Page 9 of Bound in Matrimony
Something primal flashes across his face, that possessive hunger that used to frighten me but now makes heat pool low in my belly.
"That's not a weakness, Seraphina. That's just finally admitting what I've known since the moment I saw you critiquing that hideous installation at the Brennan Gallery."
I laugh softly, remembering how he stood silently beside me, listening to my whispered commentary to myself, before leaning down to murmur, "I'll buy it if you'll have dinner with me." I'd been horrified, then intrigued, then unable to resist.
"I know that now." My fingers find the buttons of his crisp white shirt, toying with the top one. "But I need you to understand something, Knox. When I make this promise to you—when I stand in front of whoever you've arranged to marry us—" his slight smile confirms my suspicion that he's already taken care of everything "—I won't be making a promise I intend to break. Ever."
He goes very still against me, the way he does when something matters more than he can express.
"I've watched my parents drift apart over thirty years of marriage. I've seen colleagues treat vows like temporary arrangements. That's not what I'm offering you." I swallow hard, finding the courage to be as direct as he always is. "When I say I'll be your wife, I mean your only wife. Forever. No matter what happens, no matter how hard it gets. I won't walk away."
My diamond-studded bracelet—his gift after our first night together—catches the light as I fidget with it, twisting it around my wrist in that nervous gesture I've never been able to break. "I know that's a lot. Maybe too much in today's world. But?—"
His mouth crushes against mine, stealing my words and my breath in one devastating kiss. His hands slide into my hair, angling my head exactly how he wants it, his tongue demanding entrance that I eagerly grant. The taste of him—expensive whiskey and something uniquely Knox—floods my senses.
When he finally pulls back, we're both breathless.
"Say it again," he demands, and this time I know exactly what he needs to hear.
"I promise to be yours forever, Knox. Only yours." I press my palm against his thundering heart. "I promise to be faithful, tobe honest, to fight for us if things get hard. I promise that when I say 'I do,' I'll mean it with everything I am."
Emotion transforms his face—vulnerability he shows to no one but me.
"I've never needed anything like I need that promise from you," he confesses, his voice raw. "I've built an empire from nothing. I can lose it all tomorrow and rebuild it twice as large. But you—" His fingers tighten on my hips. "Losing you would destroy me, Seraphina."
The weight of his admission settles over me, not as a burden but as a precious gift. This powerful man who commands boardrooms and bends industries to his will is offering me his most vulnerable truth.
"You won't lose me." I rise on tiptoes, pressing my forehead to his. "I promise."
"Seraphina." My name is a prayer on his lips. "Do you understand what you're promising? What being my wife will mean?"
"Tell me," I whisper, though I already know.
His hands slide possessively down my sides. "It means you're mine in every way possible. It means I'll never let you go. It means no matter where you are, what you're doing, who you're with—you belong to me."
A year ago, those words would have sent me running. Now, they feel like coming home.
"Yes," I agree, my voice stronger than I expected. "That's exactly what I'm promising."
The tension drains from his body as if I've given him the one thing he's been searching for his entire life. His kiss this time is different—slower, deeper, a seal on the vow we've just exchanged.
"Tomorrow," he says against my lips. "We'll be married tomorrow."
My eyes widen. "Tomorrow? But?—"
"Everything's arranged. Has been since the day I put that ring on your finger." His smile is wolfish, confident. "Unless you need more time?"
It's a challenge, a test of the promise I just made. Instead of the panic I might have felt before, I feel only certainty.
"Tomorrow is perfect." I slide my hands under his shirt, feeling the hard muscle beneath warm skin. "But what will you do with me tonight, Mr. Vance?"
His growl vibrates through both our bodies as he lifts me, my legs automatically wrapping around his waist. "I'm going to make sure you remember exactly who you're promising yourself to, future Mrs. Vance."
As he carries me toward the bedroom, I bury my face in his neck, breathing in his scent, knowing with complete certainty that I've never made a promise I meant more.
Chapter Five
Seraphina
