Vow of Honor (Vow Series Book 3) Read online

  She turns toward the table, her hands fidgeting in her lap. Her long, slender fingers with nails painted the same shade as her eyes tangle together as she looks around the room. When Owen comes over to the table, I order a beer and she orders a shot of tequila and a fruity cocktail.

  She slams back the tequila shot the moment Owen drops our order at the table. My brows pull down in confusion. "Are you okay?" I ask softly, placing my hand on the back of her chair and leaning toward her.

  Tatum's lips purse before she takes a deep breath. "Yep."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yep." She takes a long drink of her cocktail, and I raise an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

  "The slamming of the tequila shots," I answer honestly.

  She bites her lip, running a hand through her long hair. "I'm fine."

  I don't want to press. If she doesn't want to talk about it, that's her decision. I know more than anyone about keeping secrets and thoughts to yourself. My secrets are essential to my survival. Even if hers aren't, I won't push.

  I switch topics, hoping to get answers to something else that has been on my mind tonight. "Why did you ignore me tonight?"

  Her whole body jerks in surprise, nearly making her fall off her chair. I reach out, grabbing her arm to balance her. She looks down at my hand touching her bare skin and back up at me. And then she lies. "I didn't."

  "You did," I say, widening my eyes in challenge.

  She opens her mouth, no doubt to tell another lie, before she closes it again, staring at me. "Okay. Fine. I lied. I was ignoring you."

  "Why?" It bothered me the entire night. Yes, I didn't sit by her, but I thought she'd want to sit with the girls, not with me. I tried to catch her eye throughout dinner and every time she laughed, but she avoided eye contact. She wouldn't engage with me.

  She went so far as to ask Hudson for the bread basket that was next to me. Hudson had to ask me to pass the basket to him, which I did, and the smug smirk on his face made me want to fucking deck him in his pretty-boy face.

  "Where are they?" she asks, changing the subject. It's been close to thirty minutes since we got here, and none of them are here. I don't have any messages on my phone, and I'd bet my gym that Tatum doesn't, either.

  "Don't think they're coming, sunshine."

  "What? Why?" she shrieks, looking around as if they're all going to pop out of nowhere.

  "Think they want us together," I admit honestly. As soon as I heard the girls whispering behind me as we headed out of the restaurant and their blatant attempt to put Tatum in my passenger seat, I knew those girls were up to something.

  Tatum sighs, muttering under her breath about meddling friends who are not helpful. "You could have told me, you know."

  "Told you what?" I ask hesitantly.

  "The day I met Savannah, you could have said, 'Tate, if you go out with us, they'll meddle in your life.'"

  I grunt. "There was no stopping you when you saw it annoyed me."

  "That's true," she says happily. "You make it so fun and way too easy."

  I glare at her, which makes her smile brighten even more. Goddamn sunshine. She's the only person who gets under my skin the way she does. It irritates the hell out of me. Mostly. A small, dark part of me also finds it thrilling. And an even smaller, darker part of me breathes easier when she’s near as that part is basking in her light.

  Suddenly Tatum freezes.

  "What?" I ask. "Are you okay?"

  "Tate," she says slowly. "Sunshine."

  I grunt again, looking away. I didn't mean to call her sunshine. It slipped out before I even thought about it. I did mean to call her Tate, but only to get her attention and to get her to sit next to me at a table I was suspecting would stay empty.

  "That's two nicknames. I think you're starting to like me."

  "I'm not," I say. I honestly can't decide if I do like her or if I find her fascinating yet irritating.

  "Sunshine is a sweet nickname. Is it because I'm bright and happy?" she asks, giggling.

  "Nope."

  "Then why?" she challenges.

  "You know when you're in the sun for too long and it makes you sick? It's kind of like that," I lie, trying not to smile.

  She stares at me for a moment before starting to laugh. Her hand reaches out, pushing against my chest.

  I lay my hand over hers and can feel the vibrations of her laugh; her whole body is shaking with it. I swear I can feel the warmth of it, too.

