Roman lowered his lips to ear. “If you thought binding your wrists was bad, you’re going to be thoroughly upset when I chain you to my bed until you change your mind.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” He stared down at her until she sighed with resignation. “Yes, you would. I’m going to hug him at some point. It might as well be with you standing here.”
Roman instantly released her, shooting daggers at Slayton. The man yanked Violet into a tight embrace and smirked over her shoulder.
“I will kill you,” Roman threatened.
Slayton released Violet and winked at Roman. “You love me too much to kill me.”
Roman almost growled like a feral dog but stopped himself. The king chuckled and wrapped an arm around Violet’s shoulders. “I’m coming to discover my son is intense like his mother. We’re glad you’ve all arrived home safe.”
The queen harrumphed and walked around them toward the palace entrance. “I had the kitchens prepare extra food in the event you arrived before dinner. Dinner should be ready.”
They all filed inside the palace, and it didn’t escape Roman’s notice that Violet leaned closer into his side, gripping his hand like a vise. She’d entered in the palace more over the years, finally overcoming her reservations for the most part, but the events of the past week must have brought forth old fears.
“If you’d rather have dinner elsewhere, the others won’t mind.”
His mate straightened her shoulders. “I’m done running, and if we’re to marry, I need to be able to walk through the palace with ease.”
Roman admired her courage, but the fact she had to be courageous about walking through the fucking palace in the first place pissed him off.
* * *
The table and chairs in the private palace dining room were taller than Violet remembered. There were even rungs used as footrests at the bottom of the chairs, but what confounded Violet more was that the table and chairs weren’t the only things with added height.
Once she’d taken note of the dining furniture, she began cataloguing other things when they passed through the halls after dinner. Benches and settees stood at a taller height as well; not as tall as the table and chairs, but noticeably taller in their own right.
Roman tugged Violet through the palace until they reached the courtyard. “I want to show you something, and if afterward you still want to stay in your cottage, we will.”
Violet shot him a quizzical look. “What does the surprise have to do with my cottage?”
“It’s a surprise.” A horse waited for them at the palace entrance, and after he’d set her atop his mount and climbed up after her, he led them around the side of the massive palace and past the warrior compound.
“Has that gate always been there?” she asked when they approached the palace wall. A small door-sized gate with two guards on either side stood in the middle of what Violet could have sworn was a flat, gate-less wall.
Roman dismounted, helped Violet down, and handed the reins to one of the guards. He pulled out a key and unlocked the gate, ushering her through. While Roman locked the gate back, Violet tried to grasp what she saw.
A stone house in the same style of the palace, only much smaller, stood tall in front of them in the middle of a miniature courtyard, surrounded by its own stone walls. These walls, however, had even more weaponry adorning the top, and trees had been cleared from the vicinity, creating an impenetrable fortress.
The building itself looked to be the size of one wing of the palace. Six stone pillars lined the porch, with large windows placed between each, and massive, cherrywood double doors with intricate designs carved into the wood. Surrounding the porch were flowers of every kind. Some Violet recognized, and others she didn’t.
Roman placed a gentle hand on her back. “Do you like it?”
Speechless, Violet turned to him fully, noting how nervous he looked. “Roman, this is beautiful, but what is it? I’ve never heard of this place.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. “I had it built for us while you were gone.”
She stood staring between him and the house. “You built us a house?” He chewed the inside of his cheek, looking unsure, and nodded. “Why?”
His shoulders drooped. “I know you get scared in the palace, and I thought if I built you a new one just for us and a select few staff, you’d feel safer.” He’d stunned her speechless, and without preamble, she threw herself into his arms. “We can live in your cottage, princess. We don’t have to live here.”
“Are you kidding?” she mumbled against his chest. “I love it.” Lifting her head, she tried to force every ounce of her gratitude and love into her words. “I’m making sure this goes in the history books. I want everyone to know how thoughtful you are.” She twisted to look at the house again. “I can’t believe you built us a house because I was scared.”
Roman slid both hands to the sides of Violet’s neck and framed her jaw with his thumbs. “There is no limit to what I would do for you.”
Running her hands up his chest, she lifted on to her toes and slanted her mouth over his. He deepened the kiss, his lips caressing hers with slow, deliberate tenderness. His tongue slid against hers in a sensuous dance.
Once they came up for air, he rested his forehead against hers. “I want to show you the rest before this goes any farther.”
