The Marriage Debt (Underworld Kings)

For a second there, I can’t stop focusing on his tongue, reminding me of the way he kissed me the first time he came into my room. But then I remember this is the same guy who married me out of spite.

I can’t ever want him like I did back then. Not ever.

I hold my breath and close my eyes, expecting to be punished for running away and defying him. He inches closer and closer until his breath is right underneath my ear, and those same delectable lips are hovering over my skin.

“You know I’ve dreamed of this day,” he whispers. “Of seeing you with my ring on your finger … of ripping this beautiful dress off your body.”

When his lips graze my skin, electricity courses through my body.

“You are mine now. You belong to me and me alone. And I will use your body in every way I desire until you beg me for mercy.”

I swallow hard.

Especially when he smiles against my ear, expecting a kiss.

My heart beats in my throat as the seconds feel like an eternity.

CLICK!

The door holding me captive between his arms parts ways, and I stumble backward. A key dangles in his hand, the familiar smirk on his face making me want to punch him.

“Welcome to my penthouse,” he says as he closes the door behind me and the lock clicks back into place. “Your home for the rest of your life.”

I step backward, away from him, my eyes searching the room for an exit. But I’m stupefied and completely overwhelmed by the extravagance all around me. Pristine white couches that seem untouched, a fireplace in the corner, a marble countertop in the kitchen, a giant amount of space, and walls covered with expensive-looking paintings. Everywhere I look are nouveau-art collections, statues in the middle of the room, and there’s even a giant bonsai in the corner. But my eyes are completely drawn to the giant paneled windows to the right with a grand view of Rotterdam.

My heart releases a sigh from the beauty.

A long time ago, I dreamed of a place like this.

Way back before we moved across the world, back before the world got complicated and I wanted nothing more than to escape. Before I realized all dreams come at a price.

A price I wasn’t willing to pay until today.

I close my eyes and touch the windows, wishing I could push them open and fly away like a bird, but I know that isn’t possible. And if I died now, what would happen to Jasmine? Would he take her as a prize instead? I can’t take that risk.

When he’s right behind me, my eyes burst open. His finger gently twirls around a lock of my hair while his other hand slowly inches closer to caress my cheek and go all the way down my neck, and it sends shivers down my spine.

“Did I tell you yet you look beautiful in this dress?” he murmurs, and he plants a soft, delicate kiss on my shoulder.

I stare back at him through the reflection in the glass as I try to remain unmoved by this sudden show of affection. “It wasn’t made for me,” I hiss. “It’s just a dress you wanted my sister to wear.”

With fiery eyes, he looks up into mine through the glass. “But I never once wanted to marry her as badly as I wanted to marry you.”

I snort, shaking my head a little. “Pathetic.”

His hand snakes around my neck as he pushes me closer to the glass with his body alone. “No. Obsessive,” he replies, planting one hand on my waist while the other coils around my throat. “And if you desire it, I will buy every dress on this earth until I find the one that fits your body,” he says with a low, rumbling voice as he presses up against me until his hard-on grows against my butt. My pussy clenches out of my control. “And when I do, I’ll rip it to shreds and fuck you right here against this window for the world to see.”

He spins me around on my heels, forcing me to look at him.

“Make no mistake, Jill. You are mine.” He leans in so close I can feel his breath on my skin as he plants both hands against the window behind me. “And I will mark your body in every way I know how.” My eyes close, and I suck in a breath, expecting a kiss that never comes. Instead, he hovers close to my ear, teeth bared, and whispers, “Starting right now.”

Suddenly, he picks me up, making me shriek out loud as he throws me over his shoulder like a goddamn caveman.

“Where are you taking me?”

He barges through the giant penthouse and heads into a room in the back, turning on the light. The room is dark with its curtains already shut, but I can clearly make out the red tapestries from where I’m hanging.