Maria stood on the balcony, enjoying not just the refreshing evening breeze, but the stunning scenery. Salzburg at night was a sight she hadn't often taken in, and with the gentle glow of the moon shining on her mountain in the distance, it truly was a breathtaking view. And it was such a relaxing way to wind down after the whirlwind day they'd had. Married. She was married! Never would she have imagined she would be married to a man she loved so deeply, and who loved her just as fiercely. Yet here she stood as a married woman. Married to a famous, handsome, strong, caring Naval Captain. It felt so odd to think of herself as married to Georg, and in that very same thought, it felt so right. Like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She was who she was meant to be.

Georg paused in the hotel suite's sitting room to take in the glorious view before him: his new wife standing on the balcony with the backdrop of Salzburg and the mountains…on their wedding night. He could hardly contain his joy and excitement. Taking a deep calming breath, Georg turned his attention back to the champagne he was pouring, and mentally lectured himself on going slowly, savoring the moment, and above all, letting her set the pace for their first night as husband and wife. Taking the two coupe glasses of champagne out to the balcony, he slowly approached his wife from behind.

"Would you care for some champagne, darling?" He placed a tender kiss on the side of her neck just before she turned to him.

"Oh! Thank you! I'm sorry, I was just enjoying the beautiful view," she gestured out to the scenery with her champagne glass, before taking a dainty sip and turning back towards the setting before her. Georg wound his free hand around her waist from behind and gently pulled her closer to him, dipping his head to kiss just below her ear.

"Yes, you are beautiful," he smiled against her skin, unable to stop himself from tasting the side of her neck again. Maria's head lolled back against his shoulder as she sighed contentedly.

"You are much too flattering, Captain."

"On the contrary, my wonderful wife," he replied, kissing her neck yet again, hugging her closer to him. "It is the truth, and I will happily remind you of it every day for the rest of my days."

"Wife…" she whispered, almost to herself. It still boggled her mind that the handsome, incredible man holding her was now her husband. She was someone's wife now! She absentmindedly took another sip of champagne, still rolling the fact that they were married around in her mind.

"Are you happy, Maria?" Georg quietly inquired.

"Oh yes, darling. Very happy! I admit that I'm still just trying to digest the events of today. I can hardly believe that I am lucky enough to now call you mine completely," she comfortingly rubbed his hand that was resting around her midsection, enjoying the feel of his skin under her fingers. He flexed his fingers against her abdomen and squeezed her that much closer to him. Did she have any idea how much she lit him on fire? But he couldn't and wouldn't rush her.

"Yes, my love, I am yours," he reassured her. Finishing his own glass of champagne, he reached behind them to set it on the balcony's patio table, and then wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. He nuzzled her hair, and inhaled the fresh scent that was so uniquely hers. He loved the feel of her body moulded against his, her smell invading his senses. He could hardly wait to explore all of her, and show just how much she did mean to him. How much he loved her. But he willed his body to relax; he would absolutely not rush her.

Maria felt her heart rate increase as her husband pulled her closer. When he set about to kissing her neck again, she could hardly breathe. Yes, he'd kissed her numerous times in the weeks of their engagement, but tonight was different. Tonight, neither would have to rein in their ardor. Tonight, there was no chaperone lurking around the corner, about to burst in and spoil the mood. The thought that tonight, she could and would truly become one with her husband thrilled and terrified her. No, she wasn't scared of him. But she'd never been intimate with a man, and was anxious about the unknown. However, deep within her she knew Georg would never ask anything of her she wasn't completely comfortable with doing. She took another sip of the cool, bubbling champagne and relaxed into his embrace, trying to will herself to simply enjoy the moment and let things unfold as they would, trusting him to lead the way.

Georg reached around and relieved Maria of her now empty champagne glass she loosely held, as she turned to embrace him fully, winding her arms around his neck and kissing him fully. He kissed her back, deepening the kiss as he let his hands roam her back sensually. He could taste the champagne on her lips, but it wasn't the alcohol that made him feel lightheaded, almost inebriated. No, that was all down to her, and the way she twined her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. The way she leaned into his embrace. The way he swore he could hear her heart race in time with his own.

