Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 209: Easy To Read

Camilla leaned forward to kiss him then, just a soft, lingering brush across his mouth. It wasn’t what he was expecting from her but he sure as hell wasn’t going to turn her down. She kissed him again. And again.

William felt his entire frame tensing, the way it always did when the warmth of her lips trickled down and through his limbs. He refused to place his hands on her, however. He knew the path that would always lead him down and he wasn’t sure she felt the same way.

Perhaps she was just after his comfort but without any desire, he reasoned with himself. She was still trying to deal with the shock of her friend taking his own life.

So with great effort, he placed his palms against the mattress as they sat there, exchanging light kisses for what felt like an age. His nails started slowly digging into the blankets as the heat in his chest continued to build.

It was torture. He felt like running his hands all over her naked body.

Eventually, Camilla pulled back and slowly opened her eyes. She stared at him as if she were trying to read his mind. "The way you’re looking at me..." she murmured, sounding slightly puzzled.

"What about it?"

"Like you really want to ask to take off my clothes."

William was a little put out that his thoughts were so clearly written all over his face. In truth, he was mortified. There was something about lying with his wife though, that always sent spears of excitement running through his veins, as if it were still a new experience. "Well, ahh...I mean...oh, fuck. Who am I trying to fool here? Of course I desire you. But you don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to."

William knew as her lord and master, he didn’t really have to ask. He could just take what he pleased. But he knew he could never bring himself to treat Camilla that way, especially when she looked so vulnerable and heartbroken.

So he waited. He needed a yes from the woman he was completely and pathetically smitten with.

She gave him a small smile. "Alright, go on then. Undress me."

"Really?" William tensed with the thrill of anticipation. "I thought perhaps you were too sad over Ned’s passing and-"

"I am." she said simply. "Do you think that you can make me forget for a while?"

"Hell yes!" William pulled her onto his lap and began fumbling with the laces at the bodice of her gown. He muttered a curse as he started to tangle them in his eagerness. "Do you really have to wear such complicated things?"

Camilla placed her small hands over his and stopped his relentless pulling. She carefully untied the laces as if it were a simple task. "You just need a little bit of patience. See? I helped." She raised her arms so that he could tug the gown over her head.

Without hesitation, William fisted handfuls of the gown and started pulling it upwards, allowing Camilla to shimmy out of it. He did the same with her chemise.

The moment she was completely bare before him, he pushed her gently back on the bed, his pulse hammering in his ears. Hell yes, he was going to make her forget everything, including her own name.

He pressed his lips under her ear, kissing the little freckle that had held him in its thrall for so long.

William was determined to make his lovely wife forget every sad thought she was having, and then scream herself hoarse.

- - -

He was half asleep when Camilla nudged him and reminded him that their dinner had been left outside their chamber door.

"What?" William yawned. "What makes you say - oh, right. I remember now." He had a fuzzy recollection of a knock on their door sometime back, and a voice calling out that their dinner was served. William had been busy licking his wife’s inner thigh at the time and had no interest in the food when there had been a far more appealing feast in front of him.

Come to think of it, his tone might’ve been a little bit rude when he’d snarled at the voice behind the door to place the tray outside the door and make himself very fucking scarce.

Oh well. William heaved himself out of the bed, pulled his discarded riding breeches on and padded across the cold stone floor. Opening the door, he found a tray of food and a small pitcher of ale. He carried the tray back to the bed and smiled at Camilla, who was sitting up in the bed with the sheets pulled up to her chest. Her inherent shyness still charmed him.

"Do you want something to eat, pretty girl?" William laid the tray on the bed before her and watched in amusement as she immediately picked up the bread.

"You eat like a peasant, not a princess." he laughed. "I swear, no one likes bread and butter as much as you do."

She’s swallowed a bite and shrugged one bare shoulder at his teasing. "Be glad I have simple tastes. You could’ve ended up with one of those women who’d be constantly pestering you for fancy food and jewellery. If you like, I can make every New Year’s Day a trial for you, just to prove how royal I can be."

William gave a short laugh as he piled his plate with roast chicken. It was precisely because Camilla made no demands on him that he made a point of spoiling her. Every New Year they had spent together, he’d given her jewels. Rubies for her first year in Islia, sapphire earrings for the second. Malcolm had already been born when they’d welcomed the year 1361, so William had gifted her a gold necklace that dripped with pale green peridots. The court jeweller had told him peridots were the stone associated with the month of their son’s birth.

He smiled, remembering how she’d beamed when she’d seen the necklace and covered his face in kisses, despite them being in the presence of the other royals.

"Oh dear. What are you thinking about that’s making you smile so contentedly?" Camilla arched her eyebrows at him.

"What you said about New Years...it made me think of our first year together." William started chuckling. "When I gave you those ribbons, the look on your face as you opened the box in front of everyone was priceless. What were you thinking was in there - a dead rat?"

"I wouldn’t have put it past you!" Camilla glared at him. "You were rude to me more times than I can count."

"Aww, stop it!" William laughed harder. "You kept avoiding and ignoring me, and I was out of ideas. I figured the gems would get your attention."

"Well, you definitely got the attention of my ladies-in-waiting. You’ve no idea how much they teased me about it afterwards." Camilla admitted. "They tried very hard to convince me that men don’t give expensive gifts to women they hate."

"They were right about that. You probably should’ve listened to them."

Camilla finished polishing off the bread. "How was I supposed to know what wild thoughts ran through your mind back then? As for the here and now, when do you think we’ll reach Magdaline?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"If the weather remains clear, we should be there before noon the day after tomorrow." William drained his cup. "It’s too early for the spring rains yet, so we should be able to keep travelling without stopping."

"I’d rather not stop, even if the weather turns bad. You realise I’m quite capable of still riding even in the rain, don’t you?"

"Yes, I realise that." William said with a smirk. "I realise there are quite a few things you’re very capable of doing, stubborn girl. But as my wife, there are things I’d prefer you didn’t have to do. Like riding through a rainstorm and risking illness."

Camilla lay back against the pillow propped up against the bedhead, stretching out her legs. William’s eye was immediately drawn to her right thigh, which was suddenly uncovered.

"Are you trying to distract me from my meal?" he growled.

"No. And I suggest you remove all such thoughts from your mind, at least for the next little while. I expect the bath to arrive here any moment."

"Bath?" William blinked with dismay when Camilla started pulling her gown on again. "What bath?"

"The one you asked the young monk to bring us."

"What are you talking about? I did no such thing!"

"You asked dinner be brought to our chamber an hour after our arrival and a bath another hour after that." Camilla explained patiently, trying not to let her amusement show.

"Why the fuck did I do that?" William scowled, aiming an outraged look at her dress as she pulled the laces right.

"Oh, stop sulking. I’ll even share the bath with you if it’ll help."

William quickly perked up at the thought. "That’ll help, actually. It really is the least you can do." He smiled.