Corrupt Empire Series: A Dark Romance Boxset

by Sarah Bailey

“Don’t do that.”

  “Do what?”

  She sat up properly, resting a hand on my chest.

  “Shut me out like that. Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

  I looked away. How could I tell her? She’d been burdened with enough shit for a lifetime. My mother’s death didn’t need to be added onto that list.

  “Before you came into my life, I used to dream about my worst memories every fucking night. I thought they’d stopped for good, but clearly not.”

  “Aiden…”

  “It’s shit, princess, but I’ll deal with it.”

  She shook her head.

  “No, you don’t get to just say you’ll deal with it. You dealing with things by yourself doesn’t end well.”

  Fuck. I was beginning to realise Avery had noticed far more about me than I ever expected her to. And she was fucking right about me not dealing with things well.

  “I dreamt about her.”

  “Your mother?”

  “Lizzie… that’s her name. I try not to think about her even though I’m doing all of this for her.”

  I sighed. One day I had to tell her, so why not now? I’d never told anyone about that day. Tina was the only one who knew because she was there after it happened. I never told her I’d watched the man slit my mother’s throat.

  I had to tell someone and it should be Avery. The girl I loved more than anything.

  “The night she died was the worst night of my life.”

  Avery looked at me with concern but stayed silent as I explained in detail exactly what occurred. My heart broke all over again. Reliving that fucking memory always hurt. She took my hand at one point because my voice faltered on the moment I realised she was dead. When I was done, she crawled over me and settled her head on my chest, holding me tightly. I could feel her tears soaking into my skin. Fuck. She was crying for me.

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

  I wrapped my arms around her. Avery was the only anchor I had left in the world. She kept me from descending into rage, despair and not wanting to feel any longer. My girl kept me grounded.

  “When I found out about your father, I thought for a long time it was him, but his voice wasn’t exactly the same. I don’t know who it was, princess. That’s the truth.”

  I’d wanted it to be Mitchell so I could have the satisfaction of knowing her murderer was dead. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t and it fucking killed me.

  “I thought you said you did know.”

  “I wish I did. I just realised it didn’t add up with what I remember about that night.”

  “When Rick took me, he told me to ask you who it was. He said that you had it wrong.”

  I stiffened. She hadn’t told me that part.

  “Why didn’t you say anything about that before?”

  “I don’t know. I wish I had. I’m sorry.”

  I stroked her back.

  “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. He knows who killed her then.”

  She raised her head. I reached up, wiping away the tears which were still falling down her cheeks.

  “I guess so. He could be bluffing.”

  I wasn’t sure he was. Rick knew far too much. Always had.

  “We’ll just have to see. I don’t want to talk about him.”

  She sniffed, sitting up and straddling me. Her doe eyes were wide and she looked so fucking beautiful even though she’d just been crying.

  “Thank you for telling me.”

  I rested my hands on her legs, stroking them lightly with my fingers.

  “You told me to let you in. I’m trying.”

  She leant down, pressing her lips to mine for a moment. She cupped my face, resting her forehead on mine and staring down at me intently.

  “I know and I appreciate it. I love you so much, Aiden. All I’ve ever wanted was to help you. Make you happy. I hate seeing you in so much pain.”

  The crazy thing about this is that Avery knew exactly what it was like to see your parent die in front of your eyes. I should’ve told her sooner. She didn’t have to say anything because she already understood.

  I kissed her again, needing to feel that connection between us. Needing to get lost in her. She’d calm me. Soothe away the memories with her gentle touch and delicate skin. She let me grab her t-shirt and pull it off. Soon, there was nothing between us and I could feel every inch of her body pressed against mine. For once, we didn’t fuck each other. We made love. Our feelings exposed and raw for one another to see. And it was everything I needed right then.

  Fuck, I loved her so much. I’d do anything for Avery.

  I’d fucking bow down at her feet.

  I’d worship her.

  And I’d die for her.

  Chapter Five

  Avery

  Present Day

  The rest of the night passed by in a blur. Sitting in the back of the car with John driving, I gazed out of the window, but I wasn’t really looking at anything. I was exhausted. Talking to so many people, having to deal with congratulations for my engagement, becoming the owner of Daniels Holdings and it being my birthday, the whole night had taken a toll on me. All I wanted was to curl up in bed and go to sleep. Except I wasn’t going to get that option. Aiden and I needed to talk.

  This felt like a running theme in our relationship. One of us would do something without telling the other and we’d fight over it. I wasn’t in the mood for that. We’d both done things this evening. Honestly, now I had time to think about it, this wasn’t exactly unexpected. This evening was always going to bring up challenges and surprises.

  John dropped me off at the door and watched me go in. I was just thankful to be home. When I got upstairs into the flat, I realised he wasn’t home yet. I hadn’t seen him at the venue when I left so I assumed he’d gone already. Perhaps my assumption was wrong.

  I let my hair down and removed my makeup before slipping into shorts and a t-shirt. I picked up my wedding ring from the bedside table and slipped it back on before crawling into bed and turning the lights out. I felt sort of exposed without it. Having it back on my finger made me feel right again. Whole somehow. It reminded me of how insanely special that day had been. Our wedding day.

