Highland Vengeance (10 page)

“
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 far 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.”

“
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.