Drabble prompt: I'm not jealous (continued in Lady in Red)
Henry closed the front door behind him, the air-conditioning of their farmhouse providing a cool sigh of relief from the heat of the late Virginia summer. He watched the muscles in Elizabeth's back, bare above the bodice of her dress, as she set down her evening bag on the foyer table. A strange tension had bubbled between them all night, simmering just under their interactions throughout the faculty banquet they'd attended at University of Virginia. Henry couldn't quite determine the reason, and Elizabeth had said nothing other than in superficial conversation with their colleagues.
"You're jealous," Henry noted, suddenly, the first words either of them had spoken since they'd gotten in their car for the drive home. Her spine snapped sharply at this comment, blonde curls spilling over the shoulders she straightened.
Elizabeth turned to Henry, slowly, deliberately. "I'm not jealous." Her voice was tinged with indignation, and something else, entirely. Amusement, perhaps? Her face showed no hint of emotion, but her eyes dared him to challenge her.
Henry quirked an eyebrow in silent argument, the barest hint of a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. "If you say so." He shrugged out of his suit jacket, laying it across the table.
"I was making a statement," Elizabeth clarified firmly. He'd agree with her on that fact, at least. Her fire-engine red dress slicked down her body, following her curves as smoothly his hands often did, lips boldly painted to match. She'd taken more care with her makeup than usual, smoky charcoal highlighting her eyes. "Some people needed a reminder," she continued, enunciating each word carefully. Elizabeth stepped toward her husband, eyes blazing blue fire. She grasped his tie in her fingers, tugging Henry closer to her. As his hands molded her hips, Elizabeth stretched up on her toes until their eyes were level. "You're mine," she murmured against his lips, before taking his mouth in a heated kiss.
Henry let their passion consume them for a long moment, then pulled her away from him. "Wait. What do you mean?" he asked, confusion warring with his desire. Henry squeezed her waist gently when Elizabeth didn't respond immediately, but observed him with a smirk, instead.
"You deserve all of the accolades they gave you tonight," Elizabeth acknowledged, more seriously now, releasing his tie to lay her hand over his heart. "But I don't like other women fawning over my husband. No matter how gorgeous and intelligent he is." Her other hand cupped Henry's face, fingers tracing his jawline, rubbing a thumb over his lips.
She moved to kiss him again, but he stopped her by pressing on her hips, causing her to step back to maintain her balance in her shoes. "I don't care about those women," Henry insisted, understanding dawning at Elizabeth's reference to the wives of his fellow professors. "I don't want anyone but you."
"I know," Elizabeth acquiesced. "But they didn't, and you weren't discouraging them," she pointed out. "So I reminded them who you belong to."
Her gaze locked on his, Elizabeth reached behind her, the zipper of her dress echoing in the silence. As she straightened her arms, a slight shrug sent the dress shimmering to the floor. The dim light in the hallway drenched her naked body in shadows and sin, sparkling off the glittery straps of her heels.
"Elizabeth," Henry stuttered. Her name caught in his throat, his hazel eyes darkening with lust.
Elizabeth bit her lip, her smile purely predatory, full of promise. "Maybe you need a reminder, too."