Disclaimer: All characters belong to Kudos and the BBC.

Merry Christmas!

Harry grimaced as a familiar ache in his right shoulder broke into his concentration again. It was late; the grid almost deserted and the stack of paperwork he still had to get through was looking less inviting by the minute. Mumbling a string of expletives; Harry grabbed his pen and scribbled his signature at the bottom of another pointless report, letting out an aggravated growl as the dull ache became a far more unpleasant shooting pain.

He supposed he only had himself to blame. Having returned home late last night after another tiring day on the grid; Harry had crawled into bed hoping for a well deserved and uninterrupted nights sleep, only to wake in a hot sweat an hour and a half later after a particularly vivid dream involving Ruth, his bedroom and a seemingly endless supply of Angel Delight. Deciding that there was absolutely no way he would be able to go back to sleep in his current state; Harry raided his drinks cabinet and settled himself on the sofa to watch the end of an old Michael Caine film that was showing on television.

Sleep eventually returned, and after several restless hours, Harry woke with a sharp twinge in his shoulder; a painful reminder that he had once dislocated it during an exceptionally rough high school rugby match. A hot shower had done nothing to relieve the pain and 40 minutes later Harry arrived on the grid with a throbbing shoulder.

The repetitive pain and lack of sleep was taking its toll on his concentration and, to make matters worse; when Ruth brought in a file he'd requested and tentatively asked if there was anything else he wanted; Harry's mind had involuntarily filled with images of her writhing in pleasure on his bed, wearing only her underwear. It was only when Adam knocked on the opposite door that Harry realised he had been openly staring at his intelligence analyst with pure lust. A very flustered Ruth had fled his office, probably to file a sexual harassment complaint, and had avoided eye contact with him for the rest of the day.

Grumbling to himself and wondering how he could possibly explain his actions to Ruth; Harry stood, discarded his jacket and walked around his office, trying to ease the pain that was now slowly making its way up into his neck.

---

Ruth glanced up as Harry left his chair, her eyes following his every move as he wandered back and forth across his office. She watched, eyes glued to his form as he slowly removed his jacket and she unconsciously licked her lips as Harry proceeded to roll up his sleeves, loosen his tie and unbutton the top of his shirt; giving him a nicely dishevelled look.

Harry's discomfort had been instantly obvious to her from the moment he stepped through the pods. Ruth had attempted to convince herself that she had only noticed because she was trained to pick up on little things and not because she spent every waking moment thinking about or staring at her boss. All morning she had tried to focus on the information Malcolm had given her to analyse, but by lunchtime her concern had got the better of her and Ruth found herself standing in Harry's office clutching a file.

Eye contact with Harry rendered her speechless at the best of times, but nothing could have prepared her for his reaction after she'd asked if he wanted anything else. There was no mistaking the desire in his eyes as he looked at her and she was certain that if they hadn't been surrounded by co-workers; Harry would have pinned her to the nearest object and kissed her senseless.

A situation that wasn't at all unwelcome.

Adam's presence had snapped them both back to reality and she returned to her desk before she gave the team anything else to gossip about. Though judging by the dejected look Harry had been sporting since; Ruth realised that her quick departure must have given him the wrong impression.

She had used the remainder of the day trying to build up the courage to go talk to him. A task which wasn't helped when a grinning Zaf; having finally noticed that something was bothering Harry; began making comments regarding exactly what their boss might have been doing to strain his shoulder. Ruth had turned a deep shade of crimson and was unable to look in Harry's direction for the next hour.

Seeing an agitated Harry pass in front of his desk again, Ruth calmed her nerves and made her way across the empty grid.

---

An increasingly frustrated Harry sat on the edge of his desk and ran a hand down his face. His attempt to find a way to explain to Ruth that he wasn't just after her body was proving extremely difficult; especially as it was something that had been invading his thoughts on numerous occasions since she'd started working for him. Harry closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What am I supposed to say?" he muttered to himself. "'Ruth, I'm sorry. I was having an uncontrollable urge to tear your clothes off, cover you in Angel Delight and slowly lick it off'?"

"Harry?"

His heart skipped a beat and his eyes snapped open to see a petite brunette standing in the doorway to his office.

"Ruth!" He inwardly winced at the panicked tone in his voice. "H-how long have you been standing there?"

"Not long." She replied, and noted that Harry looked visibly relived. "You were pacing, and not in a good way."

"Oh. I hadn't realised." Harry smiled, warmed by the knowledge that Ruth was concerned about him.

"I-I came to see if you were alright. Your shoulder-" She started.

