Highland Vengeance by Saydee Bennett

unpleasant
chore.
    As the door to their room shut behind
them, Olivia stood by the hearth unsure of what to do next. She
knew what her duties as a wife included but no one had asked her if
she wanted to be his wife. Camden took the draped plaid from his
left shoulder and then lifted the tunic over his head, placing it
on the chair beside the bed. He took off his knee-high deerskin
boots and then dropped the plaid from his waist just as Olivia had
turned to speak to her new husband.
    Olivia’s mouth dropped open while she
continued to stare at the fully nude man in front of her. His body
was sculpted to perfection and his deeply tanned skin was glowing
from the fire light in the room. Camden’s golden shoulder length
hair made his squared jaw seem even more powerful and his eyes had
a hint of humor. Olivia continued to gape at her husband and then
she suddenly had the urge to touch the small dip in the center of
his chin.
    The look on her face made Camden want
to smile but he did not want to embarrass the girl on their first
night. He wanted to put her mind at ease for surely she was nervous
about the marriage bed. Camden knew she was not a common wench that
would warm his bed and he needed to treat her with respect. He
thought maybe someday he would even care for the woman but for now,
he was exceedingly grateful for receiving her land.
    “ Young wife, you can come to
bed and sleep. I will not touch you tonight. You will need your
rest for the hard journey we have ahead of us,” Camden said
calmly.
    “ I am not so young. I have
just turned nineteen years,” she said quickly and then realized
that sounded very childish.
    Camden smiled. “Aye, you are but an old
woman, forgive me. You are also not as shy as I thought maybe you
would be.”
    “ I am afraid if you think
that I am like all the other timid English women you will probably
be disappointed. Having a husband is a new experience for me but I
assure you I am not a fearful woman,” she boasted.
    “ Then come, lay by my side
and sleep with me tonight. We must rest for tomorrow.”
    Olivia was grateful that he did not
want to touch her tonight but then she wondered if maybe the sight
of her did not please him enough. Camden pulled back the covers and
climbed into the large ornately carved bed. There were sheer drapes
all around it and the covers looked delicately soft and inviting.
She tried her hardest not to look at his bare flesh but it was a
sharp contrast against the white linens.
    She walked over to the large bed and
climbed into it next to Camden. Olivia had a difficult time getting
comfortable with the large dress still on her body. She was not
used to this style of dress, let alone this much fabric. Camden was
a bit annoyed that the woman was so shy that she could not even
change into a sleeping gown.
    “ I have told you that I
won’t touch you tonight. Your virginity is safe. Take that gown off
before sleeping, it is taking up the entire bed, wife.”
    The more he harassed her about being
shy, the less shy she became. His opinion of her being a weakling
was irritating Olivia beyond her limits.
    “ I am not worried about my
precious virginity,” she said harshly, “I just don’t know how to
get this damn dress off.”
    Camden was instantly shocked at his new
wife’s sudden outburst. Maybe she was not shy at all.
    “ Would you like some help? I
don’t know much about taking these dresses off either but I’m sure
I can figure it out,” he grinned.
    Olivia sat up and threw her legs over
the side of the bed with her back towards Camden.
    “ Well certainly a man with
your looks must have a great deal of knowledge on how to take a
woman’s dress off,” she said, sounding almost jealous.
    “ And what looks might that
be? Do you find yourself attracted to me wife?” He said softly as
he moved close behind her and started to untie the corset of her
dress.
    “ Actually, I find you rather
large and I wonder if it hinders your abilities as a warrior