Chapter 4

Thank you all so much for your kind words of encouragement.

Red made his way up the steps to her door again, he found it closed. As he rang the bell a smile fleeted across his face, here we go. He could hear her shuffle on the other side of the door, what was she doing.

"Lizzie I can hear you, can you please open the door." Resting his hand on one side of the door while looking at his feet.

Eventually she opened the door just enough to push his jacket and hat through it.

"Here, you forgot these." She keep it short.

"Lizzie, really?" He was hoping for a better reaction than this.

"Take them Red its getting cold and I really don't want to have to explain to Cooper that you nearly caught your death of cold because you were standing on my door step." She looked at his unreadable expression.

"For God sake Red will you just take the damn things, I'm getting cold here now. She threw both items at him. "Fine do what you want."

"Lizzie wait." He jammed his foot in the door while placing a hand on the door.

"Let me in, at least until Dembe returns. I promise I'll behave, scout's honor. I'd do the salute but as you can see my hands are full here." Praying that charm and a little bit of negotiation might just get him the in he needed.

"Plus your neighbours are going to start wonder why I'm standing here." He was getting desperate now.

"Fine but just until Dembe gets back then you're gone, agreed?" Liz was not budging on this.

"You have my word Lizzie that as soon as Dembe arrives I will leave you in peace." He stepped back and removed his foot and hand from the door as a gesture of good faith.

"Ok." She opened up the door fully to let him pass.

"Thank you sweetheart." He stood in the hallway while she closed the door and locked it.

"No pet names, no funny business and you can help me clean up." She could do this, she could avoid continuing their previous conversation, yes she could wait this out until Dembe got here.

"When you say clean up you mean..." He couldn't resist.

"Red seriously you lasted what all of 10 seconds before you resorted to innuendo." Shaking her head.

"I am sorry but you can't blame me for taking a swing at that. I will be a perfect gentleman from here on." Holding his hands up in defence.

"Now point me in the direction of the cleaning and will get to it with gusto." Placing his jacket and hat on her hall table he began rolling up his sleeves.

They worked away in silence much to Reds dismay, whenever he entered the kitchen she left through the hall door, if he entered from the hall she would make her way out the partitioning doors. At first he found it amusing, cute even, but right now he was tired of it, at this rate he'd never get to her talk. He made his way over to the door to the hall closing it loud enough for her to hear then waited. Just as he expected she enter the kitchen by the partition doors. Moving quickly he jammed a kitchen chair under the handle on the hall door effectively blocking her escape.

"Where the hell is Dembe." She mumbled when she heard moving through the living room towards the kitchen again. "Damn it." She bolted for the other door, pushing the handle, to her shock and horror it didn't move.

"No, no, no come on." She pushed harder.

"Something wrong ... sweetheart?" Red silky voiced carried over to her. She knew then she was trapped, she looked around, there he stood blocking the living room door. The back door bet the smug bastard didn't think of that. Calmly she crossed towards it, as she did she heard him again.

"Oh by the way Lizzie I took out you trash and being concerned for you security I locked that door ... would you look at that I accidentally put the key in my pocket... oops." He dangled the key in front of his face mocking her.

"You made a deal Red, you said you'd behave, no funny business and no pets names." Yes she thought go on the attack.

"So I did." Red moved slightly into the room. "I'm growing fond of this room."

"Red where is Dembe? Shouldn't he be back by now? I'll go call Andi to see if everything is alright." She grab the phone off the near by wall then dialled her friend.

"Hey hon, you got there?" She listen intently. "Oh he left well over a half an hour ago. Oh no nothing is wrong. Hey you get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow, night hon." She disconnected the call, placed the phone back in the cradle.

"Whats going on Red? Dembe should be here by now." She looked across the room at him.

"Oh I'm sorry darling you misunderstood me earlier. I told Dembe to go back to our current accommodation after he dropped Andi and Nessa at their hotel."

"I could do with a drink I'm parched after all that cleaning, a cool beer maybe? Care to join me honey?" Not waiting for an answer he opened the fridge to grab a bottle.

One hand slammed the fridge door closed, the other on his shoulder turned him to face her, then with both hands she pushed him up against it.

"You son of a bitch.. you lied to me! Dembe isn't coming back here for you? Why?" She was inches from his face.

"Lizzie as much as I am enjoying this, could we possible move this to another surface, the door handle is digging into my back here and distracting me for fully enjoying ..."

Her could see her draw back her arm and instinctively knew what was coming. Moving swiftly with both hands on her waist he reversed their positions, pinning Liz again the fridge but avoid the handle this time.

"Ah ah ah Lizzie, play nice now." He leaned into her space feeling her chest rise against his.

"I didn't lie to you. Dembe will be pick me up whenever I send for him, but first I believe we have some unfinished business." His eyes danced between her lips and eyes for what seems like an eternity.

"Red..." She could only manage a whisper. "What are you doing?" She swallowed a breath. "We should stop now before its too lately, before we do something we'll regret ..."

Red pressed his lips to hers gently at first, testing, then pulled back.

"Lizzie I could never regret kissing you, touching you or wanting you." He brushed his lips against hers again, his right hand drifted up from her waist to glide along her neck, tilting her head so he could deepen the kiss and finally feel her tongue caress his.

She felt rather than heard herself moan, she needed to stop this now. Regaining some control she placed her hands flat on his chest to pushed him away.

"Stop, we have to stop. We can't do this Red." Her voice unsteady to ears.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to kiss you. My God Lizzie you taste divine." He kissed his way down her jaw line to the hollow of her neck where he stop. "I finally know perfection, its you my love."

My love, did he just say, my love. Her brain kicked in, this time she pushed hard and untangled herself from him. Slipping away then moving behind him to steady herself against her kitchen island.