thirty-four thirty-five

A/N: Surprise! I can't refrain from posting when I have something ready, so I will keep to my schedule of posting on Sundays - unless I don't have anything prepared. So forget the break, you'll hear from me next Sunday.

This one is a STRONG T due to adult themes. It's really all in good fun and not meant to be taken seriously. I hope you enjoy it.

Setting: MG's honeymoon, Paris

Song: "3435" by Ariana Grande – but I listened to the remix with Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat on repeat while writing this chapter.

I don't wanna keep you up.
But show me, can you keep it up?
'Cause then I'll have to keep you up
Sh-, maybe I'ma keep you up, boy
I've been drinking coffee
And I've been eating healthy
You know I keep it squeaky, yeah
Saving up my energy

Maria von Trapp found herself in a predicament. Not a bad predicament, certainly not, but a predicament, nonetheless.

She was a happily married woman of two weeks and thoroughly being spoiled by her loving husband on their terribly romantic honeymoon. He showered her with endless attention, romantic dinners, walks along the Seine, trips to the countryside, tickets to the opera – to name a few things. And at night, he swept her up into his arms and showed her how much he loved her before he quickly fell asleep, claiming they needed their energy for their adventures the next day.

But Maria couldn't sleep.

That's not to say her husband didn't satisfy her because he absolutely did… but… as soon as she was satisfied, Maria found herself wanting more, and by the time she couldn't bear it, Georg was fast asleep.

To make things worse, there was hardly any time for her to bring it up to him, too, because they were going places, seeing sights, and spending time with each other. And as much Maria loved that, she yearned for a day – or two – where they could stay locked up in their suite, oblivious to the outside world.

In some ways, the young woman felt possessed. She lost track of how many times she was distracted by how handsome he looked in his suit as he guided her down the hallway, how good he smelled when they were cramped in the elevator with other hotel guests, or how gallant he sounded when he spoke in fluent French. In each of those instances, Maria felt the coil in her stomach begin simmering and tightening just a little, and she longed to pull him back up to their room.

But how on earth could she tell Georg that? She didn't want to seem ungrateful for this trip and all the adventures they had gone on so far; besides, how humiliating would it be to admit she was more focused on her husband rather than the enthralling sights and sounds of France. Even worse, she had to admit this to a man who was so well known for his discipline and control. It would only reinforce the point that she was so different from his world – the world into which she married. In many ways, she still felt like a classless, unrefined, poor mountain girl who couldn't stop thinking about her husband ravishing her for more than ten minutes.

So, yes, Maria was in a predicament.

"My love?"

Maria turned to see her husband leaning against the doorframe of their bedroom, looking absolutely devastating. His hair was still disheveled from the night before, and he didn't bother to throw on his nightshirt after he got up, so his glorious upper half was exposed for her viewing pleasure. His tanned skin glowed in the morning light, and Maria swallowed at the sight. She quickly shook herself out of her stupor and sat up, realizing he asked her another question.

"Sorry, darling, can you repeat that? I was, uh, distracted," she admitted with a blush. Georg smiled and moseyed over to her side of the bed with a roguish smile on his face.

"Distracted, you say?"

"Mhm," she nodded, biting her lip, and leaning back to rest against the headboard as he loomed over her.

"By what, dear baroness?"

Her breath hitched as she saw his pupils dilate in lust, and her eyes went down to his lips. She practically trembled at the memories of what his mouth did to her last night, and that knot in the pit of her stomach began to tighten.

"The dashing naval captain that appeared at my door," she answered, barely above a whisper. Georg raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion.

"I don't see any dashing naval captain," he commented after glancing at the doorway.

"Hm, I think that's because he is right in front of me," she sighed, raising her arms to wrap around his neck. Georg braced his hands on either side of her as she pulled him down into a kiss.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to explain, after all. She thought to herself with a smile as he deepened their kiss. Maria raised her right hand from behind his head to thread her fingers through his dark hair. She felt him move lower as he shifted his weight from his hand down to his right forearm that now rested on the bed parallel to her body. His left hand slowly slid up her side, starting at her waist and ending at the side of her breast.

Just as she was about to pull him flush against her, Georg began to extricate himself from their embrace. Before completely separating, he pecked a light kiss on her nose and began walking over to the armoire.

