Mary snuggled deeper into the warm blanket enveloping her, not quite ready to meet the day yet. Sleep had not come easy after kissing John and then having to share a bed with him. It took her sleep-addled brain another moment to realise that it wasn't a blanket around her, but John. He lay behind her, his chest snug against her back and his arm over her chest. One of his legs tangled between both of hers. And his hand... She bit her bottom lip as he shifted slightly and the hand on her breast flexed.

Heat unfurled in her abdomen, matching and quickly outmatching the warmth of his body against hers. His nose rested against the back of her head, his breathing slow and rhythmic. Lying in his arms so intimately felt decidedly improper. And yet she didn't want to move. John was obviously asleep, and she felt bad for not waking him. It was bad of her, but she wanted to enjoy a moment of being embraced in a way she most likely never would be.

Unable to escape the guilt, she tried to scoot away, but his arm around her tightened and he pulled her closer to him. Her eyes widened as she felt a hardness against her bottom. The discussions of a man's 'morning state' that she'd overheard once suddenly made a lot more sense. Her cheeks burned. This just wouldn't do. It wasn't right.

"John?" she breathed.

"Mm?" His sleepy voice against her neck sent a delicious shiver down her spine. When his lips traced a light path over her skin, she closed her eyes and when he nipped gently, she had to bite her lip to hold back a moan. The hand on her chest made its way inside her low-cut chemise to cup her bare breast. Heat pooled between her legs as he massaged her, while his lips moved against the sensitive skin on her neck.

Oh, dear. This was so deliciously wicked. She didn't want him to stop. But he had to stop. He was probably dreaming about Olivia, anyway. The thought was sobering, and she made another attempt to extract herself from his arms. All it did was make him pull her even closer. His hot mouth on her shoulder sent pleasurable shivers through her and a low moan escaped her lips.

"Mary..." He nipped at her earlobe, but she barely noticed, her eyes wide as she inhaled sharply.

Mary?

Before she knew what she was doing, she twisted around in his arms to face him, and kissed him. He might love Olivia, but it was her he was dreaming of touching. Caught in the moment, enjoying the hot pressure of his mouth on hers, it took a few more moments before the doubt niggled its way back into her mind. Her vow to stay away from him to keep her heart safe. This wasn't right.

But it felt right.

She gasped as John grabbed her bottom and pushed against her hips. It felt too right. What was she doing? She couldn't allow herself to get caught up in her attraction to this man. He wasn't even awake. At least not fully. She twisted her head, but he continued placing hot kisses down her neck. It was oh so tempting to let him continue. To see where his mouth would travel next.

"John!" she said again, sharper this time.

He startled, and she could tell exactly when he woke up fully because his hand on her bottom flexed for a moment before he jerked it back as if he'd burned himself. Moving away from her and sitting up, he groaned.

"Hell! I'm so sorry, Mary... I—" He cursed again. "I have no excuse. Please forgive me."

She sat up, praying that her face wasn't as red as it felt. "It's fine. You were sleeping."

"Still, I—" His voice faltered as he looked up and his eyes fastened on her chest.

Looking down, she gasped and quickly pulled the chemise up to cover her bosom. Could this day get any more awkward? And it had barely even started yet. Glancing over at John, she was relieved to see she wasn't the only one whose face was burning. There was definitely a hint of pink on his cheeks.

He swallowed air, and his hands on his knees flexed. A moment later, he shoved himself off the bed to stand next to it, his eyes refusing to look in her direction. It gave her an opportunity to observe him without him noticing. She'd always known he was a relatively handsome man with his windswept brown hair and grey eyes, but it wasn't until they were away from their friends and their overshadowing personalities that she had realised quite how good-looking he truly was.

With his quiet and mild manners, he was easy to overlook in a crowd. Standing there, wearing nothing but his dark trousers, with the early morning light from the window illuminating him from behind, he definitely had her attention. His shoulders were wide and his legs long. She bit her lower lips as she took in the naked expanse of his naked chest; flat and hard, with a string of dark hair from his belly button leading into his black trousers.

After this house party, she would never overlook him again.

"Please get dressed."

His quiet plea broke her out of her thoughts, and she rushed behind the privacy screen. As she wriggled out of her chemise, she fought back a smile. She could have made the same request of him.

John stood at the edge of the lawn that evening, nursing a glass of brandy when Dash sauntered over to him. Everyone was outside enjoying a balmy summer evening, and Hayes had arranged for some new—ridiculous—games to keep everyone entertained. In an attempt to find the one that was the least likely to put them in an awkward position, they had agreed to one where the ladies were all being sent into an enormous hedge maze on the grounds. The labyrinth was lit with lanterns interspersed between the branches of the hedges. The men were all waiting outside before they would apparently be sent in to find their companions.

