Their deliberate movements of getting out of the car and approaching her house seemed like a scene from a spaghetti western Harry could almost hear the Good, Bad and the Ugly theme music. Her fingers felt like sausages as she fumbled with the key and she gave a small, exasperated sound as Dempsey took it off her and opened the door. They made it to the lounge and she excused herself and went to get them both a glass of wine. Handing him a glass of an expensive Malbec she gulped at hers and ended up having a coughing fit.

Dempsey sat down on the couch and his gaze wandered over her like she was some strange specimen in a box. 'Okay, you've got the floor so shoot…. What's going on with you Harry, you're like a cat on a hot tin roof. Sex is supposed to have a relaxing affect but with you it's got you acting all weird.' He sipped the wine and waited for her to answer. She looked so awkward he had the feeling he was going to get dumped already.

Harry acknowledged his analysis and felt embarrassed that she was acting like a fool. 'I'm sorry James; I just wasn't ready for things to move on that quickly. My last relationship wasn't good and… it made me feel bad about myself and the upshot is I didn't really engage with men after that. So when you called me the Ice Queen or the Arctic Fox you were right or that's how I felt about myself.

Dempsey leaned forward his hands between his knees cradling the wine glass, 'so who was the guy?' He'd like to rearrange the guy's face if he'd behaved badly towards Harry.

'My ex-husband,' she answered simply. Harry hated this type of conversation but she knew she owed Dempsey an explanation he was her friend as well as the er… as well as last night.

'Nobody since then?' He asked in a soft tone his brain computing that. Dempsey knew she'd dated occasionally since they'd been partners and he'd always felt antagonistic and been in a bitch of a mood when that had been going on. He'd tormented himself with images of Harry wrapped around some guy; it was worse if he knew the lucky bastard she was seeing.

'Nobody,' she agreed biting her bottom lip. The admission made her feel embarrassed and she began to wish she hadn't started this conversation. Dempsey was always competitive so he'd probably be crowing that he'd had more action than her.

'And before that?' Dempsey deliberately gentled his tone; he wanted the inside track on his partner and had a feeling he knew what was coming here but he had to ask.

'Nobody,' she said studying her wine with more attention than it deserved her skin coloured painfully it felt like such an admission of failure. If Dempsey had just been looking for a leg over he'd probably be mentally running for the hills. She was stupid she should never have started this; she could have brushed him off and left it at as a one night only.

'So just me and your ex,' he wanted to be absolutely clear on this; it was important to him. The idea of Harry's exclusivity pleased him and in fact he'd quite like it if her husband hadn't got any. And another thing if he'd managed to bring her out of the nunnery then she must really like him.

'That's right, don't worry I'm not going to ask you the reciprocal question I'm well aware it's more than two,' she offered drily her blue eyes eventually meeting his. 'So you can see that after years of not doing it your approach last night was a little unexpected and I'm just trying to catch up with the chain of events.'

'Believe me I can see that,' he growled. She'd confided in him which was good so he'd be straight with her after three years of sharing so much they should be able to trust each other; they trusted each other every day with their lives for chrissakes. 'I've gotta ask you Harry, do you want a relationship with me? I don't want to force you into anything you don't want and I guess I was kind of heavy last night.'

'I have feelings for you,' Harry said softly her blue eyes confused as she looked at him. 'I need to know what you want. Is it just sex or is it more than that?' She wished she hadn't tacked on the latter part when the familiar flash of anger clouded his expression.

'It's not just sex, Harry and if you say that to me again I think I'll go nuclear. I care about you; I have done for a long time but I didn't think an up-town girl like you would be interested in me or if you did it would be like a walk on the wild side, nothing permanent.'

'A bit of rough,' she offered helpfully and smiled one of those warm smiles that fascinated her partner.

'You got it,' he ran his thumb against his nose returning her smile. He shrugged philosophically. 'At one time I'd've happily provided that but not now.'

'So what do you want?' Harry wanted detail and after her big reveal she needed him to say it.

'I want a relationship with you,' he responded feeling a little out on a limb here Harry hadn't actually said she wanted a relationship with him. The, 'I have feelings for you,' could be a precursor to, 'we'll always be friends.' He dug deep, 'I want to see where this goes? What do you want?' He took another slug of the wine and then put it down.

