Page 197 of The Perfect Spiral
I feel my cheeks get warmer with a blush of embarrassment. He can’t say shit like that to me in public.
“I hate you,” I playfully whisper back, a sarcastic smile on my face.
“Perfect! Perfect! Now kiss each other! Kiss!” The clamor of the photographers pulls me back to the present. There are so many cameras. I feel his arm slide around my waist, drawing me subtly closer to him.
We smile for the cameras as they clamor for our attention, chanting “Kiss” over and over. It feels like I’m at the zoo, surrounded by a pack of wild animals.
Eventually, we move on, spotting a cluster of TV cameras off to the side. Knox’s agent is briefing him on which ones he’ll be speaking to—E-News, Entertainment Tonight, and so on.
As he guides me along, I lean in to whisper, “Maybe I should stay here and wait until you’re finished?”
He grins and shakes his head. “You’re staying with me.”
Chapter 68
Our first stop is Enews. As they greet Knox, I step away fromhim, not wanting to give them any reason to focus on us. Tonight is all about him.
“We have the man of the night with us here right now, Knox Carter. Voted the sexiest man alive by People Magazine for the third year in a row. What does it feel like retaining that title, Knox? You must get a lot of attention with that!” The host, Cat, holds the microphone up to his mouth.
His hand rests lightly on the small of my back, fingers tracing circles. Is he nervous?
“Well, it’s flattering to be voted for that for the third time in a row. It’s very kind that People Magazine is giving me this award tonight,” he deftly sidesteps the question about attention. I’m impressed.
“What’s your secret to looking so good?” I stifle a laugh as the camera swings to me. I clutch my purse in front of me with both hands, trying not to laugh on live TV.
“Well, I work out almost every day, I eat the right stuff that gives me the right nutrients for my body. But it’s mainly working out, I like to stay fit and in shape,” he replies.
“It’s clearly working for you and making all the ladies fall for you!”
“Oh, I don’t know about that! I do it for me, not for people,” he says, once again avoiding the obvious reference to his many admirers.
And he does have many admirers. He’s known as the world’s playboy, the sex god of women’s dreams. The cause of panties dropping and hearts racing with just one look.
He has the body of a god, a million-dollar smile, and the king of sexy smirks. His eyes make you want to climb on top of him. His lips make you want to kiss him and never stop.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Knox Carter, the face you want to sit on for all of eternity. And let’s not forget that golden tongue and magical fingers.
“I see you’ve brought yourself a date tonight? Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’ve never brought a date with you to any of your events?”
“Yes, well, Alex was in the city for the Science Conference yesterday for a talk on girls in STEM, so I asked her to join me tonight. Isn’t that right, bab—Alex?” He corrects himself just in time, almost calling me by a nickname on live TV. My eyes widen as I realize I have to answer. “Yes, well, he came to support me yesterday during my talk so I thought I’d come to support him tonight if he wanted me to attend. So, here I am,” I say, laughing nervously. His hand applies a little more pressure on my back, moving dangerously low.
“I have to say you’re both the best dressed of the night tonight—” Yeah, right, Cat. We’re probably the hundredth couple you’ve told that to. “Who are you both wearing?”
“I’m wearing Armani,” Knox answers smoothly.
“I’m wearing Givenchy,” I add, and she beams at me.
“That dress looks great on you, Alex! And your shoes? Are they Givenchy too?”
I shake my head and laugh. “No, these are from Zara, and so is this clutch,” I say, holding up my purse.
“Wow! They look so expensive,” she winks at me, and we say our goodbyes before moving on to the next set of cameras. The questions are all the same.
As we make our way up the steps, I see Lauren standing there with a glare on her face.
“Ugh, great...” Knox comments sarcastically, his hand still resting on my back. This should be fun.
We keep walking, the bodyguards stepping in front of us to block anyone from getting to Knox. Mainly Lauren. She stands there, arms crossed, glaring at us as we walk by.
