Tormented (3 page)

I cleared my throat, regaining my composure. “Set me free,” I ordered, my voice unnaturally loud in the silence of the room. God, I was losing my touch. I was turning soft, and all because of Eva.

Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but changed her mind. Even though her wrists were bound together, she worked with nimble fingers to undo my belt and pull the zipper down, keeping her eyes trained on my crotch as I kept staring at her face.

Something had passed between us. Something special. Something that made my heart swell, and beat a million miles an hour.

She lowered her eyes, refusing to look at me.

Had I imagined it? No. It crackled in the air between us. Thick. Invisible. Yet oh so fucking tangible.

Just what in fuck’s name was it, this electricity that set every nerve ending on fire and made my head spin?

“I
’m running a little late. Sorry, this pregnancy is kicking my ass. I’ve been nauseous for a few days, and I freaking hate it.” Jade sounded tired and not quite like her normal perky self.

I pinched the phone under my chin as I fastened the top button on my jeans. “Listen, hon, if you’d prefer to go another day, that’s fine with me. Rest and get better.”

I turned to view my ass in the mirror. Not too bad. These jeans were my favorite, and I wished I’d bought ten pairs when they were on sale because they were just a little worn out. As soon as I found something I really liked, it was usually discontinued, and it drove me crazy.

Jade laughed. “Oh hell no. I’ve been cooped up for a few days, and I’m dying to get out a little. There’s nothing like shopping to make me forget my own worries and have some fun. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

“If you’re sure, that would be awesome. This event Harrison invited me to is important, so I need help finding the perfect dress.”

While we talked, I brushed my hair and pinched the phone under my chin as I tied it into a ponytail. Since it was my day off work, I was in a relaxed mood, and embraced the casual look instead of the smart suits I usually wore on a weekday.

“I’m just grateful it isn’t me having to try on evening dresses with this baby bump. But it will be fun helping you find something. Do you have anything in mind?” Since we’d started talking about shopping, Jade was already sounding a lot better.

I shrugged as I shoved my feet into shoes. “No, not really. I’ll know it’s the right dress when I see it.” Unlike my usual well-organized self, I’d left the dress shopping to the last minute. Something about going to this function with Harrison was bothering me, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Jade laughed. “Oh dear, that means I have to wear comfortable shoes, huh?”

“That sounds like a good idea, if you don’t want blisters. I’m just wearing jeans and flats, so dress any way that you’ll be able to handle a shopping marathon.”

“Okay. And you are aware I need to eat often? This baby factory drains all my energy.”

Feeling sorry for her, I chuckled. “I’ve booked a table at your favorite place with all those healthy salads. I hope I don’t become a vegetarian when I get pregnant.” I shuddered at the thought.

“Hmmm,” Jade hummed. “It’s weird, but I can’t even stand the smell of meat. Poor Ryder. If he wants a steak he has to go out to get one.”

I laughed at the image in my head of Ryder living on greens. He was a true meat-and-potatoes man, and I could not see him coping well going without his favorite source of protein. I made a mental note to call him next week and invite him for the juiciest steak in LA.

I loved catching up with him; the man never ceased to amaze me with his stories, which I usually soaked up, letting him do most of the talking. Learning how different his childhood was compared to mine pulled at my heartstrings and helped me understand my half-brother just a little better.

Jade and I said our goodbyes and ended the call. I applied a dab of perfume and lip-loss before I grabbed my purse to leave.

As soon as I locked the door behind me, my phone rang again. Thinking it was Jade, wanting to add something to our conversation, or maybe she’d changed her mind, I answered without checking my screen.

“Hey,” I answered cheerfully as I took the steps down to the garage. That was one way I stayed fit—by avoiding elevators. Unless I was with Harrison. He turned an elevator ride into an adventure.

I sucked in a breath when it was his voice and not Jade’s I heard. “Hey, gorgeous. You sound chirpy this morning. Must be because my cock kept you happy last night.”

I snorted. “Harrison, you’re obsessed with your damn cock.” I’d reached the ground floor and made my way to my car, clicking the remote to unlock the door. Images of the night before ran through my head, and I had to squeeze my thighs together to stop the tingle that settled there. How was it possible that he could undo me with a few cocky words alone?

