Bitter Vows: A Twisted Arranged Marriage Romance (Crimson Falls Duet Book 1)

by Dani René

  His beard is longer than I remember, his eyes darker, filled with what I can only imagine are more sinister intentions. He glances at Scarlett, interest sparking in his gaze, and I wonder what he’s really doing here.

  He’s not a fan of the Bardots either. Since we were little, we knew about the old woman who lived next door, but when we learned about her connection with our father, something in us changed. We knew we would never be close to the family.

  And I’m sure now that I’m marrying Scarlett, Darius is fuming. As dinner is served, Scarlett’s hand finds my thigh, causing me to clank my knife and fork against the fine china plate, ensuring every pair of eyes are on me.

  Once the conversation starts up again, I glance at my girl, whose eyes are wide as she regards me. She leans in close, her lips inches from my ear, which doesn’t help my need for her. “I think perhaps we should leave early,” she tells me with a soft kiss to my earlobe, and my zipper is suddenly much tighter than it was moments ago.

  “If you keep that up, you’re going to have trouble on your hands,” I tell her.

  A soft giggle falls from her lips, and I want to steal every whimper she makes. But right now, we need to behave. There are people here I need to impress. Most times, I don’t give a shit about who’s watching; other times, I quite like an audience, but for now, I know Scarlett’s reputation means more than me getting my rocks off.

  “Eat your dinner, and when you’re done, we’ll leave.” My voice is low, a whisper only Scarlett can hear. I pray to all that’s holy she obeys.

  With a slight nod, she eats, and I smile, watching her enjoy the dinner. My appetite is gone, or rather, it’s shifted from my plate to the woman beside me. Lifting my gaze, I find Darius staring at me.

  “Still in control,” he remarks, but I don’t respond because if I do, it will start a war. And that’s not what I want or need right now. “You can hate me all you want,” he tells me, talking over Scarlett who’s between us. The only sweetness amongst the darkness that’s lingering in the room. My brother and I are far too similar, and even though I don’t consider him family, or at least close family anymore, he is blood.

  Blood is a bitter vow to swallow. The lingering metallic flavor of guilt and deception hangs between us, and I know it will never be cleaned. It will never change.

  I turn my attention to my drink, swallowing back the biting bourbon, allowing the burn to trickle down my throat until the fire has reached my stomach. My gut churns with the need to escape.

  “You know, little one,” Darius says, his voice loud enough for only me and Scarlett to hear. “He’s never going to love you like you want. Marrying him may be your end.” There’s no joking in his tone, but I didn’t expect there to be.

  “I may one day grow old beside him, and maybe I don’t love him yet, and he may not feel the same for me, but I’m not ever going to regret doing this. My life is my own. Even if I’m under contract, Lycan has given me a choice to walk away…” She glances at me before looking back at Darius. “But I don’t want to.” Her final words to him have my chest tightening as emotions I don’t want or need take hold of me, and I’m soon lost in affection for the girl beside me, the same girl I bought from her father.

  Affection is weakness, but I can’t stop myself when it comes to her. Scarlett does something to me. She knocks down walls, breaks through steel doors, and burrows herself in the darkness I’ve long since buried.

  Darius doesn’t say anything, but the look he gives me tells me everything I need to know—he’s impressed with Scarlett.

  And that can never be a good thing.

  Scarlett

  My nerves are shot. With Darius here, I know he’s only trying to goad Lycan to act out, but the man who’s now standing beside me is far too controlled, and I’m certain his brother knows that.

  A stunning woman sidles up beside Lycan, so close I can smell her perfume. He stills beside me. His body turns rigid as he grips me tighter but doesn’t say anything. She moves past us, and I notice the sway of her hips and the way her long hair hangs in silky waves down her back. She casts a quick glance over her shoulder at my fiancé before she disappears amongst the rest of the guests.

  His arm snakes around my waist even tighter, and I find it difficult to breathe as we head toward my gran to say goodbye. I find her eyes on me, watching, intrigued by us. And I wonder if she’ll tell my father about Lycan’s display. Lycan grabs a flute of champagne, handing it to me before he orders a scotch from the waiter who scurries off to get the drink.

