Page 85 of By His Vow

22

KINGSTON

Istand back and just watch as she throws the door open and looks inside my apartment.

Our apartment.

Our home.

My heart thunders in my chest as the enormity of this makes my hands tremble at my sides.

I’ve never had a woman here for more than one night.

Sure, some have wanted a longer visit, but it’s never been in the cards for me. And plus, no one has ever held my interest long enough for me to even consider an extended stay. We have our fun, but once we’ve both got what we needed, I’m over it.

But watching Tatum walk into the entryway feels entirely different from anyone else who’s ever stepped foot in my space.

She moves deeper into the apartment and I’m powerless but to follow her.

Her eyes are everywhere as she slowly moves toward the living room.

She lingers on an abstract painting I bought at an auction in New York a few years ago, but while I sense her questions, she doesn’t speak a word.

She walks into the living room, but despite the changes that have taken place here today, I can’t take my eyes off her to look.

She gasps in surprise before walking toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

I get it. I’ve hands down got the best view in the city, but honestly, what’s outside has nothing on what I’m looking at.

Her black jacket fits her like a second skin. It nips her in at the waist before flaring out to accentuate her hips and ass that’s wrapped in a form-fitting pencil skirt. It hits just above her knees, showing off her shapely calves and then her hot-as-hell black shoes.

I make my way back up and focus on the curtain of thick, dark hair that falls around her shoulders.

I love it. The thought of wrapping the length of it around my fist and?—

I scrub my chin, wishing I could see her face, her reaction.

“Tatum?” I finally say, unable to stand the silence any longer.

Her shoulders rise as she sucks in a deep breath before spinning around and giving me what I need.

She looks exhausted. Today has taken a toll on her. It’s why I needed to get her out of there when I did.

One more glass of champagne and she’d have lost the tight control she had on herself.

I could feel it slipping, and all I could think about doing was getting her somewhere safe, somewhere she could embrace whatever she’s feeling.

Grief. Relief. Fear.

I know I’m feeling a little bit of each; I can only imagine the wide range of emotions that are warring inside her right now.

She licks her lips before doing another sweep of the room. I follow her lead and do a double take.

It’s my apartment, only it’s not how I left it.

I spoke to Melissa, my assistant, last night, asking her to find someone to help me out. My apartment was exactly what it needed to be. A bachelor pad. It suited me. All clean lines and empty surfaces.

I don’t spend all that much time here, and when I do, I want it uncluttered and stress-free. But with Tatum moving in imminently, I needed to make some changes.

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