“Yes, I am. But only because of you. My cock is obsessed with being inside you.” He chuckled, low and sexy. “I bet your panties are damp right now.”

Squeezing my thighs together wasn’t working, and he knew me well enough to know. “Listen, handsome, you’re a bad, bad cop. I’m on my way out to meet your sister for shopping and lunch. So stop talking dirty.”

“Mind if I join my two favorite women in the world for lunch?”

I hadn’t dressed for a date and besides, I wanted to hear Jade’s wedding plans, which I was sure would bore Harrison to death.

I feigned shock. “What? I thought you were married to your career. It’s a weekday; I thought you’d be crazy busy.” I was only half teasing.

“I am, but I can always make time to see you. And Jade, of course.” Silence fell between us. “I miss you, Eva. Let me treat my girls to lunch.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

He misses me even though he saw me last night?
Hearing him say sweet things messed with my head. When he was being a typical alpha male, I could deal with him so much easier.

“Um,” I stalled, “we’re going to be talking wedding stuff and other girly things. And we’re doing vegetarian.” Surely that would scare him off.

“I’ve had my three eggs and bacon for breakfast. I can do vegetarian if you can.” Harrison knew I couldn’t resist a challenge.

Starting the car engine, the phone switched to Bluetooth. “You call Jade and see how she feels about it. If it’s okay with her, she’ll give you the address of where we’re going.” I reversed out of my parking spot and put my foot on the gas pedal, making the wheels squeal over the smooth concrete.

“You’re making me work for this. That’s what’s so fucking sexy about you, Eva.”

I couldn’t help the throaty laugh that escaped my lips.

“Ciao, baby. Surprise me,” I said, as I ended the call and wove into the traffic.

J
ade and I walked into our fifth boutique store since we’d met in Beverly Hills two hours ago. The place smelled of jasmine and rose and fresh linen. Short sharp clicks of heels on marble tiles brought the smiling shop assistant closer to the entrance and she welcomed us with a warm smile.

Maybe it was my earlier conversation with Harrison that spurred me on, but I wanted a dress that was so damn sexy he’d have a heart attack when he saw me.

I wanted to push him to the edge and watch his reaction. Lately he’d shown a more possessive side, but still he never spoke about feelings for me other than those related to sex and how he felt on a physical level.

The more time I spent with Harrison, the more invested I became. But I knew better than to ask a man outright about his feelings. Men didn’t do emotion, and Harrison had locked his heart up and thrown away the key so long ago that I feared he’d never get to the point where he could admit that he had feelings for me. Lust and a desire to pump his cock into me—those were the kinds of feelings he preferred to talk about.

“My feet hurt,” Jade said as she eyed the couch by the dressing rooms, and drew me out of my thoughts and back to the present.

Guilt overtook me that I’d made her walk from one store to the other and still hadn’t purchased anything.

“How about I sit there and you parade for me?” She pointed to the seat and didn’t even wait for my answer. She crossed the room and sat down, kicking off her shoes and rubbing her baby bump in large circles.

“Sounds like a great idea,” I said, glimpsing at my watch and noting that it was close to lunchtime already. I gave her a warm smile. “We’ll do lunch after this, I promise.”

Jade grinned back at me when I mentioned food. She was so damn adorable; no wonder my brother had fallen so hard for this chick. I was glad that we could be friends, even though our brothers didn’t see eye to eye. I couldn’t help noticing how she’d changed. Her snobby attitude had completely disappeared and she was as down-to-earth as my brother.

Love changes people
. My mother always said that, but I never understood what she meant until now. Jade was living proof that it was indeed possible. A sliver of hope that Harrison could change too filled my heart.

I flicked through the racks, nothing really catching my eye.

Jade looked up from her phone. “Are you going to be long?”

“No, why?”

“Two reasons. One, I’m freaking starving, and two, Harrison is on his way. He just messaged me.”

