Henry stood in the middle of his buddy's hotel room, more than a little agitated. His wife was next door and she refused to let him in. He hadn't seen her in a over a month and she wouldn't even let him say hi.
He flopped down on the bed. In some way, he sort of understood. She didn't wear a fancy wedding dress and this was their first Marine Corps Ball. He knew that she went and specifically shopped for a formal dress for the event. She wanted the big reveal. The jaw dropping moment. He got it, but he didn't. It wasn't the dress that was going to make the evening. It was Elizabeth herself. He missed her so deeply and she seemed worried about the material stuff. He stood and looked at himself in the mirror attached to the bathroom door. He looked good in his dress blues. He hoped she would be happy with him, with this moment.
The phone rang and Henry leapt to grab it. "First Lieutenant McCord, your wife is ready to be picked up," she purred into the phone.
Henry smiled, "It's about time. You've been driving me crazy making me wait."
"Then I'll see you in a minute." And she hung up the phone.
Henry scrambled to the door and stepped around the corner and knocked. When the door opened, Henry felt the air leave his lungs and he couldn't draw in a breath. Now he got it. Now he understood. He'd never seen his wife look so radiant, so alluring, so completely pure and beautiful. Henry was completely in awe of the woman before him. The strapless royal blue gown molded to her body, flaring out just past the hips, trailing to the floor. "May I?" he whispered. She nodded slightly and he stepped inside the doorway and pulled her into his strong embrace. "You are magnificent," he murmured against her ear, kissing his way down her ear, jawline and finally to her lips. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you too and your dress blues are incredibly hot." Elizabeth pulled him inside enough for the door to close. She smiled against his lips and his tongue pushed past her teeth into her mouth. They kissed hungrily, a feeble attempt at making up for lost time. His hand ran the length of her back, settling on her ass, holding her close. "We should go downstairs," Elizabeth said when they broke apart.
"Yeah," Henry said, a little breathless, "We should." He took her hand and opened the door. Stepping out into the hall, Henry looked at Elizabeth once again. "Isn't that illegal?"
Elizabeth turned to look at him. "What?"
"Your dress must be illegal. It's making me want to do something criminal." Henry offered her a cheeky grin.
"That's awful." She giggled. "You're so lucky I love you in spite of your lame come on lines."
"Yes, I am." His smile turned sincere. "I love you so much." He kissed her gently. "Let's go have a ball."