Chapter 3

Maya’s POV

The world went dead silent for three whole seconds.

"What?" I gasped, convinced I had misheard him.

"Fake date me," he repeated, leaning down slightly so his eyes were level with mine. "We make a few public appearances. We go to a couple of high-profile dinners. You get full, exclusive access to my life for your journalism career—articles, quotes, whatever you need to get promoted. And in exchange, I get the press off my back about my private life."

I stared at him, my mouth slightly open. "You're insane."

"I'm pragmatic," Knox countered, a dark spark in his eyes. "It helps my image, it launches your career, and you get your story."

"No," I said, shaking my head and taking a step back. "No way. I am not getting involved in a fake media circus with a professional athlete."

"Why me?" I whispered. "You could ask any woman in this room."

Knox’s gaze dropped to my lips for a fraction of a second before meeting my eyes again. "Because you're the only woman who didn't back down when I told you to move."

Before I could answer, the heavy glass doors of the patio swung open. A high-pitched, sharp voice chimed through the night air.

"Knox!"

A tall, polished blonde in a silk crimson gown glided onto the balcony, her heels clicking loudly against the stone tiles.

Gigi Carson. Tabloids had been predicting her engagement to Knox for years.

"There you are," Gigi said, wrapping her arm possessively around Knox’s elbow. Her icy blue eyes swept over me with cold disgust. "A journalist? Really, Knox? You know how filthy these little media leeches are."

A hot wave of anger flashed in my chest, but before I could speak, Knox firmly unclasped Gigi’s hand from his arm.

"Watch your mouth, Gigi," Knox said, his voice dropping into a flat, dangerous register. "Maya is with me."

Gigi’s jaw tightened in utter disbelief before she turned on her heel and marched back into the ballroom.

I let out a shaky breath, the lingering anger and adrenaline from the night crashing over me all at once. Knox looked down at me, his dark eyes heavy and unreadable as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys.

"Come on, reporter," Knox murmured, his voice low and gravelly. "Let's get out of here before Black or Gigi come back out."

Ten minutes later, we were speeding away from the Grand Hotel in Knox's sleek black sports car, leaving the glittering lights of the gala behind us. The tension inside the quiet leather interior was thick, suffocating, and charged with something dangerous. Knox drove with one hand on the wheel, pulling the car onto a deserted, dimly lit overlook far away from the city traffic, parked right against the tree line where no cameras could ever find us.

He cut the engine. Total silence filled the car, save for the heavy sound of our breath.

I turned my head to look at him, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Knox—"

Knox didn't let me finish. He turned in his seat, his massive hand reaching out to cup the back of my neck, his long fingers tangling in my dark hair.

"You talk too much, Valeria," he growled.

He pulled me forward, and his lips slammed against mine in a dark, bruising kiss.

A sharp gasp hitched in my throat, but instead of pulling away, I melted completely into the heat of him. The taste of whiskey, cedarwood, and pure possessive hunger filled my senses. His tongue slid against mine, rough and demanding, claiming every inch of my mouth until I was gripping his broad shoulders, my fingernails digging into the fabric of his suit jacket.

Knox let out a low, guttural groan against my lips. Without breaking the kiss, his broad hands moved down to the hem of my black dress, bunching up the silk until it was pushed high around my waist. He reached down and cleanly tore my lace underwear away, throwing the fabric onto the floorboards.

"Knox..." I whimpered, my head falling back against the leather seat as his warm, calloused hand slid up the inside of my thigh.

He didn't answer with words. Knox dropped his head between my knees, his dark hair brushing against my bare skin. My breath caught as his hot tongue swept over my damp center, slow and deliberate, before licking upward to hit my sensitive peak.

"Oh God," I cried out, my hands tangling into his hair, my hips instinctively arching upward.

Knox held my thighs pinned against the seat, his mouth relentless as he sucked and stroked my aching flesh. He licked me deep and hard, his thumb applying a heavy, rhythmic pressure that sent white-hot electricity shooting straight down my spine.

The sensation was overwhelming, brilliant, and dirty—far beyond anything I had ever felt. My body convulsed, a violent wave of pleasure crashing through me as I shattered against his mouth, my legs trembling uncontrollably.

Before I could even gather my breath, Knox hauled me up into his lap, straddling his broad thighs in the cramped front seat. His dark eyes were black with unbridled hunger. He reached down, unbuckling his trousers and freeing his thick, rock-hard shaft.

He didn't ask. He gripped my hips with his massive hands, aligned his head with my slick entrance, and plunged straight into me in one deep, agonizingly perfect stroke.

I screamed into the quiet of the car, my fingers digging desperately into his tattooed shoulders as he filled me entirely. He was huge, stretching me to my absolute limit, his thick length throbbing deep inside my tight warmth.

"Look at me, Maya," Knox growled in my ear, his voice dark and raw.

I opened my eyes, meeting his pitch-black gaze as he lifted my hips and slammed back up into me. The impact was brutal, deep, and relentless. He set a devastating pace, his heavy hips driving into mine again and again, the leather seats squeaking beneath the sheer force of his thrusts.

"Knox, please—" I sobbed, the friction inside me building into another unbearable coil of heat.

"You're mine tonight," Knox rasped, his teeth grazing the tender skin of my collarbone as his chest heaved against mine. He thrust deeper, hit an angle that shattered my remaining sanity, and lifted me higher only to drive down harder, pounding into me until I was crying out his name in helpless ruin.

My walls clamped down hard around his thick shaft as my second climax hit me like a freight train. Knox let out a harsh, guttural roar, driving into me one last, deep time before burying his head in my neck and coming violently inside me, his hot seed flooding my center as his entire body shook with release.

Minutes passed in agonizing stillness.

The heat inside the car slowly faded, replaced by the reality of the cold night air filtering through the half-open window.

I was slumped against Knox's chest, my dark hair a tangled mess, my dress still shoved around my waist, and my skin covered in a sheen of sweat. Beneath me, Knox was still buried inside me, his broad chest heaving as his breathing gradually slowed down.

His hands were still resting heavily on my hips, but his grip had loosened.

I looked down at the mess of torn lace on the floorboards, then at the tangled fabric of his unbuttoned dress shirt. A sudden, ice-cold dread washed over my chest, instantly drowning out the lingering heat of the pleasure.

What did I just do?

I had just spent two years hiding in the shadows with Jonathan, desperate for something real, only to throw my body at Knox Mercer. He is a dangerous, unpredictable rival athlete, and he f*cked me at the back of his car after knowing him for less than an hour.

Knox shifted beneath me, his dark eyes slowly opening. He looked up at my frozen, pale face, his sharp jaw tightening as he registered the sheer shock and horror in my eyes.

I pushed off his chest, scrambling off his lap and stumbling back into the passenger seat, frantically pulling down the hem of my dress with shaking hands.

"Maya—" Knox started, his deep voice thick and rough.

"Don't," I choked out, my voice trembling as tears of pure shock prickled at the corners of my eyes. "Don't say anything. Please."