The clanking of cutlery and bustle of the waiters rushing about was doing nothing to calm Henry's nerves. He glanced at his watch - 1.26pm. Only 2 minutes since he last checked. She clearly wasn't coming and he was pretty sure everyone in the restaurant knew he'd been stood up. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to leave. She's just running late. If he repeated it enough times to himself, he may just start believing it.

The sad truth was though, a truth that he really didn't want to have to admit to himself, was that she was never coming. She'd been extremely honest, telling him that it was just about the sex, She hadn't agreed to meet him so he couldn't possibly be upset with her for not showing up. But he was upset. He was annoyed at himself that he hadn't tried harder to persuade her. Why had he let her just walk away from him like that when he could tell she liked him too, or was that his imagination trying to fool him. Maybe she didn't like him at all.

Every thought filling his head from the moment she left had been about Elizabeth. Her perfume lingered in his apartment and he was certain he could still feel her legs wrapped around his torso. Those damn legs that never seemed to end. How could someone who he literally knew nothing about inhabit every neuron in his brain. It was madness, yet he would happily go a little crazy just to see her again. Nobody had ever had this effect on him and it was unnerving to say the least.

The young waiter hovered by the table, notepad in hand, pen poised to scribble "Are you ready to order sir?" The question was tentative, as if he already knew the answer but needed to try and hurry the poor jilted guy along.

Henry sighed "Can you bring me a glass of water and some breadsticks please? I should really wait to order." Why he felt the need to wait for someone who

wasn't coming he was unsure, but he wasn't prepared to give up when there was still a sliver of a chance she'd show up.

The tiny silver bell above the door jingled as it opened and Henry's head shot up like a meerkat! His heart raced and the knot in his stomach grew tighter. He adjusted the collar on his shirt and took a breath — Only to release it along with every last speck of hope he had when he realised it wasn't her.

By 2.15pm, Henry conceded defeat and headed home. He had placed the decision in Elizabeth's hands and she had made it. They'd spent an incredible 24 hours together that he would never forget, but it was done with and he had to snap out of the hazy fog he was stuck in. She was just a stranger and clearly that's how she wanted it.

Truth be told, things hadn't been going all that great for Henry over the past 18 months or so. His mother, Lillian, had lost her battle with pancreatic cancer and it had hit him particularly hard. She was his confidant, his support system and the only one who really knew him at all. She was his reason for making the journey home to Pittsburg and the matriarch of the McCord family. He had a somewhat strained relationship with his father to say the least, which only seemed to deteriorate the older and more stubborn they both got, and when Lillian passed away, it just widened the gap between them even further. He knew he still had a family, yet he felt completely alone.

After the death of his mother, Henry seemed to question everything in his life, from his faith to his job at UVA to his relationship with Stacey, his semi serious girlfriend. She wanted a commitment from him, but he never quite felt the way he believed he should and when their relationship reached breaking point, he did the only thing that felt right and ended it.

Although his lack of emotion over the break up only validated his decision, the feeling of frustration and emptiness only increased. His life wasn't what he wanted it to be, and having fought so hard to escape the clutches of the steelworks in Pittsburg, he only found himself trapped in a world that held no excitement or passion for him. It felt as if the surroundings he was trying to run away from had not only followed him, but had seeped into his very core.

That's what led him to make the most out of character, reckless decision of his life. He needed to find out what really mattered to him, what set his soul alight and staying where he was, wasn't going to achieve that. So, in the space of exactly 17 days, he quit his job as a lecturer, packed up his stuff and moved 2 hours north east to Fairfax, VA. He had decided that he wanted to write, to publish a book that he had been trying in vain to work on since leaving the Marines. It was the perfect place to focus and get his life back on track. It was also the only apartment he could find at such short notice which is what really made the decision for him. And in the 3 months that he'd been there, things were starting to improve for him, slowly but surely. He no longer felt trapped in his own head.

He was beginning to find himself on an even keel, the words were flowing freely and life was looking up. And then he had met Elizabeth. That beautiful, sexy, intriguing woman who he knew absolutely nothing about other than she made him feel things that nobody else ever had and could turn him to putty with just a look. How could he be feeling this way about someone he had known for less than a day when he'd never got close to feeling this way with Stacey. It didn't make any sense.

