someone else for a change. Louise is pretending to work.
The new woman isn't his usual. When she first met Dempsey any woman was his type but he's different now. He barely glances at the secretary.
He's wearing a new shirt, she knows this because they bought it last Saturday on Oxford Street after they crawled out of bed and realised she'd torn his old one in her haste after he collected her from the museum. The new shirt hugs his body. It is unbuttoned at the neck and she can see his chest from where she sits. Skin that she has kissed. She's run her tongue over every single inch of him. She wants to do it again. Now.
His jeans are also new. They drape over his long legs that are stretched out in front of him. The holster curves around his shoulders, showing the muscle of his body. He's wearing black boots as if he's about to go somewhere that discourages trainers. She wants to climb on his lap. His happy demeanour adds to his attractiveness, something she didn't bank on. There's the touch too long from the waitress in the staff canteen, the extra slice of bacon and the receptionist leaning forward. Harry feels outraged by them all.
"Can I get you a drink, Lieutenant Dempsey?" Louise asks and Harry wonders what happened to sisterhood.
"Harry, you want a drink?" He turns to her and she could kiss him. Instead, she puts her hand on his thigh because she can. Her hand is high enough to say she's touched him in places that Louise cannot. It's an act of ownership and he grins at her, his eyes twinkling. He loves this side of her but he'll do nothing to rile her. He knows her insecurities as well as his own. He hates it when the situation is reversed.
"We're fine, thank you, Louise." Harry replies with a hint of steel. Dempsey picks up her coffee cup that she placed on Spikings' desk. It's strong enough to strip tastebuds. He takes a sip. They share cups now apparently. She likes this.
She supposes that Louise could chat him up. Equally she could also leap over the desk and floor the woman in ten seconds. She hasn't told him that he's her boyfriend and they've not mentioned the 'L' word but it is within reach, in his eyes and hers. Until then, she's claiming the meat of his leg, the ones that she sat across this morning, with her body pressed against his, his mouth at her breasts as he filled her, her bad boy … and she will tell the Louises' of this world that 'he's mine, you can sod off' in any way she likes because he's okay with that too.
What she'd give right now to unbutton that shirt, drop it to the floor. To kiss the freckles above his belly button. To pop open his jeans and open her mouth to take his big, hard…
"Harry?"
"What?" She asks, looking at him dazed, both pleased to hear him speak and a little disappointed that he's interrupted her day dream.
"You were miles away, honey." He says it loud enough to hear and Louise bashes the keyboard a little louder.
She loves the term of endearment. Usually she'd tell him off but he's learning to use it wisely "I was thinking about arresting..."
Her eyes can't move from his lips. He knows her too well and doesn't fall for the lie. He nods at her, his mouth twitching with amusement and he leans closer.
"Anyone special you wanna cuff?' His lips twitch
"I had someone special in mind." She confirms and gathers herself, her body is so tuned to his low growl that he could tip her into ecstasy. "And I was thinking about the surveillance."
He nods. "What are we doing after that?"
God, she loves him.
"I'm not listening to the police radio channels or going to the kebab shop, even with you." She retorts without malice.
He flicks a stray hair off her face, "I can cook dinner or we could go out somewhere fancy?"
All she can think of is her last night at the museum. Dinner after he took her boxes to storage. Him in a nice suit. Her in a dress. His head between her thighs. It was just as well she was leaving the place, she doesn't think she could have looked at the desk in the same way.
"Harry?" Dammit, she was off in dreamland again.
"Go out together you mean?" She says, the words tripping out.
"Yeah. Gorgeous women and her handsome guy go out like a couple, I'll even drive."
"Okay." She can see Louise looking up at them, the office is too small for her not to have heard every word and to see her hand on his leg.
His eyes are dark with sex and mirth. "Good job we came together."
She bits her lip at the innuendo. He looks the picture of innocence.
"So Romeo and Juliet, you've met Louise… " Spikings begins as he walks in and explains the bank job.