Harry found herself walking down the staircase alone as Dempsey had vacated his room and there was no answer when she knocked on the adjoining door. She made her way to the terrace where they were to have pre-dinner drinks. Her red dress looked rather more low cut than she remembered and it reminded her of the time she'd changed into Angela's dress at Stringfellows. It was silly really as the dress wasn't the same style at all as it had thin spaghetti straps and a red beaded bodice which finished under her breasts and it showed plenty of cleavage.

She took a glass of champagne from the waiter and spied her father and moved to his side to welcome the guests.

'You look lovely darling, red suits you.' Her father's blue eyes twinkled as he could see Harry's American thought so too. Dempsey joined them as Freddie beckoned him over. 'Nice to see you James, no murders to investigate this time I hope.'

'There's probably a flock of birds out there that'd disagree with you sir,' James responded with dry humour.

'Well to be honest James, most of the guests couldn't hit a barn door at ten paces so I think the casualties will be low. Harry's a dab hand though and I'll assume your aim is pretty good so you two will have to make a competition out of it.' He beamed at them both. 'I hope so anyway as pheasant is on the menu tomorrow night. The cook however is another matter as he is rather temperamental but I'm hoping Giovanni will keep a lid on that this evening.' Freddie added in his usual amiable manner.

'The chef Freddie, Mr. Petorelli does not like to be addressed as the cook,' Harry sipped her champagne and her eyes met Dempsey's. Oh, dear he was still mad at her and that wasn't difficult to read.

Lord Winfield spied the growing number of guests approaching the door and smiled at his daughter and offered her his arm. 'Right, here they come Harry, we must welcome our guests.'

Dempsey withdrew and watched Harry play lady of the manor, and it made him realise how far apart their upbringing had been. When they were at work they were equals, here he was definitely not in her league; here she was the princess in her castle and he was the lout, a scurvy knave. Maybe that's why she was fighting the attraction so hard; he didn't belong in her world or if he did he only belonged to the work part of it. That thought made him feel uncomfortable and he took a slug of the whisky he'd asked for.

Harry joined him forty minutes later, 'I think they're all here now except for a couple of latecomers and Freddie can handle them.'

'I'm okay you're the hostess, you go do your thing,' he took out a cigar and headed to the gardens to smoke it. It was a warm evening and the smell of wood smoke and the scent of roses perfumed the air.

His ex-partner followed him as she didn't take rejection very well. 'You're supposed to be my escort this evening James, so that means we stay together.'

'You invited me and that was a mistake so let's rectify it, you go mingle with your friends and I'm sure I'll be okay; promise not to pinch the silver.' His dark eyes were hard on hers as he laid it on the line.

'This is ridiculous,' she fired up. 'We're supposed to be trying to find some harmony this weekend and you're just being…

'I'm being what? A lout, oh yeah sorry a womanising lout, thanks for that Makepeace well I can see why that wouldn't fit into your aristocratic little world so I'm alleviating you of the embarrassment.'

'I-am-not-a-snob,' she enunciated word by word her temper well and truly ignited. 'You're the most annoying man I've ever met.'

'Got that, well then off you go,' he gave her a mock smile and then dragged on his cigar idly speculating on the level of fury his former partner was experiencing. Nice flash of sapphire blue eyes, aristocratic nostrils flaring and chin raised, DEFCON 1. He was therefore surprised when she dragged his head down for a blistering kiss and quickly flicked the cigar into the damp flowerbed.

As they were in full view of the main reception room a number of people were witness to the fact that Lady Harriet had kissed the mouth off her American plus one. When she let go of him her face was heated with a torment of emotion.

James caught her arms and ran his hands up and down them soothingly. 'Calm down Harry, it's okay. I made you mad, nice way of changing the subject.'

She took a couple of deep breaths to steady her overwrought emotions and looked up at him. 'I apologise, I seem to be behaving rather idiotically of late. I suppose I've convinced them you're my partner for the evening though so mission accomplished.'

'You did,' he confirmed with a warm smile and put his arm out for her to link with and they went into dinner.

Lord Winfield who'd spied shamelessly on the whole interchange was feeling rather pleased; the American certainly brought Harry back to life; put some colour in her cheeks. He was hopeful, yes cautiously optimistic, that kiss had looked promising.

-oOo—

When the dancing started after dinner Dempsey could see why Harry needed air-cover, a couple of the guys were obviously trying to fix their interest with her and she had that polite look she got on her when Fry or any of the other cops tried to ask her out.