Henry had spent the remainder of the afternoon attempting to write but his mind was on Elizabeth. A small Part of him wished he'd never even looked at her in Calico's. If he hadn't brought her home and they hadn't been so intimate he wouldn't be in this funk. Thoughts swirled around his head like a cyclone and he squeezed his eyes shut, desperately attempting to push away visions of her, but the harder he tried, the more he could feel her, smell her— god he could almost taste her.

The loud knock at the front door sent his musings shattering down around him like a cloudburst of broken glass, leaving him halfway between a daydream and an obscured reality. He wasn't sure if he was hearing things or if it was actually his heart trying to break through his chest at the mere thought of her that had startled him. But then he heard it again — The knock louder this time.

Henry had no idea who would be banging on his door on a Sunday night. He hadn't been there long enough to really get to know anyone. Mr Walker in the apartment next door would always say the obligatory "Good Morning" if they happened to see each other but that was as much as he'd managed to achieve in terms of neighbourly relations. The only other people who knew where he lived he could count on one hand and they all lived in Pittsburg. Surely if one of them had decided to pay him a visit, they would have phoned first. As his brain flitted between scenarios, the third and far louder knock at the door made him focus.

Of all the people he had been expecting to see when he opened the door — She certainly wasn't it.

"Elizabeth?!" Now he really wasn't sure if he was still stuck in his fantasy or if he'd gone completely mad. "What — How?"

"Hey Henry." She looked down at her feet and shifted her weight back and forth as if trying to ground herself "Can I come in? I brought Chinese food." She held up the bag and flashed him a shy smile.

Henry stared at her and when no words were forthcoming, he stepped back and opened the door wider, gesturing with his hand for her to enter.

Elizabeth placed the take-out bag on the table and waited for Henry to speak. Henry's eyes covered every inch of her, half expecting her to disappear as quickly as she'd materialised. She looked completely different to how she had when they'd met. The tight black dress and heels had been replaced with ripped jeans, a black tank, a tatty leather jacket that had definitely seen better days and a pair of white chucks. Her hair was tied back and the make up was absent yet she had never looked so beautiful.

"What are you doing here?" His words had finally decided to join them and he realised how sharp they had slipped out. "I mean — You didn't show up at the restaurant. I waited but — Why are you here?"

Her expression was a little pained "I was having a bit of a battle with myself and needed some time to think. I'm sorry I didn't show up Henry, my parents raised me better than to be so rude." Her eyes drifted for a split second as she stared blankly into space and then just as quickly she was back again. "If you want me to go then I understand."

Her eyes were infused with a chromatic beauty that held him captive. They flitted between fierce and inviting and they set him ablaze. He was caught in the confines of her gaze, just staring into the abyss.

"Henry? Are you alright?" Her head dropped, breaking the connection "I'm sorry — This was a really bad idea" She turned towards the door, desperately wanting to run. The heat of embarrassment burning her cheeks.

And then she felt his hands on her shoulders, slipping her jacket down her arms and his breath was on her neck "I think it's one of the best ideas anyone's ever had." He threw the jacket onto the chair and turned her gently to face him. "I'm glad you're here."

The tension in her body dissipated and she smiled "So I can stay?"

"At least until we've eaten anyway. Wouldn't want to waste it." His smile mirrored hers and time halted for a heartbeat. And then confusion crept in "How did you remember where I live?"

Elizabeth smiled "I have a penchant for observing what matters. It comes in handy sometimes."

They ate in relative silence, stolen glances bouncing back and forth, neither of them quite knowing what to say. Henry opened a bottle of Rioja and poured her a glass.

"I can't stay too late and only one glass for me. I'm driving and I have to be at work at some ungodly hour tomorrow morning. And I'm pretty sure my boss wouldn't be too thrilled if I turned up hungover." Elizabeth took a sip and licked her lips, savouring the taste.

"What do you do?" Henry wanted to know everything about her, and this seemed as good a place as any to start.