'What kind of relationship do you mean a monogamous, committed relationship,' she questioned tentatively. Harry could feel her heart thudding in her chest as she waited for his answer.

'We already have that except for sex,' he responded in a self-deprecating tone. 'I ain't been with anyone for well over a year and I spend nearly all my spare time with you just waiting for a damned sign.'

Harry gave a shaky laugh. 'Perhaps I should be more like D.C .Harmon I'm obviously very hard work,' her face clouded over as she remembered Robert's scathing analysis of her sexual behaviour.

'What's going on with you, Harry? You seem kind of scared and you don't scare easy I've seen you face some real nasty stuff; are you frightened of me in that way?' Dempsey hated the thought that Harry might think he was too rough or not sensitive enough or something; maybe aristocrats were more polite about it had a different sexual etiquette whatever... I know I'm from the wrong side of the tracks but…

'No it's not that,' she felt terrible that he might think that. She went to sit beside him and put her wine glass down. 'I just need to get used to you, if we could take it at a slower pace…

Dempsey took her hand in his and brought it to his lips kissing the back of it he was relieved and the gesture bought him a little space. 'I told you Harry you can call it,' he ran his arm around her and pulled her gently into his body and held her. 'Do you want to talk about your ex and what went wrong,' he asked wanting to understand what had gone before.

'No, I don't want to talk about that, in fact I try very hard not to think about that part of my life.' She laid her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. 'Last night…. She hesitated.

'Yeah what about it,' he smiled down at her and kissed her nose affectionately. 'It was great, can't believe you want to take things slow all I want is your body wound round mine and to listen to that little snore that you do.' He laughed out loud at her indignant expression; it's only a tiny little snore like a sweet, refined little piggy.'

'Liar,' she pulled away and tried to address her reservations. 'You've had a lot more relationships than me James; in fact you've had more relationships than most people and I feel a little overwhelmed by your experience are you sure you won't want to indulge in the Linda's of this world?' There she'd said it, her heartfelt fear exposed.

'I'm sure,' he growled his gaze taking in her defensive expression. 'You're all I want Harry, you just need some faith in me that's all or some faith in us.' He brought her to him and kissed her coaxing her to kiss him back and then when she started to respond he deepened the kiss and became more passionate. Harry wasn't surprised when she ended up with her back on the couch with James pressing down on her.

He broke the kiss and eyed her with a certain amount of humour. 'Well what can I say you're hot sweetheart?' He slowly undid his shirt monitoring her disturbed expression and took her hand and ran it over his naked chest, 'burns me up when you touch me,' his voice had dropped a couple of octaves with the ache of desire.

Harry was fascinated by the warmth of his skin and his well-defined musculature and her touch became less nervous and more emboldened. Her gaze ran over his tanned upper body, 'have you been working out James,' her blue eyes teased him.

'Honey, I've been celibate for over a year while you flirted up a storm with me and didn't deliver; what the hell do you think I did with my spare time,' he pressed his lower body against hers, 'how slow do you want to go.'

'Sleep with me,' she offered with a sweet smile. 'Do you think you could do that, James?'

'I know I could share a bed with you but I don't think I'd sleep much princess but if that's what it takes lead on,' he rolled off her and helped her up from the couch. They took turns in the bathroom both taking showers and Dempsey using a tooth brush she kept for his use. He came back into the bedroom and eyed her silk teddy with some misgiving. 'Thought you'd be in something less enticing than that,' he was in his boxers out of deference to her wishes. His dark gaze ran over her face and he groaned, 'you look even sexier without the makeup.' Harry blushed and he smiled at her discomfort. He got into the bed pulled her into his arms and gave a growl of satisfaction as she wound herself round him like a spider monkey.

'Seriously you want to sleep,' he pulled her closer so that he could feel her softness against his hard body. He heard Harry give a small whimper and her body arched into his in an involuntary movement. 'Didn't think so,' he leaned over her. 'Tell me cos I ain't doing anything unless you do.'

'Make love to me James,' she said softly. The way his eyes darkened at her words aroused her unbearably her skin felt hot and she swallowed with difficulty. 'Please,' she whispered as his mouth descended on hers.

