Page 229 of By His Vow

“Was that necessary?” I bark.

“Shouldn’t have taunted me then, should you, brat?”

I fume over his shoulder.

“You can put me down now,” I spit the second he steps into the elevator.

The doors close behind us and we immediately begin climbing through the building toward the top floor. At some point today, the small bag I packed on Friday morning was moved from the suite I stayed in with Lori last night to the one I’m going to be spending tonight in with my new husband.

Butterflies flutter wildly in my stomach, but his grip on my legs never loosens.

“Kingston,” I warn.

“If I put you down, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”

His words echo through the air, the meaning behind them making it hard to suck in my next breath.

Thankfully, only minutes later, the elevator chimes and the doors open on our floor.

“Thank fuck,” he mutters under his breath before marching out and then down the hallway to our suite like his ass is on fire.

Excitement tingles wildly inside me, the anticipation of being with him after brushing off all his attempts for days.

I was meant to be punishing him, but I’m more than aware that I’ve been punishing myself right alongside him. I can’t help but wonder if it was all because I wanted tonight to be special. I don’t believe in the whole no-sex-before-marriage thing—obviously—but there is something special about this moment, this “I must have you now and nothing else matters” moment. It’s a serious rush. And if it’s the result of withholding for almost two weeks, then I’m down.

We fly through the door the second King has it unlocked, and then he blows through the suite with me still hanging over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes in a very pretty dress.

But the moment we step into the bedroom, he finally lowers me to the ground, and much to my surprise, he takes a huge step back and just…watches me.

“King,” I breathe with my heart in my throat.

“Fuck, Tatum. Do you have any idea how incredible you look?”

I swallow thickly as my eyes drop down his body.

He’s wearing a navy-blue suit to match our ivory and navy color theme, and he looks edible.

His hair is no longer styled how he wanted it this morning, but messy, like he’s spent the whole day dragging his fingers through it. His eyes are dark and hungry, his lips full, his jaw has the perfect amount of scruff on it, and the suit…well, it looks like it has been tailored to fit his body to perfection, and I can’t wait to peel it off and discover what’s waiting for me beneath.

“Please,” I whimper, unable to say anything more eloquent in this moment.

I love my dress, it’s beautiful, but it’s also restrictive as hell. I’m ready for it to hit the floor. I’m ready to embark on the next part of our big day.

He steps forward and his face immediately tucks into the crook of my neck, kissing, licking, and nipping, driving me to the brink of insanity while we’re both fully dressed.

He knows what he’s doing; he’s the master at it.

“Turn around,” he finally whispers, sending a new wave of tingles shooting down my spine.

Slowly, I do as I’m told and give him my back. His kisses don’t stop, leaving my body craving more. More of his touch, more of him, more of everything.

As he described downstairs, his fingers reach for the small satin button between my shoulder blades.

It took forever to get me fully into the thing. I dread to think how long it’s going to?—

“Oh,” I gasp, as the unforgiving fabric begins to release around me, allowing me to breathe properly for the first time in a lot of hours.

Kingston’s lips follow his progress, kissing down my spine until he gets to the final button, allowing the dress to descend. The skirt is so massive, it stands up all by itself. I look a little like the weird toilet roll cozy thing my aunt had in the cottage. It always baffled me, but she seemed to love the ugly thing all the same.

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