Corrupt (Devil's Night, #1)

by Penelope Douglas

There were dark deeds and bad seeds, but who cared if the house was falling apart as long as it was pretty, right?

I wanted to get into a little trouble. I wanted to catch some rain, find something that made my heart pump again, and I wanted to know what it was like to not have anyone to grab onto.

Damon Torrance, Kai Mori, Will Grayson III, and—I locked my gaze on the bloodred mask covering the face of the one always in the lead a little more than the others—Michael Crist,

All it took was the thought of her, and how I’d almost given myself away in the elevator with her earlier.

I’d done very well at ignoring her during my life, at first because she was too young for me to care and then because I needed to be patient. Now the timing was perfect, she was here, and so was I.

The closer you got to anything beautiful, the less beautiful it became. Allure was in the mystery, not the appearance.

Things done in the dark hours of night, behind closed doors, or in the heat of the moment looked a lot different in the morning, out in the open, and with a clear head.

“Own who you are,” he commanded. “And don’t apologize. Do you understand? Own it or it will own you.”

“What do you want from me? Huh?” he asked, breathing hard and glaring at me. “What do you see in me that’s so fucking fascinating?”

What did I see in him? The answer was so easy, I didn’t even have to think about it. It was the same thing he saw in me all those years ago down in the catacombs. The hunger. The need to break away, the desire to find the one person on the planet who would understand me, the temptation to go after all the things they tell us we can’t have . . . I saw me, and through all the times growing up that I felt alone or like I was searching for something I couldn’t put into words, I didn’t feel so lost when he was around. It was the only time I didn’t feel lost.

He didn’t want to know me. He didn’t like me. And I wanted that fact to stop hurting. I was so sick of dreaming.

I was losing. When she was around, she made everything else small, and all I could see was her.

Out of everyone in my life—my father, my brother, my friends—it ended up being her who drove me to drink. Her fucking eyes, going from defiant to mischievous to hurt to on fire, and then finally, to broken. Don’t be alone with her.

Damon Torrance, son of a media mogul. Kai Mori, son of an influential socialite and banker. William Grayson III, grandson of Senator Grayson. And Michael Crist, son of a real estate developer.

“Tell me more.” His breath fell across my lips. “I want to know everything my brother doesn’t do to you, you little liar.”

“After he comes,” he whispered, “and after he leaves you, leaves you wanting more and wanting everything you know only I can give you”—he

is it my cock you think of when you slide those fingers in your pussy?”

“When you want to make an impression and you think you’ve gone far enough, go a little further. Always leave them wondering if you’re just a little bit crazy, and people will never fuck with you again.”

And the things that were irreplaceable in life were the only things of value.

No. Our scrapes and bruises, tattoos, scars, smiles, and wrinkles told our stories, and I didn’t want a pristine piece of wallpaper. I wanted her and everything she was. At least for tonight.

shouldn’t be able to look at her. I shouldn’t love to touch her, and I shouldn’t need to feel her wrapped around my cock every second since I’d first had her last night. She wasn’t mine. She would never be mine. And I shouldn’t want her.

still remembered the day she was born. Sixteen years, eleven months, and eighteen days ago. That crisp November morning when my mother let me hold her and then my father immediately took her out of my arms and laid her next to Trevor, who was just a baby then, too. Even at three I understood. She was Trevor’s. And I just sat there, wanting her back, wanting to see the baby, and wanting to be included in the fun, but I didn’t dare approach my father. He would’ve pushed me away. So I didn’t care. I made sure never to care.

So many times growing up I tore my eyes away from her. I made sure not to think about it when she and Trevor hung out or had classes together because they were the same age, and I made sure not to notice her in a room or feel her next to me. I made sure not to talk to her too much or be too nice and let her in. She was too young.

And when those excuses ate me up inside and turned anger into resentment and resentment into hatred, the day finally came when I really didn’t care anymore. It didn’t seem to faze her, though. The more I pulled away and treated her with impatience and distance, the more she pulled closer.

I hadn’t seen her in months before I walked into that classroom today and saw her sitting there, looking so grown-up and beautiful, like a fucking angel. I couldn’t help it. I walked up to her, wanting to pull her up and take her with us, but when she raised her eyes, meeting mine, I knew I couldn’t. I wouldn’t stop if I did. I wouldn’t be able to give her back.

And then when she showed up at the cathedral today, I was done denying the need to be close and done pushing her away. To hell with it. I might or might not let her in when all was said and done, but let’s see where the night took us.

“There’s no way Trevor can handle her,” Kai stated. A grin tugged at my jaw, but I didn’t let it loose. No. My brother wouldn’t have the slightest clue what to do with trouble like that. He could never give her what she needed.

