No one moved and everyone stared at the stunning beauty before them.
“I didn’t think so. Liam, I believe the men were simply looking at their new laird’s wife. I am sure they would not dare drool over a woman or else their new laird would think them weak. Am I right?” She asked the new clan.
Several men nodded as they agreed to show their laird they were not feeble. Olivia smiled softly and turned to Camden.
“Also Liam, if someone dares to look at your laird’s wife then I believe he himself is extremely capable of handling the matter. In fact, I think he would like to crush any man who dares look at his wife in the wrong manner,” she said with a wink.
God she was a lovely lass, Camden thought and she was right too. He would like to crush any man who looked at his wife. He was truly grateful as he watched this exquisite woman defuse the tense situation.
“Now shall we continue getting to know one another?” She said.
The men began to laugh and quickly everyone started talking again. The clan prepared what was a feast to them but a very meager meal for Camden and his men. The laird immediately felt guilty for the insufficient means of his new clan. The laird needed to provide them with plenty of food to build their strength. He would have to think of a way to bring more food here until they could work the land in the spring.
One of the older men of the clan showed the laird a small cottage they had built for him and his wife while they had been gone. Camden was overwhelmed with gratitude and the show of respect the clan had given them. He would still have to watch his back with the new men but now he could at least offer his wife some comfort tonight. They would have a roof over their heads and the warmth of a small hearth.
There were only a few women in the clan and the countess made quick friends with them. She was extremely grateful to have them for company. The day went by quickly and as evening approached, Olivia joined the women when they went to the stream to rinse off in the chilly water.
After her trip to the stream, Olivia stepped inside the small cozy cottage and was surprised to see Camden already lying on the small padded mat on the floor. It looked hardly big enough for him and she could not imagine sleeping there with him. Olivia sat on the floor by the hearth and started drying her hair when she heard Camden move behind her.
“Come to bed wife,” he said gruffly.
“I don’t know where I shall sleep. There certainly isn’t enough room for me to lie next to you,” she said turning to face him.
He pulled back the plaid blanket revealing his powerful muscular bare body and used the crook of one finger to motion her to come to him.
“I wasn’t planning on sleeping wife,” he grinned wickedly.
Chapter Five
Olivia felt the burn of his gaze flood through her body. She wanted to jump into his arms but never would she let a man control her like that. Olivia worried he would believe her to be obedient to his every word and she surely was not going to do that. The young countess decided to turn the conversation to other matters and distract him from his apparent intentions.
“My laird, may I ask why you want to turn all these men into warriors. Is there a need for them to be? I would assume it is for protecting our land but is that the only reason?” She asked as she moved to lie next to him.
“That is not your matter wife,” he said while he started kissing her neck.
“Well of course it is my matter my laird. These are my people too. I only asked a small question but you are evading it as if you are hiding something.”
He began using his tongue to tease her softly. She was exactly right. He was avoiding her question because the reason would take a great deal of time to explain and right now, the laird could not wait much longer before he needed to feel her silky body under his.
Olivia was trying hard to control herself but his hands started to lightly touch her breasts and she could not think when he was near her like this. It was not just that Camden was a distraction but he made her senses so enhanced that her mind could not seem to function. What was she even talking about anyway?
“Camden, what was I saying? Damn it, you make me look like a dense fool when I can’t keep my thoughts together,” she said feeling flustered.
“You were saying how badly you wanted me to touch your body and explore it until the morning light,” he whispered with a husky voice.
His warm breathe made her moan as she closed her eyes and let him work his magic. Olivia turned to face him and their mouths quickly found one another. Their passionate kisses turned frantic as Camden removed Olivia’s thin chemise. When she felt his hard muscular body pressing against her, she had images of his power and what he would look like during a battle. Those thoughts made Olivia remember the question she had asked him earlier and then she realized how pathetic she must have seemed to him. She had no self-control around him.
“Camden, stop!” She whispered.
“Am I hurting you?” He said, pulling away from her.
“I’ll be damned if you believe me to be weak. I don’t know why I seem to lose myself when I am next to you but I will not have you think of me as a feeble woman,” she demanded while staring into his eyes.
Camden was confused by her defensive assumptions all the time. She always wanted everyone to think of her as strong and brave. Did she feel the need to prove something? He would engage her with this control issue and give her some power as the laird’s wife. Maybe that would calm her constant struggle for approval.
“You assume that I think you are weak because you melt in my arms wife. Aye, lass that is what is supposed to happen. And, I’ll be damned if you tell a soul that I am as weak as you are when we lay together. If we are in the heat of making love and die because we are blinded by passion, then we shall both die happy,” he smiled.
“You do not think I am just a silly woman that cannot control her wanton behavior?” She asked worriedly.
“Silly woman maybe, but please I beg of you to never control that wanton behavior. Come to me now wife,” Camden softly ordered.
