Page 152 of By His Vow

His chest heaves as he stares at me as if he’s just seen a ghost.

“What’s wrong?” I whisper, unsure if I should be hanging around to watch this or running for cover.

A man like Kingston doesn’t show vulnerability lightly, and when he realizes the kind of top-level freakout he seems to be having right now, I’m not sure I want to be the one in the firing line as he tries to assert his dominance again…or maybe I do.

Fuck. This man is so fucking confusing.

I take a step back, unaware that I’ve decided that the best course of action here is to retreat.

He’s frozen in place, his eyes locked on me.

“I’m just gonna?—”

“Wait,” he commands, the power in his voice at odds with his behavior.

“Uh...okay. I-I’m not sure—oh my god.” I gasp as he suddenly sinks to the floor and… to one knee.

Time doesn’t just stop.

It totally fucking freezes.

I stop breathing and all of my senses refuse to cooperate as he slowly reaches for the railing, revealing a small black box.

My hands tremble as he brings it to a stop between us.

I can’t look at it. I can’t rip my eyes away from his as he gazes up at me.

Awe.

I’m pretty sure that’s what I can see in his expression.

But why?

This isn’t real.

He isn’t seriously asking me to marry him.

Well, he is…kinda.

But…it’s not real.

He doesn’t love me. He doesn’t want to spend his life with me.

I’m not the one.

I’m just the one who’ll help him hit the next high with Callahan Enterprises.

He only wants me for the next twelve months so he can get what he wants.

So I can get what I want…

Suddenly, none of that seems quite so important as it did only a few minutes ago.

With him down there and holding a ring, it suddenly all seems very real.

Marriage.

A year.