"It's just an old rugby injury that seems to have flared up again. Nothing to worry about." He flashed a reassuring smile and Ruth was momentarily distracted by the image of Harry in tight shorts and covered in sweat and mud.

She cleared her throat. "You should see someone about it; a physiotherapist might help."

"I don't need physiotherapy, Ruth." Harry sighed.

"Harry, you've been in pain all day." She cried, exasperatedly. "Y-you can't even sign your name withou-"

"I am not going to let some stranger grope me!" Harry interrupted, conscious of the fact that Ruth had just unwittingly confessed to watching him all day. He raised his arms to emphasise his point and immediately regretted it as the shooting pain returned with a vengeance.

"Bloody man!" Ruth rolled her eyes and, spurred on by a sudden burst of confidence, crossed the room, coming to a stop in front of Harry.

"Ruth, wha-" Harry's words died on his lips as Ruth raised her hands to his shoulder and began to massage it through his shirt.

Once the initial surprise at her actions had worn off; Harry's eyes slipped closed and he tried to stifle a groan as Ruth's fingers skilfully worked their way up towards his neck, gently relieving the tension that had settled there.

Ruth took a deep, shaky breath and began what she had originally intended to say when she had entered his office. "I, uh, I'm sorry, about earlier, when I left. I w-wouldn't want you to think that you did anything to, um, make me uncomfortable… It had the opposite effect, actually. It's just, when Adam walked in, well, they gossip about us enough already and I didn't want-" She stopped, suddenly, aware that she was starting to ramble.

"Ruth…" Harry swallowed thickly and tried to get his breathing under control. Her admission that she had enjoyed his earlier behaviour and the feel of her hands caressing him through the thin material were causing him to have trouble focussing on anything else she had said.

She looked up, her eyes drawn to the chocolate brown pair gazing intently at her.

A small smile appeared as he continued. "You don't have anything to apologise for. And I definitely do not want to talk about Adam."

She bit her bottom lip and nodded slightly, lowering her gaze to his shoulder as a light pink tinge spread across her cheeks.

A comfortable silence settled between them; Ruth's fingers tracing delicate circles as she worked out the knots at the base of his neck. Harry sighed gently and leant into her touch; wondering if he should mention multiple other injuries in the hope that they would get the same treatment.

Ruth maintained her ministrations until she became aware of a slight problem; Harry's shirt collar was obstructing the path her hands had been taking and if she wanted to continue her exploration, she was going to have to ask him to remove his tie without accidentally articulating the loud voice in her head which was telling her to ask him to strip off completely. Her hands stilled as she debated her options. The desire to feel Harry's skin against her own was overwhelming, but at the same time, that small nagging issue that he was her boss was making her hesitate.

Harry's eyes opened as the movement stopped; saddened that the pleasurable experience appeared to have come to an end. He tilted his head until he caught Ruth's eye, silently asking what was wrong. The slight look of disappointment in his eyes was enough to quash any doubts, and she somehow managed to find her voice.

"Take your tie off."

A boyish grin replaced the questioning stare and within seconds, the offending item had been removed, and Harry fixed his eyes on Ruth, curious as to what she would do next.

His breath caught in his throat as, slowly, Ruth stepped between his legs, raised two slightly shaking hands to his shirt and began to slowly unbutton it. The temptation to touch her was almost uncontrollable, but Harry resolutely kept his hands on the desk. He knew Ruth was nervous and didn't want to do anything that might end this enjoyable turn of events.

However, when her hands slipped under the open material and moved across his shoulder and up along the side of his neck; Harry's determination crumbled and he gave into temptation and reached out. Ruth closed her eyes, her breath coming out in short gasps as his hands made their way up the outside of her thighs and came to rest on her hips, his fingers lightly tugging at the hem of her blouse.

"Ruth." He murmured; his voice thick with emotion.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she opened her eyes and was met with the unabashed craving stare she had been on the receiving end of that morning. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as he leant in and gently brushed his lips against hers. A series of tender kisses turned quickly into more passionate ones, and it was with extreme reluctance that Harry pulled away.

"Ruth, if the last few years working in close proximity to you everyday have proved anything; it's that I have outstanding self control." He breathed, heavily. "But if we don't get out of here soon, we'll both be arrested for indecent exposure in a government building."

"We could go get something to eat." She suggested; though the look of hunger in her eyes had nothing to do with a need for food. "Of course, finding somewhere still open at this hour might be a problem."

"We'll have to go somewhere more private then." Harry smiled. "My place is nearer."

"As long as we can stop at Tesco on the way." Ruth grinned, a mischievous twinkle appearing in her eyes. "I was hoping you'd show me exactly what you wanted to do with that Angel Delight."

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