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

by Dani René

  Lycan squeezes my thigh, causing me to turn my attention toward him. His gaze holds mine hostage with promises I can’t fathom. I asked him to show me his world, and I have a feeling I’m about to walk into the wolf’s den.

  But I’m not afraid.

  Not anymore.

  I thought I would be. I figured the moment I’m alone with him, I would want to run and hide, but he makes me feel strong. It’s strange, as if his strength and confidence courses through me as well.

  “Stop thinking so much,” Lycan tells me with a grin. “I can hear that pretty mind racing beside me.” The amusement in his tone makes me blush. I don’t want to feel child-like next to him, but there are times my inexperience shines like a beacon in the night.

  “This world you’re about to show me,” I start, “it’s new to me. So new, in fact, that I’m scared I won’t fit in.” My admission has his free hand reaching for one of mine.

  “Trust me, little red,” he tells me. “You fit in perfectly. Your sweetness, that innocence that shines like a star in the night sky, and your delicious submission.”

  “But I never—”

  “You did. What do you think happened in the woods? The fact that you happily kneeled before me and took my cock in your mouth, that’s what I crave. Watching you douse your fire just a little bit to please me,” he speaks, his voice laced with desire, before he leans in and brushes his lips along my cheek. “That was what a perfect submissive would do—anything to please her Dominant.”

  “So, I’m going to need a safe word?” The question is a mere whisper, one that makes my stomach twist and churn with nervous energy.

  Lycan chuckles. “You will. Since you’re to be my wife, I wanted to take this slowly. Most women I’ve been with were only there for a night. And most of them were used to this world already. With you, I needed to savor watching you slowly find your submission. I wanted you to discover it naturally, not by force.”

  “I thought—”

  “When you’re unsure, ask. Don’t think about things you’ve never witnessed.” Lycan assures me with a smile as he leans in closer, his mouth at my ear, the warm breath fanning over my cheek when he whispers, “But trust me, little red, when we play, I’ll make sure the desires you have, those dark, twisted needs, will be fulfilled. And when I do pin you down and take your pussy for the first time, you’ll scream.”

  The promise, the dark, lust-filled vow he offers me, sends heat coursing through my veins like fire through the woods. I want to speak, to respond, but I can’t find the words. Thankfully, the car comes to a stop. My head whips to my left to find my new home for the next few days. Lycan’s New York home is nothing like I expected.

  I figured someone like him would have a bachelor pad in the city, but we’re in the suburbs. The house before us is a three-story mansion with soft yellow lights that shimmer from only the lower windows.

  “I thought we were going to your apartment in the city?” I ask as I take in the house through the window. The two large white pillars holding up the balcony on the second floor have vines snaking around them, and the open-brick façade is nothing short of magnificent. Lycan’s driver opens my door and helps me out of the car. The gravel beneath my feet crunches when I step on it.

  “I wanted you to see our future home on the West Coast,” Lycan says when he joins me, his hand clasping mine as we head toward the double wooden doors that slide open as if knowing their master is home. The foyer is filled with soft light. Dark metal railings lead up a sweeping staircase, and large modern paintings hang on the walls as they disappear down the hallway toward the right.

  The scent of food wafts toward us. “This is magnificent,” I say as Lycan leads me toward the back of the house and into the enormous kitchen. Stainless steel and marble greet us as I take in the space. A countertop is filled with fresh bread and baked goods.

  “Master Shaw,” a man in chef’s whites greets before his gaze lands on me. “Good evening, miss.” The posh British accent is clear in his words, and a soft smile curls his lips. “It’s lovely to have you both here.”

  “Thank you,” I respond, a grin forming on my face.

  “Marcel, this is Scarlett. She’ll be spending some time here while I attend my meetings this week,” Lycan informs the man whose smile widens as he regards me.

  “It’s lovely to meet you, Miss Scarlett,” Marcel says. “I’ll happily keep you company while you’re visiting at Hawthorne.”

