Page 8 of Vow to Corrupt You
“Serena,” he repeats, this time as if savoring the sound. “You seem like such a good girl… one I want to corrupt.”
I can’t help the scoff slipping my mouth. “Corrupt? Who do you think you are?”
“I’m the sin you can’t resist,” he drawls darkly, gripping my chin with his fingers and tilting my head back.
He leans forward so that our lips are parted by the mere mesh of our breaths. I feel trapped. Intimidated. Scared, even. I despise this man. I loathe everything about him. He’s captured my brother and threatened to kill him. He forces me to marry him despite my will. He’s an unforgiving gangster whose ruthless reputation precedes him. He may be insanely attractive, but he’s not the kind of man I imagined I would be spending my life with. I’ve always dreamed of having a sweet relationship. A cute boyfriend who would love and care for me. Who would watch movies with me snuggled under a blanket. Doesn’t every girl dream of her Prince Charming? Instead, I got the God of Corruption who takes lives as if it were a casual thing to do. A deviant who treats women as if they were his toys born to satisfy his wicked needs.
“I’m the sin you can’t resist.” His words echo in my ears.
I can and I will… even if it kills me.
He slowly turns my head to the side with his fingers and leans down to my exposed neck. His warm breath, brushing my sensitive skin, brings me back from my racing thoughts.
“What are you doing?” I barely manage to mutter.
I feel his lips on my skin, planting a wet kiss that ignites a rush of electric sensations that ripple through every nerve ending. I’ve never felt anything like this before.
Is it my lack of experience? Is it him? His wicked aura seeping deep into the very marrow of my bones?
I want to push him away, but I can’t move. I’m frozen in place as if every part of my body refuses to listen. His lips trail down the curve of my neck, causing my heart to race like a stallion set free. A gasp escapes my mouth when I feel a pleasant pain. He’s sucking on my skin, a throaty growl fills my ears.
“What are you doing?” I repeat, and my voice is nothing more than the exhale of a whisper.
“Marking my territory,” he murmurs in the most possessive of tones I’ve ever heard.
He slowly leans back, letting go of my chin and brushing my hair aside with his other hand. Instinctively, I turn to see my reflection in the mirror. I gasp, seeing a hickey he left on my skin.
“Why did you do that?” I stare at the mark, frustration boiling in my veins.
“I told you,” he emits a deep, guttural sound, and I turn to meet his piercing gaze. “To mark my territory. From now on, you’re mine, wicked one.”
I scoff at the nickname. “I am not wicked. Never have been. Never will be. And I am not yours,” I object firmly. “I vow to never be yours. This is solely to save my brother’s life, nothing more.”
My words seem to amuse him because the corners of his face twitch with a mischievous challenge. Once more, he leans closer. He angles his head so that he looks at me from the side, his nose brushing my cheek. His hand slides around to my back, raking its way up until it stops on my bare skin just above the zip of my dress. His touch, even through the leather fabric, steals the breath from my lungs.
“Funny, because the way I see it…” his taunting growl triggers a wave of adrenaline, making every nerve in me tense to its limit. “I’ll have you any way I want. At my mercy. Vulnerable and exposed. I’ll strip away every last bit of your innocence. I vow to corrupt you. To own you. Possess you. Make you mine.”
He captures my earlobe with his mouth and sucks on it, as if his words alone weren’t enough to send a flutter of dread through me. I barely swallow a sigh that desperately wants to escape my mouth.
“You won’t change me. I will never be who you want me to be.” I try to focus on breathing. In. Out. I want to push him away—I really do—but my body is shaking, and it feels like not only have I lost control of this situation, but I’ve lost every ounce of control of my own body.
Unlike him. He’s so composed. He’s enjoying it. I know he does. I can feel his lips twitching in a smirk against my earlobe he’s continuing to tease with his tongue. He slowly pulls away, just enough to gaze into my eyes. But he remains close, way too close. His presence is too intimidating. It sends my pulse racing. I need to get out of here, free myself from this invisible cage that his being here creates and holds me hostage in.
“Everyone has a dark side.” He drawls lazily, his voice rich and slow, almost like a purring cat. “You’re no different, wicked one.”
I want to protest, but once again, I am unable to do anything. I cannot move. He’s too close.
“I would almost forget,” he says nonchalantly, taking a step back. I can finally breathe, as if someone had loosened the chains around my neck. He reaches into the pocket of his well-fitted black pants and pulls something out.
My gaze drops to the black velvet box he holds before my eyes. “What is it?”
He slowly opens the box, and I see a striking diamond ring set in white gold. The centerpiece is an enormous, mesmerizing black diamond encircled with smaller, sparkling diamonds that create a halo around the central stone. It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. The contrast between the darkness of the black diamond and the shimmering smaller diamonds surrounding it like radiant stars makes it truly captivating. Elegant. Timeless.
“I want you to wear it.” He commands. “You are officially my fiancée now.”
He takes the ring out and puts the velvety box back into his pocket. He gently grabs my hand—though I don’t feel his skin, only the leather fabric—and his gaze drops to my hand. I watch him slowly slide the ring on my ring finger. The diamonds glimmer beautifully with every quiver of my hand, causing the diamonds to almost dance with sparkles of light.
“Is this your way of proposing to me?” I mock, snatching my hand out of his. My gaze rises to lock with his. “In a bathroom after I was forced to sign the papers stating I’m nothing more than your new possession? How romantic. You won’t drop to your knee, I suppose? Declare your undying love for your new bride?”