"I'm an analyst."

"Oh ok — Where do you work?"

Elizabeth contemplated her answer. She wasn't quite ready to share that particular aspect of her life and she was well versed in spinning things to suit any situation.

"I work on software in what can only be described as the most boring environment ever. But it pays the bills." Time to deflect "And what do you do Henry?"

"Well, I was a professor at UVA up until a few months ago. Now I'm attempting to write a book which is probably the least rock n roll thing you'll ever hear."

Elizabeth chuckled and studied him. He was extremely intelligent, that much was blatantly obvious, yet there was no air of arrogance about him. It was incredibly endearing.

They moved to the couch and the conversation flowed easily. Henry could tell she was holding back but didn't want to say or do anything that could mess this up, so they pretty much stuck to talking about their days at UVA, living in Virginia, their shared love of literature and the complexities of the perfect mac n cheese.

As the evening drew on, they were both finding it increasingly difficult to keep at a safe distance from each other. Elizabeth had that look in her eye, the same one that had paralysed him when she'd sat on his kitchen side the previous morning. The same look that had led to them having sex right there on the worktop. He wanted her so badly, but he wanted more than her body. He wanted her mind, her heart and her whole damn soul.

Elizabeth kicked her chucks off and settled back against the cushions, making herself more comfortable. "You look flustered, Henry. Are you ok?" There was that wicked grin again. "I promise I won't bite if you want to get a little closer."

"I don't think we should — I mean, I want to but — We shouldn't." His brain and other parts of his anatomy were struggling to find a consensus.

"We shouldn't do what exactly? We're just talking." Her front teeth caught her bottom lip as she bit down "There's no harm in that — Is there?"

"Not at all. But you're flirting with me and it's hard to resist." Henry stayed firmly at his end of the couch in a futile attempt to ignore the building tension.

"Flirting? I wasn't aware that's what I was doing." She was very aware of exactly what she was doing. "Is Mac and cheese really that sexy?"

Henry smirked but wanted to make her understand "I want to get to know more about you than just the physical aspect."

"But the physical part is so much fun." Elizabeth moved closer and Henry could feel her warm breath on his face "Don't you think?"

"Yeah — But…"

"And by the way Henry — Now I'm flirting."

Why did she have this effect on him? He was an ex marine for god sake, yet she could render him completely at her mercy and he didn't even care. She was by far the most dangerous thing he had ever encountered and she was making him feel more alive than anything or anyone ever had.

She slid onto his lap so easily, he barely noticed her do it until he could feel her knees squeezing against him. She was so tantalising close that he could practically taste her and her fingers slipping through his hair sent his mind into freefall. Her lips were so full and ripe and — oh god — He was dead in the water.

"Henry — Ki —" The rest of her request was swallowed as he caught her mouth in a fervid kiss. Her tongue was stroking his as if she were trying to soothe him somehow. And her fingernails were tracing haphazard patterns on the nape of his neck, so gently it was calming yet setting every fibre of arousal on high alert.

HIs hands cupped her ass, squeezing hard but he wanted to feel her skin. No — He needed to feel her skin. Moving them up and under her tank, tracing the silky skin on her lower back, knowing from their previous encounters exactly what that did to her.

The arch of her back and deep throaty moan into his mouth was like a shot of adrenaline. He could barely breathe and god she smelt so good. Her hips were undulating against him and as his fingers reached the clasp of her bra, he could barely contain himself. He was lost in a haze of lust and euphoria, ready to give her everything she wanted, until —

"Uhhh uhhh - We can't." She pulled back from his lips and smiled "I have to go." She licked her lips and gave Henry a sweet peck as she shuffled backwards and climbed off his lap.

Henry was utterly bewildered. He was hard as a rock and needed to be with her more than he needed air at that moment. His body was betraying his mind. "I'm sorry — What?"

"I told you I have a really early start and I can't stay. Plus, you said we shouldn't, so — We won't."

Elizabeth slipped on her chucks and shimmied into her jacket, smiling at Henry the whole time, her eyes never leaving his.

"I don't want you to go. You have quite the effect on me."

