"This will do nicely." Felix seemed content as he surveyed their newly acquired room at the local inn of a small village.

Shae nodded. The room wasn't huge, and the wooden furniture was worn, but it was clean and after sleeping on the ground for the past couple of nights, she was happy for the prospect of sleeping in a bed again. It had taken them all of the previous day and most of this one to find a settlement. Luckily, Felix had come away with his coin purse when they were attacked, so they had money to pay for their lodging.

"I've ordered up a bath," he said as he dropped their saddlebags on a small chair standing in a corner. "While you make use of that, I will find a store to get us some clothes."

He disappeared before she could reply, which was probably just as well. They'd spoken very little since the morning she'd made a fool out of herself by caressing his face. True to his nature, Felix had tried to start a conversation a few times, but her short answers had eventually deterred him. The idea of sharing a room with him was not an appealing one, but they had to be conscious of how much they spent as what little money they had must last to Messina. The luxury of sleeping in a bed again would have to be worth it.

Setting down her bow and quiver on the floor, she gave the bed a longing look. She swallowed. The one bed. The room only had one. She groaned inwardly. Three years of avoiding sleeping in the same bed as her husband, and now she had no choice. Unless she wanted to sleep on the floor. Which she did not.

A soft knock sounded at the door, and two maids entered, carrying a wooden tub between them. Placing it in the middle of the room, they disappeared quickly, only to return with barrels of hot water. Once the tub was filled enough for a bath, they curtsied and closed the door behind them as they left. Two towels and a bar of soap had been placed on the bed.

After divesting herself of her dirty clothes, she sank into the tub, letting out a sigh of contentment as the warm water worked its magic on her aching muscles. It felt divine to wash off the dust and grime from the days on the road. Using the soap, she washed her long hair, loving the feeling of being clean again. She lingered in the bath longer than necessary, submerged in the water now slightly scented from the soap. Something sweet and flowery. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the tub. Felix had not long been gone, so she had a little longer before he returned.

Felix was rather pleased with his success in finding what he needed in the few shops in the village. It had taken some time, and maybe a little more of their coin than he had hoped, but he had managed to acquire a new set of clothing for both of them, and some provisions for when they were out on the road and couldn't find an inn for the night. He whistled a merry tune as he took the steps to the upper floor of the inn two at a time, his arms full with his loot. As he reached the door to their room, he fiddled with the doorknob until he got it open.

"Mission accomplished," he said as he kicked the door closed behind him. "Clothing and provisions. I hope you like chick—" His words lodged in his throat as he looked up to find Shae standing in a tub of water. Naked. Very, very naked.

It was the first time he'd seen his wife without a shred of clothing. Even the few times she'd allowed him to share her bed—purely in the pursuit of an heir—she had worn a nightgown. Which she had benevolently granted him permission to push up to her waist. Each time, he had felt like the worst kind of lecher, but any amount of begging on his part had not softened her enough to allow him to make it good for her. Whatever her reasons, she obviously loathed him enough to not even want that much.

His gaze followed the shape of her body. She was beautiful. The heavy weight of her breasts, the flare of her hips, the long legs. He swallowed, and as his eyes met hers, he realised he'd been staring. Whipping around, he clutched the packages tightly to his chest, wishing it was his wife in his arms and not a bunch of clothes.

"By the Gods! I'm sorry!" he exhaled. "I thought you'd be long done by now."

He could hear the water splashing as she stepped out of the tub and moved across the room. "I... I may have dozed off," she mumbled, obviously embarrassed.

"I apologise for staring," he muttered. "That was badly done of me. I was just... surprised." That was putting it mildly. He wasn't sure he could ever banish the image of her naked body glistening with drops of water from his mind. He hesitated a moment before carefully asking, "Are you decent?"

"As decent as I'll be without the clothes you're still holding," she noted wryly.

"Right! Of course." By the Gods, he needed to get a grip. He fumbled with the packages of folded clothing before reaching an arm out behind him with the correct one.

He heard footsteps as she came closer, and a moment later, she snatched the package out of his hand and she returned to the bed. The closed door seemed as good a thing to study as anything, while he forced himself not to turn around as he could hear the sounds of his wife getting dressed.

"You may turn around now."

