My forehead wrinkled. “Ipulled? You thinkIleaked the video . . . a video I didn’t know existed?”
“You asked me to pretend to be your boyfriend, remember?” He took another swig, his energy hard to read now that we were alone. He seemed angry, yet the way his smoldering eyes swept my body suggested otherwise. “What did you do? Pay the restaurant manager for the video?”
“Youwere the one who brought me back there and went down on me,” I accused, placing my hands on my hips. “I had no idea what you were planning.”
He shot back. “And you damn sure didn’t protest, probably already scheming whether there was a camera or had yourfriendpay a staff member to edit since the only part we see is me on my knees. Your face is barely captured. Got to make sure you don’t mess up your chances at Rice.” He sucked his teeth. “I hate thirsty women.”
My head snapped hard. “I’mnotthirsting after you, willing to do anything to be with you,orto get your attention.Youcame afterme. The fact that I never called you should speak volumes.”
He moved closer, and I refused to step back, though his nearness had a heady effect. “Yet you traveled on a whim to be at my race the day after the video drops.”
Resisting the urge to stomp my foot, I explained, “That’s because you weren’t answering my calls or texts, and I thought you were pissed with me because of the video and the damage it might cause. I felt horrible and sick to my stomach when I saw the video. I wanted you to know I had nothing to do with it, and if I could do anything to fix it, I would. Figured you might receive me better in person than by phone.”
“I am pissed. Not past tense. And it did cause damage.” Still nursing the sweating bottle, he tugged on my dress near my breasts, pulling me even closer to him. “You’re so damn lucky I have a weakness for gorgeous women. I should throw your conniving ass out of here.”
Livid that he would dare insinuate that I had ulterior motives, well . . . I did . . . just not as he believed it to be. I slapped his chest and met his discerning gaze. “I swear I didn’t set you up or know about any video.”
Canaan shook his head and scoffed, “I’m supposed to believe that you wanted me to pretend to be your boyfriend, but you didn’t leak that video?”
I gritted my teeth. “If you think I’m a conniving ass, throw your new fiancée out right now and watch the media go even crazier.”
He sneered. “You would love that. Have everybody chomping at the bit when you post it or write about it in your next book. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your following is now past three million.”
I argued indignantly, “Believe it or not, I would never want my career to rise at the demise of someone else’s career, even a man I hate.”
Canaan suddenly dragged the cool end of the bottle from the top of my cleavage and pushed the material down in the middle, slowly exposing my pink strapless bra. “Hate? How can you hate me when all you want me to do is to have you again?”
Rendered utterly helpless by his incredibly bold and sexy move, I closed my eyes. He rubbed the glass against my rigid nipple that was achingly pushed against my bra. Then his mouth followed the bottle, and he sucked on my breast through the material while his hand slipped under my dress to find my slick button. I gasped and grabbed his neck to balance myself. The pace and rhythm of his sucking matched his finger as he slowly indulged in pleasuring me. When my pants grew louder, and my hips swayed against him, he lifted his head and removed his hand. “Open your eyes, Kensie.”
I slowly opened my eyes and stared at him, wondering what game he was playing.
“I believe you didn’t set me up. Your face is far too expressive to lie to me.” The corner of his lips curled.
Relief washed over me before anger jumped ahead, and I pushed him away. “Stop playing with me, Canaan.”
“I’m not.” He quirked a brow before taking another gulp of champagne. “I’ll buy you a ring once we get to Miami, and we’ll pretend we’re engaged long enough for me to win a couple of F1 races and for this video to blow over. Get the media off my back and make sure I don’t lose any more sponsors. I can fund this whole operation myself, but it’s all about which big company will back you. As dangerous as this sport is, it’s a family sport, and my image must reflect good old family values, which means marriage.” He took another long gulp.
“Once we get to Miami?”
“We leave with my team for Miami the day after tomorrow. My manager already booked a villa for our stay.”
I noted he used “we” and “our” as if it were a foregone conclusion that I would go wherever he was. “When’s the race?”
“May.”
“That’s three months, Canaan. I’m supposed to drop everything and be with you in another city for three months?” I asked incredulously.
“I’ll buy whatever you need. You can work from Miami. Talk it over with your professors. Take a leave if you need to.”
“No. I work too hard to give it up for any man, especially myfakeman.” I crossed my arms. “I’m almost finished. A few more months before I put ‘doctor’ before my name.”
“Like you have a choice.” He scoffed and swallowed the rest of his champagne. “Figure it out. I’m not fucking up my dream because of a woman. I have too much at stake. You don’t.”
“Youwent down onme,” I shouted and waved my arms wildly. “I didn’t cause any of this.” His dismissal of my equally important dream hurt.
Canaan caught my arms. “Maybe not, but we can make the best of it. Fly back and forth once a month if you have to. Just think of how much your fanbase will grow once everyone finds out we’re engaged and living in Miami for three months. You’re living the dream you wrote about in your book. You can even chronicle our journey from college students to my road as the first African-Caribbean-American to win a NASCAR race and a Formula One race. Sounds like another bestseller to me.” He squeezed me. “Stop thinking. You don’t have a choice. I need my futurewifeto be by my side as I prepare to drive the race of my life. If you return home, the world will know I just lied to cover my ass.”
I stared back, digesting his plan. “If I go along with this, we pretend in every way . . . including the bedroom.” I jabbed my finger at him. “Youdon’tget to sex me whenever you want and dump me when you’re done. When this is over, I want a clean break from you. Sex will only complicate things.”
