Page 1 of Pucking Knox
Chapter 1
If you're going to sin, sin spectacularly.
That's what my best friend Sawyer always says, and tonight, I'm finally taking her advice. I check my reflection one last time in my dorm room mirror, barely recognizing the girl staring back at me. The skin-tight black dress hugs curves I usually hide under sensible sweaters and A-line skirts. My dark hair falls in waves past my shoulders instead of its usual strict ponytail, and smoky eyeshadow makes my green eyes look dangerous instead of innocent.
Gone is Senator Richard Walters' perfect daughter. Tonight, I'm just Kennedy – a college sophomore with a mission.
"Your father would have an actual heart attack if he saw you right now," Sawyer says, appearing behind me in the mirror. She looks like sin personified in a red crop top and leather pants. "Which means my work here is done."
I smooth my hands over the dress for the hundredth time. "Are you sure it's not too much?"
"Kennedy." Sawyer grabs my shoulders, spinning me to face her. "The whole point is that it's too much. You've spent nineteen years being exactly enough. Being proper. Being perfect. Beingpresidential." She spits the word like it's poison. "Tonight is about being too much."
She's right. That's exactly why I'm doing this.
My phone buzzes with a text from my brother. I ignore it.
"Run through the plan with me one more time," Sawyer demands.
I roll my eyes but comply. "Get to the Kappa Pi party by eleven. Find a hockey player – preferably one of the less notorious ones. Get him alone. Lose my virginity. Successfully shed the 'virgin church girl' image my father's been exploiting for his Senate campaign."
"And most importantly?"
"Don't let Ace find out I’m losing it to one of his teammates."
My brother would quite literally murder any player who touched me. If I’m not mistaken, nobody on the team even knows I exist. He’s kept it that way for a reason. But that is exactly why this plan will work. No one would ever suspect that this is my deflowering plan.
I've already picked my mark: Harvey Reynolds. He's smart, relatively drama-free, and most importantly, discrete. The perfect candidate to help me shed this suffocating image of purity my father has built his whole campaign around.
My phone buzzes again. This time it's Instagram, showing me a post I wish I hadn't seen. Knox Thompson, celebrating his lateston-ice fight with a bloody smile. The caption reads:Another day, another enforcer put in his place.
I quickly scroll past. Knox might be my brother's best friend and roommate, but he represents everything I'm trying to avoid tonight. He's volatile, dangerous, and leaves destruction in his wake both on and off the ice. The fact that he's gorgeous only makes him more lethal.
"Kenny." Sawyer calls out. "Our Uber's here."
The drive to the frat house takes exactly eight minutes – long enough for my courage to waver twice and for Sawyer to talk me back into it both times. Music pulses through the air as we approach, bass so heavy I can feel it in my chest. Or maybe that's just my heartbeat.
"Remember," Sawyer says as we walk up the path, "you're not Senator Walters' daughter tonight. You're just a hot sophomore who's ready to have some fun."
I repeat it like a mantra as we enter the party.Not a senator's daughter. Not a campaign prop. Not a geek. Just Kennedy.
The house is packed, air thick with beer and noise. Bodies press together, grinding to the music, inhibitions dissolved by red solo cups and dim lighting. I spot several of Ace's teammates immediately – they're easy to pick out, being generally the largest guys in any room.
Harvey is by the beer pong table, watching a few other players miss the cup. He looks good in dark jeans and a blue button-down that emphasizes his broad shoulders. Safe. Clean-cut. Perfect.
"Shots first," Sawyer declares, dragging me toward the kitchen. "You need liquid courage."
She's not wrong. We do two shots of something sweet and burning, then another for good measure. The alcohol hits my system quickly, softening the world's sharp edges. When a fourth shot appears in front of me, I don't question it.
That's when I feel it – that distinct sensation of being watched. I scan the room and my breath catches. Knox Thompson is leaning against the far wall, arms crossed over his chest, staring directly at me. Even from here, I can see the bruise darkening his jaw from today's fight.
I force myself to look away. Knox always watches me like that if he sees me out, playing the role of my brother's enforcer even when Ace isn't around. Usually, I let it intimidate me into good behavior.
Not tonight.
The alcohol emboldens me, and I let Sawyer pull me onto the dance floor. The music thrums through my blood, and I move in ways Senator Walters' daughter never would. When I glance back at Knox, his jaw is clenched tight enough to crack teeth.
Good, I think spitefully.Let him see I'm not the innocent little girl he needs to protect.
