Cunning Vows: Enemies to Lovers Dark Romance (Lethal Vows Book 3)

I wake to unusual noises, which is weird considering everyone in the house should be asleep. Sitting up in bed, I notice my bedroom door is open, and my men know not to enter without a knock.

I open the drawer of my bedside table and reach for the gun I have stored there, but before I can touch it, a hand covers mine and pulls it away.

“Now, that’s no way to treat a guest in your home.” River’s voice echoes through my room, and before I can think better of it, I throw myself at him and hope to God I hit him. My room is almost completely dark; blackout curtains block the light from outside, and the only illumination comes from a dim light down the hall that seeps in through the doorway.

“You’re feisty tonight,” he says. I try to hit him, but he just chuckles, and somehow we tumble off the bed. On the way down, he turns us so he takes the worst of the fall, ending up on his back beneath me.

“I see you were waiting for me,” he growls as his hands slide up and down my naked body. I pound on his chest, but he doesn’t seem to care. Then I lean forward to bite him, and the lights suddenly go on.

“Miss,” Clay says, and River flips me so he’s covering me with his body, and my head hits the floor.

“Get the fuck out,” River growls, and I can’t help the laugh that escapes me at his boldness; as if he has any right to tell anyone what to do in my home. When his gaze moves back to me, he leans in. “Tell your men to leave, now.”

I keep my smile in place as I answer him. “No.”

He reaches for something, and I don’t take notice until I hear a gunshot.

“Did you just shoot at my men?” I question, trying to see over his shoulder.

“Next time I won’t miss. Now, tell them to leave.”

“Get off me.”

“No, you’re naked.” As he says it, his other hand slips between us and to my pussy. “Tell them before I shoot again.” His eyes are on me but his gun is pointed at my men. “It’s become apparent to me today that I have to fuck the brat out of you. I have a feeling they won’t like how I’m about to handle you.”

“Leave,” I tell them.

“Are you sure, miss?” Vance asks, concern lacing his voice.

“She’s sure. And when you hear her screaming, do not come back in.”

“Bit cocky there, aren’t you?” I taunt.

He leans down and bites my bottom lip before he takes it in his mouth and sucks it. When the door shuts, the gun he was holding drops and he lets go of my lip before he pulls away, his body leaving mine as I lie on the floor with him now above me.

“You’ve left a lasting impression on my mother, and not in a good way,” he tells me, his gaze tracing my body. I can feel my nipples harden at the attention. “That was very, very bad of you.” He pulls his belt free from his trousers, and with his other hand he flips me over so I’m on my stomach. And before I can say a thing, his belt comes down hard on my ass.

A grunt leaves me, but I don’t scream. And I have a feeling he was hoping I would.

I’m still fucking furious with him, even if I am being unreasonable, yet my ass raises, begging for more.

“Do you fuck her the same way you fuck me?” I hiss, silently begging for the belt across my ass again.

“Who?”

“Don’t ‘who’ me.” I go to get up, but he holds me down with his boot on my ass, pushing me back into the floor.

“Who, sweetheart?”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Why?”

I go to move again and he pushes me back down.

“Because I am anything but sweet.”

He leans down a little.

“To me, you are the sweetest because you taste the sweetest.”

“I bet you said the same to her.”

“I hear jealousy, my sweet, but that’s okay. I can show you why you’re the only one I dream of.” His boot disappears from my ass, and before I can even think to move, his belt cracks over my ass again. I turn over and he offers me a hand to help me up. As I glare up at him, I notice his pants are undone, his cock hard and ready, and his shirt is half undone from our struggle.

“How do you want it? In the ass or in your sweet cunt?” I slap his hand away and stand on my own. He smirks at me. Those eyes twinkle as they stare back at me, full of mischief.

“You aren’t welcome in my ass.”