Elizabeth eyed the sizable bulge in Henry's pants and smirked "It appears so. But, I really do have to go. Rain check?"

A sudden fear coursed through Henry. What if she disappeared this time and that was it. What if he never saw her again. This wasn't a game he could keep playing. The stakes were far too high now.

Striding towards the door, Henry could feel frustration and anxiety coursing through him.

"Are you just toying with me? Is this fun for you Elizabeth?" Henry noticed the change in her stature but continued "Making me believe you actually like me only to flip 5 seconds later. Getting me all keyed up so you can walk away. This isn't a game to me."

Elizabeth took half a step back and remained silent. His words had cut a little and he'd just described exactly how she had been made to feel so many times in her life. People pretending to be interested in her, pretending to care, and then disappearing leaving her feeling empty and hurt. It made her blood run cold that she was the cause of him feeling this way.

Looking up at him, Elizabeth's expression was one of remorse "I'm sorry Henry. I didn't come here tonight to upset you."

"Then what did you come here for?" His voice remained level.

"I wanted to apologise for standing you up. And —"

"And what? You clearly aren't interested in me in the slightest Elizabeth. I just wish you'd make up your damn mind"

"You're wrong." As her eyes met his, Henry could see the change. They were no longer the bright blue they had been just moments before. It was as if the clouds had covered the sky and a storm was coming. "I came here because I wanted to see you. This isn't easy for me, Henry. There's a lot going on in my head and I'm not sure I'm ready for this right now." Her sexy demeanour had now been replaced with a softer, more delicate presence. "And as for getting you all keyed up, do you not think I'm right there with you? I had to force myself to stop Henry. I wanted to go there just as much as you did but I didn't come here to have sex with you."

Henry had learned more about her from one solitary sentence than he had managed to discover throughout the rest of the time they'd spent together.

"He's a damn fool." Henry took hold of her hand "The guy who hurt you — He clearly didn't deserve you."

"I never said anyone hurt me."

"But someone did and now you don't want to take that risk again."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come. She wanted to tell him but she almost felt as if she were being unfaithful to Simon for sharing it.

Fuck, I'm more screwed up than I thought.

Henry had always been able to get a good read on people, it had proved invaluable in his classes, enabling him to get the best from his students. But Elizabeth had him perplexed. She had a wall up that he couldn't quite penetrate . He could see the hurt in her eyes, yet getting her to admit it, especially to herself was going to be a challenge.

A silence encircled the room, yet the thoughts swirling in her head were anything but quiet. Elizabeth wanted to stay, to get lost in him and put the demons of her past behind her, but the heaviness inside her was pushing so hard she couldn't fight it. She had perfected the art of indifference and feeling completely numb was working just fine. Feeling anything was completely overrated anyway.

"You don't have to go. You could stay and tell me what you're thinking." Henry's thumb rubbed across her knuckle, attempting to calm her as if she were a frightened animal ready to bolt. "Just talk to me."

Elizabeth shook her head "I can't right now Henry. I really do have to be up early and if I stay, we'll only end up going further than we should. I really didn't come here for that."

"So — You're just going to walk out of here and that's it? I don't get to see you again? I'm really not okay with that."

Elizabeth smiled in a way that conveyed so much sincerity "I never said that. You're way too quick to assume things Henry. I'm going home to get some sleep and then tomorrow —" She fished a pen from her bag and scrawled a number on the palm of his hand " — You are going to give me a call on this number and we can arrange our first date — ok?"

Henry looked at his hand. Even her writing was sexy. "This isn't the number of the Chinese take-out is it?" He smiled but there was a hint of mistrust.

"Well — I do spend more time there than my own apartment so even if it were, you're still likely to get hold of me." Her arms wrapped around his neck "Just trust me." She kissed him slowly and deeply. A lingering look passing between them as they parted "Oh, and Henry, be careful what you do with that hand. You wouldn't want to smudge the number."

And for the second night in a row, Henry was left standing in his doorway watching her walk away. But this time, he knew exactly where this was going to go. He was going to marry this girl, she just didn't know it yet.