Violet balked at his nonplussed tone. “Yes, it is!” She waved her hands around wildly. “It’s illegal!”
The bastard smirked. “I am the law, princess. If I want to follow you around every day for the rest of your life and watch you collect shells or sew Slayton new chest binders, I will, and not a person in this world could stop me.”
“You’re not the law yet,” she said, poking him. “Definitely not when you were breaking into my house for… for years!”
Violet paused, his words replaying in her head.“…watch you sew Slayton new chest binders…”
“How do you know I sew Slayton’s binders?” Violet doubted it had come up in casual conversation between the two men. “Have you been stalking me? That’s an invasion of privacy, Roman. Have you no morals?”
Roman’s grin turned feral, and he leaned down to graze his lips across her cheek. “You’re not only my queen, Violet. You’re my obsession. You have always been mine, and I have always been yours. Not even the gods succeeded at keeping you from me, what makes you think something as trivial as morals would?”
“You’re insane,” she whispered, ashamed at the thrill and arousal that pounded through her blood at his confession. Maybe she was insane too.
He straightened with a loving, serene look on his face and caressed her cheek. “Get in bed.”
She obediently crossed the room and climbed into bed, wondering what was wrong with her. Who got off on knowing someone had creepily stalked them for years? He’d watched her sleep every night, for fuck’s sake.
Lost in thought, she hadn’t registered Roman wrapping the strips of shirt he’d torn around her wrists until it was too late. She grunted in protest and tried to tug them from his hold, but he shook his head and tsked. “Be a good girl and hold still.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, still trying to free her wrists. Glaring at the offending fabric, she cursed the intricate knots her loving prince had secured.
Seemingly satisfied with his work, Roman brought her bound hands to his mouth and kissed them gently. “You’re the one who decided to play with fire, princess.” She tried to whack him in the mouth, but he laughed and dodged her weak attempt.
Laying down beside her, he looped her arms over his neck and situated them into a comfortable position. His earlier words made sense. He didn’t mean they’d cuddle all night, he meant he’d hold her hostage.
“We both need sleep, and we won’t get it if you keep trying to entice me by playing with your pussy.”
“You can’t tie me up,” she huffed and yanked on the ties again.
Roman settled against the pillow and winked. “Yes, I can.”
29
Roman grinned down at the dried drool staining Violet’s cheek. Last night, after putting up a good fight, she’d given up and melted against him, falling into a deep sleep.
Nothing this woman did bored him. From the way she slept to the way her eyes blazed with fury. The woman seduced him without trying, but when shedidtry, gods. He bit back a groan. Watching her trail her hand under her nightdress…fuck. His cock hardened again at the thought.
He lifted her arms over his head to untie the strips of cloth. Violet stirred and blinked slowly into consciousness. She sat up so fast, Roman had to swerve to avoid a busted lip. “Easy,” he chuckled.
She glared.Still mad, then. “You tied me up.”
Flashes of lovers tying each other up at the pleasure house assaulted him, and his lips curled into a slow smile. “The last time I checked, you couldn’t rub your legs together hard enough during the bondage shows.”
Every exposed inch of Violet’s skin turned cherry red. “You tied me up tonothave sex. It’s not the same.” She rubbed her wrists and slid out of bed. “Besides.” She gazed at him over her shoulder. “You’d be tied up, not me. We’ll see how much you like not being able to touch.”
Over his dead body. Roman launched across the room and threw Violet over his shoulder. Shrieks of laughter and protest filled the air until his hand came down on her ass with a resounding slap.
“Shit,” she hissed. “That stung.”
“Good.” He slapped her ass again, causing her to yelp. “The next time you threaten to keep me from touching you as I please, remember this.” Another slap, followed by a tender caress over her red, heated skin.
“You refused to fuck me because you didn’t want me to be tired and uncomfortable during our ride today, yet you’re spanking my ass raw.” She unsuccessfully swatted at his backside from her upside-down position. “How do you think sitting on a sore butt all day is going to feel?”
“I’ll get you a pillow.”
Huffing, she let her arms hang limp, turning into dead weight on his shoulder. The skin of her bottom was warm under his lips when he placed a gentle kiss there. He hadn’t hit her hard enough for the pain to linger longer than an hour. Still long enough to learn her lesson.
Half an hour later, he heard Violet cursing as she dug through her trunk.
