Chapter 63 The Cost of Daring
After dinner, Roman had pulled Evelyn close, whispering against her ear.
"Time to have dessert."
Evelyn had thought she knew Roman's strength. Had felt it. Had believed she could handle whatever he gave her.
She was wrong.
That night, she discovered Roman had been holding back all along.
He was relentless. Insatiable. Taking her again and again until she was begging—first for mercy, then for more, then for mercy again. She couldn't decide what she wanted, her body caught between overwhelming pleasure and the desperate need for rest.
Every time she pleaded to stop, it only seemed to fuel him more. He switched between rough and tender without warning—whispering sweet promises in her ear one moment, then filthy praises the next. He carried her from the bed to the wall, from the couch back to the bed, leaving her suspended somewhere between heaven and earth until she finally passed out in his arms, with Roman still burning with energy.
—
When Evelyn woke, the sun was high above.
It was noon.
Her entire body ached. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest. Even her fingers felt stiff when she tried to move them.
Slowly, and painfully, she pushed herself upright.
Her waist throbbed. Her throat felt raw and parched from all the sounds she'd made the night before.
With trembling legs, she dragged herself to the bathroom, each step a reminder of exactly how thoroughly Roman had claimed her.
When she caught sight of herself in the bathroom mirror, her pupils dilated in shock.
She'd complained before about the marks he left on her. But this…
This was on a whole new level.
There wasn't an inch of skin he hadn't touched. Hadn't marked. Deep purple marks scattered across her neck, her collarbone, and down her ribs. Faint bruises along her hips where his hands had held her.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Animal," she croaked, her voice barely a whisper.
Because that's what he'd been. A wild, beautiful animal who'd devoured every part of her.
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself toward the bathtub. It was already filled with warm water.
She narrowed her eyes.
Roman must have prepared it for her.
The thought made something twist in her chest, even as her body protested every movement.
She sank into the warmth with a soft groan, letting the heat soothe her aching muscles.
After the soreness dulled into something manageable , she wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out. Her legs still shook slightly as she made her way back to the bedroom.
Halfway there, her knees buckled.
Strong arms caught her before she could fall.
"Careful," Roman murmured.
Evelyn looked up at him, taking in his bright eyes, his relaxed posture. He looked completely refreshed, like he hadn't spent hours systematically destroying her sanity.
She scoffed. "Careful? Were you careful with me last night?"
She tried to push his hands away, but he only held her closer.
He actually had the audacity to look slightly guilty as he registered her hoarse voice. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I lost control. That’s on me."
Maybe it was because she'd finally started responding to him the way he'd always wanted. Maybe it was the taste of her newfound boldness. Whatever it was, he'd been powerless to stop himself.
Evelyn ignored him, letting him help her to the bed before turning away.
"Let me take you downstairs," he offered. "I sent Leo to get painkillers. He should be back soon."
Her brain short-circuited.
She slowly turned her head to stare at him.
"Leo?" Her voice cracked. "You sent Leo to get painkillers? For me? What did you tell him they were for?"
"I didn't tell him anything specific," Roman said, lips pressing together.
"You didn't have to! It's not exactly hard to guess." She buried her face in her palms. "Oh God. Haven't you embarrassed me enough in front of your employee?"
Roman blinked "We're married," he said simply. "It's normal for husbands and wives to—"
“That’s not the point!”
A pillow flew toward him. It landed halfway between them, because Evelyn's aim was weak.
"Get out!" she whispered, her whole body burning with embarrassment.
He did not get out. Instead, he coaxed her gently, until she allowed him to help her properly.
He applied cooling medicine to her most tender places, his touch clinical despite the heat in his eyes. She bit her lip against the sensation, hyperaware of his gaze, of his hands on her bare skin.
She hissed when he touched a sensitive part.
His jaw tightened with restrained amusement.
“Don’t start,” she warned faintly.
He quickly finished up, wrapped her in one of his shirts and carried her downstairs.
Halfway through breakfast, Leo appeared with a small paper bag.
"Good morning, boss lady!" Leo called cheerfully. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"
Evelyn couldn't even look at him.