  When I sip on the bubbly liquid, I pray the alcohol will calm the erratic thumping of my heart and the flurry in my belly. I want to come across as confident, calm, but with the man beside me who draws every woman’s eye, I feel like a teenager beside him.

  “Can I have your attention, please?” My grandmother calls out, clinking her glass with a silver knife. As the crowd falls silent, she continues, “Tonight is a very special one for the Bardot family. It’s a night I didn’t think would ever come to pass.” Her eyes land on Lycan and me before she speaks, “But I’m so happy to finally say that my granddaughter, Scarlett Bardot, is engaged.”

  A flurry of murmurs fills the room after her announcement, and my cheeks heat as every set of eyes turn toward us. The strange, yet elegant woman who seems to focus on Lycan stares at him for a long moment before she turns her attention to me. Rage burns in the stare she pins on me, before she flicks her hair and rushes to the patio but doesn’t walk outside. She lingers in the doorway, and I notice her opening her purse.

  “Who is she?” I whisper as I attempt to smile at my grandmother who’s embarrassing me more than I’ve ever been before.

  “She’s nobody,” Lycan assures me under his breath, but I know it’s a lie. Nobody can ever be nothing to another person when they act like that. The jealousy is clear. There’s no doubt about it, that woman and Lycan were involved, and it was more serious than he’s letting on.

  “Let me make something clear,” I hiss as my grandmother continues. “Never lie to me again.” I step forward as my gran calls me over, and I make my way toward her, stopping beside her as she gifts me a show of affection.

  27

  Lycan

  Fire courses through my veins. The need to pin her down and whip her with my belt has taken over, but I can’t do shit since her grandmother is standing a few feet away. As much as I don’t mind an audience, that would be pushing my nonexistent limits.

  When Scarlett joins me again after her grandmother allows her to, I wrap my arm around the slender waist of my pretty little red and tug her into my hold. The movement earns me a soft gasp of surprise. There are eyes on us, waiting to see what I’ll do. With a slow smirk crawling along my lips, I turn to Scarlett, cupping her face in my free hand, and pull her closer, touching my lips to hers.

  Every set of eyes that are watching us scorches my skin. I know there is one woman who is ready to kill, who will easily take Scarlett from me, but I can’t let that happen, so when my beautiful bride-to-be opens her mouth, I allow my tongue to dive into her sweetness and put on the show everyone was waiting for.

  A cheer surrounds us, clapping and shouting, a few pats on my back as I pull away from Scarlett, and I smile at the viper who’s piercing me with her glare. I can’t help but taunt her with a tip of my head, knowing that I’m goading her into making a fool of herself. She spins on her heel, leaving the room and heading outside, and I watch for a short moment as she lights up one of her long, menthol cigarettes. The shit used to stink up my bedroom, but when I let her go, I made sure to never come close to falling down that dark abyss again.

  The guests congratulate us, but my mind is on getting out of here, making sure I can leave with Scarlett as soon as possible. The jet is ready, and I’m aching to be on it, with the woman in my arms, as we fly to New York. Heaven is waiting for me, and we’ll leave the devils behind.

  It should be easier to fake a smile. Especially with the assholes in this room, but dee
p down, I don’t want to. I’m exhausted. Playing a game I know I’m no longer focused on. Each of the men at the party are clients of my club, and they all know what goes on in those private rooms.

  Music tinkles from the band that’s been set up in the corner of the large ballroom. People couple up around us, as the party properly gets underway. They dance and sway along the space that’s been turned into a dance floor, and I decide it’s time to escape.

  “Let’s go.” I take Scarlett’s hand and lead her to where Grace is standing, talking to guests I don’t recognize. Her gaze turns to us as we near her, and the glint of annoyance in her expression makes me smile. “Thank you for a lovely evening, but Scarlett and I have to leave. I have business I need to finish up before we get to the jet.”

  “Oh,” she gasps. “I’m sorry to see you go,” she tells her granddaughter, not meeting my stare. “We’ll need to talk. I hope you can give me a call soon. There are so many things I’d like to catch up with you on.”