A quick glance confirmed she was indeed fully dressed. Rather than a dress, he'd found her a pair of soft buckskin trousers, as he'd figured it would be more comfortable for their long days on horseback. It wasn't something a noblewoman—especially a queen—would ever be seen in, but it wasn't unheard of for women of the lower classes to be found wearing trousers. He hadn't quite realised how form-fitting they were, hugging her thighs and long legs like a second skin. The simple, green tunic he'd bought to go with it was longer on one side, an odd stylistic choice, but he wasn't one to judge women's clothing. Especially when they offered him such an amazing view.

He walked over to the bed and tossed the remaining packages on the sheets before sitting down to pull his boots off. When he caught Shae looking hungrily at the food parcels, he smiled. "I've asked for them to bring us supper to the room. Didn't want to risk eating downstairs, in case anyone recognises us."

"Sounds good. I'm starving." She climbed into the bed and sat down in the middle with her legs crossed. It didn't escape his notice that she made sure to sit well away from him. Bringing her hair over her shoulder, she started slowly braiding her hair.

Figuring he should have just enough time before their food arrived, Felix stood and pulled the tunic over his head.

Shae halted her movements, staring at him. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice an octave higher than normal.

Remembering her gentle fingertips against his face the other morning, he wondered if perhaps his wife didn't loathe him as much as he thought. Or, if nothing else, she at least found him marginally attractive. It warranted further investigation.

He gave her a crooked smile. "Well, I need a bath too." When his hands reached the buttons on his breeches and began undoing them, she quickly turned her back to him.

"You could have warned me!" she hissed. Her reaction made him laugh.

"As much as you may regret it"—he chuckled as he let his breeches fall to the floor—"you're still my wife, and I suppose I didn't think it would bother you."

That was a blatant lie. He had hoped it would bother her. If it did, it meant that maybe there was a tiny, ever so minuscule chance that their marriage was salvageable. Attraction would be a good first step. He could work with attraction.

Walking over to the tub, he stepped into it, pleasantly surprised to find it still relatively warm. He sat down, noting that the tub struggled to contain his tall body. Still, it was a warm bath, and he looked forward to feeling clean again. With a glance over at his wife's tense form on the bed, he let out a moan of pleasure just for kicks. Maybe he was imagining it, but he could have sworn her shoulders tightened slightly.

He grinned. "Don't want to help sponge me off?"

The teasing question made her turn around, her brown eyes narrowing at him. "Are you mocking me?"

"Only a little." His smile grew wider. Teasing her was much too fun. "For having been married nearly three years, you're very prudish."

"As you well know, ours is not a normal marriage," she grit out, but her eyes strayed from his, travelling along his form. He still exercised vigorously every day, wanting to be ready should he ever be needed to fight again, and he knew it showed. In his broad chest and flat stomach. In his arms, corded with muscles; a pleasant bonus from his weapons of choice, a sword and shield. Her unwilling interest in his naked body only reminded him of the sad state of their marriage, and it left him with a sour taste in his mouth.

"You do like to remind me of it," he said. "Now, won't you be a dear and hand me a towel?"

She slid off the bed and brought him the remaining dry towel, making sure to turn her back to him as he stood. After quickly drying himself off, he tied the cloth around his waist. Before he could find his new clothes, they heard a knock at the door.

"Oh, the food is here!" he exclaimed happily. By the Gods, he was hungry. Fruit and berries foraged in the forest and dry bread were not nearly enough to sustain a man of his size.

He padded over to the door and opened it, letting two maids inside carrying their food. Their eyes kept straying back to his half-naked form as they left two bowls of hot stew and a loaf of bread on the small table. He smiled at them as they left, their giggles echoing through the room as they exited. Unable to wait, he sat down on a chair and smelled the stew. It was a miracle his stomach didn't growl loud enough that all of Erya could hear.

"Are you not going to get dressed?" Shae asked. She still stood in the middle of the room, her eyes narrowed at him.

"Oh, I will, but I'm famished. I will dress after eating." As she shifted from one foot to the other, he smiled. "Why? Does it bother you?"

"Not at all," she grumbled, sitting down on the chair on the other side of the table. "I barely notice it."

He laughed. They both knew she was lying.

~~~~~~

The amazing and talented AzulMidnight made a drawing of Felix teasing Shae in that tub... Isn't she amazing? ♥

And if you're curious about the awkward wedding night that Felix and Shae allude to at times, there's a bonus chapter available in The Spellbound Codex where you can read it. It's about as awkward and cringy as you'd think. LOL