  I never thought I’d have a simple and quiet wedding, but even if we hadn’t done it in secret, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Aiden and I had made our own family, free from the awfulness of our blood relations.

  That day meant everything to me.

  The day I’d become Aiden’s wife.

  ~~~

  One Week Prior

  “Gert, seriously, stop fussing,” I said, waving her away.

  “But, Ave, it’s your fucking wedding day. You have to look perfect.”

  I shook my head. I was nervous enough as it is without her readjusting my dress for the millionth time. We were standing outside the room together with James. I’d roped him into walking me down the aisle. Who better to give me away than my best friend who’d been with me through thick and thin? It’s not like my dad could be here. I shut down that thought immediately. He didn’t deserve it anyway. Not after what he’d done.

  “He is here, right?” I whispered to James whilst Gert shifted on her feet in front of us, waiting for the music to start.

  “Of course he is, why wouldn’t he be?” he hissed back.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him since last night… It felt weird being away from him.”

  I’d stayed in my own flat with James and Gert. We’d all curled up together in my bed last night, talking about how insane this all was until we fell asleep. I woke up missing Aiden like crazy. I hated spending the night away from him. We promised we wouldn’t contact each other until we saw each other today. James took my phone away from me and hid it. I’d almost begged him to tell me where it was at one point because my heart ached so much. Perhaps it was nerves, but I wanted Aiden so fucking badly.

  “Cold feet?”


  “What? No. I want to marry him. I just don’t want him to bolt.”

  James rolled his eyes.

  “He hasn’t. Don’t forget, he asked you to marry him.”

  I tried to keep that in mind. It didn’t help my nerves in the slightest. They coiled in my stomach, making my heart feel tight. I wanted this moment to be special.

  The music started. Gert looked back, giving me a wink. Fuck. This was it. I was getting married. Shit. Who’d have thought this day would actually happen. That Aiden and I would make such a huge commitment to each other.

  I tucked my arm into James’ as Gert went through the open doorway. I couldn’t see past the first row of empty chairs at the back of the room.

  “You got this, Ave. You two love each other, don’t be scared.”

  I nodded at him. It was now or never.

  James knew the truth. We’d also had to tell Gert a little about what was going on because otherwise next week she’d be confused as to why I was announcing my engagement to Tristan Shaw. I hadn’t revealed the whole truth about my family, only that we were doing it to take down the Shaws. She wasn’t unhappy about it considering she hated Tristan just as much as we did. But she was also super excited about us having a wedding.

  James squeezed my hand before indicating with his head we should move. I took a deep breath and then we both walked towards the door.

  I didn’t turn my head to look when we walked through, trying to keep my nerves in check. I had to get through this short walk, then I’d see Aiden and things would be okay. When we turned up the aisle, I first looked at our guests. Skye had Josh in her arms and she was standing with Tina on one side. John was on the other with Gert.

  Finally, my attention turned to the man standing waiting for me at the end of the aisle with Ben. My heart pounded in my ears.

  Aiden.

  And fuck did he look good. My beautiful tattooed angel. He wore a dark grey suit, white shirt and grey tie. In his buttonhole, there was a navy flower which matched the rest of the men and Gert’s dress.

  My eyes met his grey ones. Love and complete adoration shone within them. I couldn’t stop staring at him. I trusted James to get me up the aisle in one piece because my legs felt like jelly.

  “You okay?” he whispered.

  I nodded, still completely unable to tear my gaze away from the man who was about to become my husband. Our entire relationship flashed before my eyes. Every moment passing by in quick succession. From the night we met under the worst sort of circumstances to yesterday when we’d kissed each other goodbye for the last time before we became husband and wife.

  Did I regret a single moment between us?

  No.

  Would I change anything?

  No.

  As crazy and as fucked up as it was, it brought us to today.

  Before I could process it all, I was standing in front of him and James gave me a kiss on the cheek. He let go of my arm, placing my hand in Aiden’s. Then he stepped back and took up his place next to Gert.

  “You look beautiful, princess,” Aiden said, his deep voice vibrating through me.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, not quite trusting my own.

  The dress. An almost see-through lace bodice cinched in at the waist with an A-line flowing skirt falling to my feet. I hadn’t wanted a huge princess style dress even though that’s what Aiden called me. Something simple. Sexy but elegant. Gert had sobbed when I came out of the changing room in it. I think even John got misty eyed whilst James told me it was perfect.

  Aiden squeezed my hand, smiling at me. The registrar started talking but I barely paid attention to her words. I couldn’t look at anyone else. All I saw was Aiden. He enraptured me. And he was about to make me his wife.

  I was promptly brought back to reality when the registrar asked Aiden to make the legal declaration.

  “I declare that I know of no legal reason why I, Aiden Lockhart, may not be joined in marriage to Avery Charlotte Daniels.”

  I spoke the returning words when asked, staring up into his beautiful face. I didn’t falter even though my hands trembled in his. And when he spoke the contracting words, I thought my heart might burst out of my chest, it was pounding so hard.

