A/N: you've all been so patient, so I won't keep you for long. Only thing to say is- the rating has gone up to M.

I WONDER WHY.

…

Mary examined the modernist paintings in the foyer as Matthew walked up to the reception desk.

"Do you have two single rooms available next to, or near, each other?" Matthew asked. The receptionist tapped a few keys on her keyboard and shook her head.

"I'm afraid none of our remaining single rooms are on the same floor. I could offer you two separate single rooms, or alternatively we do have one double-room available." The receptionist said.

"Er… I'll take…the double-room, thanks." Matthew handed his card over.

Matthew wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not- it could be that he'd totally misread the signals from Mary. But he was sure that the smile she'd just given him was a deliberately alluring one. But you find all her smiles alluring, you dolt. That doesn't mean anything. Matthew tapped his finger on the desk nervously as the receptionist processed the transaction.

Mary dropped herself down in one of the fancy leather armchairs, giving her feet a rest. Flip-flops aren't made for long walks across London, she realised. She looked up when she saw Matthew walk towards her, holding only one room key-card.

"They only had a double-room available, I'm afraid." He said, looking at her anxiously. He didn't want her to think he had hatched a plan to get her into bed. More than anything else, he wanted to simply spend time with her. It had been so long since the two of them had spent time alone, just talking. "I can sleep on the floor." He added quickly.

Mary smiled, seeing that he was worried. "That's no problem at all."

…

As soon as they entered the room, Mary let out a loud sigh and plopped herself on top of the covers on the bed, as if she'd just come home from a hard day at school. Matthew, on the other hand, had to pause for a moment to take the room in. He'd stayed in nice hotels before, but this was in another league altogether; although he should have suspected from the price that it would be something special. He now realised that he probably wouldn't have to sleep on the floor- there was a sofa on one side of the room, along with a plush armchair and a divan at the end of the bed.

He removed his shoes, placed his suit jacket and tie on the back of the armchair, and sat on the bed next to where Mary was lying down, staring at the ceiling.

"Did you enjoy tonight?" She asked.

"Very much so. Your family throw some pretty amazing parties." Matthew replied, slouching down slightly so he was almost reclined, like Mary.

"They do like to do things in a big way. God knows what they'll do for their fiftieth anniversary."

Matthew only chuckled lightly at this. He was growing increasingly warm at their proximity on the bed and the fact that Mary wasn't wearing much clothing. Her long, bare legs caught his eye. Suddenly, the idea of merely talking to Mary wasn't as attractive as it had seemed earlier.

Mary also felt herself flush when Matthew joined her on the bed. They weren't touching, but his presence alone was enough to induce a tingling sensation all over her body. He was wearing a rather fitted shirt, through which she could make out the contours of his torso and arms. She was breathing more rapidly than usual, she observed. A large part of her just wanted to sit up and straddle him. She felt the need to say something- something neutral- otherwise the heat would grow unbearable.

"I never got a chance to properly tell you about my first two weeks at work." She began.

Matthew sighed inwardly. How long was this going to be drawn out for? He was already brimming with arousal at the thought of her body next to him. He needed to say something- thank goodness he still had some Dutch courage left.

"Mary, I don't want to talk about that."

Mary immediately turned her head to look at him properly. His voice was low and serious, but in the most sultry way possible. His eyes were boring into her. She couldn't tell if her heart had stopped beating, or if it was beating so fast that it felt like one long heartbeat.

"Oh?" was all she managed to say.

"Ask me why Lavinia and I broke up."

Mary's brow creased. Why was he bringing that up now? She tried to ask the full question, but her current flustered state only allowed her to make mono-syllabic responses. "Why?"

"Because of you." Matthew said. His azure eyes still staring straight into hers.

Mary swallowed hard (not realising that this turned Matthew on even more). "What?" The mono-syllabic curse continued with full force.

The corner of Matthew's mouth twitched up, revealing one of his adorable dimples. Mary badly wanted to lean forward and run her tongue along it, but she seemed to be paralysed at the moment.

"We broke up, because of the way I feel about you." Matthew said slowly, his voice still low. He turned onto his side, moving himself even closer to her. Seeing that Mary's eyes were widened and her mouth parted in surprise (God, he craved the taste of those lips), he continued. "I've…been having some rather inappropriate thoughts about you lately, particularly after our kiss."

Mary's internal organs were busy rearranging themselves from excitement, but her exterior remained frozen. Matthew had been thinking of her inappropriately? What had he been thinking? Was his definition of 'inappropriate' the same as hers? "Like?" She breathed. She gazed at him fervently, awaiting his answer. She hadn't anticipated anything so eagerly in her whole life!

