Prologue
The confetti hadn’t even hit the ground before Maya Lane knew she was screwed.
The arena was electric—flashing lights, roaring fans, cameras zooming in from every angle—and there she was, front and center in her glittering uniform, stuck mid-split with a fake smile frozen on her face while the rest of her cheer squad looked at her like she’d detonated a bomb at center court.
Which, technically, she had.
Not literally.
But close enough.
One slip mid-routine. One snarky comment about the head coach’s daughter—who couldn’t land a backflip to save her life—and one viral video that, according to her coach, “brought shame to the entire organization”. That was all it took. Three years as a professional cheerleader, wiped out in twenty-four hours.
Now, with nothing left to lose and $187 to her name, Maya Lane was starting over in New York City. The dream was dead. The glitter was gone. And she had officially hit rock bottom.
Which was how she ended up here:
Sweating inside a massive cat costume as the anonymous, oversized mascot for the New York Wildcats—an NBA team with loyal fans, terrible luck, and a ridiculous amount of pride in a dancing feline.
Maya used to command attention on the court in rhinestones and high ponytails. Now, she was waving at toddlers in fake fur and hoping she wouldn’t pass out before halftime.
It was humiliating.
It was anonymous.
And it was only temporary.
Or at least, that’s what she told herself—right before a wild night, a dare, and one gorgeous, cocky stranger led her into a one-night stand she couldn’t stop thinking about.
The morning after?
He turned out to be none other than Nathan Reid.
The Wildcats’ golden-boy MVP. The team’s clean-cut franchise star.
And her new coworker.
The worst part?
He didn’t even know it was her.
Not yet.