  "No," she says, still laughing. "I don't think that's it."

  "Believe what you want, Tatum." I reluctantly let her hand go.

  She shakes her head, smiling, but it slips again a moment later with my next question. "Why did you ignore me?"

  She sighs. "Honestly?"

  "Always."

  "I don't know how to act around you now."

  "Just like you are now," I say. "Nothing has changed. You still annoy me."

  She smiles, rolling her eyes. "I'll try to be normal."

  "Just don't ignore me. I don't like it," I admit.

  We stare at each other for a moment. I take my wallet out of my pocket, throwing enough cash down on the table. Tatum opens her purse, grabbing her wallet, but I stop her.

  "Let me pay," she says, standing at the same time I do.

  "No. Ready to get out of here?"

  "James," she says softly, looking up at me with her glassy eyes.

  "Yeah?" I ask, my voice turning husky.

  "When we got here, things were happening with me, and it could've been a really shitty night. Thank you for turning it around." She stands on her toes, laughing slightly. "I can't reach you." Her hand curls around my neck, bringing me toward her.

  My entire body tenses, unsure of what is happening. When her lips land on my cheek, my hand curls around the back of her neck, bringing her lips to mine.

  Chapter 21

  Tatum

  I gasp when James’s mouth crashes down on mine. He takes the opportunity to explore my mouth with his tongue, making my toes curl. My eyes slide closed as I revel in the moment.

  When James breaks our kiss, I try to bring him back to me, but he pulls away. "Tatum," he starts, releasing my hair and rubbing his hand over his face.

  "I want to," I say, assuring him.

  His hand leaves his face, and he looks down at me with serious eyes sweeping over every centimeter. "Yeah?" he asks gruffly.

  "Yes." I lean into him. "Take me home."

  His large hand cups my face as he kisses me once. Twice. Three times. His palm brushes over my skin, eliciting goosebumps in its wake before he grabs my hand and we walk out of The Cellar.

  Looks like the girls are getting their wish.

  At least for tonight.

  James drives quickly to my place, the car filled with our sexual tension. His rough hand skates along my thigh the entire drive, sending me into a frenzy. My body is pressing deeply into the seat and my hands are curled over the edges, forcing them to stay put so I don’t feel him as he drives. I'm ready to attack him by the time we pull up.

  He shuts off the SUV, jumps out, and rushes to my side taking me from the car and up to my porch. As I'm trying to unlock the front door, he's standing flush against my back with one hand squeezing my hip and the other sweeping my hair off my neck.

  James’s head comes down, brushing his tongue along my shoulder and neck. The keys shake in my hand. He's distracted me so much, I haven't even reached for the door to unlock it. I'm motionless in front of the door, lost in the sensations he's causing.

  He nips at the space where my neck meets my shoulder. When he whispers into my skin, his breath causes me to shiver. "Unlock it, Tatum." He nips again, urging me into action.

  Finally the key lands in the slot and I unlock it, pushing the door open. James stays glued to my back as we tumble inside. He kicks the door closed and spins me toward him by my hip. His hands slide down my back to my ass, squeezing and kneading before lifting me. I collapse into him on a sigh, exhilarated fro
m the feeling of his hands on me.

  My lips find his neck, kissing up to his jaw and working my way toward his lips. "Bedroom," he growls, his throat vibrating under my lips. The deep timber of his voice makes my panties wet. I want him to whisper dirty, illicit things into my ear while pounding into me.

  I've never felt this before. I thought sex with Patrick was out of this world, mind-blowing. It's nothing compared to this. I'm still fully clothed, and James’s voice, touch, smell, and fucking everything are electrifying me, bringing me to life for the first time. This tall, sexy, broody man could probably make me come from dirty words.

  "Down the hall," I say before tugging on his earlobe with my teeth. "Second door on the right. I need your touch, James. Everywhere, all over me."

  He groans, clutching my ass tighter, moving me over his thick erection. The contact of his jeans over my underwear is just under enough pressure to send me racing toward the edge.