  “We’ll see you in the morning,” Lycan says before tugging me behind him before I have a moment to answer Marcel’s kindness. I’m taken back into the foyer before we head up the stairs, my gaze flitting between artworks as we move down the hall. We stop outside a dark wooden door, and I watch as Lycan unlocks it with a brass key and twists the handle. He allows me to enter first.

  The room is furnished in blacks, whites, and grays. There are no other colors anywhere in sight. The bed is draped in a black comforter, matching pillows, and the four posters are made of a dark wood.

  The carpet underfoot is a soft, plush charcoal, and the curtains, in a slate hue, are lined, blocking out any threat of light. A shimmering softness beckons, and I walk over to touch the silky material.

  “You’ll sleep in here tonight. I haven’t had your room made up yet,” Lycan speaks softly, causing me to turn and regard him, only to find him unbuttoning his shirt. The motion makes my cheeks heat, and my stomach somersaults at the thought of finally seeing him naked.

  Shaking my head, I respond in an attempt to quell the need in my gut. “I don’t need to have a room made up. I’m happy to just take any room.”

  “This isn’t a debate, little red,” Lycan tells me in a no-nonsense tone.

  Folding my arms across my chest, I pin Lycan with a glare, but I only earn myself a chuckle of amusement in response. “I may have enjoyed what we did in the forest, but—”

  He closes the distance between us in no time before he stops, looming over me. “What did we do in the forest, sweetheart?” he growls, the sound so feral it’s as if the beast has come out to play. The flames dancing in his eyes send a shudder of warmth over me, making everything south of my belly button tingle with anticipation. When I don’t respond immediately, he leans in. “I asked you a question.”

  “I… We… I mean, you know what we did,” I bite out, frustration at my nervousness around him, causing me more annoyance than anything else.

  “Oh? Why don’t you remind me?” The challenge is evident in his voice, in his expression of interest, which he holds me hostage with. This close, Lycan is handsome, devilishly so with a wolfish smirk that makes my stomach flutter with excitement.

  “Stop acting like a domineering asshole,” I bite out through clenched teeth in an attempt to steer us off the conversation because as much I want to say it, I can’t bring myself to talk dirty to him.

  The corner of his mouth quirks. “Does my little red not like being a filthy girl for me?” he taunts as he reaches for my chin, holding it between his thumb and forefinger as he holds me steady so I can’t look away from him. I can’t turn my gaze from the man who’s staring at me as if he’s trying to see into my soul.

  Swallowing the lump in my throat, I whisper, “I sucked your cock.”

  Fire blazes in Lycan’s eyes, the color turning molten, sending heat scorching through me at my filthy words. I’m sure he’s heard worse, heard dirtier, but for me, this is new. “Good girl,” he praises. “And would you like me to pleasure you now?” He tips his head to the side while still holding onto my chin. “Would you like me to devour your pretty cunt until you’re gushing all over my face and tongue, little red?”

  “I…” Words fail me. I knew Lycan wouldn’t be like any guy I’ve ever been with in the past, but his mouth is pure filth. “I’m not sure.”

  A rumble vibrates in his chest. “I think you do. I think your mind is whirling with images of my face between your legs. You do realize I’ve been hungry for you since the moment I saw you. I want
ed to taste you since the moment you walked into your parents’ dining room that night.”

  My mouth gapes at his confession. “You didn’t even know me.”

  “I knew I wanted you; that was more than enough.” There’s no doubt in his words, no doubt in his eyes, and I have a feeling he knew I would eventually submit to this thing between us. Not the marriage, not the heavy ring on my finger, but the fact that my body craves his. Not only his touch, but so much more than that.

  “Then do it.”

  Lycan moves swiftly, his free hand tangling in my long hair. He tugs my head back painfully, exposing my throat to his mouth. Lips and teeth attack me like a hungry beast as he kisses, sucks, and bites at my sensitive flesh.

  “Once I’m inside you, little red, there is no running,” Lycan warns in a low murmur along the column of my neck. “And when you come around my cock, my tongue, and my fingers, no other man will ever enter you. Are we clear?”

