By His Vow: Chapter 35

I’m dying.

I. Am. Fucking. Dying.

My chest is heaving, and my heart is pounding harder than I’m sure it ever has in my life.

I go to the gym. I thought I was pretty fit.

Well…turns out I am not.

Jesus.

Resting my palms on my knees, I look ahead to see how much farther the summit is.

Summit. What a joke.

I might keep calling it a mountain, but honestly, it’s barely even a hill.

What the hell is wrong with me?

“We’re nearly there,” Kingston says with a smirk playing on his lips.

I’m pretty sure it’s been a permanent feature on his face since the moment I took off in the wrong direction.

“Go on ahead,” I say, waving both him and his stupid cocky smirk away.

“Aw, baby. I wouldn’t dare complete this once-in-a-lifetime experience without you.”

“I hate you,” I seethe, finally standing up straight.

My head spins and I take a step back to steady myself.

“Shit.” He gasps, rushing forward to catch me.

Totally unnecessary, but I appreciate the gesture all the same.

When it’s just the two of us like this, it’s almost possible to forget who he is and what a massive asshole he can be.

Since the moment we left the cabin, he’s been sweet, and honest, and maybe even a little vulnerable as he talked about his vision for the vast resort behind us.

I could see it. The way he laid it all out for me in such detail. I could see every one of his clients sitting there sipping on his special green juice as they took some time out from reality to relax and rejuvenate.

Fucking green juice.

I bet I wouldn’t be having this issue right now if I were able to have my standard three coffees before leaving the house this morning.

“It’s the air,” I explain. “There is like, no oxygen up here.”

He tries to hide his amusement, he really does. But the second I look at him through my lashes, he bursts out laughing.

“Baby, your old apartment has a higher altitude than this hill.”

I shrug, unwilling to comment on what is so obviously a fact.

“Come on,” he says turning his back on me.

“What?” I ask, not believing what I’m seeing.

“Jump on. We’ll do it together.”

“King, you can’t carry me. I weight a to⁠—”

“It’s either on my back or I throw you over my shoulder,” he warns, shooting me a wicked look.

I consider my options for a moment. Piggyback and look at the stunning view, or over his shoulder and stare at his ass. I mean, I’ve had worse decisions to make in my life, that’s for sure.

But he soon makes it for me and lowers down.

“Hop on, baby.”

I move on instinct and grab his shoulders before jumping.

“Oh my god.” I squeal as he takes off running with me clinging to him for dear life.

I’m pretty sure I was ten the last time someone gave me a piggyback. And that someone was Miles, and he tripped and sent us both flying.

I banged my head so hard, I saw stars for days. Or at least, that’s what I told him to make him feel bad.

“You’re fucking crazy.” I squeal when he doesn’t so much as slow down.

“Takes one to know one,” he counters as he climbs the final slope toward the edge of the ‘mountain.’

“Wow,” we both breathe simultaneously as the valley below appears.

Lake Michigan sparkles away in the sun. It looks beyond inviting.

“Do you think it’s cold?”

“You’re shitting me,’ he pants, finally putting me back on my feet. “It’s spring. It’ll be fucking freezing.”

“I guess. It looks so calm and⁠—”

“Cold?” he finishes for me.

I laugh. “Yeah, I guess,” I muse before shuffling closer.

“What are you doing?” Kingston asks in a panic as his hand wraps around my forearm, stopping me from getting closer to the edge.

“Well, I was considering throwing myself off and seeing how I fare,” I deadpan before shaking him off and lowering myself to my ass, my legs dangling over the edge.

“Crazy fucking woman,” he mutters before dropping down beside me.

The wind blows around us. It’s not cold, but that doesn’t stop me from shivering.

Without missing a beat, Kingston wraps his arm around me and tugs me closer.

I nestle into his side as the scent of fresh air, nature and him mingle in my nose.

I like it a lot more than I should.

Neither of us says anything as we stare out at his passion project in the distance. The sun is glinting in the windows on the left-hand side of the building, but the rest is hiding in the shadows. A little like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

“I don’t think you need to worry about your father being right. This place is incredible. It’s going to be an asset to your portfolio,” I say confidently.

His grip on me tightens, but he doesn’t say anything for the longest time.

“We’ll see what the future holds.”

“How very modest of you,” I tease.

“Can’t always be full of confidence,” he muses.

“You mean arrogance,” I correct.

“Same thing.”

I laugh. “If you say so.”

A loud squawk fills the air before a massive bird of some sort flies overhead before diving down into the valley on the hunt for some food.

“This is nice,” Kingston muses.

“Yeah,” I agree. “It’s nice to learn that you’re not always an asshole.”

