chapter ten

​"Your girl?" Cole retorted, finally letting go of my wrist as he stepped back. A bitter, disbelieving laugh slipped from his lips. "What is really going on here, Vance? Are you seriously going to let her involve you in her games? Katherine loves me. She’s just using you to get over me."

​Ethan chuckled, but the sound was completely devoid of humor. It was dark, mocking, and dangerous.

​"Love? I think you’ve got it completely backward, mate," Ethan said, his voice dropping into a deadly, quiet register. "You're the one who is still pathetically hung up on my girl. Is that why you kept losing your balance on the rink? Listen to me carefully, Saltzman,don't you ever come close to her again. She's mine, and I don't like sharing what belongs to me. So you better stay the hell away, or else I’ll make you deeply regret ever stepping foot into this gala."

​Ethan stared him down, his dark eyes ablaze with a fierce, protective anger. Cole actually shook slightly under his gaze.

​Sensing that things were about to spiral out of control in the middle of a high profile room, I stepped in. "That's okay, babe," I murmured softly, placing a gentle hand on Ethan's chest. "I'm sure he has gotten the memo. Let's go out to the balcony for some much needed us time."

​I didn't wait for Ethan to answer. I wrapped my fingers around his arm, leading him away from Cole. As we walked past, I caught a glimpse of my ex looking like he wanted to physically sink into the floor. A massive wave of pure satisfaction washed over me, and I couldn't resist flashing Cole a knowing, triumphant smile over my shoulder.

​Ethan led me outside onto the expansive, moonlit balcony. The cool night air hit my skin, a contrast to the heat of the ballroom. We stood side by side in silence for a few minutes, staring out at the city skyline before I finally broke the quiet.

​"Thank you for helping me out back there," I told him, keeping my eyes fixed on the sky.

​"It's nothing, love," Ethan replied smoothly. "A real boyfriend protects his girlfriend from perverts like Saltzman. We might not be the real deal, but I genuinely care about you."

​I turned my body around to face him, leaning my back against the stone railing.

​"You're really beautiful, Katherine," he continued, his gaze softening as he looked down at me. "Honestly, I wonder why you ever let someone like Cole treat you the way he did. You deserve to be treated like an absolute queen."

​A genuine smile spread across my face. "Thank you... pervert," I teased.

​Ethan burst into a rich, deep laugh, and I joined him, the heavy tension from the ballroom completely dissolving between us.

​"But really... thank you, Ethan," I added softly, my voice completely sincere.

​"Anytime, love," he said, nodding.

​Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind swept across the terrace. The night had grown significantly colder, and a sudden wave of goosebumps erupted along my bare arms. I instinctively wrapped my hands around my shoulders, shivering.

​Ethan noticed immediately. Without a second thought, he shrugged out of his tailored tuxedo jacket and covered it gently over my shoulders. The fabric was heavy, completely filled with his body warmth and the intoxicating, expensive scent of his cologne.

​"Oh, you don't have to do that," I protested weakly, clutching the jacket.

​"Shhhh..." Ethan murmured, a playful smirk returning to his lips. "I wouldn't want my girlfriend to freeze to death on our first official date."

​I looked up, staring intensely into his eyes. Up close, under the dim glow of the balcony lights, his features looked completely beautiful. My chest tightened with a strange, heavy ache. I couldn't stop the thoughts from racing through my mind: Why is this fake? Why can't this be real?

​Ethan’s smirk widened slightly. "Are you checking me out right now, Kattie?"

​I forced a small smile, trying to play it cool. "What exactly is there to check out?"

​"A lot, love. A whole lot," he countered huskily.

​Before I could even formulate a witty response, Ethan closed the remaining distance between us. He leaned down and pressed his lips lightly against mine. The contact was brief,a soft, testing touch before he pulled away almost instantly, a look of sudden regret crossing his face. "I'm sorry. That... shouldn't have happened."

​But I wasn't upset. In fact, the brief taste of him had left me completely breathless, craving more. The logical part of my brain screamed at me to step back, but my heart completely overrode it.

​I reached out, wrapping my hand firmly around his, pulling myself closer to his broad chest. I looked directly up into his eyes. "Kiss me, Ethan."

​That was all the permission he needed.

​Ethan slammed his lips back onto mine, completely ending any lingering hesitation. The kiss was passionate, deep, and utterly consuming. His large hands found their way to my waist, pulling me flush against his hard body. As his grip tightened, his suit jacket slipped from my shoulders, falling unnoticed to the ground. Everything else in the world completely faded into the background. The music, the crowd, the camera,it all disappeared. In that moment, it felt like we were the only two people alive.