For once in her life, she quickly obeyed a command and fell into the arms of her husband. This was Olivia’s second time being intimate with him and she decided to show him that she would have the power when they were together. Olivia explored with her hands and then with her mouth, wondering if everything she did was allowed between a man and wife. She was truly in awe of his magnificent body and tonight she would make him be the weak one.
Camden was pleased with her eagerness but if she continued to torment him like this, he would certainly lose control. He needed to make sure that his beautiful passionate wife had just as much pleasure. As the two battled for rule over their lovemaking, Camden brought their bodies together as one and Olivia nearly came apart in his arms.
They moved together to find the release they both desired and Olivia feared her vulnerability but welcomed the joy of ecstasy. Camden’s own fulfillment caused him to shudder and then marvel at the woman he held. He would never let her go, she belonged to him and every moment Camden spent with her, never seemed to be enough.
The laird and his wife fell asleep together both thinking the very same thing but never speaking it aloud. Neither believed themselves to be weak or defenseless but both were frightened by the power of their bodies when they came together. They both vowed silently to not love the other, for that would be reckless and neither would expose such an imperfection.
Olivia was the first to wake early the next morning. She quietly slipped out of the cottage and headed to the nearby stream to wash. The large camp was still sleeping as she moved in silence through it and into the forest. From her years of hunting and experience in tracking, Olivia could easily tell when there was even the slightest movement behind her. Before her follower could blink, the countess bolted fast like a rabbit and then she was hidden completely from view.
The laird’s wife was certainly quick, Broderick thought as he searched for her in the trees. She could not have gone too fa
r and he would need to find her fast. Olivia watched from high above in the tree she had climbed and wondered why Broderick had followed her to the stream. He had made a pledge to her and she had returned that oath, so why was he stalking her like prey.
Broderick had never been startled in his entire life but when Olivia swung down from the tree flipping backwards from the branch to stand and face him, he nearly fell over with fright.
“I will be lenient this one time if you answer my question honestly Broderick. Why in the hell are you following me to the stream?” She demanded.
“M’lady, it is my duty to follow you. I was the laird’s first in command and I protected his back at all times but now I am to protect yours. I was not meaning to intrude in your privacy. Please m’lady, next time just tell me where you are going,” he explained.
“Are you being serious Broderick?” She wondered.
“About what m’lady?”
“All of it. First, my husband made you leave your position as first in command to watch my back? And, why does everyone think I need protecting? Do I look feeble and frail to you? And honestly, do I have to tell you every damn place I go because that will get tiring for both you and me!” She ranted loudly.
“Which question do you want answered first wife?” Camden said from behind her.
Olivia swung around to face her husband and she was clearly fuming from the situation. The moment their eyes met, Olivia felt instantly calmer and she suddenly wished he had not heard her sounding like a lunatic. This thought frustrated her even more because she should not care what a man thinks of her.
“I would like all of them to be answered Laird Sinclair,” she insisted.
“First, it is an honor for Broderick to be the protector of his laird’s wife. In fact, all of my men vied for the position and I placed him there for a specific reason. You see when we take back the Sinclair holding, we will live there and you will not need as much protecting as you do here. This land will need a laird of its own to rule the people. Broderick has no family so I will appoint him as their new laird and he will be laird Kincaid to these people,” Camden clarified.
Broderick quickly knelt to the ground and bowed to his laird. Camden grabbed his friend’s shoulder and made him stand.
“I am honored m’laird. I had no idea of your intention,” Broderick said graciously.
“Of course you didn’t. I was not going to tell you so soon but my impatient wife needed an explanation. As to your next question wife, yes everyone here thinks you need protecting. We all need a certain amount of shielding from those around us that would try to take advantage. You are the laird’s wife and you are the most valuable possession that belongs to me. I will take every precaution necessary to see to your safety. And no, you do not look frail or feeble, as a matter of fact, you look absolutely stunning. Your radiant beauty has warmed this entire area for I swear it was much colder here before you came. And last, yes you will tell Broderick or I where ever you plan to go. It will not be nearly as tiring to do so, than it would be to hunt you down every time you go missing.”
Olivia stood there in shock having all of her questions answered so quickly and thoroughly. She tried to absorb everything that Camden had just said. She had a flood of questions coming to her and she needed to know the answers.
“Laird Sinclair, may I inquire more of you? There seems to be some more unanswered questions coming to mind,” she asked.
“Broderick, see to the men until we return. It may be awhile,” Camden said with smile.
“Yes m’laird,” Broderick chuckled.
Camden took Olivia’s hand and began to pull her towards the stream. He had a few questions of his own and he would insist on her answering them. They walked to a private area by the stream and Olivia immediately started to wet her cloth and wash her face.
“I followed you from the cottage when you left, I was just behind Broderick when I watched you move up that tree like a wild animal. Where did you learn to do that?” He questioned.
