Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 192: No One Gets Everything They Want

Camilla stepped forward until she was directly in front of William, placing her hands at his waist and clutching handfuls of his tunic with her fists.

He just stood there stiffly, as if bracing himself for another bout of arguing.

"I have another suggestion, then." she said tentatively, tipping her head forward to press her forehead to his shoulder.

"Please tell me it’s an improvement on your earlier one?"

Camilla couldn’t help but laugh a bit. "I think so. It’s more of a compromise, I suppose."

"Alright then. Let’s hear it." William’s voice was steady but he still didn’t wrap her in his arms as was always his habit.

"The king has announced the departure date for the court’s progress is in seven days’ time, hasn’t he?" she asked.

"Yes. And so?"

"Can you ask the king if we can defer our departure to the marquis’s estate until that same day? That way, we can at least be with Malcolm during the court’s first few days of journeying north."

William hummed, thinking. "I can ask. You do realise though that on the third day or so of the progress, we’d have to veer away from the court and start heading eastwards? There will still be over two weeks when we’ll be away from our boy."

"I know. But it’s better than four weeks apart.’

"And if the king gives his permission for us to do as you’re asking, you’ll be content with that?"

"Well no, not really." Camilla admitted with a frown. "I’ll miss our child terribly. But I don’t want to be separated from you either. So, this is the best compromise I can think of. No one gets everything they want in life, do they? Not even a king."

She looked up at William then, who was still refusing to deliberately touch her. His brow was furrowed and his expression guarded. She pressed herself up against his hard chest and kissed him on the chin, feeling him jolt ever so slightly against her.

"You’ll come with me to meet with the marquis, then?" he asked tonelessly, as if he didn’t much care one way or the other.

Camilla knew he did care, despite his attempt to sound unaffected. Looking into his eyes, she could see all the different sides of his character - the battle hardened soldier, the wounded child, the cocky prince, the possessive lover.

And now, the man who was doing his very best, every single day, to care for a baby he still saw as impossibly delicate. And she loved him, every single day, for how hard he tried.

Good lord, she loved him so fiercely. All sides of him, the good and the flawed. Being separated from William again would be like losing one of her limbs.

She nodded as she continued looking into his eyes, which had already started to dilate. Camilla had never been one to use feminine wiles to get her way, but she figured it couldn’t hurt in this situation. "I don’t ever want to be apart from you again. We’ve had to endure enough of that already, don’t you think?"

She felt one of William’s hands rest against her hip ever so lightly as she slid her palms up his chest and looped her arms around his neck.

"You’re not still upset with me, are you? I promise not to leave your side." Camilla purred as she traced the outline of his jaw and then his bow shaped lips with a fingertip.

William quickly grabbed her wrist so that she couldn’t pull away, then nipped her finger.

Camilla smiled inwardly as her husband finally used his other arm to pull her hard against the length of his body. She could see that despite what he might want, the anger in his eyes was quickly melting into another kind of roaring heat.

She closed her eyes as William bent his head down to kiss her. By the searing heat of his kiss, Camilla knew she was in for an intense night of having to just submit and let him feast on her to his heart’s content.

Oh, well. There are far worse ways to spend a night, she told herself as she felt William walking her backwards towards the bed and latching onto her skin where her neck met her shoulder.

- - -

Camilla lay back limply on the pillows, breathing quickly and completely exhausted. Her muscles ached the way they used to whenever her brothers had practiced sparring with her for hours. She had no idea what time it was, only that it was dark. She assumed it was well past midnight but who really knew?

Next to her, William was sprawled on his back, his eyes closed and a half smile on his face. Camilla knew he wasn’t asleep as his fingers were tracing slow, lazy circles on her thigh.

"Are you hungry?" he eventually asked, his voice low and drowsy.

"Unless you’re intending to not only bring me the food but actually feed it to me, don’t ask. I can barely move so there’s no way I’m getting up from this bed." Camilla groaned, pressing the back of her hand to her hot forehead.

"So be it, then." Laughing, William sat up, stretched and then hopped down from the bed. He carried over the tray of food one of the servants had left outside the bedchamber door, after William had sent a message via his pages that neither of them would be able to attend dinner in the hall that night, due to ill health.

"The king and queen must be despairing over our healths, given how often you’ve been sending messages to them that we’re unable to make it to dinner." Camilla mumbled as she sat up very slowly. The muscles in her back and legs all yelped from the effort.

William gave her a rogue’s smile as he set the tray down on the bed between them. "I doubt my uncle will be too troubled. If he casts his mind back far enough, he can probably vaguely remember what it was like to be young." He handed her a plate of now cold roast venison and peas.

Cold or not, Camilla realised she was starving. She began to devour the food, sighing with pleasure at the rich taste. William chuckled for a moment as he watched her, then began eating contentedly as well.

A little while later, he cut the wedge of apple and raspberry tart in half and handed her one of the pieces. Camilla obediently took a bite, then put the tart back down on her plate.

"You can have the rest of mine. I’m not really hungry anymore." she said, knowing how much he liked the particular dessert. She found it a little too cloying but William had a fondness for everything sticky and sweet.

William smiled as he quickly finished his portion and helped himself to hers as well. He insisted on feeding her the raspberry that decorated the top of the dessert however, sliding the small fruit between her lips. He then leaned over to kiss her and she had to admit, he tasted utterly delicious.

"In a little while, you’ll probably regret not having more dessert." he whispered against her mouth as he cupped her face in his hands.

"Why’s that?"

"Because you’re going to need the sustenance tonight, my pretty wife."

"What? Again?" Camilla’s eyes popped open and she pulled back slightly, staring at him in disbelief. "Are you being serious right now? You can’t be. Surely!" Where did he get such boundless energy?

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Is that a challenge I hear?"

She continued staring up at him dumbly, shocked - and not for the first time - at how insatiable her husband was. How many times had they already made love? Perhaps four? On her back, her belly, her side...she was getting a little dizzy just thinking about it.

The next moment, William had all but tossed the dinner tray onto the floor and had eased her onto her back, stretching to hover over her.

Camilla ran her eyes down the cords of muscle that formed his body. "It’s most inconsiderate of you to just toss the plates to the floor that way. What will the poor maids think?"

William grinned, then flicked her hardening nipple a couple of times with his thumb. "They’ll already have to be in here and deal to the mess you created with the goddamn pears. What’s a little more for them all to clean up?"

She slid her hands up his tightly muscled arms and around his shoulders, a smile taking over her face. How was it possible to love a man this much? "I think you may end up killing me at this rate."

"Mmm, perhaps." William gently brushed his lips against her throat and under her ear, making her shiver. She felt him slide his legs between hers, opening her up to him again. "But what a way to leave this life behind, aye?"