"Well, that certainly is not a bad way to start the morning," he commented with a smirk. "But we really should get going, my love; I have planned a lovely little outing for us by our favorite place along the Seine after we continue our shopping adventure for the children. We might have another concert to attend tonight, too. But before all that, you need some food – your breakfast is ready in the sitting room."

He turned away from her and opened the wardrobe, searching for something appropriate for the bright summer day. He whistled as he did so, clearly happy with their little encounter.

Maria, on the other hand, fisted her hands into the sheets, preventing herself from letting out a cry of frustration. Her hopes of making her case for them to stay in bed were dashed, and she knew she would be left wanting the whole day until after the concert tonight. What truly baffled her was how could he not see what he was doing to her? Did he not find her as attractive and all-consuming as she found him?

In some ways, it made sense, Maria reasoned, he had practice, and in a lot of ways, it was expected of him to keep a level head and put on his 'aristocratic mask' as Maria liked to call it. But still, there was this nagging voice in the back of her head that she'd better keep it to herself. Had she really become so spoiled in the few short weeks as Baroness von Trapp, she was complaining about going on an outing with her husband and a concert?

At that thought, she shook her head in resolve and headed to the bathroom to prepare for the day. She took a cold shower which seemed to help clear her mind and relieve some tension. So much so, while she ate her breakfast and Georg finished his morning coffee, they chatted amicably about the day ahead and made a list of souvenirs they wanted to get the children.

After breakfast, they made their way to the shopping district to see what was available at the local market as well as everything else in the shops for the children. Despite her brief reprieve at breakfast, once they were out in the fresh air, Maria began to feel that low pull in her belly when Georg brushed his hand a little too low by accident as he guided her down the street.

The feeling was further enflamed when she had to press herself against him as they moved through a crowded intersection on the street, and his hand when from her hips to the side of her waist. His strong fingers brushing her skin through the light fabric of her dress made her stomach flip-flop, and she felt her face flush with shame. She quickly moved away from him as soon as they made it through the crowd and tried to regain her composure. In fact, she tried to keep her distance from him the rest of the afternoon as subtly as she could not to raise suspicion.

It worked rather well; Georg didn't seem to notice as they hunted trinkets for the children, and when they returned to the market in search of some sandwiches and other snacks to serve as their lunch.

She continued to hide her plight until they settled down on their favorite bench along the Seine to eat their lunch. He offered her the sandwich she chose at the market, and she carefully took it, trying not to touch his skin.

"Thank you, darling," she murmured before slowly unwrapping her sandwich. He looked at her for a moment, noticing her still flushed cheeks and the fact she merely stared at the lunch on her lap.

"Are you quite well?"

"I'm alright," she whispered, slightly moving away from him.

Georg furrowed his brow before unwrapping his own sandwich. He slowly noticed Maria becoming a bit more closed off from him throughout the day, and he wasn't sure why. She did say nothing was wrong, but there was tension in her shoulders that told him otherwise. Perhaps she hadn't slept well the night before? Or was she coming down with something?

"Are you sure, my love? You look flushed."

Her eyes flashed indignantly, and Georg's eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm wonderful! I just need a moment to myself."

She abruptly stood up and marched down to the river, her sandwich falling to the ground, forgotten. Georg gaped after her in confusion, taken aback by her outburst. What had gotten into his wife?

Georg watched her from afar, taking in her tense posture, the way her fists clenched as she stomped away. It wasn't like Maria to keep her feelings from him. No matter how angry she was, her outspokenness prevented her from masking any emotions for an extended period. It was both endearing and incredibly infuriating, depending on the topic. But it was always better than whatever situation she was in now that caused her to storm away from him without as much as a hint.

He had two options. First, he could approach her and ask what was wrong. However, he also stood the chance of getting his head bitten off if his last sentence uttered to her was anything to go off. His second option was to wait until she calmed down and was ready to talk. The latter seemed much more appealing, but Georg also had to wonder if she would bring up the issue that was so bothering her if it caused her to stomp off in the first place.

He felt in limbo, for a moment, not sure how to strategize or what his next step would be – a feeling he knew he would have to get used to, given the woman he married. Nonetheless, it was still an adjustment for a man who knew exactly how to reach out to his wife and soothe her worries. That part of his relationship with Agathe had been easy for the most part – she was an open book, and even when she was not, he knew exactly how to coax her into sharing her feelings.

