Free Tormented by Jani Kay, Lauren McKellar Page A

event was well attended and the room was buzzing with excitement and anticipation. In the far corner a string quartet was playing yet it was hardly audible over the chatter of voices. I grabbed two glasses of champagne from the smartly dressed waiter’s tray and handed one to Eva. The young man was grinning and making eyes at Eva, so I thanked him curtly and guided her further into the room with my hand possessively in the small of her back.
    Eva let out a long breath as we reached our table without bumping into anyone we knew. Frowning, I scanned the seats—each one of them was filled already. I motioned for a waitperson to come over and fix the problem as everyone at the table turned to us.
    A woman with far too much makeup, who was showing more cleavage than necessary, spoke up. “Oh, you’re the chosen couple tonight. Senator Parker requested that you sit at his table. Aren’t you lucky?”
    Eva’s smile slipped off her face as the news hit her. Her fingers dug into my arm. “Harrison,” she groaned. “I can’t.”
    My eyes burned into hers. The fucker knew already. He was expecting us.
    I pulled her closer to me, my arm snaking around her waist. I spoke into her ear. “It's going to be fine. Let’s show the senator what he’s missing, yeah? You can do this, Eva.”
    Her back straightened. “Okay. But please let’s not stay long—”
    “Baby, I have every intention of getting you out of here as soon as possible. Trust me, okay?”
    She stared into my eyes for a long moment before nodding. “Okay,” she said in a shaky voice. I knew she meant more than just here and now. My chest swelled with pride. My woman trusted me, and I was damn well going to be worthy of that honor.

Chapter 15 — Eva
    S miling weakly at Harrison, I nodded politely at the people already seated at the new table we’d been directed to before sitting down. From what I could tell, Nolan hadn’t shown up yet, and maybe he’d be too busy with speeches and kissing ass to bother me.
    Harrison pushed my chair in and rested a hand on my shoulder. It was warm and reassuring, yet I couldn’t prevent the icy shiver that ran up my spine. Once I said goodbye to someone, I hated coming into contact with them again. I wasn’t one of those women who never let go of an ex. I didn’t hoard baggage or ponder the reasons why things turned out the way they did. Once it ended, I moved on. Nolan was no different. I simply had nothing left to say to the asshole who thought he could cheat on me and get away with it.
    “Is Savage going to be here?” At least I’d have one friendly and familiar face around besides Harrison’s. I was going to need it.
    Harrison pushed his chest out and mustered a smile. “Yeah, of course. He’s part of the Dream Team. I wouldn’t be up for this award if it weren’t for my partner.”
    Running a quick scan over the room, I brought my gaze back to my date. “I haven’t seen him yet and he’s as hard to miss as the Hulk with that tall muscular body of his. Do you think he’s picking up his date and running late?”
    Harrison shook his head. “Nope, Savage doesn’t date. A girl broke his heart in college and he’s sworn off women forever.”
    “That’s such a waste,” I said, genuinely sorry for the loss to the female population. Lucas Savage would be a great catch. If I’d met him first instead of Harrison, I could seriously have been interested.
    “That’s exactly why we’re the Dream Team—we’re two of a kind.” Harrison wasn’t boasting, and I could tell that he thought the world of his partner.
    “Handsome. Charming. Sex on legs.” I said in a flirty voice. “Is that what you mean?”
    Harrison laughed. “You better be referring to me and not Savage.” The glint in his eyes disappeared after a few seconds. “No. More like fucked up crazy. Disconnected. Not really giving a fuck about anything that isn’t work related. That kind of thing.”
    “You or Savage?” I said on a quivering