Bit more 'heat' as requested. Thanks for your reviews, they have been so kind. And also thanks again to my editor in chief :-)

Anna's POV

Opening the door to Lady Sybil's room excitement rushes through me. As I close the door, I know in a matter of moments, I will be alone with John and everything will be right in the world again. Walking over to her dresser, I place the fresh linens on her chair. Before I have a chance to think, someone's hands on me causes me to jump out of my skin.

'Hello,' comes the cry in a familiar man's voice.

Struggling to regain my senses, I turn to see it is John, a cheekier smile than the one on his face I have never seen.

'John Bates, you cheeky beggar,' I breathe, hand pressed against where my throat meets my chest.

'Well, that will teach you for causing me awkwardness at the breakfast table, won't it?' John replies as he places his arms around my waist.

'It's not my fault,' I point out, still out of breath. 'You're the one who made up the code.' Smiling at me, he presses his forehead against mine.

'Sometimes, Mrs Bates, you are too clever for your own good.' The way he calls me Mrs Bates does something to me I can't explain. He says it in just the right way to make me weaken that I can't stay mad at him for long for frightening me. We stand for a moment, in each others arms. It's like the world has melted away as he gently rubs my back with his strong hands.

Suddenly, I realise, I am here to do a job and pull away from him.

'What are you doing?' he asks, almost sulkily.

'Well, Mr Bates, see those linens on the chair here,' I begin, pointing towards Lady Sybil's dresser.

'Yes,' he replies, edging closer to me with a glint in his eye.

'Well they need to be on that bed.' I explain, now pointing to where Lady Sybil sleeps.

'Carry on.' he smiles, now so close to me there is barely any space between us.

'And you're going to help,' I announce, grabbing his lapels and catching him off guard as I drag him to the side of the bed. 'That's what I put in the note, I don't see the need for asking me what we might do in here.'

'Yes but I thought...' he starts his sentence confidently but now I have my arms folded and am raising my eyebrows at him, he trails off. 'I don't know what I thought. Must be my cough, messing with my mind.' I smirk, tongue in cheek as he turns a rather endearing shade of crimson.

We begin to strip the bed in silence and a flashback from when we made Lady Edith's bed together fills my head. It was the first time we had really admitted that the mutual admiration we had for each other could go beyond friendship.

Sneaking looks here and there at each other, silence has fallen between us for quite a while. It's not an awkward silence however. To me, it proves how comfortable I am in his company. We don't have to talk, just being together is enough.

We both reach for the pillows now, still in silence and I am sure our heads are filled with similar thoughts. Totally unintentionally, at least on my part, our hands brush and immediately our gaze is fixed on each other. Something builds within me as he looks at me with the same look in his eye as the night before. Instinct takes over and we both kneel up on the bed and meet in the middle. Before I have a chance to catch my breath, his lips are on mine and his hands are travelling all over my body. I don't know what it is, I have never felt like this before, not even last night. Last night was calm, gentle, slow. In the present, the overbearing emotion is that I want him, desperately. No, not want. I need him and right now.

'Anna,' he whimpers before pushing me back gently on the newly stripped bed. The desire is building between us, we have already done enough to lose us both our positions in this house. However, that is at the back of our minds as the need overtakes our rational thinking. After the events of the previous hours, I am soon realising I enjoy the feel of his body against mine, the changes in his body when we are together like this and the sounds that he makes.

Impulse makes me begin to loosen his collar. Instead of having the desired affect, John takes me by surprise and pulls himself away from me. Confused, I watch as he walks over to the window. He looks at me, he is all flushed and I wonder what I have done wrong. After his actions upon joining me in here, didn't he want this? Suddenly, we hear the familiar jangling of Mrs Hughes keys. Gasping, I jump and begin straightening myself out, as does John.

'Anna,' he hisses, 'the pillow.'

I look at the pillow beside me. 'What?' I reply, wondering why he is trying to draw my attention to it. He rolls his eyes and looks down at the chair beside Lady Sybil's dresser and sees a pillow on her chair. Grabbing it, he hovers it about his waist and I smirk as I soon realise what he is trying to hide.

'Anna?' Mrs Hughes calls, before entering the room. We both looked at each other as we knew the scene she found would take some explaining. 'Mr Bates? Why are you in here?'

'Erm... well, Mrs Hughes, you see...'

'Now Jane is gone I needed some help making the beds.' I interrupt. 'My workload is a lot heavier being one maid down so I thought getting this job out of the way quickly would allow me more time to fulfil my other duties.' I look at John. 'Isn't that right, Mr Bates?'

'That's right Mrs... I mean Anna.' Honestly, the man shows the utmost decorum in all situations yet one taste of passion and he becomes a gibbering wreck. I had heard about men and these sorts of things but never believed it could be true of my Mr Bates. He was always so calm under pressure, and recently, he'd had his fair share of being under pressure.

'Fine.' Mrs Hughes replies, seemingly satisfied with our explanation. 'Mr Bates, you really don't seem well.' John sighs and I have to stifle yet another laugh as his secret code comes back to haunt him. 'Are you sure you won't get Dr Clarkson to check you over.'

He looks at me and sees I am trying desperately to hide a laugh. He looks angry and all I can do it scratch my forehead in response.

'I'll be fine, Mrs Hughes. Thanks for your concern.' Mrs Hughes nods before turning her attentions to me.

'What is so funny, young Anna?' Now it is John's turn to laugh as I struggle to regain my composure.

'Err...' I begin, eloquence has always been my middle name. Mrs Hughes rolls her eyes as I look at John. The cheeky sod coughs gently and behind his covered mouth and I see the corners of his mouth are upturned.

'Honestly, Mr Bates.' Mrs Hughes says turning her attentions to John. 'The youth of today.'

'Indeed, Mrs Hughes.' he replies before looking at me, face beaming. 'The youth of today.'

'And Dr Clarkson is checking you over when he comes back to check on Lady Grantham.'

'Mrs Hughes, with all due respect...'

'No excuses.' Mrs Hughes leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

As soon as I hear it shut, I am at John, placing playful slaps on his upper arms. 'What happened back then? Talk about backing me up.'

'What?' he replies in mock protest, holding his hands up. 'I can't help it. You do something to me I can't even explain. Which is why things got a little too out of hand before.'

'Yes, I was wondering why you bolted up,' I reply, folding my arms.

'We are at work, Anna. I seemed to get caught in the moment. We can't do it here, not like that. I respect you far too much for that.'

'You're smooth with your words, Mr Bates.' I admit, forgetting that I had ever, even for a slight second, been angry with him. 'I'll give you that.'

He affords me another of his beautiful smiles before he reaches into his pocket. 'I believe this belongs to you,' he says before handing me back my wedding band.

'Oh yes, can't believe I left it on.' I say before fiddling around in the pocket on my apron for my chain. Sliding it back on I hold the chain to him. 'Would you?' He obliges but not before kissing my neck. I close my eyes as familiar sensations begin to take hold again. 'For someone wanting to show restraint, Mr Bates, you are going the wrong way about it.'

'It's my fever, I can't help it.' he jokes raising his hand to his brow. 'Now, lets get this bed made shall we?'

'It's alright, I'll do it myself. We can't risk what happened before happening again now can we?' I say, raising an eyebrow.

'Fine, I'll go. But Mrs Bates..'

'Yes John,'

He coughs before making his exit.