Shae lay deadly still, trying not to move, lest she might brush up against Felix who was lying on the other side of the bed. It wasn't overly large, and it was difficult to lie comfortably without touching one another. Especially since her husband was not only a fairly large man but also liked to sprawl. Which left her lying as far out on her side as she could without falling off the edge, and keeping her arms and legs perfectly straight.

Even with several inches separating them, she could feel the heat radiating off his body, and it was nothing if not distracting. He was breathing deeply, obviously having no issues falling asleep with her in the bed, while she was wide awake, unable to let sleep claim her. It wasn't fair.

"For the love of the Gods, Shae!" he suddenly growled, making her jump. Turning her head, she saw he was lying on his stomach, facing her, his eyes drowsy but definitely awake. "Relax, please. It's impossible to sleep with you lying like a log in the bed."

"You're welcome to sleep on the floor if you prefer," she replied stiffly, which only made him chuckle.

"No, but thank you for the kind offer. Why don't you just relax? I promise I won't bite."

"I'm not used to having someone in the bed with me," she muttered.

"Well, whose fault is that?" He yawned as he turned around and nestled into his pillow.

She stared at the back of his head for a moment, anger sparking to life inside her. She may have stipulated the boundaries of their marriage, as she had no intention of falling in love with her husband, but he had quickly agreed, offering no resistance. Everyone knew about his love affair with Sorceress Isobel. How could he ever believe she would allow herself a regular marriage under those circumstances? Unable to control her ire, she kicked out with both feet and pushed as hard as she could.

Felix went careening off the edge of the bed and landed on the floor with a satisfying yelp. Sitting up, he ran a hand through his tousled hair and stared at her. "What was that about?"

"Sorry," she said, her voice deadpan. "Leg spasm."

She turned her back to her husband, suddenly feeling much better. Maybe she'd be able to sleep after all.

The next morning, she woke up to find herself lying on her side with her back against Felix's chest, his arm around her and his hand cradling her breast. With their legs entwined and his breath fanning her neck, she was quite trapped. Carefully trying to move, she only succeeded in making him pull her closer, his lips now against the sensitive skin of her shoulder.

"Felix?" she ventured quietly but received no answer. From his breathing, she suspected he was still asleep, and since any attempt at extracting herself only seemed to make him pull her tighter, she gave up and allowed herself to relax in his embrace. As much as she hated to admit it, lying against his warm, strong body felt nice. He was only wearing his undergarments, and she could feel one part of him, that was decidedly more awake than he was, resting against the curve of her bottom.

Closing her eyes again, she enjoyed the unusual feeling of having his arms around her. It made her feel safe, at peace. A worrying thought; she didn't want to feel like that. Not with him. Felix mumbled something in his sleep she couldn't quite hear, but she could definitely feel the hand on her breast massage gently. His lips travelled across the skin above her shift, placing feather-light kisses that sent shivers down her spine.

"Felix?" she tried again, a little louder this time. Still no reaction. This was not good. His hand and lips were doing strange things to her insides. Her skin tingled where he kissed her, and when he nibbled at a sensitive spot below her ear, a low moan escaped her. This really wouldn't do.

"Felix!"

He woke with a start. "Huh? What?"

It took him another moment to get his bearings, and once he realised where his hand was, he quickly pulled it back. Shae took the opportunity to disentangle herself and scooted further away from him in bed.

He frowned, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Turns out you're pretty grabby in your sleep," she explained when he gave her a puzzled look.

"Oh... I apologise," he mumbled, his cheeks stained red. Sitting up, he ran a hand through his uncombed hair. "There was a dream... I... I didn't mean to manhandle you."

"Just don't let it happen again." The comment came out a lot haughtier and disapproving than she'd meant, and his eyes clouded.

"Duly noted." He rolled out of bed and retrieved his clothes. After dressing in silence, he grabbed a piece of bread and walked over to the door. "Get ready, we'll leave as soon as you're dressed and have eaten."

With that he left the room, the echo of the door shutting sounding oddly angry, despite it being so quiet.

They rode in silence. For once, Felix didn't even attempt to start a conversation, and Shae found herself missing it. When they reached another village at dusk, he got them a room at the inn, ordered her some food and sent her upstairs. He would explore the area, he said, to see if he could find anything out about his men and the attack.

