This is, well…pointless, gratuitous smut, really. Yup. Pretty much all there is to it. I must thank Orangeshipper who has been incredibly lovely and listened to me ramble on about this all afternoon.

Erm…enjoy! :)

A Garden Of Eden Just Made For Two

Mary closed her book and leaned back in the chair, her eyes drifting shut as the sun warmed her face, smiling to herself as she let her thoughts drift to her husband and the time they had spent together that morning before he'd had to get up…

The next thing she saw was Matthew's face close to hers, his bright blue eyes filling her vision, his voice low in her ear. He was kneeling next to her, his hand gently nudging her arm, having been reluctant to wake her when she looked so beautiful and peaceful, but knowing that she would be annoyed if he just left her.

"Mary, darling, wake up," he spoke softly and she stirred, her eyes flickering open, smiling in recognition as she woke properly.

"Hello. Oh, goodness, what time is it?" She sat up blinking and looked around. "I must have dozed off."

"It's after five. Molesley didn't want to wake you," he stood and held out his hand for her, pulling her close to him for a soft kiss. "Hello my darling. Have you been out here all afternoon?"

"Yes. It's very pleasant, and with the weather being how it is at the moment…" she trailed off and leaned in to return his kiss, delighting in this simplest of intimacies.

"So you don't miss a great estate and acres of land and endless gardens?" Matthew raised his eyebrows and Mary batted his chest as she recognised the teasing tone, which she had heard more of after two months of marriage than in almost eight years of knowing him. She looked deeply into his eyes, wanting nothing more than to wrap herself around him and show him how much she loved him, but she was mindful of the fact that it was late afternoon, and the servants were just inside, and villagers were still walking past the house.

"No. I don't." She smiled warmly and laced her fingers through his, choosing not to add that one day the estate and all of its land would be theirs; but that day was far off in the future. "You should spend more time out here Matthew, it's lovely."

"I'm pleased that you like the garden so much," he chuckled, pulling away and settling himself in the chair across from hers as she sat back down. "I certainly never imagined that you would be quite so green-fingered darling."

"Well I'm pleased that I can apparently still surprise you," she raised her eyebrows and smiled at him. "Heaven forbid that I revealed everything in the first inning."

"Cricket too?" He raised his own eyebrows and smirked. "I'd like to think, my dear, that I might still have a few surprises of my own up my sleeve," he replied without hesitation, his heart racing as he felt the familiar heat of desire start to coil in his belly.

"I'm sure you do," she murmured, her eyes locked on his.

"Perhaps I might surprise you later," his heart sped up as he replied, an idea already forming in his head.

"I hope you will." Their breathing became shallow and their eyes darkened as they both thought about later and…

"Oh hello, I wasn't expecting to see you both out here," Isobel's cheery voice startled them and Matthew stood quickly, his cheeks flushing as the appearance of his mother interrupted his thoughts.

"Hello Mother," he smiled and kissed her cheek, before offering her his seat.

"We were just enjoying the sunshine. Mrs Bird said that dinner will be at seven, if that's alright," Mary smiled serenely at her mother-in-law, showing no sign that her mind had been more agreeably engaged.

"Of course," Isobel returned the smile and began to talk about her day at the hospital, not seeming to notice that her son and daughter-in-law were staring intently at each other as their minds drifted once more…

Mary woke with a start, jolted awake by a hand on her arm. She rolled over, eyes snapping open, finding Matthew standing beside the bed.

"Dearest, what is it?" Her voice was hoarse and drowsy, tinged with annoyance at being woken up so rudely.

"Come with me," he reached for her hand and tugged gently, pulling her to sit up.

"Why? Is something the matter?" Mary covered her mouth as she yawned, and stretched her arms out, and Matthew watched her, half fondly, half aching with arousal as she arched her back towards him.

"No," he smiled and leaned in to kiss her, bending awkwardly as she pulled him on top of her as much as she was able to, mouths opening to each other, grinning as her limbs wrapped around him, desire burning through them both as they moaned softly. Mary's hands moved down the smooth, bare skin of his back to his hips, her fingers just dipping into the waistband of his pyjama bottoms... Matthew groaned and pulled away, his hands resting on either side of her head.

"Not here. Come with me," he repeated, almost growling in her ear. Her eyes fluttered shut and she nodded enthusiastically, letting him pull her to stand, waiting as she pulled her dressing gown around herself. He threaded their fingers together and led her through the house, quietly creeping down the stairs and towards the kitchen.

"Matthew, what are we doing?" She whispered as he pulled open the back door, realising then that she had nothing on her feet.

"Well you wanted me to spend more time in the garden darling," he murmured in her ear as his arm wrapped her waist, leading her towards the far wall of the garden, the damp grass feeling quite pleasant under their bare feet.

"This wasn't quite what I had in mind," Mary tried to sound reproachful as she spotted the blanket laid out next to the wall, even as her heart started to thud in anticipation, smiling as Matthew sank to his knees on it, pulling her down to him.

"Now, I think, my darling, that you are inappropriately dressed for being out here," he smiled and reached for the thin material of her dressing gown, pushing it from her shoulders, leaning in to kiss her slowly, deeply. Mary's hands traced across his chest, before moving to his neck, her fingers sliding into his soft thick hair with a quiet moan.

"Sshhh!" Matthew grinned into her neck. "I know it's the middle of the night darling, but still, keep it down!"