​"Sorry to interrupt you guys, but you need to be inside now. It's almost time for the awards ceremony."

​The sudden voice made us pull apart instantly. We stood there, breathless and flushed, staring at each other with wide eyes. Standing by the glass doors was Ethan's manager, wearing a knowing, highly amused chuckle.

​Without saying a single word, Ethan bent down, scooped his tuxedo jacket off the floor, and walked back inside, leaving me standing on the terrace with my cheeks burning in absolute embarrassment.

​The manager stepped forward, extending his hand toward me with a polite smile. "I didn't get a chance to introduce myself properly earlier. I'm Felix."

​I took his hand, offering a shy smile. "Katherine."

​"I know," Felix nodded knowingly.

​I cleared my throat, trying to smooth down my hair as I prepared to head back inside, but Felix spoke up again. "Thank you for keeping our Ethan in one spot tonight."

​I paused, turning back to flash him a quick smile. A wave of confusion hit me as I walked away. Did Felix not know the relationship was a fake PR stunt? I thought the entire thing had been his management's idea.

​When I walked back into the main ballroom, I found Ethan already seated at our designated table. He looked visibly anxious, his fingers tapping restlessly against the linen tablecloth.

​I slid into the seat beside him, instinctively reaching out to hold his hand. He looked over at me, his eyes searching mine.

​"Easy," I whispered, squeezing his fingers reassuringly. "I'm sure you're going to get the award. You're Ethan Vance, after all."

​A genuine, grateful smile broke across his face, and his grip on my hand tightened.

​"And the award for the Best Hockey Personality of the Year goes to..." the speaker on the main stage paused, looking down at the gold envelope before leaning into the microphone. "...Ethan Vance!"

​The entire ballroom erupted into thunderous applause and cheers. I immediately stood up, clapping loudly and beaming with pride. Before heading to the stage, Ethan turned to me, pulled me into his arms, and kissed me firmly on the lips right in front of everyone. I guess kissing in public was a completely normal thing for us now.

​He walked up the stairs, looking incredibly proud as he accepted the heavy gold trophy.

​"I'm so honored to be receiving this award tonight," Ethan spoke into the microphone, holding the trophy high as the crowd cheered. "I want to thank everyone who stood by me, and everyone who believed in me through the rough patches." He paused, his dark eyes scanning the crowd until they locked onto our table. A beautiful smirk played on his lips. "You know, earlier tonight, I was actually so anxious that my girlfriend had to hold my hand to calm me down."

​The crowd let out a collective, amused laugh.

​"Thank you for always being so supportive, babe," Ethan said, flashing a dazzling smile directly at me.

​Right on cue, the entire room erupted into a funny, high society "Awwww."

​My cheeks burned an intense red, and I quickly dropped my head, trying to hide my blush as Ethan descended the stairs. The moment he reached our table, he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me yet again, the media cameras flashing wildly all around us.

​Through the chaos of the flashing lights, I glanced across the room. Standing near the edge of the crowd was Cole. He was staring directly at us, his eyes throwing absolute daggers. Seeing his misery, I couldn't help myself,I subtly stuck my tongue out at him.

​"Let me take you home," Ethan murmured in my ear as the event began to wind down. "I promised your parents I’d bring you back on time."

​I nodded appreciatively. He led me out of the venue, his security detail swiftly blocking the aggressive paparazzi who tried to swarm us at the exit. He opened the passenger door of his sports car for me, waiting until I was safely inside before jogging around to the driver's side.

​The drive back to my neighborhood flew by in a blur of comfortable silence, the adrenaline from the evening slowly fading. Before I knew it, the car purred to a halt right in front of my house.

​"Thank you for tonight... Kattie Berry," Ethan said, turning his body toward me.

​I burst into a sudden chuckle, tilting my head. "What on earth is that?"

​"I like it," he defended, a boyish grin taking over his face. "And that's exactly what I'm going to call you from now on."

​I laughed harder, the ridiculous nickname completely melting away the last of my high-society nerves. But my laughter died down as Ethan suddenly leaned across the steering, closing the distance between us. He pressed a slow, lingering kiss onto my lips.

​When he finally pulled away, he didn't move back to his side of the car. He stayed close, his dark eyes intensely fixed on mine as he slowly bit his lower lip.

​"Don't you want to be my real girlfriend, Kattie Berry?"