SEAL Protected by Rosa Foxxe Page B

his pants against my thigh. His hips were rolling up into mine. “We are not wrecking this couch.”
     
    He sighed, mouth pulling off me. “All right.” He said. And with that, he scooped me up and carried me to my room in both arms – both of us laughing the entire way.
     

Chapter 9
    New Years’ Eve was anything but a small affair. My father had thrown an enormous party and every high roller in the city was there. From fellow senators to low-level local politicians to business owners, everyone had been packed into the large hall my father and his assistant had rented.
     
    I was there, of course, and playing the role of the perfect daughter in my favorite navy blue dress – backless and knee-length, just how I liked them. Tom stood guard as always, dressed in a nice suit with a dark turtleneck instead of a collared shirt. No one would ever have suspected what was going on behind closed doors.
     
    “You look lovely tonight,” Tom murmured near my ear. We stood at the edge of the dance floor. It was loud enough to speak, but Tom was cautious nonetheless. I smiled and nodded to him.
     
    “You too,” I replied, more than a little pleased. Part of me wanted to reach out and drag Tom onto the dance floor. But we both knew it was far too dangerous. My father would have Tom’s head if he ever learned we were in a relationship. The word made me smile – relationship. The giddy feeling it gave me made me feel like a little girl with her first crush. I caught Tom raising an eyebrow at me and realized I was grinning. I ducked my head and returned to my wine.
     
    The evening was great fun, despite not being able to dance with Tom. My father seemed keen on making me dance with every other man in the building. After a while, I found I didn’t mind too much. Most of them were stuffy old men, but there were a few that were decent dancers. One of them was my last dance partner of the night before the drop – an elderly doctor with a knack for ballroom dancing. He had taken to twirling me around and around the dance floor as I laughed with delight.
     
    “This is so much fun,” I said to the doctor as he pulled me into another spin.
     
    “I’m glad I could help you enjoy your evening,” he said. He dipped me, and as he pulled me back up the music faded and was replaced by another song. The doctor released me and stepped back, giving a sweeping bow. “Adieu, milady.”
     
    I giggled again and curtsied in return. “Adieu, good sir.” Dropping a kiss to my hand the doctor straightened and walked off. I shook my head and drifted back to Tom. He was watching me with a raised eyebrow and a straight mouth.
     
    “What?” I asked him, but he only smirked – a slight twitch of the lips that didn’t match his warm eyes. “He was a good dancer.”
     
    “Seemed like you were enjoying yourself.” I studied Tom, trying to figure out what the tone behind his voice was. Thankfully for him, my father stepped up onto the stairs then and addressed the crowd.
     
    “Good evening everyone.” His loud voice boomed across the hall. Everyone turned to face him and the band stopped playing. “Thank you all for coming on this wonderful New Years’ Eve. I am Senator Hoff and I wanted to call you all here tonight for more than celebrating the New Year.” I smiled and stood taller. As much as my father and I fought, I couldn’t help but be proud of him. “As some of you are aware, this year I’ll be entering my second term as senator and I couldn’t be prouder. And before we begin our countdown, I’d like to thank a few people.”
     
    Out of the corner of my eye I saw a man with an angry expression slowly nudging his way through the crowd. His hands were twitching around his waist and I frowned. It reminded me of the way my father’s guards moved. I caught Tom’s arm and tugged him down to my level. “You see him?” I hissed in his ear. Tom’s gaze followed me and he nodded. “Do something.” Tom nodded and slipped