I sucked in a breath. So Harrison had persuaded Jade to let him come. I couldn’t deny that it made my heart beat a little faster and butterflies swarm my stomach. I’d purposely not asked Jade about it, and we’d been so busy talking about her pregnancy and the wedding in between shopping, that Harrison hadn’t come up until now. Besides, a small part of me would have been disappointed if he didn’t come, and I simply didn’t want to think about that.

Empty-handed, I smiled politely at the shop attendant. “I’ll be back later. Maybe after lunch.”

I could see she wanted to roll her eyes, because she’d probably heard that a few more times than she may have wanted to, especially since I’d seen the price tags on the dresses, but instead she just gave me a weak smile. “Of course, Miss Ryder.”

“Come. Let’s go feed that voracious bump of yours,” I said, smiling at my friend. “Luckily the restaurant is just around the corner.”

*****

T
wenty minutes later, I was sipping a freshly blended fruit smoothie as I perused the menu. There was just something about the cool jazz music rising above the chatter that made me tap my foot to the rhythm. A group of hip young mothers and their babies, all dressed in the latest fashion, sat to our right and on our left we had three babes with banging bodies squeezed into the latest neon colored fitness gear drinking revolting looking green stuff.

I wasn’t a fan of tofu and couldn’t understand how people could eat that stuff. Running my finger down the list I found an interesting item with goat’s cheese and baby beets and candied walnuts that sounded yummy.

“I think I found something,” I said to Jade, after I’d complained about how damn healthy everything was. Shopping was hard work, and I needed something more than lettuce leaves.

“Great. I’m having the quinoa with pumpkin. I love that.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Harrison entering the room. The second I lifted my head to look directly at him, all of my senses honed in on the man as if he were the only person in the whole restaurant.
Hell—the whole universe.

The noisy buzz filtered out and all I became aware of was how incredibly good looking, strong and masculine the man was. Harrison in a uniform was hot and sexy as hell.

His gaze fixed on mine. With a cocky grin spread across his face and a confident swagger he owned completely, he crossed the room to where we sat. He didn’t take his eyes off me, yet I was aware how the women at the tables around us had stopped talking and all focused their attention on the man.

Reaching Jade first, he leaned over to kiss her forehead. Still holding my gaze over her head, he winked at me. Playful Harrison had showed up today, and he could be naughty as sin given half a chance. My own grin grew wider the closer he got to me until my face was practically bursting.

I tilted my face upward for a kiss, but Harrison pulled me up from my chair and pressed me against his chest, then kissed the fuck out of me in front of everyone. I closed my eyes as heat spread from between my legs up to my chest and higher till it reached my cheeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was the envy of every woman in the room.

“Hello, gorgeous.” His voice was warm and sexy, a lethal combination.

Harrison sat down and waved the waitress over. Not that he needed to, because she was hovering just a few yards away, her mouth open as she gawked at us. He ordered a salad wrap and green vegetable juice, as if he were completely at home and the furthest thing from an omnivore.

“Wearing a uniform today, big brother? You haven’t worn one of those since you were promoted. You said you hated wearing it—”

A sheepish grin spread over Harrison’s face. “Wearing a uniform is optional. I just wanted to see if mine still fit me.”

Jade laughed, holding her belly as her body shook. “Is that right? I think it’s so that you can see women swooning over you.”

Harrison chuckled. “Is it working?” He looked directly at me, waiting for my answer.

“Hmmm. I think most of these women wouldn’t mind if you arrested them.”

Covering my hand with his, Harrison smiled. “I’m not asking about the other women. I want to know if it’s working for
you
.”

Suddenly it was hot in the room, so I took a sip of my smoothie to buy time. Thankfully, the waitress saved me from embarrassing myself by bringing our food to the table. I couldn’t help noticing how she practically had her breasts in Harrison’s face, and Jade and I made big eyes at one another. I stifled a giggle.

“You should wear your uniform more often. The girls like it,” I said, avoiding his question. If I had to be honest with him, the best part of him wearing a uniform would be that I’d get to take it off, but I wasn’t going to tell him that.

We made small talk as we ate. It was enlightening to see the relationship between Jade and Harrison when Ryder wasn’t around to piss the cop off. It was clear to me that he loved his sister very much and had always been her protector from the stories they shared. I’d never realized just how close they had been as children.