Maria, on the other hand, was more of an enigma. His young wife had the appearance of being a completely open book, given her expressive face and manner in which she approached the world made it easy to assume one knew exactly what she was thinking at all times. However, Georg quickly realized how much it was a defense and a way to keep people distant. Georg smiled at the memory of their conversation on the benches – remembering her reluctance to share her feelings and him feeling extremely unsure how to encourage her to talk.

It was a curveball Georg hadn't necessarily expected and made him see his young wife in a completely different way. She was extremely guarded when it came to the true thoughts swirling around in that complex mind of hers, and he came to appreciate the quiet moments shared between them at dinner, as they walked along the Seine, on their way back from a concert or as they lay in bed together before starting their day.

Admittedly, as the weeks went on, they had fewer of those moments as Georg wanted to show her as much of Paris and the French countryside as he could. This was her first time out of Austria, and he wanted to make the most of it. When planning their honeymoon, Georg thought she would like the bustle and activity – she was full of boundless energy, and he hardly ever saw her sitting still at home. Besides, he also needed a good reason to prevent himself from selfishly locking her in their room for days on end. They have been taking that aspect of their relationship slowly for her to adjust to it. The last thing he wanted to do was overwhelm her, and he promised himself he would do his best to keep himself collected to the best of his ability. So, what else could be the matter?

The naval captain sighed to himself, deciding to check on her. But just as he stood up, dusted his trousers off, she was already walking back to the bench.

"I'm sorry, darling," she murmured, wringing her hands together nervously.

"It's alright, Maria. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

She nodded as she sat down, facing him. "As I said, I just needed a moment."

Georg blinked at her for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of questioning her further. She did seem better, so much so, she was eyeing his sandwich that rested between them. He chuckled and reached down to tear it and offered her half with a wry smile.

"Thank you," she bashfully smiled.

"Of course, my love. I'm just happy you're feeling better," he answered before squeezing her hand.

She nodded thoughtfully, and they finished their shared sandwich in comfortable silence.

"Well, shall we continue our shopping?" he asked after cleaning up their lunch.

"Yes," Maria brightly smiled, cheered by the thought of the children. "I do believe I saw a lovely shop filled with all manner of dolls clothes that would greatly intrigue our littlest girls."

Georg smiled indulgently and nodded, taking her hand. "Wonderful, lead the way, Baroness."

Maria managed to pull herself together after her outburst, and they had a wonderful afternoon finishing their shopping for the children. In fact, that pesky feeling in her lower stomach hadn't made an appearance since that afternoon, and she felt much better. By the time they returned to the hotel, it was about four o'clock.

"Well," Georg sighed as he set the shopping bags down on the coffee table. "We have about two hours until we need to be at our reservation. Would you like to shower first?"

Maria sighed and shrugged.

"I think I'm going to lie down for a moment," she admitted, taking off her shoes and lying horizontally on the sofa. "I'm a bit tired from all of the walking we did."

Georg nodded in understanding. "The sun was rather brutal today." He bent down to press a gentle kiss on her forehead before he walked to the door. "I'm going to check downstairs for any messages we might have received while we were out, and then I'll shower. I'll be right back."

She made a small sound of acknowledgment before closing her eyes. Given how tired she was, Maria assumed she would have a nice nap before taking her shower. But her subconscious had other ideas – so much, so the young woman woke up with a start – her heart racing, face flushed, and that annoying tightness in her lower stomach. Beyond frustrated, Maria fell back on the sofa and covered her face with her hands.

"Maria?" Georg's voice came from their bedroom. "Is everything alright?"

"Perfectly fine," she called in a strained voice.

"My love?" he prompted, his voice noticeably closer, causing her to remove her hands from her face, and she was met with a freshly showered Georg, only wearing a towel. Her eyes widened, and she was breathless for a moment, taking in his appearance. His damp hair was deliciously tousled and already beginning to wave without any products to tame it. Small droplets of water dripped from his hair to his broad shoulders. His chest and arms seemed to glow in the evening sun, and his muscles flexed enticingly as he gently squeezed her hand.

The young woman continued to stare at him, eyes glazing over in lust as she moved her eyes down his torso. Maria saw his abdomen muscles tensing as he slowly realized what her affliction was, but he quickly cleared his throat and took a step back from her.

"Uh, we have about an hour before we need to be at the restaurant," he murmured, turning away from her, but was halted by his wife's warm hand pulling him back.

"Oh, I can't take it anymore!" she cried, launching herself from the sofa and pressing herself against his firm body. Georg unconsciously wrapped his arms around her waist in surprise.