The most valuable lesson anyone learns in life should be learned as early as possible. That you don’t have to live in the reality someone else invented. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Ever.

Redefine normal. None of us know the full measure of our power until we start pushing our boundaries and pressing our luck, and the more we do, the less we care what others think. The freedom feels too good.

“You were watching me on the dance floor,” she whispered. “You never look at me, but you were watching me tonight.”

“How can I not?” I breathed in her ear, squeezing my eyes shut. “You’re getting very hard not to notice.”

“My brother thinks you’re his . . . and all I ever did was try to deny that I wanted you for myself.”

“I’m a good girl,” she panted, her voice shaky. “And I’m going to fuck you up,”

So many times of needing to be close to her, talk to her, see her smile at me, and now I had her in my arms, I never wanted to let her go.

“I know what you feel like now,” she teased, hovering an inch below my lips and remembering what I’d said today at the cathedral. I grinned, jerking her ass into me and hearing her moan at what she felt. “You haven’t felt anything yet.”

“What am I going to do with you?” I asked. She smirked. “I can’t wait to find out.”

“We’ve got to keep this quiet, okay?” I told her. “Just for now. I don’t want my family to know.” She looked at me, puzzled. “Why?” “You’re still at home, and they watch you like a hawk, Rika,” I explained. “My father hates me. I’m away at school, and he’d use my absence as an advantage to work you over if he knew I wanted you.” And then I threaded my fingers into her hair, holding her nose to nose. “And I do fucking want you.”

after nearly seventeen years of this pull with her, I knew one thing. I would always circle her. It never stopped. Even when we were kids, if she moved, I wanted to move. If she left a room, I wanted to follow. My body was always aware of where she was. And it was the same for her.

Make sure no one fucked with her. Or fucked with what was mine.

“This was a mistake,” I bit out, scowling at her. “You’re pretty, and you have a pussy, but other than that, you’re not special. You’re just ass.”

We were going to make her ours. That was the plan. We’d make her feel what they felt when she destroyed their lives and tore us all apart. She’d be alone and have no control. We’d make her suffer. But as soon as Damon jumped on her, I was on his back, prying him off. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t let them have her.

There was no way I was going to be able to go through with this. She was mine.

I no longer cared what she did to us all those years ago or why she did it. I didn’t trust her, but I . . . I couldn’t hurt her.

Plenty of other women here. Yeah, that was a fucking bluff if I’d ever heard one. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her, and I’d either have to swallow my pride and actually be nice to get into her bed tonight, or . . . Or I’d have to pick another fight. Either way, she’d have my number. She’d know I couldn’t stay away and that she was the only girl I wanted. How the fuck had that happened?

What if I’d completely corrupted her? What if she’d begun to like playing games too much, and the lust to play—and to win—overpowered her need for me? What if her heart had hardened so much that she closed herself off in order to survive? What if I was the one who had to bend? Unease weighed on my shoulders, and I let out a breath. I need her. I want her.

“You’re sick, Michael. You’re sick.” I ground my teeth together, approaching her. “When I found out last year that you were dating Trevor, I hated it. I hated you, but I hated that even more. I wanted to come in here and see you in his bed and how you would’ve looked—”

Resting a hand behind her head, she looked at me, her big eyes taunting me as her other hand rested on her bare stomach. She looked so fucking soft and warm and perfect. He’d seen her like this. He’d lain next to her like this, and regret racked through me, not because of the picture before me, but because it should never have been him. I could’ve had her—her first time, everything—and I let her go three years ago. If it weren’t for me, she would never have turned to him. What the hell was the matter with me? Was all the power I felt pretending like she didn’t exist greater than how fucking good she felt when I had her in my arms? No. Not even close.

“What are you doing to me?” I asked, not really expecting an answer. She was tearing me up, and I wasn’t sure I cared. I just wanted to burn.

“I’m not tough, Michael,” she whispered. “Not really. I can play, and I can let you fuck me in your brother’s bed or on your father’s desk and use me as an object to get back at them, but in the end—” She paused and then continued. “In the end I’m still here, Michael. I’m still here. It’s still just you and me.”

“Just you and me,” she repeated. “Promise me,” I demanded against the silky skin of her neck. But promise me what? What did I want from her? Promise you’ll never leave me? Promise you belong to me? Promise you’re mine? I raised my head, turning her lips toward me and kissing her deep and fast, her taste sending a rush of pleasure to my cock. I pulled away, breathing against her lips. “Promise you’ll never say no to me. Promise you’ll never keep yourself from me.”