19. Cheyenne
Cheyenne
My sister’s fingers lock around my wrist as she pulls me toward the ladies’ room.
“Well, this is certainly an interesting turn of events,” she says, weaving through clusters of guests in glittering gowns and tailored tuxes.
A helpless laugh slips from me. “I knew you’d think so.”
The bathroom door swings shut behind us, muting the noise from the ballroom to a distant thrum. Inside, everything is marble counters, gold fixtures, and lighting designed to make everyone look airbrushed and flawless.
The second we’re alone, Britt turns toward me. “You and Knox are everywhere.”
My stomach dips. “What do you mean?”
She’s already digging into her clutch for her phone. A second later, she shoves the screen in my face.
And there it is.
The kiss from outside.
My pulse stutters. For one second, a traitorous thrill runs through me before embarrassment follows quickly on its heels. The whole world is speculating about a moment I’m no longer sure was entirely fake.
“That kiss on the red carpet is already going viral, and Mom has been blowing up my phone for the past ten minutes.”
Heat creeps up my neck as I smooth a hand over my hair, even though not a strand is out of place. “Knox offered to help me out,” I say, aiming for casual and missing by a mile. “The whole point was to make it look convincing.”
Britt glances down at the photo again. “Mission accomplished, because that’s extremely convincing.”
I drag in a breath. “Then hopefully it works and Dakota moves on without any further incidents.”
An image of him standing outside Knox’s building looking wild-eyed, furious, and unsteady flashes through my mind.
When my sister continues to study me, I add, “Don’t worry. There’s nothing going on between us.”
“I hope not. I love Knox, but he’s not ready to settle down.”
With a nod, I force a smile. “Completely agree.”
As much as I remind myself this situation is temporary, the last few days have been unexpectedly nice.
Running beside the lake at sunrise. Ordering in Chinese food.
Watching movies curled up on his couch. Easy conversations, charged silences, and the quiet comfort of being with him in ways I never imagined.
Knox has never given any woman a permanent place in his life, and it would be foolish to pretend I might be the exception.
Britt studies me, as if she can hear every thought I’m trying not to say out loud. “Are you sure feelings aren’t involved?”
“Yup,” I say a little too quickly. “It’s all for the cameras.”
Her brows lift, but she doesn’t argue. Instead, she pulls out her compact and checks her face.
“Well,” she says lightly, “you two look like a real couple to me.”
I turn to the mirror and dab at my lipstick, grateful my reflection appears far calmer than I feel.
“We should probably get back,” I say, wanting to shut down this conversation.
Britt snaps her compact shut. “Lead the way.”
Before walking out of the restroom, I pause for one steadying breath and square my shoulders. As we step back inside the ballroom, sounds crash over us all at once. Music. Laughter. Clinking crystal. Somehow the crowd has doubled in size while we were gone.
We barely make it a dozen steps before a woman in a navy gown stops Britt with a gasp.
“Oh my gosh, I loved your last album. We were lucky enough to snag tickets for your Denver concert.” Her attention shifts to me. “And I have to say, your show is one of my guilty pleasures.”
Britt and I smile automatically. It’s muscle memory at this point. We’ve spent years in the public eye, putting on a front while feeling something entirely different beneath the surface.
We pose for a quick photo, thank her, and move on.
Mom would be proud.
“Cheyenne?”
I turn to find a handsome man in a tailored tux with broad shoulders and an easy grin heading my way. Hockey player, if I had to guess. There’s a certain confidence in his stance and swagger.
“Hello,” I say.
“I had no idea you were this stunning in person,” he says smoothly. “I love your show.”
I smile. “Thank you.”
“I was going to have my agent reach out to yours and introduce us. But this is much better.”
From beside me, I see Britt’s mouth twitch, and I shoot her a quick look that says don’t you dare.
We exchange a few harmless words. It’s the kind of conversation I’ve had a hundred times before. Easy enough to smile through without taking seriously.
After a few minutes, awareness prickles across my skin, and I lift my gaze to find Knox. Even though he’s standing across the room, talking to his family, his attention remains locked on me.
When he lifts a brow, I shrug.
My pulse jumps as he cuts across the ballroom with the kind of purposeful stride that makes the crowd part around him without even realizing it.
By the time he reaches us, my heart is beating way too fast. His arm slides around me with one smooth movement, pulling me close enough to catch his woodsy scent.
He glances at the other man. “Hey, Callahan. Mind if I steal my girlfriend?”
Girlfriend.
The word lands low in my gut.
The other man grins before raising both hands. “All yours.”