"But-"

She silenced him with a kiss and ran her hands through his hair, reveling in his musky scent mixed with the fresh soap from the shower. Georg was awestruck once they parted – his eyes filled with curiosity and confusion.

"Darling, I haven't been honest," Maria began, her face flushing. He frowned at her admission but stayed silent, clearly trying to figure out what was going on. "I said there was nothing wrong this afternoon by the river… but there was – I can't stop thinking about you."

"About me?" his brow furrowed. Now he was entirely lost.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "Well, to put it more accurately, what you do to me."

At that admission, Maria sunk back on the sofa with her hands in her face, having lost her nerve.

"What I do to you?" Georg mused, a small smirk appearing on his face.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, even more desperate. "This whole trip, you have looked so devastatingly handsome I can barely focus on anything else but you!" The young woman gestured wildly to his undressed form. "And I can't do anything about it because you have all of these lovely things planned for us to do and to see and I feel so ungrateful even complaining about it because I know how excited you were to show me Paris, but if I am honest, I would rather you lock me up in this hotel suite and not let me see the light of day for the rest of the trip!"

Georg's eyes progressively widened as she continued her impassioned speech, and he felt his knees buckle to the point of needing to lean against the armrest of a chair.

"You do?" he breathed.

Maria nodded helplessly, turning her head away in shame.

"And it's not that I haven't enjoyed the time we have spent together – I've enjoyed it so much I want more. I suppose I'm selfish in that respect, but I can't seem to get enough of you, Georg."

Georg let out a low chuckle and began shaking his head.

"Oh, what a fool I was," he sighed, running his hand through his hair. Maria, though still embarrassed, turned to him in curiosity.

"What?"

The naval captain wryly grinned at her. "I thought I was the one who was going to overwhelm you. That's why I planned all of those things for us in the first place – I didn't want you to think the only reason I brought you here was to lock you up in our bedroom, even though I thought about it. For God's sake, Maria, you were going to be a nun. I thought you would have needed some time to adjust… but apparently, I was mistaken, and in the process have caused both of us to suffer unnecessarily."

She gaped up at him, her lips deliciously plump and her eyes blown wide with desire.

"You mean-"

He leaned over to her, so they were nose-to-nose. "Yes, dear Baroness," he growled. "I've used my extensive military training to keep myself under control these last two weeks. I have wanted nothing more than to put that 'prière de ne pas déranger' sign on our door and keep you in here all to myself."

"So, why don't you?" she challenged, licking her lips. "We can go to the concert another night."

"Ah, but we have one problem."

"Which is?"

"You are far too overdressed."

A few hours later, the newlyweds took a break from their spousal duties to enjoy a light dinner on the sofa. Both were haphazardly wrapped in their dressing robes as they picked at the two plates brought up by room service. Maria finished her plate quite a while ago, but Georg was still working on his, taking his sweet time, much to Maria's frustration. However, it became progressively more difficult for him to concentrate once his wife settled on his lap, straddling him. She peppered delicious open-mouthed kisses on his neck, and her hands kept wandering under his robe.

"A bit impatient, my love?" he rasped out.

"Not at all," she murmured against his throat. "It's just getting late, and given our strenuous activities, I want to make sure you stay awake."

Georg raised an eyebrow at her. "And what are you implying there, Fraulein?"

She batted her eyes innocently, although he detected a mischievous glint in there as well. "I just want to make sure you're going to stay up. You know, on a regular night, we'd already be in bed, you undoubtedly snoring away."

"Do you think I would seriously have a problem staying up knowing that I have a beautiful, young wife who needs attending to?"

She flushed bright red at his brazenness but playfully narrowed her eyes.

"I saw you stifle a yawn."

He smiled good-naturedly and shrugged. "We did have a rather busy day, my love."

She looked down as she traced patterns on his chest, face still burning with embarrassment.

"I don't think you understand how much I have wanted this, Georg. I have been aching for the last two weeks." She bit her lip and gazed into his eyes earnestly. "Despite all the rich French food and drink you've been throwing at me, I have kept in shape due to all of the walking, and I had a nap today. I just want to make sure you are ready because as long as you can stay up, I'm going to keep you up," she murmured determinedly, finally making eye contact with him.

"Is that a challenge?"

"If it will help you keep it up," she smiled wickedly.

In response, Georg wrapped her legs around his torso and hoisted her up against him, carrying her to their bedroom.

There you have it! Please let me know what you thought. x