  When we make it to my room, James spins to sit on my bed with me straddling him. His hands coast up my back to my shoulders, pulling down the straps of my dress. I slide my arms out of the straps and let it pool around my hips. James’s tongue traces the line of my strapless bra before leaning back and gazing at me.

  His finger comes up to follow along where his tongue did before falling and tugging on one of the nipples showing through the sheer lace. "So fucking pretty," he says. The roughness of his calloused hands makes my core clench.

  I reach behind me, unsnapping my bra and letting the cups fall. He picks it up from his lap between our bodies and tosses it on the floor. I arch into him, moaning when his hot mouth comes down on one of my nipples, pulling hard on the bud. His hand squeezes my other breast before tugging on the peak.

  My hips grind over him, searching for friction. I'm going to go insane if I don't feel his skin against mine soon. My hands start tugging at his shirt, ripping it over his head. His guttural moan fills my room as my nails scrape over his chest and down his impossibly defined abs.

  James stands, lifting me, then placing me on the floor. My dress falls from my hips with the little tug that he gives. I step out of the fabric around my feet as my hands glide down to his belt. He's kicking off his shoes as I push down his pants. James bends down, ripping them off his legs along with his socks.

  He's completely naked, and I'm standing in front of him in a lacy, barely-there thong. His large hand tucks into one side and yanks it from my body.

  "Hey!"

  "Just making it fair." He pulls me flush against him with a hand on my lower back. "You're beautiful, Tatum."

  A blush spreads up my neck to my cheeks. His heated gray eyes turn absolutely molten as he gazes down at me. "Let's see how far I can make that spread. Christ. You’re even prettier when you blush."

  I squirm in his arms, aching to feel the hard cock that's pressed against my stomach inside of me. When James looks at me like this, his hands lightly skimming across my body, purposefully missing every place I want him to touch, I feel bold and brave. In the past, every dirty thought has stayed in my head during sex, but with James, I want to say everything.

  "I want your cock inside me, James," I murmur, kissing across his chest and wrapping my hand around his dick.

  He bites his lip, growling, his eyes closing. "Fuck," he says, opening his eyes. "I like that word coming from your delicious mouth." His thumb pushes against my chin, raising my head before skimming along my lips. I pull his thumb inside my mouth, curling my tongue around it and sucking once.

  His breathing picks up speed, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His thumb slips from my mouth and he devours my lips with his. My hand is slowing jerking him, his hips meeting each stroke until he pushes my hand away, turning me and laying me gently on the bed.

  "Spread your legs." His voice sends shivers through me. "Show me your pussy." A rush of desire floods my system.

  "I want to record you saying dirty things to me so I can listen to it when I’m alone," I confess.

  His hand comes down on my stomach, gliding down to the apex of my thighs. I lift my hips, trying to meet his hand even a second sooner. "Would you touch your pussy while I told you how much I want to fuck you? While I told you I want to lick you until you're begging me to stop? While I told you I want to watch you ride me? While I told you I want to fuck you from behind while I play with your fucking delectable ass? Tell me. Is that what you'd like to hear?" His fingers are just outside my entrance, hovering, barely skimming my core. The touches are too light, too inconsistent. I need more. I moan, lost in my desperation.

  "Answer."

  "Yes," I admit. "Yes to it all."

  He rewards me by slipping two fingers inside me.

  "Already clamping down on me?" His voice is so gruff and filled with need. I open my eyes, watching him as I move my hips to fuck his hand. His fingers have been inside me for under a minute, and I'm hurdling toward my orgasm.

  "So close," I whisper. "Never this fast."

  He uses his thumb to rub tight circles on my clit with just the right amount of pressure. This man doesn't even know me, yet he's so in tune with my desires and my body. "Fuck," he grits out as my orgasm starts, making my pussy flutter around his fingers. He curls his fingers, hitting a blessedly sweet spot. My eyes slam closed as I mumble his name over and over. He works me through my orgasm before coming over me, kissing along my jaw to my lips. "I wanted to give you two orgasms before I sink inside you, but I can't wait."