  “We’ll be back soon,” Scarlett tells her grandmother. “I would like to talk to you about the books.” I tense when Scarlett mentions those, and I notice her grandmother’s mouth pinch in frustration before she looks at me. “I found them, I mean, those notes.”

  “We need to leave,” I speak up, knowing that this is not the time and place to get into this fucking conversation. “Thank you again, Grace. It was lovely as usual.” My hand in Scarlett’s tightens, and I offer her a squeeze of warning as I take a step away.

  “Darling, please,” Grace pleads in a hushed whisper before we can escape. “Leave the past where it is,” she informs Scarlett. “It’s no longer relevant. Move on.”

  Tension bunches my muscles, holding tight as they twist. I know she’ll never tell Scarlett the truth, that she walked away from the only man who loved her just to marry a piece of trash, gold-digging bastard. I’m sure there’s more to the story, but because my father is dead and all his secrets buried with him, I doubt I’ll ever find out.

  “Why are you being this way?” Scarlett’s plea hits me square in the chest. Her words so soft, whispered with such pained tenderness, even my breath is stolen from my lungs. I’ve never been aware of women, never allowed their tears to burden me. I quite enjoyed them crying, pleading for mercy. But there’s something about the way my little red speaks to her grandmother that does shit to me. Shit, I don’t need to be feeling.

  It’s dangerous.

  When I came to the agreement with Horatio, I knew Scarlett would color my monochrome world, but never did I think she’d make me feel. Shaking my head, I step between the women.

  “It’s time to go, Scarlett.” I pull her into the crook of my arm. “We’ll be back to see Grace again soon.” I allow the hint of warning to lace my words as I meet the old woman’s gaze. The shimmering of guilt dances in her stare, but I don’t want to question just what the fuck she’s hiding. The sooner we can get out of here, the better.

  I tug Scarlett beside me as we make our way to the exit. The large door carved from heavy, dark wood opens and allows us to leave the warmth of the house. But instead of turning for the car, which I note Gray is waiting inside the driver’s seat, I veer off in the opposite direction.

  “Where are we going? I thought we were going home?” Scarlett’s use of the word home makes my mouth curl into pure satisfaction.

  Could this be her acceptance of her position beside me?

  Of our upcoming wedding?

  “We’re going to take the scenic route home,” I tell her while leading her through the vast, manicured garden, which greets us with the dimly lit shadows that dance across the grass.

  When we reach the entrance to the woods, Scarlett stops dead in her tracks, causing me to turn. Her eyes are wide, fear flitting through those pretty orbs, gems that sparkle with unbridled darkness.

  “We’re going through there?” Her question comes out in a soft, fearful whisper, her lips parting into a dick-hardening O. I want nothing more than to show her just how much I love that little expression on her face, but I’ll wait until we’re swallowed by the murkiness of the trees.

  “Yes.” It’s one word, an order, no debating, and my little red sees it. She knows when I use my commanding, Dominant voice to never question me. With a slight nod, she steps up to me, and we slink in between the trees. I know the path like the back of my hand.

  But she doesn’t.

  And that’s what makes this so much fun.

  A gentle tremble skitters through her, and my arm tightens around her small frame.

  “I know you like the darkness,” I say, knowing she can’t not hear me right now. It’s as if we’re the only two people in the world. We walk in relative silence as we move deeper into the woods.

  Thick branches hide us from any prying eyes. I stop halfway to the house and tug her against me. Leaning back against the thick, wooden trunk of a tree, I stare down into her eyes that are glinting from the shards of silver peeking through the trees from the moon above.

  “Would you like to please me?” I ask, lowering the commanding tone to a hushed whisper. But the bite of dominance still lingers.

  For a moment, she considers her response. I watch as emotions dance across her pretty features. I’m almost certain she’s about to say no, to refuse, when she shocks me and smiles. “I would like to please you,” she whispers.

  My hands land on her shoulders, and I push her down to her knees. The moment she hits the ground, my cock thickens, throbbing against my zipper as if trying to escape the confines. “Then you will have to learn to take me into that pretty little throat of yours, little red,” I inform her with a low rumble.

