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This was the sort of place Steve would love, Maria thought, as she wandered through the gardens at Carrick Hill. It was why she'd come here. She'd taken a break from her duties in Adelaide to visit a place she'd been several times, a place to which she'd often thought about bringing Steve. She could imagine him, pencils and pad in hand, sitting on a bench or a step, eagerly drawing whatever had caught his artistic eye.
The fantasy brought a slight smile to her face. Steve was always so intent when he drew, his face took on the appearance of curious awe, as if whatever he'd taken a fancy to was somehow a new wonder he had to explore with the point of his pencil. Maria shuddered in quiet pleasure as she recalled what it felt like to be the object of that fancy.
Two years today since they'd wed and Maria still wondered at it. What about her had truly garnered his notice? There was a world full of beautiful, and uncomplicated, women who would have done almost anything for his attention and, without trying, she had gained it.
It was easier when they were together, Maria thought. Easier to keep these doubts at bay. One look in his eyes and they would scatter.. But they weren't together and, though they both knew they would often spend special days apart because of their work, today seemed to her a difficult one to care more for the duties the constant battle of keeping the peace entailed.
Maria turned down the path that led her under the pear trellis. She'd been here in Spring and, though the autumn had taken some of the leaves, Maria could still see it's full beauty in her mind's eye. She was a few meters down the path when she heard someone behind her. While she was always alert, she didn't really have any concerns about meeting with a threat here today. Still, she began to slowly turn to cast a glance over her shoulder at the person.
"The difficult thing about being married to a super-spy is it's always dangerous to sneak up on her." Maria heard the voice and turned, shaking her head in disbelief.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. Steve was supposed to be somewhere in the Indian Ocean at that moment.
"We wrapped things up early," he said with a shrug as he slowly walked toward her.
He stopped in front of her and Maria's breath caught in her throat at the look he gave her. It was full of need and desire and the dangerous anger he got when something went wrong that shouldn't have. She didn't ask. She could tell he wasn't ready to talk about it yet.
"I needed to see you," he said, his voice rough with emotion.
His hand reached up to gently touched her face. He began to lean in until his lips hovered just above hers.
"Happy Anniversary."
His breath brushed across her lips causing Maria's skin to goose pimple down her arms and all the way to her toes. As he gently began to kiss her, Steve's hand slid into her hair. His other hand wrapped around her lower back to pull her tightly to himself. He kiss was slow, seductive, and though it lasted less than thirty seconds, Maria's heart was pounding against her chest as if she'd run a mile when he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers.
"I love you," he said.
Maria looked up at him and touched his face.
"I love you, too," she said.