"You're the one that dragged me out here!" She hissed in mock-annoyance, her eyes squeezing shut as his lips gently sucked on that spot just behind her ear, hardly noticing that he was tugging at her nightgown until she felt the gentle summer breeze against her skin and she shivered slightly, biting her lip as he eased her backwards onto the soft blanket, holding himself over her. "Oh, Matthew…" she trailed off his lips moved across her neck, sighing contentedly as his kisses stoked the fire of her arousal.

Matthew shifted and pushed himself up on his elbows, gazing down at his wife. His wonderful, beautiful, adoring wife, whose pale skin was shimmering – glowing almost – in the silvery light of the moon, smiling at her as he saw the love and desire that he felt mirrored in her dark, glittering eyes. He reached to caress her cheek, overwhelmed with the strength of his feelings for her. "Oh my darling, I do love you," he breathed as he leaned to kiss her again.

"I should hope so," she gasped as his fingers trailed along her jaw, down her throat, down to her breasts, where he touched her so gently that it barely felt like a touch at all, until his mouth followed the same path; licking, nipping and sucking where his fingers had traced and trailed, making her writhe against him as she bit back a moan, her chest rising and falling rapidly with shallow breaths.

His hand continued down, tracing lazy circles across her abdomen, daring to tickle her gently for a moment, then…down…just brushing against the dark curls, causing her to shift her hips slightly towards him, seeking a release from the tension he'd created, and he grinned against her breast, repeating the action, before letting his hand wander to her thigh, stroking up and down the outside of it before easing her legs apart, and stroking up and down her inner thigh, her skin like silk against his fingertips.

His fingers lightly stroked over the moist warmth of her, her hips bucking against his hand, his mouth covering hers, silencing their groans. She clutched at the blanket as he eased a finger, then another inside her…over her…stroking…teasing…taunting her, over and over and over, his thumb circling gently… She writhed and wriggled against him, her hands pressed to her face, holding in the scream she so desperately wanted to let out as he drove her closer and closer to the brink… Need was coursing through her, spiralling, making her dizzy, closer and closer and closer…

Matthew pulled his hand away, eliciting a frustrated moan from his wife, chuckling as he leaned to kiss her, aching for his own release. Mary opened her eyes and met his gaze, smiling broadly, her hands once more reaching for the thin cotton that covered him, yanking it down over his hips, smiling as he kicked his legs free. She reached to clasp his face in her hands, their eyes fixed on each other's, both moaning quietly as he shifted and gripped her hips, and slid into her, pausing as the sensation overwhelmed him, overwhelmed them both, burying his face in her neck, letting out a deep moan of satisfaction at the familiar feeling of her tight around him. He started to move, slowly, gently thrusting into her, lifting his head to kiss her deeply. Her hips met his with every deep stroke, the fire within her burning more intensely than before, her arms and legs wrapping around him as they slowly made love, rocking and moving together. Their quiet gasps and soft moans breaking the still air, the heat building and burning through them as they pushed each other to the precipice… Their movements speeding up as they hurtled closer and closer…

Biting her lip and digging her nails into his shoulders, Mary stiffened, her back arched, her legs tightened around him and then…she shattered around him, spurring on his release as his hips jerked against her, his face scrunched up as he buried it against her neck, letting out a muffled groan as he splintered, and let go within her, both rocking together as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed over them… Matthew rolled onto his back, pulling her to his side and pressing a soft kiss to her hair, smiling as she curled against him, the cool air drying the sweat that covered their skin, trembling as aftershocks of pleasure jolted through them.

"Well, darling, I think you were right. I do need to spend more time out here," Matthew murmured, feeling Mary smile against his chest, her fingers curling in the smattering of hair across his chest, which still rose and fell quickly as he gasped for breath.

"Perhaps we should go inside now though," she whispered, spotting the blue-orange that was creeping up into the inky sky. Matthew kissed her head once more, reluctant to move as he felt the ache in his limbs, sated and exhausted in the best possible way, but aware that they were in the garden and the sleepy village would be coming to life soon. Mary replaced her nightgown, stifling a giggle as her husband searched for his pyjama bottoms, finding them attached to the rose bush. He tugged…and the unmistakable sound of ripping cotton filled their ears. Mary covered her mouth with her hands, shoulders shaking with repressed laughter as Matthew examined the holey material with a frustrated sigh.

"Here, put this on. We're only going back inside," she tossed him her dressing gown; biting back a smile as the flimsy material just about covered him. He picked up the blanket and they hurried into the house.

"I don't mean to trouble you sir, but I found this by the rose bush this morning," Molesley coughed and held out the scrap of blue material to Matthew, whose eyes widened, recognising what had been part of his pyjama bottoms, taking it from the other man and stuffing it in his pocket. Mary ducked her head, sipping her tea, hoping that Isobel wouldn't notice the flood of colour to Matthew's face.

"Ah yes, thank you Molesley. Perhaps…someone discarded it, or lost it. I shouldn't worry about it." Matthew coughed and focussed his attention back on the newspaper.

"There was something else sir. I think we might have a problem with cats, or foxes. I heard the strangest noises coming from the garden in the early hours. I can get some manure from my father to keep them away though." Both Mary and Matthew choked slightly on their tea, avoiding looking at anything other than what was in front of them.

"Thank you Molesley, but I'm sure that it must have been a one-off," Isobel smiled at the servant as he bowed his head, before casting knowing looks at both son and daughter-in-law as they stared at their breakfasts. "Perhaps next time, they'll avoid the garden, now that you're going to be keeping an eye on the situation."

Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts…erm…no, yes I would. :)