rightly | open post.

"Some," he admitted truthfully, if a little reluctantly. He didn't want her worrying about those things, honestly, but he also wouldn't lie to her about it. "But I never really wanted to have much to do with them after the war."

After he met Mary, more specifically, and after all the things he went through. He just didn't quite feel like getting involved in any dalliances after all that.

She wasn't worried. Mary knew that she was uncommonly beautiful and Steve seemed to have eyes only for her. Truthfully, it made her feel a bit better that he had been with other women - though he had mentioned that the night they reunited.

"I should think you would certainly want to go out with women after the war." After the danger was past and he knew that he would survive? Mary would think he would want to have someone to be with.

He pursed his lips at her remark, shrugging a bit. "Not really. I've never even danced with any of them, let alone... do more."

Like kiss or hold hands or anything more than that. In a lot of ways he was just tired, really, and in others, like he'd told her, sometimes a beautiful and wonderful woman just wasn't enough.

Pulling her weight to his, he lifted her up just barely as he spun them around on the dancefloor. "Is that so strange?"

She held on tightly when he lifted her, smiling delightedly at the movement.

"You told me that you had been intimate with women before though," Mary said. "I suppose you mean before the war? Why not after the war?"

And what was different about her? Because Steve seemed very willing to court her.

"I don't know," he shook his head a little, not wanting to dismiss her questions if she really needed to know so much. "I guess I just wasn't... I don't know. I didn't want involvements that didn't mean something."

It wasn't to say that he didn't care about those women he had been with, because he had; but never on a level much deeper than a passing fancy.

"I wanted something special. That's all."

Mary was quiet for a moment, as the band started a slower song and they shifted their dance in turn.

"Is that what you feel I am? Special?"

Part of her was afraid to hear the answer, even though he was doing with her all of the things that he said he did not want to do with other women.

That was definitely a question that was easier for him to answer, and one he knew the answer to. Without needing to pause and think now, he just nodded, offering promptly enough. "Yes."

They might yet be learning a lot about each other, but of that much Steve was sure. Mary was special. As a person, a woman, on her own and to him as well.

She'd always thought highly of herself, but it still surprised her to hear that, and how quickly he answered it. Mary leaned in and rested her cheek against his as they moved slowly together.

"Steve... How can you be so sure?"

She still felt soiled from her earlier experiences, and like somewhat of a failure after her engagement fell apart, even if she had never been in love with Richard anyway.

There she went with her complicated questions. Well, not complicated necessarily, but tough to figure out how to answer to. Sighing softly, he closed his eyes a moment, humming thoughtfully before he spoke up.

"Let me put it to you this way. Do you think I'm special?" Alright, now he just seriously hoped she wouldn't answer that question with a 'no'.

"I do," she replied. "I have never met another man like you."

He was a gentleman, but he was also fun. He made her laugh. He cared about her for more than her title of her family's money. He was so much different than every man of her social class.

"Well, how can you be so sure that I'm special?"

He was actually curious to see how she would answer that, to be honest. In part because he would like to know what in him she found so unique and appealing.

Mary pulled her head back to look at him, though her face was still close to his.

"You care about me, the person, rather than who my father is or what connections I can give you. And you're kind and gentle with me. You don't give a damn about things from my past, things that many men of my station would find intolerable."

Would marrying such a man be beneath her? Honestly, she could not think that, not when most of the men she had met of the upper class seemed so dull and boring.

"Honestly, I didn't even know who your father was when I went to Downton," Steve admitted. Some of the British upper class slipped past his notice, unless they were more London-based and more participative in war efforts. Now he knew, sure, but he had a feeling he'd have remained ignorant if not for his stay at Downton.

But no, he didn't care. He never cared once who her parents might or might not be, or how much money she might have. Granted, Steve wasn't exactly wealthy, but he lived comfortably enough.

"People judge others for all kinds of stupid reasons, don't you think?" A thought said out loud, he shrugged at her. "I don't think there's anything wrong with your past. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. Not that it's any of their business one way or the other, but still."

"I think they do," she agreed quietly. Mary might not have thought that if Steve hadn't pointed it out. His conviction about her past not mattering meant a lot to her.

Her eyes flickered towards his lips, so close to her own. "Do you still want to kiss me?"

He wasn't just saying it simply because, either. He could very well be trying to ease her into the idea of something casual, but he wasn't. He didn't think this was just something casual, either. At least he didn't want it to be.

"I do," he breathed softly, tipping his head lower and letting his lips all but ghost hers, though without kissing her. He wondered if she'd close that distance herself.

Mary wasn't the type to do casual, so her intentions with him were real, if she could convince herself that it was okay to marry someone who wasn't rich or British.

"You should then," she whispered, her lips barely brushing against his. Just that was enough to send a shiver through her. Unfortunately she wasn't bold enough to make that final first move herself.

Well, worth a shot. He certainly hoped to have the time and the opportunity to get her to ease into it, so maybe one day she would feel comfortable and be bold enough to take that step herself. But for now he was all too glad to be the one to close that distance, tipping his head lower and pressing his lips to hers in a present but for now fairly chaste kiss.

Once he initiated it, Mary felt very comfortable continuing the kiss. She pressed her lips harder to his, deepening their kiss. His lips felt perfect against hers and it was truly the first kiss that she really enjoyed. Mary pulled in closer to him, her body resting against his.

The music was still soft and slow, and he kissed her to the same pace, his lips moving gently against hers, coaxing her to return the gesture. He didn't try to deepen the contact, at least not just yet, although he did part his lips and let only the tip of his tongue draw across her lips, humming softly at the taste.

His lips were soft and inviting. The tip of his tongue against her sent a shiver up her spine. Something deep inside of her longed to keep going, to push into him further, but the noise around her reminded her that they were in public. Besides, both of them needed to breathe. Mary very gently pulled back.

"I never knew that a kiss could be like that," she whispered.

He pulled from the kiss slowly, wetting his own lips as if he could capture the remnants of her taste on them. Blinking his eyes open and looking at her, he smiled, his hand moving around her waist and smoothing up her back.

"A kiss can be... even better than that, actually," he answered in a vague but hopefully enticing sort of way. If only to leave her curious about it.

"It can?" she replied, desiring very much to see what that was like. Mary had never felt such a passion before while kissing a man.

They had just about stopped on the dance floor and Mary looked up to realize that they were near the bar. "Would you mind if we got drinks?" she asked. After dancing and kissing him, Mary was a bit thirsty.

"Yes," Steve couldn't help a small smile at that, though he drew to a halt at her question. "Of course we can."

He was feeling a little warm and thirsty himself, so something to drink would be welcome. Still holding her hand, he moved them to the bar, tipping his head in greeting to the barkeep serving drinks. "Beer will do," he asked, then turned to Mary. "And for you?"

"Um.." Mary glanced at Steve and then at the bar, trying to decide what to order. She didn't exactly drink beer. "Gin, perhaps?"

Along with whiskey, gin was her preferred liquor. Mary had just recently acquired a taste. She supposed it had something to do with up until recent prospect of being trapped in a loveless marriage.

Steve didn't expect she'd like beer, so that wasn't particularly surprising. Something along the lines of gin or whiskey, though, that seemed more fitting, so when she ordered her drink, he tipped his head while the barkeep went to serve their drinks.

It didn't take long for their glasses to be set down on the bar in front of them, and Steve picked up his beer, waiting for her to do the same before lifting up the drink for a toast. "To exciting adventures."

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