"Well," Matthew began, his eyes dropping to watch his hand as it reached across the gap between their bodies. He ran it along her stomach, slowly. "I've found myself wondering…what your skin would feel like under my fingers. And how it would taste…under my lips." His hand travelled up slightly, to rest just under her breast. He brought his eyes back up to meet hers.

Mary was almost trembling with desire. The feel of his masculine hand on her thinly-covered torso sent flames rushing through her body. She wanted more.

"What else?" She whispered, finally overcoming her temporary speech impediment, but still finding it difficult to speak.

Matthew smirked slightly. "Shall I show you?" He echoed her words back to her.

His answer came as Mary's hands fisted into his collar, pulling him down on top of her.

Matthew closed his eyes as he captured her sweet lips in his. He groaned at the sensation, and brushed his hand over her torso again. Wanting him to be as close to her as possible, Mary sank her fingers into his hair as her tongue delved into his mouth, causing them both to writhe against each other from the desire burning inside of them.

This second kiss mirrored their first- their tongues and lips slid against each other with a heavenly friction, each of them ignoring the fact that they needed to break apart for breath. Mary felt Matthew's hand slide underneath her cardigan, his fingers caressing the skin on her waist. He sighed into her mouth. Her skin felt softer and more luxurious than silk. His gentle caresses weren't satisfying enough for Mary, however. She reached her leg up and curled it around his body, her foot resting on the back of his knee. Matthew felt his arousal harden even more at the knowledge that Mary's almost-bare leg was wrapped around him. He removed his hand from under her cardigan and slid it over her denim shorts, and down the smooth, exposed skin of her thigh. Still unsatisfied, Mary brought one hand to his shoulder and pushed, moaning slightly to indicate that she wanted him to roll onto his back. Matthew obliged- he'd do basically anything she wanted right now.

Mary straddled Matthew as he lay down, their lips still tasting each other. She pulled away from him and sat back on her legs, inadvertently pressing her groin closer to his. She felt herself grow wetter at the sensation of his hardness underneath her.

Matthew felt like the room was spinning. He rested his hands on Mary's hips as he watched her unbutton her cardigan from the top down, tantalisingly slowly, her eyes never leaving his. For the second time that night, he was mesmerised by her movements. When she finished, she pulled the garment down her arms and off, gently casting it on the floor. As Matthew took in the sight of her upper body in nothing but her bra, Mary's hands tugged at the buttons on his shirt. She undid them speedily, spreading his shirt open and immediately running her hands over his lean torso.

Mary was overcome with the need to kiss his body. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his chest, slowly dragging them across until she flicked her tongue over his nipple. He groaned, his eyes rolling to the back of his head, his hands gripping her body more fiercely. Submission was obviously something that worked for him. Buoyed by this reaction, Mary continued to move her lips and tongue over his chest and up to his neck, where she began nibbling his skin.

Turning his head to the side to enable Mary to kiss his neck more fully, Matthew opened his eyes and caught their reflection in the mirror in the corner of the room. He marvelled at the sight- him reclined on the large bed, almost shirtless, with Mary Crawley straddling him, her face buried in his neck, her lustrous hair splayed on his chest, her hands stroking his torso. Watching himself in the mirror, he stroked his hands over her exposed back, moving them round to her waist, down to her hips, and then down further to- her derriere. Matthew took great pleasure in placing his hands firmly on each perfectly-rounded buttock, squeezing and fondling as he liked. He took even greater pleasure in seeing and feeling Mary squirming on top of him. He brought his hands up to her sides and gently pushed her so she lay on her back. He sat up and removed his shirt fully before moving over her again and settling in between her legs. Missing her mouth on his, he bent down and ran his tongue along her top lip, coaxing her mouth open, before tilting his head and finding her tongue. She wrapped both of her legs around him this time, as tightly as she could.

Mary felt one of Matthew's hands run down along her leg and hook under her knee, while the other moved to the side of her breast, where his thumb began to stroke over her bra. She moaned and pushed herself up, wanting to press against his hand as much as she could. Matthew took advantage of her arched back and slid his hands around, quickly undoing the clasp. He pulled away from the kiss as he brought the straps over her arms and flung it onto the floor. Leaning back on his arms, his eyes roamed the vision beneath him. "God, Mary" he breathed, his voice rough with desire. She looked like a mythological princess, too beautiful and sensual to be real. He bent his head and began placing languid kisses over her neck and throat, feeling Mary's arms reach around him to stroke his back. His lips made their way down to her chest. Readjusting himself so that he was lower down on her body, he cupped each of her breasts in his hands. He licked his lips, as if settling down to a meal, before lowering his mouth over her left nipple.

Mary unconsciously dug her nails into Matthew's bare back. His mouth was warm and wet, and was worshipping her body. The lights were still on, meaning she could see everything he was doing, as well as feel it- every movement of his fingers, every flick of his tongue. Needing to release the sexual energy building up inside her, she moved her legs up and down his sides, rubbing the backs of his legs with her feet. "Matthew" she rasped.