One guy was being particularly persistent and was going for an ass grab, Dempsey grabbed the guy's wrist before his palm settled on Harry's derriere. 'Hands off the merchandise buster, I'm cutting in.'

'Merchandise?' Harry queried as James took her in his arms as the dance was a slow one. 'As far as I'm aware I'm not up for sale.'

'Well if you were that guy couldn't afford it,' James rested his jaw on her hair. 'It's a pretty dress,' he lifted his head and took in the cleavage displayed. 'You don't usually…

'It's a bit… I'd forgotten… Harry's cheeks heated as Dempsey surveyed the dress that had looked perfectly respectable when she'd taken it out of the armoire.

'Kind of low cut for you, you don't usually show a lot of skin, I'm not complaining; makes me feel territorial though so maybe I won't let you out of my sight.'

'I didn't think you were the possessive type,' Harry looked up at him and then caught her breath at the very masculine appraisal from her former partner. 'James,' she met his gaze and a shiver of awareness ran through her slim frame.

'I'm not,' he drawled. 'With you it's different though and those guys ain't getting their hands on you angel; you're off limits.' He ran his hand over the silk covering her spine and then up to explore the skin revealed by the low back until his thumb brushed the back of her neck. She'd been sensitive there when he'd used his mouth on her.

'Don't,' she protested, she was very aware that the guests could get a glimpse of the bedroom if he caressed her in public.

'It's hardly X-rated sweetheart,' his mouth brushed her temple, 'thought you wanted me to show ownership.' Harry was usually cool under fire and he'd played this game with her on undercover operations and she'd been okay with it.

'It's different now,' she hardly knew what she was saying as the slow rhythmic stroking of her skin was driving her crazy. 'We've been…

'Intimate,' he brushed his mouth over her ear, 'taken it further than this,' his teeth teased her lobe and he felt the shiver of excitement go through her slim body. 'Did you touch yourself when you wore my shirt,' his mouth feathered her temple.

'I always thought you'd excel at talking dirty Dempsey,' her blue eyes had the light of battle in them as she pulled bits of herself back together.

'I ain't even started,' his warm gaze teased her, 'and you didn't answer the question. Thinking about that's been driving me crazy.' Her mouth fascinated him and he brushed it with his own.

'I was exhausted it was more a sedative than an act of self-gratification, are you trying to seduce me on the dancefloor James?'

'Yes, is it working,' he smiled at her, 'cos if it is I suggest we go someplace more private,' he moved her out of the way of one of the more ambitious couples.

'Can I cut in,' one of Harry's would be swains came up to them assuming the American would move aside.

'No chance,' Dempsey wasn't polite about it. He wasn't letting Harry dance with anyone other than her Pop.

'That was very rude,' Harry rested her head on his shoulder, 'but then I've noticed that you ignore the conventions of polite behaviour when it suits you.'

'I ain't polite in bed,' he teased her, 'I bet you are though, thought about how you'd be a little bit,' she was blushing; he liked that.

'Don't go any further,' she eyed him stormily. It was obvious he was trying to unsettle her and he was doing a very good job of it.

'Getting to you is it,' he liked challenging her they'd always had a competitive relationship. 'Must be annoying that a womanising lout gets you all hot and bothered and none of these blue-blooded guys do it for ya.'

'Cutting in James,' Freddie took his daughter off the American as he could see she was furious, 'I thought you were going to hit James so I thought I'd intervene.'

'He is the most annoying man I've ever met,' she seethed. 'And you're right it was a close-run thing, thank you Freddy.'

-oOo—

Harry reached the sanctuary of her room and leant back against the door closing her eyes and then she heard the door between her room and James' open and then close; her eyes blinked open and she saw his shirt on the floor.

Her temper exploded and she stormed over and yanked open the door and viewed her half-dressed ex-partner as he kicked off his shoes totally unfazed by Harry's appearance. 'Thought I'd save you the trouble, you look cute in my shirts; put it on.'

'You've been an aggravating swine all night,' she raged at him throwing his shirt back at him her hands on her hips and her chin raised in a determined fashion. Subliminally though her hormones were dancing at the sight of his half naked body, the expanse of warm skin begging for her touch.

'Decided you'd rather have the real thing,' he asked acknowledging he was aggravating the hell out of her. 'You're in my bedroom must want something,' he walked slowly towards her and tipped up her chin. 'C'mon Harry, show me what you've got,' he caught her hand as she tried to slap him and kissed her manacled wrist. His hand went into her hair and he pulled her towards him his mouth searing hers.

Harry was conflicted; she wanted his mouth on hers as much as she'd like to punch him in the teeth. James had been winding her up all evening but when he touched her she just wanted more.