  "Fuck me, James. I want your cock."

  "So sweet," he mumbles, kissing and nibbling my lips. "And so fucking dirty."

  Only with him.

  I hear the crinkle of a condom, and then I'm filled with his thick erection. We both sigh in pleasure when he's fully seated. "Fuck," he mutters, pumping slowly, bringing his mouth down to one of my nipples. My hands close around his head, shamelessly holding him against me. Each pleasure-filled groan he hums against my skin only makes me want more.

  "More. Harder."

  James’s hips thrust into me harder and deeper. My head falls back, deeper into the mattress as I cry out. His hand leaves my hips to hold my shoulder in place.

  “Oh, God,” I yell as I’m about to orgasm around his cock.

  “My name,” he grunts, slamming into me as his hand coasts down my body to my clit. The pressure there is just enough to send me rocketing over.

  “Yes,” I whimper, rolling my hips.

  “My name,” he says gruffly increasing the speed and force with every thrust.

  “James.” I call out his name, arching my back, my toes curling, and fingernails digging into the skin along his shoulders. I burst around him, shaking and quivering, bursting at the seams. My eyes are locked on his. He growls watching me come apart for him, giving him more than I ever could’ve imagined. My entire body is shaking from the intensity. I've never had an orgasm like this. I call out his name again.

  "Fuck yes," he says. "Tatum." He repeats my name over and over as he moves inside of me hard and fast before he stills, emptying himself. James collapses on top of me before sliding out and rolling to the side so his huge body doesn't crush me.

  His arm reaches out, pulling me toward him. He kisses my forehead, both of us still trying to catch our breaths. "Stay here." He rolls off the bed and heads into the bathroom. I hear a couple cabinets opening and then running water. He comes back with a wet washcloth. I reach for it, but he stops me. "Let me."

  I spread my legs and allow him to attend to me for the second time. He tosses the towel into the hamper before falling back into bed and wrapping me up.

  He surprises me when he speaks. "I want to do this again."

  "Okay," I say, not at all turned off by that idea. Two times with him isn't nearly enough.

  "I can't do relationships."

  I lift off him slightly, looking down into his eyes. "That's fine," I say honestly.

  "If we do this, it's just sex." He looks at me like he's expecting me to say no. I'm not going to, though. I've
spent the past two years pining for a boy who doesn't want me. It's amazing to feel wanted and to have some fun that I've never allowed myself before.

  "That's fine," I say again. "It doesn't mean I like you, though. I just like your cock."

  "That's fine, sunshine. I don't like you much, either. I just like your pussy."

  The lies tumble out of each of our mouths. We're both so far past not liking each other. We're almost sort of friends, I think.

  Chapter 22

  James

  It's been a week since Tatum and I agreed to keep things casual and sexual. It's been a great fuckin' week. Two days after that night at her house, I had a PT session. That session was awkward and uncomfortable. We both wanted to keep a level of professionalism while I finished physical therapy. It's a line I wouldn't cross; her job is not something I would risk.

  I haven't seen Savannah since that night. I'm pretty sure she's avoiding me. Tatum and I haven't talked about how we will handle things in front of everyone else, but unless she pushes me away, my hands will be on her. This isn't going to last forever; it's just a fun fling, so I want to take advantage of every second I have with her. We've spent every night together, and I still haven't done all the things I want to do with her. The list is endless.

  We'll see what happens tonight. Tonight is the monthly dinner I host at the gym for anyone in the area who needs it—for any reason. Everyone is welcome. All my friends come and help out, and tonight will be Tatum's first. I'm nervous as hell to see how she is with it, even though I shouldn't be. This is a casual relationship; it's only sex.

  But I want her to care. I know she comes from a wealthy family, the type of wealth I can't even fathom. I'm not sure she's ever been around underprivileged youths before. Or how she'll be when she hears that some of these kids have barely eaten in days or don't have parents. Or their parents are in jail. Or worse, some of these kids have been arrested or are on the verge of joining gangs. That's one reason I do this, being involved in community activities can help kids stay far away from that life.