The urge to scream sat heavily in my throat. But I was a gentleman. So I shrugged out of her hold as nicely as I could.
“Ryker,” a female voice said.
Thank fuck. Saved by a woman.
My gaze drifted to my savior, who was none other than Vicki.
Lucas lit up with a grin as though he were looking at Vicki for the first time. But Vicki wasn’t a stranger, although the way she was dressed was eye-opening. She was rocking an outfit that hugged her curves and showed off just enough cleavage to tease a man.
Tabitha followed me to where Lucas was standing near a fancy table that held a vase of fresh flowers. The sweet aroma floated up my nostrils, almost calming me for a moment. But that feeling vanished when I saw the worry in Vicki’s big brown eyes.
She clasped her hands in front of her. “Is Haven here?”
Lucas ran a hand over his hair even though he’d tamed his curls with tons of gel. “What happened?”
Vicki regarded Lucas, Tabitha, then me. “You haven’t heard?”
Lucas and I swapped twisted expressions.
Tabitha, on the other hand, had a faint smile on her face as though she knew what Vicki knew.
“It’s all over the news,” Vicki said in a rush. “Senator Hale has been having an affair.”
Holy fuck!What if Haven thought I was the one to leak the news? What if that was the reason she was AWOL?
“That might explain why Haven isn’t here,” Lucas said.
Tabitha gave us a smug look. “Good luck, gentleman. Start thinking about where you’re going to take me, Ryker.” Then she started for the ballroom.
Oh, fuck no.I grasped her cold, clammy hand. “You know something.”
She pressed her body to mine. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I gripped the sides of her arms, edging away. “Yes, you do.”
She flashed her murky blue eyes up at me. “I suggest you forget about Haven Hale. Because after tonight, you won’t want to be associated with the Hales.” Then she held her head high and walked into the ballroom.
My legs were locked in place.
“She sounds like something big is about to happen,” Vicki said.
My gut knotted. “I have to find Haven.”
“We have a lot riding on this event, dude,” Lucas said, meaning I was the headline. I was the one who would bring in the money. “Give her a few more minutes.”
I hated to disappoint my best friend and a great charity, but Haven came first. “Have you spoken to her this week?” I asked Vicki.
“Yeah. She said she would be here. But maybe she can’t get past the reporters. Last I heard, they were at the senator’s house.” Vicki’s eyes drifted past me as Lucas flicked his head.
I looked over my shoulder, and that heartbeat that was only reserved for Haven took off like a horse out of the gate.
Haven sashayed toward us like she didn’t have a care in the world. Her auburn hair was piled up in some fancy hairstyle. Her halter dress revealed her toned arms and large breasts. My heart reacted and so did another body part, because that slit in her dress crept up from her ankle to midthigh.
No fucking way was any guy getting his hands on her. I didn’t know how I could break the rules, but I had to think of something. However, any thoughts I had disappeared when she gave me a smile that said I was the guy for her—no one else.
Vicki ran up to her. “Oh my God! Are you okay?”
She reared back. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