  I nod because I can’t find words. I’m lost to the pleasure rocketing through me as Lycan bites down on the smooth skin, and I know there’ll be a bruise left after his attack. He releases me, allowing both hands to slide down my body until he’s cupping my ass through the dress I’m still wearing. Lifting me against him, he walks us to the bed before throwing me to the soft mattress.

  “Tonight, I’m going to have you, claim you, and when I’m done, that ring will forever be attached to your finger,” he commands as he shifts the material of his shirt over his shoulders. The broad, muscled expanse of tanned flesh greets me with a taunt because I can’t reach him. My fingertips tingle with the need to touch, to feel, to run along every dip and peak of his beautifully toned body.

  A dark smattering of hair between the pecs of his chest makes me think about how it would feel against my breasts. Lowering my gaze to his stomach, I take in the dips of his abs, as well as the angled muscles that dip into the waistband of his dark slacks.

  A trail of black hair sneaks down, trailing under the material toward his thickening erection. When my gaze snaps back to Lycan’s, I find him smirking down at me.

  “Enjoying the view, little red?” A dark brow arches in question, his challenge clear. He knows what he does to me. Confidence oozes from him like a cologne, and it engulfs me, holding me hostage in the masculine scent of him.

  “Perhaps,” I tease, my hands moving to my dress as I tug the hem up my legs to my thighs. I don’t falter my movements or my stare on the man before me. By the time my panties are in view, the darkness in his eyes has turned molten with lust.

  “Open your legs wide,” he orders. Deft fingers toy with his belt, the thick leather whooshing through the loops of material, and a shiver trickles down my spine, ice and fire, burning me but leaving me cold, needy for him.

  Obeying Lycan, I offer myself to him like a sacrifice, and the man before me, tall and foreboding, falls to his knees between my thighs. His large hands spreading me, opening my core to his heated stare.

  He doesn’t say anything for a long while, his thumbs slowly circling my smooth skin, sending goose bumps skittering in the wake of his touch. I watch in awe as he leans in, running his nose along the material of my panties as he inhales my scent. Even I can smell my arousal. Nobody has ever done this to me, taken me in like I was a fragrance to be savored.

  His mouth presses down on me, my mound lifting against him as my needy whimper expels from my lips. “Please, Lycan,” I plead, and I’m once again not sure of what I want from him. I’m unsure of what I need, but the man worshipping me like a deity knows. His thumb tugs at my panties, and I’m finally bared to his watchful stare.

  Eyes burn with lust as he looks at my neatly trimmed pussy, and his mouth crashes down on me before his tongue laps at my folds. The sensation has my hips undulating against his ministrations as he teases and taunts with his lips. He fucks into me with his tongue, opening my body to him.

  I try to move, to shift, but I can’t. His hold on me keeps me steady. The mattress beneath me is soft, the material silky against my fevered skin. Lycan’s gaze locks on mine, and the view of this strong, powerful man eating me like I am his final meal sends my mind to the abyss of pleasure as my head falls back and I cry out. My legs tremble on either side of his face as his stubble tickles my inner thighs.

  “Look at me, little red,” Lycan commands from his kneeling position, causing me to snap my gaze to his. “Good girl.” Two words send pride through me, and I can’t stop smiling down at him. “Are you ready to take my cock in this pretty little cunt?”

  “Yes, please?” Another plea. Another poignant admission of just how much I do want him. “Please, Lycan.”

  “Good,” he praises before rising to his feet. With his mouth wet from my arousal, he grips my hair, tugging me forward until my lips are on his. The taste of my pleasure coats my tongue as I dance it along his lower lip.

  With a quick kiss, he releases me, and I watch as his slacks are shoved to the floor along with his boxer briefs. His cock, thick and angry, juts out toward me. A gasp tumbles from my mouth when he fists himself in one hand, causing the tip to weep with pleasure.

  “Taste it,” Lycan whispers, and I obey easily. No is fight left inside me because all I crave is him. My lips wrap around his shaft, the saltiness of his cum mingled with the taste of me has my body aching to be owned.