As he pulled her even closer, she could feel the testament to his love and desire against her hip. Yes, he'd pressed himself against her a few mad, amorous times during their engagement, and it never failed to ignite and intrigue her. Tonight though, feeling exactly how much she affected him was almost indescribable, and she couldn't help the whimper that escaped. Georg paused a moment and pulled back, smiling softly at the sight before him: his beautiful wife, eyes aglow with stirring passion and desire.

"Perhaps we should move this off the balcony, and inside?" He nodded back towards their suite, where the large, luxurious bed awaited them. She nodded, and Georg wrapped his arm around her waist and led her back through the French doors of the balcony into the sitting area of their suite. Maria wandered a few steps ahead as he turned to close the doors behind them. She took a deep breath, as much to calm her nerves as to control her excitement. What would her new husband think if she simply threw herself at him like she so desperately wanted to, now that they were married, and she knew he was just as aroused as she was.

Georg sauntered over to Maria, encircling his arms around her waist again as he kissed her temple, her jawline, her neck.

"Maria?" He whispered against the sensitive skin of her neck.

"Yes?"

"Darling, are you alright? You know I would never ask anything of you that…." She stopped him from finishing his sentence with a kiss, pulling the lapels of his jacket to draw him as close to her as possible.

"I know, and I love that you care. But…" she looked him in the eye. "I'm ready. I want to be with you, in every way." Georg grinned.

"Oh, my love," he kissed her fiercely. Slowly, he allowed his hands to roam upwards from her hips, grazing lightly over her breasts. He'd dared caress her there several times over their engagement, but still he felt her jump slightly at the first touch. He was about to backtrack when he realized she had maneuvered her own hands down his lapels, opened his jacket buttons, and buried her hands in his jacket, against the thin, crisp material of his shirt. Her touch was light but enough to drive him wild, as her hands traveled up his ribs, and across his chest. Unable to stifle the growl that her touches elicited, he allowed his own hands to move to the back of her dress, searching for the zipper of her dress. Finding it, he slowly pulled it downward with one hand, hugging her closely to him as he continued to kiss her sumptuous lips. The zipper pulled all the way down, his hands sought the warm, soft skin of her back, and both sighed as they were spurred on by the new sensations.

Maria could hardly believe that the touch of his hands on the bare skin of her back could be so intense, but she knew that she wanted to feel his strong touch everywhere. She tentatively found the buttons of his shirt, and began to undo each one a little more adeptly and confidently than the last. Unable to restrain herself, she reached into his now open shirt front to hungrily feel his chest. The soft hair she found on his warm chest tickled her palms as she fanned her fingers out, trying to absorb the feeling of his skin.

Georg was absolutely enraptured at both the feel of her delicate skin under his touch, and the way she was raking her fingers through the hair on his chest. He paused only when he felt her hands become stymied by his still tucked in shirt. Moving his kisses to her jaw, then to the spot behind her ear he'd found a few weeks ago that never failed to evoke a moan from her, he disentangled his hands from the back of her dress and pulled at his own shirt to untuck it from his pants. He was forced to pull back completely though, realizing that his jacket and tie were hampering her undressing of him.

"Well, these seem to be a bit in the way," he joked as he shed his jacket, and loosened his tie to remove it over his head. Then, he made quick work of his cufflinks, stashing them in his trouser pocket, before completely removing his shirt.

Maria stood still, wide eyed and aroused as she watched Georg partially undress before her. She was enraptured as she saw his toned chest muscles flex and contract as he worked to remove all of the clothing above his waist. She hungrily drank in the sight of her new husband, naked to the waist, and staring back at her with passion and desire written all over his features.

Georg was about to move forward to take her into his arms again, and help divest her of her own clothing, when he suddenly realized they were still in the sitting room of their grand suite.

"Forgive me, darling. I don't wish to rush you, but I would very much like to continue this in the bedroom."

Maria's mouth suddenly became dry, and her heart leapt to her throat in anticipation. She felt herself nod, and he stepped forward and took her hands in his before leading her back into the bedroom. He led her to stand beside the bed and paused a moment, as much for her benefit as his own.

But neither could deny themselves much longer, and he reached for her as she leant towards him. They kissed hungrily, and he resumed his task of helping her out of her dress as she stepped out of her shoes. Georg snuck his fingers inside the opening at the dress back, and slid them upwards to her shoulders. He peeled the top of her dress forward, exposing her to him as the dress fell limp to where it caught on her hips, until he trailed his fingertips down to help push the dress downwards. It fell to the floor with a quiet thump.