-oOo-

Then next day back at the office, Harry was feeling rather awkward as people kept asking her if she'd done something new with her hair or her make-up, she could see Dempsey smirking as she answered in the negative. What was it? Why did they keep asking? She felt as if she had a notice pinned to her back saying 'just had sex.' She had actually been to the locker rooms and checked that in case her partner had played an idiotic trick on her.

'It's the inner glow,' James growled in her ear, 'and the way you're swaying your hips, they can tell something's different but they don't know what.' He handed her a coffee as she went through a list of data entries on her computer.

'Nonsense, she answered. 'And actually I am using new make-up but I'm not advertising the brand after all a girl needs an edge,' she refused to rise to his teasing. 'I aim to knock D.C. Harmon off the top bird spot as it's always been an ambition of mine to be number one.'

'No it hasn't you don't give squat about that,' Dempsey responded as he patted his pockets trying to find a lighter and smiled when she offered hers. 'Turns me on when you do that,' he could see one of the other officers listening in to the conversation and threw a rolled-up ball of paper across the room, 'didn't know we were under surveillance,' he gave the guy a wince of a smile and turned back to Harry. 'I'm going out this afternoon, I've got a hunch I want to follow so you're not invited but I'll pick up with you later maybe you can keep working the accountancy angle and tell me how you get on.'

'Okay,' she agreed and then she frowned. 'You're not going to do anything I'd disapprove of are you, usually when you go off to follow a hunch Spikings ends up blowing a fuse and I'm drowned in paperwork.' She stood up and walked over to him her arms crossed over her chest her gaze searching his.

'Nope, nothing like that don't worry,' he wanted to kiss her badly as she had that cool, don't mess with me look on her but he couldn't since they were in the office and she'd give him grief about it. He'd had the lecture about professional distance on more than one occasion and wasn't eager for a repeat. 'I'll see you later, princess.' Dempsey went back to his apartment to change and put on his best suit, his wardrobe had changed somewhat since he'd partnered Harry; she went to a lot of upper class gigs.

An hour later he parked outside the Dorchester and let the valet take his car. He entered the bar and ordered a drink and smiled as Angela, Harry's friend came into the lobby. He waved at her in a friendly manner and she came over.

'Hi Harry's James, I've arranged to meet one of your colleagues here Henry Pearce-Wynding haven't seen him in ages and he called up out of the blue, I'm early so you'll have to entertain me. How is Lady H, I haven't seen her for a couple of weeks are you an item yet?'

Dempsey smiled but didn't respond to that. 'Harry's difficult to figure; there are times when I think we could be more than partners and then she blanks me when I try and move things on. I don't know if it's just me; maybe she's not interested?'

Angela ordered a drink and eyed him steadily. 'Harry likes you, I'm sure of that. It's probably that rotter she was married to, in short he cheated on her and then blamed her for it, you know the old excuse if I was satisfied at home I wouldn't roam. I'm not betraying Harry's confidence here because she won't talk about it but I happened to be with her at one time when he was trying to win her back. She declined his offer and then he came out with a string of abuse that made me want to punch him in the face.'

Angela accepted her drink off the bartender. 'I think the poor lamb believed him unfortunately that's why she just goes on a couple of dates with a chap and then moves on.' Angela's eyes danced as she viewed him. 'She can't do that with you though can she James; you'd be there the next day sat right next to her in the car or having breakfast in a greasy spoon.'

'I guess not,' Dempsey agreed his lips twitching with amusement as Angela had certainly captured Harry's lack of comfort at having a lover she couldn't easily ditch.

'Not like Harry to let things get to her; guess she must have been pretty cut up about it,' he observed in an even tone.

James had kind of worked out that Harry's reserve must be down to the relationship with Robert Makepeace and had pre-arranged P.W.'s catch up with Angela so he could get the skinny on it. Girls usually told each other everything but then Harry wasn't big on confidences.

'She was young when she married him just out of uni, first love is always painful don't you think or don't you remember,' she teased him as she chased her olive around the cocktail glass.

'Been a while since then,' he smiled in a self-deprecating manner and signalled for Henry to join them as he hovered in the lobby. 'I'll leave you to your date,' he grinned at them both as they looked awkward so maybe it was on. 'Nice to see you Angela, you still got that red dress,' he winked at her boldly and left them to it.