Page 122 of By His Vow

The crowd around us erupts in another round of applause and I look up just in time to see Kingston lift the award and stalk across the stage.

No sooner has he turned to walk down the stairs than he finds me again.

My breath catches, and without thinking, I lift my fingers to my lips, remembering how he felt pressed against them.

Regret sits heavy in my chest that I missed his speech.

Our eye contact holds as he makes his way back to our table, but someone steps in front of him, congratulating him on his win, and severs it.

“See,” Kian muses. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look at a woman like that.”

“Stop,” I breathe, unable to believe that this is anything but business.

It’s not.

He’s said it time and time again.

This is a business deal.

That is all this is to him. A way to ensure that he gets to receive that award, and many, many others, in the coming year.

It’s just a business deal…

I’m still repeating those words over and over in my head when Kingston finally rejoins our table and slams the award down, and everyone around me erupts in excitement.

I want to say it’s infectious, but I struggle to find my enthusiasm.

“I’m sorry. Excuse me,” I say before pushing my chair back, grabbing my clutch and trying to escape.

“Tatum?” Kingston asks, catching my fingers in his before I manage to run.

“I just need to use the bathroom,” I lie.

I make the stupid mistake of looking up before I bolt. The sight of the confused frown on his face makes the emotion bubbling up within me so much worse.

“I’m sorry,” I say again before rushing away, my gown billowing around my legs as I go like some kind of golden Cinderella.

If only I had a carriage outside, ready to take me away from all of this…

31

KINGSTON

Iwatch her go with my brows pinched in confusion.

What just happened?

I thought she was happy. I thought we were celebrating. But she looked about two seconds from vomiting right here.

Fuck. I can’t keep up with her emotions. They’re like a pendulum swinging from side to side but without any rhythm.

A hand lands on my shoulder, startling me.

“What the fuck are you doing? Go after her,” Kian says in my ear.

“I-I?—”

My eyes snag on Miles. Thankfully, he’s too distracted by the woman at his side to notice his sister’s sudden departure.

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