“I will be, it’s just a matter of time. But for now, I’m happy to take whatever it is you’ll give.” He steps closer to me, the belt still in his hand and a sinister smile on his lips, and I take a step back. “Why, my sweetheart, do you look scared?” His head tilts to the side. “I’d never hurt you. Well, not in a way you didn’t like.”

He winks and pushes me back with one hand, and I land on the bed. He pulls his trousers off followed by his shirt, exposing the scratch marks I left on him last time. He glances down at them. “War wounds. I’d happily go to war with you any time.”

“How romantic,” I reply sarcastically.

My body yearns for him, and all the rage and fury I want to unleash on him, fuck into oblivion.

“I thought so. You didn’t like my presents?” he asks as he crawls over top of me. He spreads my legs with his own and gets down close. He drops the belt and reaches between us, his hand sliding down my stomach and to my clit. “I picked those just for you.” He smiles at me.

“Did you?” I raise my hips, and he pushes inside me, ever so slowly, as his hand leaves my clit.

“I did. Would you like my own jewels?” he asks with a smirk.

“Your jewels?” I scrunch my nose at his words.

“My balls. The family jewels. They’re all yours.”

I roll my eyes. “You can keep them,” I say as my hands move up around his neck, forcing him down to kiss me. I like kissing River Bently, as much as I hate him. He is a damn good kisser, and he knows it. He knows that no matter how much I fight him, I will always give in.

I hate to want him.

And want to hate him.

It’s a tug of war that I’m not winning.

He gives a little thrust, and all the fight in me completely melts away. I give in. Because I want him to make me forget all the bad things. I want to find that pure bliss I know only he can give me.

“There she is,” he says as my arms wrap around his back and I cling on as he fucks me slow and steady.

He’s doing it on purpose—fucking me as if he means it. He wants me to know what power he has over me. And I’m too tired to fight him on it.

My phone rings, and my hands pause their exploration of his back. It’s my brother’s ringtone.

“Ignore it,” he says, and I want to, I really do. I’m almost there, to the place where my mind goes blank and all I can think about is pure bliss.

But that singular ringtone has me pushing at his chest, and he looks at me, confused, but pulls out and rolls off me when I push again. I crawl over him to reach for my phone.

“Alek,” I say into the phone, but he doesn’t answer. Pulling it away from my ear, I see I missed the call. Pressing redial, I call back right away, but he doesn’t answer.

Fuck. When the hell did I start putting River first? I hang my head off the bed as I feel River come up behind me. He rubs a hand down over my spine and then pulls me back to him.

It’s all a mess. I want River more than I let on, and I want to stop fighting him. I want to let him in.

But it feels like I’m giving up the last of my power. Handing it over to him on a silver platter.

“You can leave now,” I tell him.

His hand pauses on my ass.

“I’ll stay,” he counters.

“No, you can leave.” I go to get out of bed, but he tightens his hold on me.

“Go to sleep, I won’t fuck you again till morning.”

“I don’t like to share my bed,” I tell him.

“Good, we aren’t sharing. We’re sleeping until I can fuck you again, and your anger calms down from hating me for making you miss your brother’s call. Let’s just call it a truce for today, Red. Aren’t you tired of fighting me all the time?”

Not in the slightest, but also yes. I’m exhausted from fighting how I feel about this man. I can’t form words right now. Instead, I let him pull me down to the mattress, our naked bodies touching as I hold my phone in my hand, not letting it go. Not daring to let it go in case Alek calls back.

It feels like I have to choose between the two of them.

Alek is the only person I’ve ever cared for. What happens when he returns?

Will he disapprove of River like the old bitch does?

“I hate this snuggling shit.” I lie because the truth is… it feels nice. Unusual in the way that I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep. But nice. I feel like with River beside me, I won’t have to sleep with a gun in my top drawer. That no matter what, I’m safe. And that’s a dangerous notion in itself.

“Good night, sweetheart.” River kisses my shoulder, and I curl further into myself. I’m acting like some lovestruck girl. And maybe a small part of me is… in love with River.

And it’s terrifying.