Page 149 of By His Vow

I take a sip of my drink, the bubbles exploding against my tongue before the cool champagne slides down my throat.

It’s good. Really good.

Not that I’m surprised. This is Kingston I’m standing in front of. He wouldn’t have anything but the best.

“Come on,” he says, sliding his hand into mine and pulling me toward the door that leads to our deck.

Fairy lights are strung up everywhere, illuminating our little slice of heaven along with flickering candles.

It’s incredible. Way more than I would have thought he was capable of in the romance department.

He leads me over to the table. It’s set for two, and after placing the bottle of champagne in the ice bucket, he pulls out my chair for me.

“Who knew you could be such a gentleman,” I tease as I take a seat.

“I have plenty of talents that you’ve yet to discover, Tatum,” he says in a deep, rumbling voice that makes tingles shoot around my body.

I’m strung as tightly as a fucking bow.

Lying in that bath, the temptation to deal with the situation myself was strong, especially when he decided to gate-crash and give me a little show.

Fuck. That was hot.

Not as hot as last night, though. That was next level.

“I hope you’re hungry,” he says before abandoning his glass and heading back inside.

As soon as he appears in my vision through the window, my eyes lock on him and I watch as he pulls something from the oven.

He’s dressed in dark gray dress pants that hug his ass and thick thighs in the most delicious way, and a simple white button-down that’s undone one too many buttons to be professional with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

His hair is messy, like he ran his fingers through it after his shower and hasn’t bothered touching it again since, and he’s got the perfect amount of stubble on his chin.

I bet it would feel incredible between my thighs…

I shake my head, trying to force it out of the gutter.

It’s getting harder and harder to do the more time I spend with him.

He turns around to place the baking tray on the side, and he looks up before I have a chance to avert my gaze.

My breath catches as chemistry crackles between us.

His lips twitch as he discovers I’m watching him before they pull into the most incredible smile.

This is the real Kingston Callahan. The one not many other people get to see.

He makes quick work of dishing up our dinner before striding back toward me.

“Wow, that looks amazing,” I say when he lowers a chicken dish before me. “And it smells?—”

“Not as good as you,” he says, cutting me off as he takes his seat opposite me. “See, being stuck with me isn’t so bad, is it?”

“The night is still young, Kingston,” I tease as I lift my knife and fork, cutting into my chicken to find a creamy sauce inside.

He barely moves an inch as I lift the fork to my lips.

His eyes drop to my mouth and he watches, enthralled as I take the piece of chicken and chew.

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