  “Please fuck me,” I beg shamelessly because there is no longer any room for being shy or playing innocent. Because around Lycan, I’m not. I’m his, and I want him to know that. The thought of running from him before our wedding has left my mind, and now all I can think of is him inside me.

  He doesn’t need me to ask him twice. Seconds later, he’s hovering over me, my legs spread around his waist, and the wetness of his tip nudges my entrance. His gaze holds mine, waiting for the moment I’m filled, and I don’t wait long.

  His hips move as he thrusts inside my entrance, the thickness of him stretching me almost painfully, causing me to cry out as bliss fills my lungs, and electricity sparks my nerves. Every inch of me is alight with pure lust.

  “Fuck,” Lycan growls, lowering his forehead to my shoulder, his hands bunching the sheets beneath me as he grits his teeth. “You’re so fucking tight, little red,” he murmurs along the nakedness of my shoulder, the heat of his breath fanning along my skin. “My cock is going to be forever etched inside you.”

  “Yes,” I hiss out my response as Lycan pulls out slowly, then slams back in. My back arches as euphoria slams into me like a tidal wave, sending me to the precipice. I’m on the edge, waiting to leap into the abyss. His movements are slow and controlled, but I dig my nails into his shoulder, dragging them down his back until I reach his hips. I grip them tight, pulling him deeper into me as I lift my ass from the mattress.

  “Jesus fucking Christ, you’re a bad fucking girl.”

  A giggle escapes me. Lycan’s movements hasten. He pulls out and drives back in, his cock hitting so deep inside me it’s almost painful. I crave more though, and when I arch once more, his one hand grips my throat so tight, I see stars. He doesn’t choke me harshly, but as his fingers dig into either side of the slender column, I find pleasure, and my body awakens with newfound release as I soak his cock with my arousal.

  “That’s it,” Lycan coos, still gripping my neck with a dangerous hold. His lips feather along my cheeks before he reaches my ear. “Come on my dick again while I choke the breath out of you.” The command sends me over that cliff-edge, and I fly into the darkness as the bright lights behind my lids dance.

  His cock thickens inside me. He opens me wider while I pulse around him. Lycan’s hips slam me into the bed, fucking me with violent desire, and the bitter vows I promised him earlier are nothing more than a distant memory.

  He doesn’t relent as my orgasm shatters me like a splintered glass, leaving me in fragments on the soft comforter. His body owns me with every drive of his cock. The moment he finds his own pleasure, he growls into my mouth. “Give me your breath.” I obey as
he releases my neck, sending waves of ecstasy through every inch of my body. My lungs inhale passion and expel happiness as he swallows every lungful of air, and I can’t stop the whimpers and mewls, but Lycan greedily breathes them in too.

  29

  Lycan

  Pacing the carpet of my office, I run my fingers through my hair, tugging at the strands. In the other hand, I have my mobile pressed against my ear. The silence that greets me is nothing new, but the breath that comes from the speaker is confirmation he’s there.

  “What the fuck do you want?” My voice is cold, filled with the rage I’ve built over the years, the same anger that has spurred me in my hatred of the man I was meant to love. The man I called brother. “I’m done playing games with you, Darius. There is nothing you can do to me that can make matters worse. You chose to leave. When you walked away, I was the one who kept the Shaw name going.”

  “Did you? Or were you just so fucking blind to our father’s bullshit that you didn’t see the truth? He cheated on Mom,” Darius tells me. It’s the same story he’s been spewing for years, but there was never any proof. We’re both the blood of our father, and there were never any other women.

  “Don’t give me that shit.” I grit my teeth so hard my jaw ticks painfully. I’m certain I’m about to crack my teeth with the rage fueling me as I stare out the window each time I face it.

  “The Shaw secrets will soon be revealed, brother,” he tells me. I glance at Isaac, who is meant to be tracing the call. Only a few more moments, and I’ll have him. I wait. “Do you really think I’m that stupid, Lycan?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  He chuckles, the sound just like our father’s. “Your pretty bride will wear your blood.” His threat has me stilling all movement. I know he knows about Scarlett. “Her name will be the hue of her wedding gown.” Isaac signals five seconds, and my heart rate spikes.