My pulse leaped. Did he seriously think the top belonged to some other girl, or was he just playing around? I swallowed hard. "Yeah, must have."
"Then there’s no reason to keep it on the bus." Jax held the top over the ledge. Clenched in his fist, the bikini strings blew wildly in the wind.
"Don’t litter!" The words burst from my mouth hastily, and he cocked a brow. "Uh . . . the last thing the band needs is bad publicity for being a bunch of litterbugs . . . and being fined for littering. Let’s just toss it in the trash." It wouldn’t be a great place for my swimsuit, but at least my top wouldn’t be highway debris.
"The trash?" Jax said, his scarred eyebrow raised. "I’ve got a better idea."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a silver lighter and struck the flint. I watched with terror as he slowly moved the flame toward the dangling strings.
"Wait!"
"I know how you feel about groupies," he said, a flicker of amusement passing over his face. "I’m doing this for you." He brought the flame closer.
"No!" My hand raised desperately.
He paused to look at me oddly. "Why so reluctant? Wait. Don’t tell me. You want to do the honors." He gestured for me to get out of the tub and go over to where he was.
"Oh! Uh . . . sure," I said with a smile, realizing the opportunity. "Bring it over here to me. I’ll burn the hell out of it."
His eyes twinkled devilishly, making my heart thump hard in my chest. I hated how a simple look from him could have such an effect on me. It was impossible to deny his allure. "Nuh uh," he said wagging his finger.
"Nuh uh, what?" My nerves were on edge.
"How do you ask nicely? You’ve been unusually rude to me ever since I came up here."
"Ugh." I groaned so hard it sounded like I was about to vomit. Of course he wasn’t going to make this easy. He never made anything easy. "It’s not unusual. It’s how I typically act around you. Maybe you’re just sensitive."
"I’m waiting . . ." An expression of displeasure marred his beautiful face.
"Fine fine! ‘Please’? There I said it. Happy now?" I hoped he didn’t sense the desperation in my tone.
He crossed his large biceps across his chest, refusing to budge. "That the best you can do?"
"Pretty please?" I said, forcing my voice to sound sweet.
"See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?" He came toward me, holding the bikini in front of him, sending a surge of hope through me. When it was close enough, I reached for it . . . and grabbed nothing. Confused, I tried again. And missed again.
"Hey! No fair!" I shouted, realizing he was pulling it away. I grabbed for the top again, this time more forcefully.
"Who said anything about fair?" He took a step back just in time to leave me empty-handed.
I feinted grabbing to the left, then went to the right. Every movement I made was echoed by one of his, keeping the bikini tantalizingly out of reach. Ugh!
"I’ve never been fishing before," he said with a grin. "But I think I’m starting to understand the appeal."
"What kind of game are you playing?" I cried in outrage. A horrible feeling began to settle in my gut.
I’d never seen his sparkling black eyes so intense as he leaned toward me, so close that I could catch his masculine scent. "The kind where everyone wins." His sultry voice sent shivers down my spine, even with hot bubbles swirling around me. He pointed to the water in the tub. "You’ve been trying to pretend that you’re not skinny dipping in my hot tub. You think I wouldn’t notice?"
My heart slammed into my chest. "I’m not skinny dipping!"
"Sure. This top belongs to some other girl, not the one trying desperately to keep me from seeing her chest under the water."
"I’m wearing the bottom, that’s just the top. Give it back!"
"Nope." He took a step back and smiled.
"Alright, fuck you Jax. I’ll just stay here, then." I sank back into the water and crossed my arms. If he expected me to keep reaching after the top until I fell over or he saw my nipples, he’d have to think again.
"Will you, now?" he said, his eyebrows lifting. "You say so, but I doubt it. That hot tub’s pretty warm. You’ll either get out or pass out, soon enough. I guess I’ll stay here and fix myself another drink while I wait." He moved to the bar, set the bikini down, and started reaching for the bottles again.
"You’re really going to just stay here until you see me topless?" I cried in disbelief, aware that I admired his audacity as much as I hated it. "I knew you were an asshole, but I didn’t think you were a scumbag!"
"You can have the top back whenever you want it, Riley," he said with a shrug, pouring himself a second drink.
"What’s that supposed to mean?" I scoffed. "I already asked you for it!"
A half-smile turned up one corner of Jax’s luscious mouth. He sipped, slowly, then said, "You asked, but you didn’t offer anything in return."
I glared at him, confused.
He continued, "Usually, when one person has something of value that another person wants, they make an exchange. I give you something you want, and you," he said, looking at me with seductive eyes, "give me something I want."
"You ungrateful bastard!" I cried, splashing him with water from the tub. "I already saved your life. I think giving my bikini top back is the least you can do."