Leo tried again, confused by her silence. "Boss lady? Are you—"
Roman snatched the bag and gave Leo a sharp look. "Have you prepared everything?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good." Roman turned back to Evelyn, shaking pills into his palm. "Take these."
She swallowed them without protest, still refusing to acknowledge Leo's presence due to her embarrassment.
Roman noticed Leo still lingering.
"Would you like to extend your kitchen duties by washing our dishes? Or have you forgotten where the door is?"
Leo grinned sheepishly.
"Door. Right. Remembering it now. Leaving immediately." He backed away, then turned and speed-walked out.
Evelyn’s lips twitched despite herself. amused at their constant dynamic. It really was like watching a cheerful bunny working for a grumpy lion.
Roman disappeared into the kitchen and returned with warm honey soup. He held it out to her.
“For your throat,” he said.
She glared at him, but drank it anyway.
After a moment, she narrowed her eyes.
"What were you and Leo preparing?" she asked after her throat felt better.
Roman looked at her, amused.
“We’re on vacation,” he said. “Are we meant to remain indoors the entire time? We could do that back at Rosewood Manor.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes.
“Who was the one that said he needed a ‘meal’ all to himself yesterday?”
"Today's a new day," Roman replied without missing a beat. "I got my treat. Now we can explore wherever you want to go. Unless you'd prefer we—"
Evelyn choked on her soup. "Roman! Are you trying to kill me?"
He raised his hands innocently, gathering empty dishes. "Fine, fine. Sightseeing it is."
Evelyn stared at his retreating figure, speechless.
Some vacation this was turning out to be.
She was still staring at the empty doorway long after Roman disappeared into the kitchen.
He walked away like nothing happened.
Like he hadn’t completely dismantled her body the night before.
Like she hadn’t begged him—alternating between “stop” and “don’t you dare stop”—until her mind blurred into white noise.
Her thighs twitched just remembering it.
‘Animal.’
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
And yet…
Her cheeks warmed.
She wasn’t entirely innocent in that chaos either.
The sound of running water came faintly from the kitchen. Roman humming.
‘Humming.’
‘How dare he hum.’
Evelyn adjusted herself on the chair, wincing as her sore muscles protested. The bath had helped, but not enough. Her body felt thoroughly used — in a way that was both mortifying and deeply satisfying.
She glared toward the kitchen.
“I’m still mad at you,” she called out weakly.
His voice floated back, maddeningly calm. “Noted.”
A moment later he returned, wiping his hands with a towel. He looked entirely refreshed. Entirely composed. Entirely too powerful for a man who had barely slept.
He stopped in front of her and tilted his head.
“Can you walk?”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Barely.”
A slow, unapologetic smile curved his lips.
“That bad?”
She grabbed the nearest spoon and threw it at him.
It clattered harmlessly against his chest and fell.
He didn’t even flinch.
“That answers my question.”
Evelyn’s face burned.
“You have no right to look that energetic,” she accused. “You ruined me.”
Roman stepped closer.
Lowered himself until he was eye level with her.
His voice softened.
“I lost control.”
There was no teasing in it now.
“No,” she muttered. “You went feral.”
A faint exhale left him, almost like a laugh, but not quite.
“You asked me not to underestimate you.”
Her breath caught.
“I didn’t.”
Heat flickered in his eyes, not wild this time, but controlled, and intentional.
Evelyn swallowed.
“That wasn’t fair,” she said, though her voice lacked conviction.
Roman leaned in slightly, his fingers brushing her jaw gentle this time.
“I stopped every time you needed me to.”
That made her pause.
Because he had.
Every time her voice had truly shaken, every time her body had tensed the wrong way, he had slowed. Adjusted. Held her. Then built her back up again.
The intensity had been overwhelming.
But never careless.
She looked away first.
He stood and straightened.
“Finish resting. We’ll go out in an hour.”
Her brows knit together. “You’re serious about sightseeing?”
“Yes.”
‘Suspicious.’
“Why?”
Roman’s gaze shifted toward the glass wall, toward the glittering Mediterranean beyond.
“Because if I keep you in this villa,” he said evenly, “I won’t let you leave the bedroom.”
Her pulse skipped.
She grabbed another spoon but didn’t throw it this time.
He smirked.