A chuckle rumbles in his chest. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“I wouldn’t dare. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if everyone realizes their boss is a sap who loves nature and gave their best friend’s little sister a piggyback.”

I continue staring out at the view, but I’m achingly aware that Kingston has turned his eyes on me, and not just because the warmth of his breath hits the top of my head. I feel his attention all the way down to the tips of my toes.

Has it always been like this between us?

No. It was always hatred and irritation.

This…this attraction is new.

New and powerful. And fucking terrifying.

“You’re not just Miles’s little sister, Tate.”

My heart skips a beat, hearing him shorten my name. It’s stupid really, but I’m only ever Tatum, brat or baby to him. Sure, the latter gives me full-body shudders whenever the word leaves his lips. But hearing him call me Tate, like my friends do? It’s a whole new weird level of intimacy between us.

“No?” I whisper, desperate to know what I am if not that. “So what am I?”

He makes a weird noise in the back of his throat like he’s catching a word he doesn’t want to spill free.

“It changes daily. I couldn’t possibly choose one.”

Time seems to speed up as we sit here. A few wispy clouds dance across the sky as the air blows gently around us and birds fly overhead.

Our shadows shift and morph as the sun moves closer to the west as the day progresses.

It’s calm, relaxing, and comfortable.

It’s…everything I didn’t know I needed.

The space between here and Chicago is in contrast to the closeness between us right now.

I’m not entirely sure what it means at this moment in time, but we’re going to return stronger, ready to face whatever is going to be thrown at us next. It’s a weirdly comforting thought.

I’ve no idea what time it is or how long we’ve been sitting here when Kingston finally speaks.

“We should probably head back,” he says quietly, as if he doesn’t actually want to but knows we must before it begins getting dark.

“Yeah,” I muse, reluctantly pulling away from his warmth. “Although I don’t think I can get up.”

He laughs at me as he jumps to his feet and holds his hand out.

I slip mine into it, loving the way tingles shoot down my arm. It’s the same every time he touches me, and I’m quietly becoming addicted to it.

He tugs me to my feet but doesn’t let go fast enough, and I stumble forward into him.

His arms wrap around me, and he holds me close.

He stares down at me as the air crackles around us.

“King,” I whisper.

His eyes bounce between mine and my lips.

Kiss me.

My heart races, my temperature spikes, and my mouth runs dry as I think about how easy it would be to take our innocent kiss from last night to the next level.

The pull to him is too strong and I stretch up, lifting onto my toes, but right before I get to do anything, he releases me.

“The sun is going to start setting soon,” he says before capturing my hand and turning to walk back down the hill.

Disappointment sits heavy on my chest as I trail behind him.

Being rejected for a second time in twenty-four hours stings badly, I won’t lie. But I know it’s for the best.

If we act on the attraction building between us, then I’ve no idea where it’s going to leave us.

Business deal.

Business deal.

Business deal.

The sun is setting by the time we get back to our cabin, casting the air around us in a beautiful pink-orange hue. The second I see it in the distance, I begin hobbling faster, tears of relief burning the backs of my eyes.

The temperature has dropped significantly, and my skin is covered in goosebumps.

“Wait there,” Kingston demands after pulling his boots off and marching into the bedroom.

“Sure thing, boss,” I mutter, saluting him behind his back, swallowing my threatening emotions finally being back causes.

“Don’t think I can’t hear your sass,” he shouts back.

“I’d be disappointed if you couldn’t,” I counter before limping to the kitchen to find some alcohol and something to eat.

I want a shot of vodka, a packet of chips, a chocolate bar…some kind of naughty snack after all the miles we’ve done, but I come up short-handed.

I don’t want a fucking carrot stick. Jesus. This man is certifiable.

Settling for a bottle of water and an apple, I defy orders and go in search of him.

No sooner have I stepped into the bedroom does the scent of something floral hit my nose. The sound of running water fills my ears, but it’s not the same as the shower last night.

I come to a stop in the doorway and stare at him as he stands in front of the massive bathtub, watching it fill with fluffy white bubbles.

“I’ve always seen you as more of a shower man, if I’m honest,” I tease.

His shoulders tense, the fabric pulling tighter across them. “Do you ever do as you’re told?” he asks without turning around to look at me.

“Nope. Where’s the fun in that?”

He shakes his head before wrapping his hand around the back of his neck and rubbing his muscles.

I take a step forward, the pull I feel toward him too powerful to stop me.

Suddenly, he spins around and his gaze locks on mine.

“It’s for you. Relax,” he says before slipping around me and moving toward the door.

“W-what about you?” I stutter, hating how disappointed I am that he’s not going to get in with me.

“Don’t worry about me,” he says as he grabs the door handle to close it behind him.

“But what if I do?” I ask.

But I’m too late.

He’s already gone.