"I've been invited to join for the more private party in Hayes's chambers tonight. Hopefully, I can find something out to help with the investigation," Dash said before taking a sip of his drink. "If he has been corresponding with Lady Jane, the letters must be in his chambers. Unless he's burnt them, but that seems unlikely."

"If you see any other correspondence that appears... interesting," John said carefully. "Then please let me know of that, too."

Dash's dark eyebrows rose.

"The War Office has requested it," John added, not mentioning that he himself worked for them. It wasn't the first time they had dealt with or through the Rose Agency. With two of their former agents owning the investigation firm, they sometimes found it useful to go through them for special missions where they might want their involvement even more obscured.

Dash nodded. "I'll see what I can find."

They stood silent for a moment, watching as Hayes directed the last few women into the maze. Mary threw a quick glance over her shoulder before disappearing between the hedgerows. The way she'd looked that morning in her revealing chemise, with her hair in disarray, and her lips swollen from kissing, flashed before John. It had taken everything he had to not reach for her again.

"What's going on there?" Dash asked.

"Nothing. I'm helping her find her sister."

His friend scoffed. "Right."

John glared at him. "You said yourself that we look too awkward together and like we don't know each other intimately."

"I should have said intimately 'enough'. You look like you want to but haven't." Dash smirked. "Am I wrong?"

Hell. He wished his friend were wrong. "No," he admitted reluctantly. "There is... attraction between us."

"But?"

"You said it yourself. She's an innocent and has to remain so."

"If you're planning on marrying her, I don't think it matters too much," Dash said casually as he had another sip of his brandy.

"I..." John looked towards the maze into which Mary had long since disappeared. Marry her? It was not a thought he had considered. His mind had been so preoccupied by Olivia the past few years that he had never once thought of marrying someone else. But after spending more time with Mary, he was beginning to think that perhaps he had put too much stock into his feelings for Olivia. What he felt for her differed from what he felt for Mary. Was it love versus lust, or was it something else?

"Or are you still too hung up on Olivia?"

"What does it matter to you?" John grumbled, not enjoying being questioned.

Dash shrugged. "I'm bored."

John shook his head. "You're at a party for degenerates, and you're bored?"

"Degenerates?" Dash chuckled. "We can't all be a shining example of chivalry like you, my good man."

The things he wanted to do with Mary didn't seem particularly chivalrous, but he wasn't about to voice that thought aloud. Instead, he eyed the dark-haired man next to him, wondering what truly lay behind the lazy smile. No one was that carefree. He remembered Mary's admission that Dash was in love with Rain. His older brother's wife. That couldn't be easy.

"I don't think Olivia will ever look at me," he said. "It might be time I put that dream away. She's too caught up with..."

Dash smiled wryly when John's words faltered. "With fancying herself in love with me. Yes, I know."

"You do?" He had not expected that. Olivia embodied everything he had always believed he wanted in a wife. From a good family. Pretty. Always quick to smile. Wicked sense of humour. He frowned. All things that Mary possessed in equal measure, but for some reason, he had never noticed. He had been too busy mooning over Olivia when he first met Mary. Had he truly been so blind to what was right in front of him?

"I don't know why you all seem to assume I'm blind," Dash muttered. "Olivia is lovely, but she's not for me. I'll continue my life as a degenerate for now, thank you."

"I didn't mean that..."

"No." Dash grinned, his blue eyes glittering mischievously. "I like it. I am quite happy to be a degenerate. A debauched degenerate." He laughed. "Yes, that's it."

John rolled his eyes. "I can see why you and Nick get along so well. You're both equally frustrating."

"I love Nick, so I will accept that compliment."

"It wasn't a compliment."

"Well." Dash drained his glass and set it down on a stone bench. "I believe it is our turn."

Hayes waved them forward to the entrance of the maze. Setting his own glass aside, John joined his friend in the group of gathering men.

"This game is simple," Hayes said as they all waited. "I have given the ladies inside three stones each, to be given to one or more seekers. You will have to either gain their favour by doing as they ask or find a way to woo them." He winked as a few men laughed. "I hear physical contact is allowed, nay—encouraged!"

A couple of men, who were already deep in their cups, cheered.

Hayes grinned before motioning for them to be quiet before he continued. "The man who leaves the maze with the most stones wins, and may choose his companion for the night from the women stepping up as tributes."

John had to resist rolling his eyes. Tributes. These games were nothing but poorly veiled excuses to grope and kiss as many women as possible. But knowing that he had a role to play, he plastered a smile on his face. He had no interest in kissing or wooing any ladies inside the maze.

Only the one.

~~~~~~