Feeling the cool air awaken her skin, Maria started a bit to realize that she was now clad only her in bra, underpants, and stockings. It was the least clothed she'd ever been in front of a man who wasn't related to her. In fact, the only other time she'd found herself so scantily attired in front of a man was the time Georg had barraged into her bedroom her first night in the house. Then she'd at least had her nightgown on, before she remembered herself and donned a robe, as much as a defense against his intimidating glare as proprietary modesty.

But the Captain had become Georg, and intimidating glare had become hungry, passionate, and worshiping. He drank in the sight of her standing before him in just her underclothes; she was utterly perfect.

"Maria…darling….you are…breathtaking," he whispered reverently. He reached forward to trail his fingers up her arms, across her collarbone and up to tenderly hold her chin, pulling her in for yet another kiss. She supposed she should have felt more shy, more nervous, but she only felt loved. Cherished. Utterly on fire for the man igniting her senses.

Gently guiding her to sit on the edge of the bed, he smoothly dropped to his knee in front of her. She raised a questioning eyebrow at him, until she felt his hands dance up her calves, up to the outside of her thighs, before coming to the top of her stockings. Unable to tear her eyes from his hands as his strong fingers worked to slide the stockings down her legs, casually tossing them to rest on the nearby chair. She struggled to breathe as his fingers retraced their earlier journey up her legs. His fingers paused to tease the hem of her underwear, but then he slowly stood and leaned forward to kiss her, urging her to lay back onto the bed.

Nestling into the plush bedding, Maria felt her body thrum with anticipation as she watched Georg step out of his own shoes, bending to move their discarded footwear to neatly line up by the nightstand. To her, it may have appeared his habitual meticulous discipline leading to him attending to this seemingly unimportant detail, but Georg used the motion as a final moment to compose himself. He was about to join his incredible bride in bed for their first time-her first time ever-and he wanted to make sure it was as tender and loving as she deserved. He also wanted to savor every moment, every sensation, every moan and gasp. Georg then divested himself of his trousers, tossing them over to the same chair that held Maria's discarded stockings. Maria tried desperately not to stare as her husband now stepped back to the bed in only his tight-fitting undershorts, which accentuated his level of ardor. He climbed onto the bed to join her, laying out next to her and pulling her into a passionate embrace. She sighed as he kissed her neck, her jaw, anywhere he could reach.

"Maria," he murmured into her skin, continuing to kiss her anywhere and everywhere, caressing her hip, before allowing his hand to drift further down to the silky skin of her backside and thigh.

"…yes?" Came the breathy reply as his hand skated back up her thigh, back to the hem of her underpants. He paused and pulled back to look into her eyes, feeling himself become more desperate for her as he took in her flushed face, and swollen lips, her gaze filled with desire and passion he was sure was mirrored in his own eyes.

"I love you," he said softly, almost a prayer.

Maria nestled herself into his arms, entwining her legs with his as they both tried to calm their pounding hearts and heavy pants. She wasn't sure she'd ever felt so at peace.

"Are you alright, my love?" Georg whispered into her hair, hugging Maria a little closer to him. She nodded gently against his chest.

"More than alright." He smiled and sighed contentedly, rubbing soothing circles on her bare back. "Though a little worn out, I must admit," she yawned.

"Oh?" He teased causing her to look up at him and shoot him a look that clearly told him she hadn't meant it like that. "You're right, though. It has been quite a day. Perhaps we should get some rest, my love. After all, tomorrow is the first day of our new adventure. And of course, Paris awaits."

She smiled softly, trying to stifle another yawn. Yes, tomorrow they would start the day as husband and wife, as they would every day for the rest of their lives. And Paris! She couldn't wait to explore the grand city at his side. But now she was even more excited to spend their nights together, learning and experiencing more of what is was to love this man who was her husband.

As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, Georg winked cheekily at her, before pulling her closer to kiss her again.

"I love you, Maria. So much more than I can express."

"I love you, too." He kissed her again.

"Now, get some sleep, my love." She nodded, trying to stifle yet another yawn, and moved to disentangle herself from his side to allow him space to sleep. But instead of relinquishing her, he hugged her tighter. "Stay," he breathed quietly.

"I will always stay with you."

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A/N: Thanks for coming along for the ride! I realize it was probably a tad on the overly saccharine side, but sometimes you just want something sweet. I hope you found something that made you smile!