Olivia ignored him and asked a question of her own. “What did you mean when you said we would take back the Sinclair land?”
Camden raised his eyebrows in surprise of this woman that just completely ignored his question. Did she not understand the respect her laird and husband deserved?
“You will answer my questions wife.”
“You will answer my questions also husband,” she demanded in return.
Camden had to hide his amusement as he realized just how much he enjoyed her sass. If it were any other woman, he would have had her punished. However, as he stood there staring at Olivia all he could think of was biting and sucking on her beautiful lips. Lord but her mouth was tempting and Camden had to turn his thoughts quickly or else he would take her there in the cold morning air.
Olivia studied his face trying to determine what he was thinking but he was definitely good at masking his feelings.
“Are a wife’s questions not as important as the husbands?” She asked.
Camden sighed. “Yes, of course they are. We shall answer each others questions alright?”
Olivia smiled. “Thank you my laird. I taught myself how to climb trees.”
He was trying to process the words she had just spoken but all he could concentrate on was her stunning smile.
“I do believe that is the question you asked my laird. Now what did you mean when you said we would take back the Sinclair holding? Where is the holding and who took it from you?” She rushed on. “Is this the reason you are training these soldiers? My brother has the second largest army in all of England and if you needed them, I know they would come to help you. How long do you believe it will take us to train these men? They do look rather weak and helpless right now. Where do you think we should start in the training?”
“Which question do you want answered first wife?” He said, repeating exactly what he said before.
Olivia smiled again and was anxious to have all of them answered. Camden loved her smile and he was beginning to see more of his wife’s personality that he admired. She was obviously very inquisitive. Her thoughts seem to roll out of her mouth before she could control them. Camden did wonder where she had picked up her unusual language. He was certain that proper English women did not say hell and damn in every other sentence.
“You will understand today about the Sinclair land and holding when I speak with the clan. I will make all my intentions clear to them.”
“You expect me to wait that long?” She replied impatiently.
“Yes wife, and also I will be damned before I let an Englishman come to do my battling for me. It is an insult for you to offer your English soldiers and I would feel guilty as I watched them all be killed in the Highlands. Next, I am not sure how long it will take my men to turn this clan into warriors but you are right they are rather weak and helpless right now. It will be hard to feed them with winter coming. And last wife, there is no need for you to concern yourself with the training. It is not your duty,” he said answering all of her questions.
“And you think it is not my duty to help you train these men because I am woman correct?” She said with irritation.
Camden smiled broadly, as he stared at his wife.
“You must find the thought of a woman battling amusing else you wouldn’t be grinning like a fool,” Olivia said.
“Actually I am just enjoying the view immensely, wife.”
Olivia realized that during their lively discussion she had been absent-mindedly washing herself as if she had been alone. She had removed her dress and then tied up the bottom of her chemise in a knot to keep it from getting wet. Olivia looked down to see that she was standing deep in the stream with her see-through shift around her thighs when she had given her little tirade. The countess was determined not to let him rattle her.
“So then you believe it is alright if I help with the training?”
“No, you will not help with the training. As I said before, it is not your duty.”
&
nbsp; “Then what exactly is my duty as the laird’s wife? Should I stitch you a damn tapestry?” She growled.
Camden smiled again. “I didn’t know that you did stitching. A tapestry would be wonderful.”
He was not sure but he would swear that Olivia was about to burst at the seam from anger. Camden did not dare laugh though because he had come unarmed and she looked as if she could kill him at that moment.
Olivia calmed herself and then decided that she liked his teasing and that maybe she would do a little of her own. She slowly walked from the cold stream towards Camden as he sat on a large rock watching her. Olivia left her shift tied high on her bare thighs and the frigid morning air gave her goose bumps all over her flawless skin. The laird’s new wife moved as seductively as possible and then stood before her husband with great confidence.
Camden was about to lose his control when he saw her erect nipples through the thin chemise. He loved her boldness and he could tell Olivia loved the power she had over him. The sweet temptress moved between his hard thighs making him widen his legs for her to nestle into the space. Olivia could feel her husband being aroused and this made her burn deep inside for him to touch her. She had only meant to tease Camden but now she was being affected too.
He cupped her from behind and pulled her close to him. Olivia brought her mouth to his and plunged her tongue deep inside imitating the movements he taught her the night before. Camden knew he had to stop this before someone found them. With any other woman, he would not have cared but he wanted no man to lay eyes on what belonged to him. The laird pulled back from his beauty and tried to distract her.
“Wife, I will give you duties to fulfill. Will this please you?” He said.
“You please me,” she said breathlessly against his neck as she moved her hips to feel his heat.
“Lord, you are going to be the death of me. Tell me what you want,” Camden whispered.
“To feel you inside me laird,” she said before she kissed his mouth again.
Highland Vengeance Page 7
