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“Hmm?” She tore her gaze from Adonis and focused on him. “What was it you asked?”

He gestured toward the statue. “I guess you find him breathtaking then?” Adrian scowled at the statue.

Adonis was allegedly a handsome man and that was what had caught Aphrodite’s attention.

Did Georgina find the statue so gorgeous she would rather gaze upon it than him?

Adrian did not like that though. Not. One. Bit.

She laughed. It was a light laugh filled with amusement and something Adrian could not identify.

Fondness perhaps? Georgina turned to him and smiled.

It hit him like a hammer to the head. That smile was soft and sweet, and all for him.

It made his chest ache, and he longed for something from her.

Something he had no right to ask for, but he knew he would. He couldn’t help himself.

“He is breathtaking,” she said softly. “But in an abstract way. The art is magnificent, and I admire the skill it took to render such a splendid rendition of Adonis. But it is a statue, my lord, not a live, breathing man who can hold me. I wouldn’t want such a cold substitute for something much more substantial I’d rather have. ”

Adrian warmed at her words. It gave him hope. Was this her way of telling him she wanted him? He was almost afraid to ask. To put words to that longing that had filled him the moment he had met her. “And what is it that you want?”

She shook her head. “I want many things,” she told him. “But this is not the place for such a discussion.”

“If not here, then where would be better?” He gestured to the area around them. “It is a beautiful day and no one else is here to eavesdrop on our conversation.” He motioned toward Adonis. “Unless you believe he will spill your secrets to the world.”

“That is doubtful,” she agreed, then shrugged. “Regardless,” Georgina stated. “We have a clue to find, and Adonis doesn’t have it. We should move on and go to the fountain. Aphrodite will have the answers we seek.”

Adrian hoped Aphrodite would give him more than the next clue in the scavenger hunt. He wanted a boon far greater than that from the goddess of love. “Then we shall go meet our goddess and retrieve that clue from her.”

He held out his arm to her and she placed her hand on him.

They walked in silence away from Adonis and toward the path that led to Aphrodite.

It was a comfortable silence that gave him time to think, to consider what he wished to do next.

He hoped that during their time in this maze he might steal a kiss, and he still fully intended to do that.

They reached the path that would lead them to the fountain, and he steered Georgina toward it.

They walked for a few more minutes until the path opened up.

There at the center of the opening, and the heart of the maze, the enormous fountain stood.

The statue of Aphrodite herself graced the top tier, poised gracefully with one arm outstretched, her delicate fingers seeming to touch the cascading water.

Her flowing robes clung to her figure as if caught in an eternal breeze, and her serene face radiated a sense of peace and allure.

At her feet, sea creatures leapt playfully, spouting water from their mouths into the crystal-clear pool below.

Pink and red roses along with ivy climbed the base of the fountain, their fragrance mingled with the soft sound of the water that gently splashed against the surface.

It created an atmosphere of romance and enchantment that he hoped would ensure Georgina was open to his desire to finally kiss her.

The sunlight caught some droplets as they trailed down the statue, making the entire scene shimmer, as if Aphrodite herself were blessing the space with her divine presence.

It was good he had waited until this moment.

It was the perfect place to declare his wishes.

Slowly, almost reverently, she walked toward the fountain. Georgina stared up at Aphrodite and took a deep breath. “It’s beautiful,” she said. “This place is almost too perfect.”

He couldn’t agree with her. This place in the maze was truly beautiful, but it did not compare to her.

She outshone the goddess to him. Adrian moved to stand beside her.

This was where he belonged. No, not in the maze, but with her.

She turned and glanced up at him. Her gaze met his, and he sucked in a breath.

There was something there that he recognized immediately.

It was the same desire that heated his own blood reflecting back at him.

Adrian lifted his hand and cupped her face.

He stroked the pad of his thumb over her cheek as she stepped closer to him.

He pulled her closer to him and leaned down.

He didn’t press his lips to hers even though he was desperate to taste her sweetness.

“You’re lovely,” he told her. “And you are perfect.”

She shook her head. “I’m not—”

“You are,” he interrupted her. “To me there is no one more perfect than you.” There was no more need for words.

He closed the distance between them and finally brushed his lips over hers.

She gasped at the touch, and for him, that brief sensation riveted him.

He needed more, so much more, but for this moment a deeper kiss would suffice.

With her mouth open to him he slid his tongue inside.

The first touch of his tongue on hers was tentative, but soon she was allowing him to fully taste her.

The kiss stole his breath and every thought from his head.

He slid his hand upward and cupped her breast through the fabric of her bodice.

Her heat filled his palm, and he wanted to push that bodice down and suck one of her nipples into his mouth.

That would be too much, too soon for her.

He had to go slowly and woo her properly.

This was about forever, not a few stolen moments meant to be forgotten.

With much reluctance, Adrian stepped back. His breathing was ragged, and he wanted to pull her back into his arms and kiss her again. He managed to regain control of his desires and kept his distance from her. “We need to find that clue,” he said, his voice hoarse.

Her lips were full and plump from his kisses. She drew in several breaths then nodded. “The fountain,” she said between breaths. “It has to be somewhere there. Perhaps in the vines?”

Adrian rushed over to the fountain and started looking through the vines, careful to avoid any thorns in the roses. He finally found the clue and pulled it free. It had been stuck deep into the vines, probably to protect it from the spray of the fountain. He handed it to Georgina. “You read it.”

She broke the seal on the clue and read it, then handed it to him so he could do the same.

Where minds do battle and hands do play, with cards and cues to pass the day. A place for sport, both luck and skill, seek the room where time stands still.

“We are to head back inside,” he said. “The game room seems a fitting place to end this scavenger hunt.”

“I agree.” She stared up at him. “And we should go now if we hope to win.”

He nodded. Adrian would much rather stay in the maze a little while longer, but that would not be wise.

He would kiss her again, and he might not be able to stop at a few passionate kisses.

He wanted far more than that. “Then we shall return immediately,” he told her.

He held out his arm to her once more. “Let’s win this. ”

They didn’t speak again as they exited the maze and made their way back to the house.

Adrian had much to think about, and he assumed so did Georgina.

He had plans to make, and more wooing to consider.

He couldn’t even begin to guess what thoughts were in her head, but he would bet they surrounded that kiss because his kept circling back to it as well.