  I took a deep breath when the registrar asked me to repeat after her.

  “I, Avery Charlotte Daniels, take you, Aiden Lockhart, to be my wedded husband.”

  The registrar asked Ben if he had the rings, which he brought over and gave the first one to Aiden. They were one of the first things we’d purchased so they’d be ready for our wedding day. Mine was a very simple white gold band and his was slightly thicker and palladium.

  He pressed it onto my finger and held it above my knuckle.

  “I give you this ring as a symbol of our love and marriage. I promise to love you, care for you, protect you and above all, support you in everything you do throughout our lives together.”

  He pressed the ring fully on my finger. I couldn’t breathe. My heart raced out of control. Aiden pledging his love to me was more than I could take. I held onto his hand tighter. I felt a tear slip down my cheek. He smiled, reaching up to brush it away.

  “It’s okay, princess, I’ve got you,” he whispered, nodding at me.

  Ben brought up my ring for Aiden and pressed it into my hand. I shakily put it on his finger and held it.

  “I give you this ring as a symbol of our love and marriage. I promise to love you, care for you, listen to you and above all, support you in everything you do throughout our lives together.”

  I managed to get the words out without choking up as I pressed the ring fully on his finger. I wanted to kiss him so badly and when she finally said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride,” I practically threw myself into his arms. Aiden kissed me without any sort of care that all eyes were on us. We drowned in each other for a long minute.

  When I pulled away, I stared up into those grey eyes I loved so much and tears filled mine all over again.

  “Princess, don’t cry,” he said, stroking my cheek.

  “I’m just so happy.”

  I didn’t want to leave his arms, but we had to sign the register. It took a fair few minutes and when we were done, we finally got to walk back down the aisle together. Those moments we’d just shared were the single most beautiful and amazing ones of my life.

  In Aiden’s pocket were our official copies of our wedding certificate. Legally bound as husband and wife. I felt so secure and loved, holding his hand.

  As soon as we were out of the room, he pressed me up against the wall and devoured my mouth, his hands running down my sides.

  “Fuck, I love you, princess. I love you so much,” he whispered against my mouth.

  My body felt tight almost immediately. A throbbing started in my core. I wanted him. My husband.

  “I want to rip that off you and fuck you so hard, you won’t be able to walk properly,” he told me, pressing kisses to my jaw. “You’re so beautiful. So fucking beautiful.”

  I almost lost all sense of rationality, but I couldn’t get carried away in the moment. I pressed my hands on his shoulders, pushing him back slightly. His grey eyes were wild with lust and desire.

  “Aiden… now isn’t the time.”

  He shook himself visibly.

  “Fuck, I know, but can you fucking blame me when you look like a fucking goddess?”

  I felt my face heat up. Hell, he’d never described me that way before. And I really wanted to throw caution to the wind, find an empty cupboard and let him fuck me up against the door. Except I wouldn’t do that because our guests were starting to file out of the room along with the photographer we’d hired and paid handsomely to keep quiet.

  Aiden stepped away from me, taking my hand. Gert winked at me and James gave me a knowing look. I wanted the ground to swallow me up. I was rarely overly affectionate towards Aiden in front of them, preferring to keep our insatiable lust for each
other under wraps.

  It wasn’t time to feel embarrassed. This was our wedding day. If there was one time I was allowed to show how much I loved Aiden to the world, then this was it.

  We all filed out of the registry office and piled into John and James’ cars. When we got to the hotel, they greeted us with smiles and took us into a private dining room Aiden had reserved for the reception. There were various canapés and champagne. The photographer insisted on whisking us away for a while for couples’ photos before involving the rest of the guests.

  I finally got a chance to take a breath and sit down when the wedding breakfast was served. I couldn’t stop smiling as we ate and talked. This wasn’t like any other wedding I’d been to. So small and intimate. Even so, the rest of our guests insisted we have a first dance together.

  As I stood up with Aiden, swaying from side to side, I felt content. I was Aiden’s and he was mine.

  “You really do look perfect,” he told me, his voice low.

  “So do you.”

  “I want to take you upstairs.”

  I smiled. He’d wanted that since we’d said our vows to each other. I saw it in his expression and the way his hands roamed over me when he thought no one else was looking.

  “And neglect our guests?”

  He narrowed his eyes.

  “Are you trying to make excuses?”

  I raised an eyebrow. Did he really think I didn’t want him to strip me down and fuck me without mercy? I’d missed him so much last night.

  “I want you too.”

  Once those words were out of my mouth, there was no stopping him. The song ended and we stuck around for a little while longer before he whisked me away up to our room. I barely got in the door when he was on me. He pressed me back against the wall next to the door and kissed me. His hands roamed over my body, tugging up the skirt of my dress.

  His fingers were in my underwear before I could take a breath, stroking and coaxing me. The urgency of his movements set my body ablaze.

  “I need you, right fucking now,” he growled against my skin.

  Holy fuck.

  I hadn’t really thought about how much he might have missed me too. Too wrapped up in my own nervousness about the wedding. I shouldn’t have been worried. This was Aiden. I’d known he would be there. Known this was what he wanted.