The morning at the Thorne estate was bathed in a deceptive serenity. After the electric confrontation at the club the night previous, Violet had expected the air to be thick with awkwardness. Instead, she found herself swept up in the whirlwind that was a five-year-old with a plan.
Adam had spent the morning in a state of high-alert coordination. He had discarded his usual play-clothes for a crisp, button-down shirt that he'd insisted on buttoning himself- resulting in a charmingly lopsided alignment, and had spent twenty minutes trying to "style" his dark hair with a damp washcloth.
"Violet," he said, standing at the foot of her chair with his hands behind his back, looking incredibly solemn. "I would like to take you on a date. Just us. No Daddy, no bodyguards, and definitely no green apples unless you want them."
Violet, who was currently tying her hair into a loose, low bun, couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. She was wearing a simple, airy sundress in a shade of soft sage- something modest and easy to move in. "A date, Adam? That's a very big offer. Where exactly does a gentleman take a lady on a Saturday morning?"
"To the big fountain with the lions," Adam declared, his eyes shining. "And then for ice cream. The kind with the sprinkles that turn your tongue blue."
"Well," Violet said, kneeling to straighten his collar. "A lady can hardly turn down blue sprinkles. But we have to check in with the Commander-in-Chief first. Rules are rules."
They made their way toward Roman's wing of the house. The mansion felt different today- larger, somehow, yet more intimate now that Violet knew the secrets hiding behind the marble. She felt the weight of the "technicality" she'd dropped like a bomb a few days prior, and she knew Roman was likely still reeling from it.
As they reached the heavy double doors of Roman's study, Adam didn't knock; he simply pushed them open with the unearned confidence of a prince.
Roman was behind his desk, silhouetted against the bright morning light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. He was dressed in a dark navy suit that made him look sharp enough to bleed, his brow furrowed as he stared at a holographic display. The moment the doors opened, his head snapped up. His gaze bypassed Adam entirely, locking onto Violet with a proprietary intensity that made her pulse skip a beat.
"Daddy!" Adam shouted, marching up to the mahogany desk. "We're leaving. I'm taking Violet on a date."
Roman's pen froze mid-air. The holographic display flickered as he stood up, his massive frame towering over the room. He looked at Adam's lopsided buttons, then at Violet's sage-green dress, and finally at the soft, amused smile on her lips.
The jealousy hit him with the force of a physical blow. It was irrational- he knew it was irrational, but the thought of anyone taking her away for the day, even his own son, felt like a theft. He wanted to be the one to take her out.
"A date?" Roman's voice was a low, gravelly rumble that vibrated through the furniture. He walked around the desk, his hands shoved into his pockets to keep from reaching out. "Is that so?"
"Yes," Adam said proudly. "A real one. I'm the man today."
Roman's eyes flickered to Violet, a dark, possessive heat swirling in their icy depths. "It's not a date, Adam," he said, his voice a bit too sharp, a bit too fast.
Adam's face fell, his lower lip beginning to protrude. "Why not? I combed my hair and everything!"
Roman felt a pang of guilt, but the green-eyed monster was currently driving the bus. He looked at Violet, searching for that sassy spark, that "angelic" defiance he'd come to crave. He saw the way she was watching him, her eyebrow arched in a silent challenge.
"Because," Roman said, scrambling for a reason that didn't sound like a tantrum from a thirty-year-old titan. "Because she's married, Adam. You can't take a married woman on a date. It's... against the code."
The air in the room went still. Violet's breath hitched. She hadn't expected him to use her own "secret" as a weapon of discouragement. It was a low blow, even for a dragon.
Adam looked between them, his brow furrowing in confusion. "But the man isn't here! And she has the pipe-cleaner ring I gave her! Doesn't that mean she's mine?"
Roman's jaw tightened until it hurt. He looked at the fuzzy blue wire on Violet's finger- a piece of trash that he would have traded all the diamonds in his vault to have placed there himself.
"It doesn't work like that, Ace," Roman muttered, his voice dropping into a pained, frustrated register.
Violet stepped forward, her sage-green skirt swishing against her legs. She placed a hand on Adam's shoulder, her touch grounding. "It's okay, Adam. We can call it an 'adventure' instead. Adventures are much better than dates anyway. Dates are for people who have to be polite. Adventures are for best friends."
Adam brightened instantly. "An adventure! Yeah! With lions and blue tongues!"
Roman watched them, feeling like an outsider in his own kingdom. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the matte black card, holding it out to Violet. His fingers brushed hers as she took it, the contact sending a jolt of electricity up his arm that he fought to ignore.
"Take this," Roman said, his voice rough. "For the adventure. Buy the fountain if he asks for it. And Violet..."
He leaned in, his shadow falling over her, his scent of sandalwood and cold rain enveloping her. For a second, the "nanny" and the "employer" vanished, leaving only a man who was desperately, aggressively trying to keep his grip on a woman who was technically out of reach.
"Stay safe," he whispered, his eyes searching hers with a desperate, silent plea. "And remember... I'm the one who pays the bills for the 'adventure.' Don't let him forget who the dragon is."
Violet looked up at him, her blue eyes softening just enough to let him see the girl behind the sass. She reached out and straightened his tie- a small, domestic gesture that nearly brought the titan to his knees.
"We won't forget you, Roman," she said softly. "But maybe try to find something to do that doesn't involve staring at security feeds. It's a beautiful day. Go for a walk."
"I have work," Roman snapped, though they both knew he'd spend the next four hours watching their GPS coordinates like a hawk.
"Right. Work," Violet teased, her sassy tongue returning. "Well, don't work too hard. You wouldn't want to get a wrinkle. It might ruin your 'brooding billionaire' aesthetic."
She turned, taking Adam's hand and leading him toward the door. "Come on, Adam. Let's go find those lions."
Roman stood in the center of his massive, glass-walled office, watching them go. He felt the weight of the black card she'd taken, the heat of the tie she'd touched, and the sharp, jagged edge of the "married" comment he'd thrown out like a shield.
He was a man who owned half the skyline, a man who moved markets with a single text, yet as the door closed behind them, he felt utterly powerless. He walked over to the window, watching the two of them emerge onto the driveway below.
He saw Violet lift Adam up to point at something in the distance, her blonde hair catching the sun, her laughter carrying faintly through the glass.
"Married," Roman whispered to the empty room, his voice full of a dark, possessive resolve. "We'll see about that."
He pulled his phone from his pocket and hit the speed dial for Tyson. "Tyson. I want a progress report on the Vane situation. And find out exactly what it takes to dissolve a 'technical' marriage in this state. I don't care about the cost. I want the paperwork on my desk by Monday."
He wouldn't stay in the barracks much longer. The dragon was tired of watching from the cave.