Knox’s grip tightens ever so slightly as he steers me away from his teammate. Britt’s gaze flicks between us, and the knowing look on her face has heat rising to my cheeks.
“I’m going to find Colby,” she says, already turning away. “You two have fun.”
And just like that, we’re left to our own devices. I’m far too aware of his hand on my body as he guides me through the crowd.
“Are you actually leading me to the dance floor, McNichols?” I ask as he turns me toward him. “Well, color me surprised.”
He shrugs as one hand settles at the small of my back. “I figured it would be a good photo op.”
There’s no reason his response should sting. We’re here for optics and appearances. Still, the disappointment welling inside me is more than I’m prepared for.
I force a smile. “Right.”
The music is slow enough that we sway more than dance as the heat of his palm burns through the thin fabric straight down to my flesh. Under the ballroom lights, his black eye looks even darker than before, and the sight twists my insides every time I glance at it.
Knox is hurt because of me.
Or at least because of the situation.
“Should I be surprised you’re this smooth on your feet?” I ask, wanting to distract myself from those thoughts.
A crooked smile tugs at his mouth. “Nah. It’s just another thing I’m good at.”
I laugh softly. “At least you’re not cocky.”
“Nope. Never that.”
I catch sight of his father leading his mother onto the dance floor. It’s sweet how easily they move together.
“Did you know they’d be here?”
His expression softens as he glances in their direction. “Nope, total surprise. But it’s nice to see them.”
“It is.” I force my attention back to him. “I’ve always liked your family.”
“They like you too.”
My pulse flutters again. “I assume they were surprised to find us together?”
“That would be an understatement.” After a beat he adds, “Although, I filled them in on what’s going on, so no worries on that front.”
“Good,” I say, keeping my smile firmly intact. “I let Britt know too. Now everyone’s on the same page.”
The words sound tidy.
Neat.
Reasonable.
A lie in their own way, because maybe everyone understands the explanation, but emotionally, Knox and I are nowhere close to being on the same page.
Not when he says that I’m his girl and looks at me with something in his eyes I can’t quite name, only to toss out words like photo op as if none of it means anything at all.
His gaze dips to my mouth, and the shift in the air is brief, but I still feel it everywhere.
His teeth catch on his lower lip before his eyes lift again, and the memory of the kiss slams back into me with humiliating force. The red carpet. The cameras. The way his mouth slanted over mine had felt anything but fake.
“Yeah,” he says quietly. “Same page.”
When his arm tightens, pulling me closer, I rest my head against his chest. The moment I do, my muscles loosen.
His body is warm and solid beneath the crisp lines of his tux.
His heartbeat is a steady thrum under my ear.
The scent of him wraps around me as we move together.
It’s slow and close enough that it would be intimate even without everything else humming between us.
This shouldn’t feel as good as it does.
Or as natural.
And it definitely shouldn’t make me want to forget this is temporary. For one fleeting moment as I’m held against him, I almost do.
Movement at the edge of the dance floor catches my eye.
I blink as a familiar profile with a medium build and dark hair melts away.
My heart slams against my ribs as I scan the crowd.
Guests shift and laughter rings out as servers weave between tables.
I search the room again, but the face I thought I saw is nowhere to be seen.
Was he ever there?
Or is Dakota so far inside my head that every dark-haired man in a crowded room is enough to send me spiraling?
I hate that I can’t tell the difference.
“What’s wrong?” Knox asks.
I look up and find him frowning, his attention fastened to me.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “For just a second, I thought I saw Dakota.”
His posture immediately changes, going on high alert, as his gaze sweeps the room. “Where?”
I nod toward the edge of the dance floor. “Over there, I think, but it’s possible I imagined it. Maybe my mind’s playing tricks on me.”
He doesn’t laugh or dismiss my concerns. That alone makes me feel better.
“We should go,” he says.
“What? We just got here.”
“I know.” His arm remains wrapped around me. “But I’m not about to take any chances with your safety.”
The certainty in his voice cuts through all my doubts.
“Your ex isn’t thinking clearly,” he continues. “And what he proved this morning is that he’s dangerous.”
A photographer calls out Knox’s name, probably hoping for one more picture, but he ignores him completely. Another guest smiles like she might stop us, but one glance at Knox’s face is enough to make her step aside.
His focus never wavers as his hand settles at my lower back and he guides me off the dance floor and through the crowd. His gaze sweeps the room like he’s ready to throw himself between me and any threat that dares to get too close.
With Knox’s body a solid, steady presence beside me, I feel safe.
Safe enough that I can already feel how easy it would be to get used to this.
And that might be what scares me most.