Successfully bedding his wife would no doubt go a long way toward curing this sudden bout of insomnia he was suffering, and he had even considered bathing a bit early to gain the pleasure that would be his once the belt was gone. But Duncan felt sure that if he gave way in this matter it would begin a dangerous pattern. Nay. Unless he came up with another way to remove the belt, he very much feared he would have a long wait ere finally managing to bed his wife. That realization was not one that pleased a man used to getting his own way.

Iliana winced as her husband’s sword crashed noisily to the floor. She scowled at his back, then blinked as his plaid suddenly dropped to the floor as well. Now he stood with his back to her, the shirt he wore beneath his plaid hanging just to the top of his behind, and Iliana found her eyes drawn involuntarily to those chiseled curves, and following the lines of his buttocks to the hard muscled length of his legs. Oddly enough, she found herself having a bit of difficulty breathing as she examined him so.

Disturbed by her body’s reaction to her husband’s physique, Iliana started to turn away, only to pause, her eyes instinctively rising to his wide, strong back and arms as he jerked his shirt upward and tugged it off over his head. She drank in the sight of his muscles shifting and rippling as he moved, reminded that, for all his odor and irritating manner, her husband was a very fine figure of a man. Every muscle in his body seemed to swell and undulate as he bent to tug back the rumpled bed linens, then crawl between them.

That was when Iliana snapped out of her almost mesmerized state. Moved to action, she hurried forward and snatched at the top linen, trying to whip it off as her husband crawled beneath it. Duncan was quicker than she had expected. Catching the tail end, he tugged back, nearly toppling her onto him. But Iliana caught herself in time, and glared at him.

“I told you, you shall not sleep on my mother’s linens until you take a bath. You will not stink them up with your filth.”

Duncan went still, then released the linen abruptly, nearly sending Iliana tumbling to the floor.

Catching herself, she stared in amazement as he suddenly stood, gloriously naked, before her. Reaching down, he grabbed the bottom linen that Ebba had used to replace the original and ripped it from the bed. Tossing it at her, he bent to sweep up his plaid from the floor and tumbled back onto the bare mattress, pulling the dirty tartan over himself like a blanket.