INICIAR SESIÓNHunter's lips were warm.Maya's breath hitched as every camera in the room seemed to explode at once. Flashes lit up the platform from every direction, followed by a wave of excited murmurs that swept through the ballroom.She forgot about the reporters.Forgot about the cameras.Forgot this was supposed to be fake.For one impossible second, there was only Hunter Callum.Then he pulled away.His thumb brushed lightly against her jaw before he let his hand fall.The ballroom erupted even more."Holy shit... he actually kissed her."The whisper spread through the ballroom almost instantly.Maya could still feel Hunter's lips on hers as the room erupted into applause, cheers and the relentless clicking of camera shutters.She stared at him for a heartbeat, her mind refusing to catch up with what had just happened.Hunter looked as composed as ever.As though kissing her in front of dozens of reporters hadn't affected him in the slightest.Sarah cleared her throat."That'll be all for no
“It's time,” Holiday said.Hunter looked at Maya. Her eyes were still glistening.“You okay?” he asked quietly. “If you're not ready, I can stall.”Maya forced a small smile and shook her head. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner they could leave.She just wanted to be alone. Somewhere quiet. Away from all of this.“I'm fine,” she said with a sigh. “Let's just get this over with.”Holiday nodded, a faint smile touching her lips.“That's the spirit.”Holiday's assistant, Sarah, hurried over.“Ms. Adams, this way please.”She gestured toward the platform and turned to lead the way.Maya took a step forward, but Hunter caught her hand, weaving his fingers through hers.She glanced down at their joined hands. For some reason, the simple gesture sent goosebumps across her skin.“Is this necessary?” she asked as they walked.Hunter didn't answer immediately.After a moment, he nodded.“Yes. For the cameras.” His lips curved into a faint smile. “And for emotional support.”Maya lo
“Jessie... I can explain,” Maya said.Her heart was beating faster than it should have been. She'd known there was a chance this could happen the second she agreed to come tonight. There was no way she could show up at a charity gala on Hunter Callum's arm and somehow avoid running into her best friend.Jessie simply stood there with her arms crossed.“Okay,” she said. “Then explain.”Maya opened her mouth. She could tell Jessie. Maybe not everything, but enough for her to understand. Jessie had been her best friend for years. If there was one person she trusted to keep a secret, it was her.“It's just—”The words caught in her throat.Her gaze drifted across the room for only a second before she immediately regretted it.Holiday Winters was standing near one of the floor-to-ceiling windows on the opposite side of the ballroom, a champagne flute hanging loosely from her fingers.And she was staring directly at Maya.Maya's stomach immediately dropped.“Jessie... I—it’s not what you th
"So…"Chloe's smile hadn't moved an inch."Hunter Callum."Maya took a slow sip of champagne. "Is there a question in there somewhere?""Several actually." Chloe tilted her head. "Since when?""Since when what?""Since when are you and Hunter Callum…" she gestured between them, "...a thing?""We're private people."Chloe laughed. Bright and short. "Maya. Two days ago you were escorted out of Hart with a cardboard box. Tonight you're here." A glance toward Hunter. "With him.""People have weekends, Chloe.""Sure." She swirled her champagne slowly. "I just find the timing interesting.""Do you?""The interview gets pulled from you." Chloe paused. "And it turns out you've been dating the subject the whole time." Another pause. "That's quite a thing to leave out."There it was. Not an accusation. Just a sentence shaped exactly like one."I don't mix my personal life with work," Maya said. "You'd know that if we'd ever actually talked."Chloe's smile didn't waver. "We're talking now.""Are
Immediately the door opened, the world got very loud and very fast around her..The light hit her first. Not soft event lighting but the hard aggressive flash of cameras going off in rapid succession, a wall of it, and behind the light came the noise. People calling Hunter's name. Questions fired from every direction. The low roar of a crowd that had been waiting and had now gotten exactly what it came for.Maya's feet almost stopped moving.Almost.Hunter's hand found the small of her back with light pressure but was gone in a second."Don't stop walking," he said quietly. Close enough that nobody else caught it and only she could hear it.She kept walking.The cameras were relentless. She'd seen red carpets on screens her entire life and understood them the way you understand things you've never actually stood inside. This was different. This was flashes going off so fast they bled together and strangers calling her name even though she hadn't told anyone her name and the very speci
The stupid Callum 27 jersey had to go.That was Maya's first coherent thought stepping back into her bedroom. The second was that she had approximately three hours to transform from a woman who had spent the night in a hockey player's penthouse into someone who looked like she belonged on his arm in front of cameras.No pressure.She peeled the jersey off carefully and folded it without examining why she folded it instead of dropping it on the floor like everything else.Her phone was already buzzing.Jessie's name four times in a row.:Hey. Haven't seen you since yesterday. You okay?:Seriously, talk to me.:Also I know you can't come tonight and that's genuinely so unfair. You didn't deserve any of it.:I'll tell you everything tomorrow, okay? You're not missing much. Probably just Chloe in a better dress being insufferable as usual.Maya read them twice. Set the phone down. Picked it up again.:I'm okay. Promise. Have fun tonight.Sent it before she could think too hard about how e
Maya stirred slowly to warmth pressed firmly against her back and an arm draped heavily across her waist beneath the blankets.For a few quiet seconds, she didn’t move.Hanger over effects. Her head felt heavy. Her thoughts slow and foggy beneath the lingering haze of alcohol while soft morning lig
“Hunter Callum?” Someone gasped from the crowd.It couldn't be him right?Maya stared at him through the flashing club lights, her tequila-soaked brain trying and failing to properly process what the hell was happening.Then she frowned. “No.”The man standing in front of her raised a brow slightly
“Jessie,” Maya muttered without looking up, “if you came back just to judge me some more, I want you to know our friendship is becoming toxic.” A low laugh sounded beside her. It didn't sound like Jessie. Definitely not Jessie. Maya paused for a second too long, her brain slightly delayed in catc
“Fuck Hunter Callum.” She said the second she sat down, before Jessie could even open her mouth. Jessie blinked at her. “Hello to you too.” “And fuck Chloe Miller.” She added, flagging down the bartender. “Especially Chloe Miller.” “Okay.” Jessie nodded slowly. “We’re doing this.” “Whiskey,” sh