Sensing that Mary was feeling just as impatient as he was, but still wanting to taste as much of her as possible, Matthew quickly kissed his way to the waistband of her shorts. Mary watched him as he undid the button and small zip, before carefully pulling them down her long legs- along with her underwear.

Mary had never let anyone see her in…this way, not in a well-lit room, at least. But any nerves which may have threatened to appear quickly dissolved as she saw Matthew raise himself so he was kneeling on the bed in front of her. Her eyes roved over his dishevelled golden hair, his topaz-coloured eyes (which were eyeing her greedily), his broad frame and his toned body. He looked like a Scandinavian God, ready to take her.

He lifted her right leg and rested her foot on his shoulder, their eyes still locked together. Moving his head slightly, he kissed her ankle, then proceeded to drag his lips down the inside of her leg, lowering himself back down to the bed as he did so. Apparently the answer to 'how would Mary's skin feel under my lips?' was 'unbelievably good.' Upon reaching her centre, Matthew's mouth hovered as he looked up at Mary to see if she had any objection. Seeing her almost imperceptible nod, he placed his lips over her, his tongue slowly running up between her slit. Mary let out an audible sigh at the sight of Matthew's gorgeous head between her spread legs. Her head rolled back and one hand grasped the pillow; the feel of his hot mouth pleasuring her was driving her wild.

Matthew could have spent all night exploring her like this, but the taste of her in his mouth coupled with the erotic sounds escaping her were already sending him over the edge. Pressing one last kiss to her, he sat back again to hastily undo his belt and trousers. Once he'd discarded them, along with his underwear, he settled over her again to kiss her lips. The room was quiet, but neither of them realised- the sounds of each other's moans and sighs filled their ears.

Mary thought she'd physically burst if he didn't move inside her soon. She pulled Matthew's hips towards her with her hands in an attempt to convey this to him. Breaking apart momentarily, Matthew opened his eyes to search for Mary's assent. She nodded vigorously, pulling him closer so that he felt her centre against him.

That did it for Matthew. Unable to hold back any longer, he thrust into her, evoking a sharp gasp and a guttural groan. Trying to collect himself so that he didn't finish right then and there, Matthew began moving back and forth inside her, the sensation of her so tight around him turning his groans into animalistic grunts.

Mary was losing her mind. Her moans and ragged breaths punctured the air as Matthew repeatedly hit her spot. Her fingers clutched his back and his shoulder, and she was somewhat aware of his hands pulling down on her shoulders as he jerked into her, seeking deeper penetration.

Neither of them knew how long they went on like this; the experience felt torturously long and yet they could have continued forever. As they reached their peak, their bodies took over completely, each doing whatever it needed to do to find its release. Mary wanted to cry out Matthew's name as she finished, but the ecstasy was too overwhelming- all she managed was a loud, prolonged cry as she rode out the waves of pleasure. Matthew's grunts began forming the beginning of several expletives, increasing in volume until he shattered inside of her.

Matthew's body involuntarily dropped down on top of Mary's, but Mary hardly noticed nor cared- her body had turned into jelly. Numb jelly.

…

Some time later (all concept of time was still lost to them both), Matthew summoned the energy to raise his upper body off of Mary. Looking down at her, he saw that she somehow looked even more beautiful than she had done earlier in the evening; her skin was moist, her cheeks flushed, her hair unkempt. He delighted in the fact that he was able to see her this way- that it was him who had brought her to this satiated state. His thumb gently stroked her cheek.

"Hi." Mary said softly, a sweet smile gracing her face.

"Hi." Matthew smiled back. He bent his head to tenderly kiss her lips.

"How do you feel?" Mary asked once he pulled away. From the sounds he'd been making, she could tell that he'd enjoyed it physically, but she wanted to know how he really felt about it, emotionally.

Matthew's hand played with a lock of her glossy, dark hair. "Like I just had the most wonderful near-death experience ever. I think I saw God." He smiled cheekily.

"You're so cheesy, Matthew Crawley." Mary giggled as Matthew placed several small kisses on her face. He leaned back again, still smiling.

Mary looked up at him. She wanted to memorise everything about his current appearance- his absurdly messy hair, his shining blue eyes, his red lips. Simultaneously adorably boyish and devilishly handsome, he was the ideal of the male form, in her opinion at least. Mary slid her fingers into his hair and back out again, before resting her hand on the side of his face. Her expression became more serious as she looked into his eyes.

"I love you" she said.

…

A/N: *gasp* Matthew and Mary had sex! *gasp* Mary said the 'L' word!

What did you guys think? I've never written anything this saucy before- I had it all planned out in my head but I'm not sure it came as well on the page…