  Scarlett reaches for my belt with trembling hands, her fingers deftly moving to undo the buckle with a clinking echo. The hiss of my zipper is loud in the silence that surrounds us, and soon, her soft, gentle touch has me grinding my teeth, my eyes shut tight as I try not to come like a fucking teenager who’s never been touched before.

  Her movements are slow, almost unsure, but when I open my eyes and watch her tongue dart out to lick the arousal at my tip, my balls tighten with the threat of spilling my seed all over her pretty face.

  Fisting my hands at my sides, I stare down as Scarlett takes me into her mouth and her warmth envelops me, making every nerve in my body spark with desire and need to use her like a fuck doll for my pleasure.

  Her plump lips slide down the shaft as she swallows me deeper into her heat, the tightness of her throat pulsing around the tip, and her gag reflex takes hold. A cough and splutter from her lips only wets my dick with her saliva, making the in-and-out slide easier.

  With one hand, I grip her long, red tresses in my fist and control her movements, making sure to hit the back of her throat each time. And every time I do, she chokes on my cock.

  “Breathe through your nose, little red,” I tell her through gritted teeth as I slide out and thrust back in. The shimmering tears from her lashes sparkle in the dim light, making her look like a beautiful toy only made for my amusement and pleasure.

  I’m sure her knees are protesting against the hard ground, but she doesn’t fight it, she doesn’t squirm. Without order, she binds her hands behind her back and allows me all the control I need to fuck her mouth like I would her pretty cunt.

  The image of her bound in Shibari rope sparks in my mind, dancing like a movie scene, and my cock throbs at the picture. Using my hold on her, I pull her head back, then force it forward until I feel her throat constrict around my shaft, spit drips down her chin onto the elegant dress she wore tonight.

  It’s ruined.

  And I know the moment I find my release, she’ll be ruined too.

  28

  Scarlett

  Watching Lycan in control is like watching a king rule over his kingdom. I can’t help but be in awe of just how much he possesses me when we’re like this. If it’s not his hands making me feel like I have to please him, making me wet and needy, it’s his cock.

  He thrusts
into my mouth, making me gag. He smiles when the saliva soaks my dress. His thickness makes my jaw ache, but seeing the pleasure written on his face only seems to have an effect on me I never thought possible.

  I’m turned on.

  I’m pleased that I’m giving him pleasure.

  Perhaps, underneath it all, I am submissive.

  He uses me like I’m nothing more than a rag doll. His cock thickens, choking me as he pumps once, twice, and on the third and final thrust, his warm seed spills over my tongue, and I quickly swallow his flavor. And I find even though I want to hate it, hate him, I don’t. The salty sweetness of his release is enjoyable.

  Lycan slowly pulls from my mouth, and I watch, still on my knees, how he guides his cock into his pants and zips himself up. He silently helps me to my feet and brushes off my dress before straightening and meeting my gaze.

  I don’t have time to speak because his mouth crashes against mine, his tongue stealing itself inside my mouth as he devours me, and I’m certain tasting himself on my tongue. The kiss is breathtaking, possessive, and I find my hands twining around his neck as I pull him closer.

  And to say my panties are now soaked would be a gross understatement. He’s done something to me, broken through the walls, shattered the glass cage I’d built around me, and now amongst the shards, he’s stolen me from the forest and captured more than just my body. He’s taken my mind.

  But he can’t have my heart, I remind myself.

  By the time we land in New York, I’m exhausted. I’m not sure what time it is, but I do know it’s early morning because the sun hasn’t risen yet. In the dark, we make our way to the waiting town car. Lycan slips into the back seat with me and orders the driver to take us to Hawthorne.

  Lycan’s hand is on my thigh, the confidence and demanding way he holds onto me confirms I’m his now. What we did in the woods still lingers in my mind, and it’s as if his taste is now forever on my tongue. I’ve never found pleasure in doing that with a guy, not even the boys I dated before my life changed forever. But with Lycan, I felt like a queen, even though I was on my knees.