When he hadn't come to their room several hours later, Shae worried something might have happened to him. She was just about to get up and seek him out when a knock sounded at the door. Quickly getting out of bed, she hurried across the room on bare feet to open it. Felix stood on the other side, swaying lightly. At first, she thought he might be injured, but then she smelled the alcohol on his breath.

"Ah," he said jovially. "Here she is. My wife."

She rolled her eyes and ushered him into the room. After closing and locking the door, she leaned back against it to stare at her inebriated husband. He stood in the middle of the room, looking around at the tub of now cold water and the bowl of half-finished vegetable soup. At the few candles flickering next to the bed and the upturned covers where she'd been lying, waiting for him to return.

"Enjoyed your time without me?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Must feel just like home."

"That's rather unfair." She frowned. He was in a strange mood. "What in the world possessed you to drink yourself into a stupor?"

"Now who's unfair?" He flashed a lopsided smile. "I'm not nearly in a stupor."

"What were you thinking?" She crossed her arms over her chest as she took in his appearance. The partially undone tunic allowed the alluring glimpse of his smooth chest underneath. His blond hair stood on end as if he'd raked his hands through it one time too many. "It's irresponsible to be drunk in our current predicament, don't you think?"

"I could still wield a sword if I needed to," he muttered. "I'm not that drunk."

"You shouldn't be any level of drunk." She rolled her eyes again. "This is ridiculous. I'm going back to bed." Feeling rather exasperated by the whole situation, she pushed away from the door and walked towards the bed. As she passed Felix, she yelped in surprise as he grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back to face him. Lifting a hand, he gently touched her face as his eyes searched hers.

"Am I really so abhorrent to you?" he asked quietly. Their breaths mingled and the faint scent of alcohol tickled her nose. It wasn't unpleasant, but he was much too close for her comfort.

"What do you mean?" She took a few steps back, giving herself the space she needed. "I don't find you abhorrent."

"No?" He smiled wryly. "It certainly feels like you do. You shy away any time I try to touch you. Most of the time you won't even carry on a conversation with me."

She shook her head. "It's the type of marriage we have," she reminded him, retreating another few steps. He followed, his gaze not leaving her. She swallowed, not sure what to make of the look in his eyes. "It's the type of marriage we must have."

"Is it?" he asked, still advancing. "I would rather have a wife who doesn't recoil from my touches."

Taking another step back, her legs hit the edge of the bed and she nearly toppled over. Felix was quicker. He grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her close to steady her. She held onto his shoulders for support and found herself staring up into his green eyes.

"I'm your wife," she whispered, his closeness intoxicating. "I can't stop you."

He scowled, a flash of anger passing over his face. "I'm not that kind of man. I would never do anything against your will."

The pad of his thumb caressed her lower lip, and she closed her eyes. It felt much too good. He felt much too good. She was pressed snugly against him, one of his arms on her waist and the other cupping her face. Her soft curves fit perfectly against the hard planes of his body.

"I just wish..." he mumbled, so close she could feel his hot breath against her lips. "I wish you wanted me to kiss you."

At that moment, she wanted nothing more, but she'd be damned if she would tell him. She didn't need to. His lips tentatively grazed hers. When she didn't protest, he returned with increased pressure. Before she knew what was happening, she had her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers threading through his hair, while he kissed her like a man starved. His tongue stole across her lips, and her world went up in flames.

She lost all her objections to why she had never wanted them to kiss. Couldn't remember a single reason, as his mouth devoured hers. She'd been kissed before, when she'd still been at court in Adreas, but never like this. Felix stoked the fire that always burned deep inside of her, but she kept tightly locked away. Now it spread through her like wildfire, and she feared she might burn to a crisp if she wasn't careful. When his hand came up to cup her breast, caressing the nipple through the cloth of her tunic, it sent sparks of flame dancing over her skin. She wrestled out of his grasp.

"No!" she gasped, moving away from him. "I'm... I'm sorry, Felix, but I can't do this."

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes impossibly dark, then he sighed. "Right."

There was a hint of sadness in his voice, but she wasn't ready to ask him why. Instead, she got into the bed and pulled the covers all the way to her chin. Her body still burned, and she needed to shield herself from his gaze. He moved to the other side of the bed, grabbed a pillow and blanket, and dropped them on the floor.

"What are you doing?" she asked from her makeshift sanctuary.

He smiled wryly. "I'm sleeping on the floor. I think we already saw that I can't be trusted around you while sleeping. And after that kiss..." He trailed off, then cleared his throat. "Well, I'm just going to sleep on the floor."

~~~~~~