Dempsey had been teasing her but when she responded like she did his mood changed from anger, at her earlier verbal abuse, to coaxing her into the passion they shared. He lifted her a couple of inches off the floor and walked her to the bed without breaking the kiss.

Harry shivered with shock as her back hit the cool, silk counterpane of the bed and she panted for breath as he kissed her neck. 'James, what are we doing?'

'We're making out,' he lifted his head and looked down at her his dark eyes dancing from her eyes to her lips and then grazing over her cleavage. 'What did you think we were doing? Anyway, let's keep doing it cos if we talk this'll go all to hell.'

'I don't indulge in casual sex,' she put her fingers against his mouth as he moved to kiss her again.

He kissed her fingers and her palm his tongue tasting her there and then moving to her wrist, 'it ain't casual; nothing about this is casual, princess.' His voice had deepened and he acknowledged that he could be heading for another night of frustration if he couldn't turn this around.

'Well what is it then?' Harry liked to know what she was getting into,' she got her hand back and pushed at his shoulder.

Dempsey rolled onto his side and viewed her stormily, why did she have to make things so difficult. I mean it wasn't like he hadn't put in the time. 'What do you want it to be, let's go there because it should get us wherever we need to be faster.'

'I don't know that's the point,' she adjusted the spaghetti string straps on her dress as they'd slipped down her arms. Dempsey had always been a challenge from their very first assignment, she'd fought to be acknowledged as his equal and that had often pushed her to her limits. And now he was offering her a different challenge with a set of rules she didn't perfectly understand and she wasn't at all sure that she could compete.

'What, you don't know if you could be in a relationship with me, is that what you're saying?' He was glowering at her now which wasn't very lover like.

'Yes, I suppose so. I mean we're colleagues and friends or we were friends before all of this,' she pulled her knees up and hugged them.

He raised up on his arm to mirror her position and keep in physical contact cos Harry thinking too much wasn't gonna get them anywhere. 'I always wanted you angel, so it wasn't just friends, and you want me; I think we've established that,' he ran his fingertips over her cleavage and saw her breath catch. 'I want you to belong to me, I want you to be my girl. And for your information I am not a womaniser; I like women and they like me but it's you I'm stuck on and there's nothing going on with Suzanne.'

'You're stuck on me,' she searched his gaze, 'I just thought you wanted to get your leg over,' she saw his eyebrows raise at that and his mouth twitched with humour.

'That's a nice expression Harry, bet you didn't pick that up at your public, private school,' he traced the beading on her dress which could technically be called copping a feel. 'I want you sweetheart and if I'd just wanted that I would have picked a female where there was more chance of achieving my objective. I want you so much it's driving me crazy are we done talking yet, princess.'

Harry hadn't finished she was still upset about her attempt at rapprochement. 'You shut me out and when I tried to talk to you, you just used sex to shut me up, you were really horrible to me.' She had felt hurt when he'd ignored her and all her grievances were coming to the surface as she felt emotionally volatile.

'Well I'm sorry about that but I thought you were rejecting me cos I don't belong in this setup,' he indicated the room. 'I knew you wanted me, your body talks to me even when you don't,' he ran a strand of her hair through his fingers in an attempt to soothe her.

'Suzanne kept turning up,' she protested, 'I went to your apartment twice when you were injured and she was there both times, you have to admit that looked off.' Harry had been convinced he was still playing the field when Dr Leyton regularly visited.

'She likes me so if it was just sex I'd be in bed with her but it's not and I haven't,' he kissed her jaw and coaxed her into relaxing the legs she was hugging until she was lying beside him and then he hung over her. 'So c'mon angel, what's it gonna be,' he tenderly stroked back an errant strand of her hair and his voice tone became honeyed and persuasive, 'are you gonna be my girl or do we go back to being a couple of cops.' His heart was hammering as he awaited her answer; Harry had become everything he wanted in a woman so this was crunch time.

'Is that an ultimatum James?' Harry didn't like it when he ignored her, she was used to his focussed attention. She needed him in a physical sense too and his proximity, the warmth of his skin, was making her bones melt with longing.

'Yeah, let's call it that, you can't have my undivided attention if I don't have yours, is that clear enough for you.' His dark gaze searched hers and he could see that she was emotionally disturbed; her breathing was erratic; her eyes were dark with need and her mouth was quivering. Even with Harry he was certain that he couldn't misread those signs.

'Crystal clear,' she looked somewhat uncertain but she held his gaze as his mouth came down on hers and then her eyes closed, her arms wound around his neck and she sank deeper into the kiss.