Page 16 of By His Vow

“You can’t fuck her,” I demand the second she’s gone.

“Why the hell not? She’s hot.”

“If I’m not allowed to have sex, then neither are you,” I sulk. “It’s not fair I have to deal with this shit and you don’t.”

“You think I don’t have shit to deal with, Tate?” he asks, falling back and spreading his legs wide. “Dad has just left me in a big fucking heap of it.” His head falls back against the couch, and he closes his eyes as he drags in a deep breath.

He’s changed since he walked out of Dad’s office earlier. Gone is the all-powerful suit that rivaled Kingston’s in favor of a dark pair of jeans and a black sweater. His hair is a disheveled mess, and his knuckles are red and swollen.

My stomach knots as I remember him beating on his best friend because of me.

“What’s happened?” I ask, although I’m not sure if I can handle much else.

It takes him a few seconds to respond, but when he does, I can’t say I believe him. “It’s nothing. Forget I said anything. I’m just…overwhelmed, I guess.”

“Tell me about it,” I mutter.

“I can’t believe Dad has done this,” he muses.

“Really? As much as I don’t want to believe it, it’s the exact sort of bullshit we should expect from him. Kingston though. Of all people. Why him?” I complain.

“He’s not so bad.”

“Of course you’d say that. I’m sure he’s great to go out drinking with. You’ve never had to be married to him.”

“Did he seriously say no sex?” Miles asks, sounding more intrigued than he should.

I sigh. “No. Dad stipulated that I have to be faithful to the marriage.”

“So, you can have sex. Just…with Kingston,” he says with a wince.

“Yeah, all the while he continues whoring it up all over town.”

“You have to be faithful, and he doesn’t?” Miles balks.

“Men get to have their cake and eat it too; you know this as well as I do.” Each word that passes my lips is even more bitter than the one before.

Thankfully, our server chooses that moment to walk back in and deliver our drinks. She literally lines up the five cocktails for me.

“Are we celebrating?” she asks.

“Commiserating,” I mutter, attempting to steal her attention from my brother and failing miserably.

“Oh, right,” she stutters awkwardly as she slowly backs away. “Well, I hope the drinks help.”

“You’re still not fucking her,” I repeat, reaching for my first drink and taking a massive mouthful.

Fuck, that’s strong.

He studies me for a beat, thankfully swallowing any response I don’t want to hear. We both already know he’s going home with her—or someone—tonight, no matter how much I complain. It’s just how Miles works.

“Are you going to call Lori to meet you?” he asks, confirming my suspicions. He’s happy to babysit me for a while—not that I need babysitting—but not all night.

I shake my head. “No, she’s got a date tonight. Been waiting ages to meet this guy. Thinks he’s the one.”

Miles rolls his eyes. He doesn’t need to say anything. I’m well aware of his cynical views on love and relationships.

“Well, I for one hope he is,” I state after draining my first cocktail and immediately reaching for the next. “Because I’m going to need to live vicariously through her for the next year of my life.”