Jax looked down at his wet t-shirt. "Not quite, Pepper. I saved you when I helped you onto the band bus, which I didn’t have to do. Right now, I’m holding onto your top, which I also don’t have to do. If I let it go, it blows out onto Interstate 80—if we’re talking about the least I could do."
I was mortified. I knew men like Jax didn’t always play fair, but I didn’t expect him to really hold my bikini hostage. "I can’t believe I used to be attracted to you," I said, scowling.
"Believe whatever you want. You’re the one topless in the hot tub. If you want this back," he said, gesturing toward the top, "you’re going to offer me something. And you know what I want. I’m looking right at it." His eyes directed straight at me sent an unwelcome desire fluttering through my belly.
I inhaled sharply. "Dude, I’ve told you before, and I don’t want to have to tell you again. My job—"
"Yes, I’m sure the people at Hans-Peterson take professionalism very seriously. Are you the same Riley I met Saturday night? Picks locks, dodges security guards?"
"My boss wasn’t going to find out I picked a lock. This could get back to him."
"You’d be just as fired if he found out about the night you got me half-undressed. What can they do, fire you twice?"
Fuck. He had me there. At this point, Palmer would probably throw me out onto the streets of Manhattan if he heard the whole truth. Which made things worse, because the other reasons I didn’t want to sleep with Jax were a lot more difficult to talk about than potential HR problems. "But if one of the band members tells them . . ."
"Pepper, I give you my word," he said, reaching out to lift my chin until I was looking directly in his eyes, "I can handle the band. They’re not going to tell anyone."
"You can’t guarantee—"
"Hold up," he interrupted, putting his finger to my lips. Then he softly brushed it across my bottom lip, sending unwanted tingles of excitement through me. "Here’s how this is going to work. You’re going to give me a kiss. It’s going to last as long as I want it to. After that, you can have your top back."
Wait, a kiss? I thought he’d been referring to sex this whole time. A kiss was already trodden territory between us. I squinted at him. This seemed too easy. "Fine. It’s a deal."
"That’s not the whole deal," he said, seeming to enjoy correcting me. "You’re also going to give me a kiss after every show on this tour."
My nipples hardened at the thought of kissing Jax over and over again for the next two weeks, and I felt my body trying to say "yes" before my brain put the brakes on. "You’re asking for too much. One kiss right now. But that’s all."
His eyes burned into me,
and when he spoke next, his voice was a low growl, "No deal."
"Fine," I said dismissively, feeling vulnerable in more ways than one. "Because I know how this story goes anyway." I’d been playing the scenario out in my head long enough that it was easy to see. "Girl plays games with rock god. Rock god plays until he gets bored. Then he moves on to the next new thing and the girl goes back to her humdrum life."
"Sounds like it’s not a bad deal for the girl."
"Spoken like someone who’s used to taking advantage of others, not getting taken advantage of himself."
His jaw tightened. "You don’t know me, Pepper."
Surprised by his reaction, I realized I must’ve hit a sore spot. "I know enough to know that you like picking on the young and helpless." I considered myself young at twenty-five.
He waited, his hand clenched around his drink. Clearly, I’d hit close to home.
"And it’s not just that," I said, feeling the words tumble out before I’d even thought about them. "You put the dark and dangerous act on harder than any guy I’ve ever met, and in my experience, most guys who do that are hiding something. Usually something big." Like a prison record. Or an ex-wife.
Jax set his drink down on the edge of the hot tub with a loud thunk, bending his knees until he was at eye level with me. His dark eyes were pools big enough to drown in and he stared directly at me. "Do you think I’m hiding something?"
I could feel his breath as he spoke. His scent filled my mind, and my eyes ran slowly over his taut, tanned skin. His body was inches from me, draining my resistance, making it impossible to free myself from his gaze.
"Yeah," I said at last. "I do."
He straightened and turned around, shaking his head. "See you around, then."
Shit. Whatever Jax was hiding, it was none of my business, and I didn’t want my bikini top to be a casualty of my curiosity. "Wait! Wait, wait, wait. Fine. Let’s negotiate."
He turned back around. "I was already negotiating."
"I’ll agree to your terms. One kiss after every show, no telling anyone," I said.
"It’s a d—"
I cut him off with a raised hand. Letting him get his way without asking for anything in return would make me a pushover. I needed a counter-offer to show him who he was dealing with. "That’s not the whole deal. I also want a ten percent reduction in your band expenses. I see how you spend money. I know you can do better."
His brows raised. "I thought you didn’t want to mix business and pleasure."
"But I already did," I said. My voice was resolute now. I couldn’t show any weakness in front of Jax. "It was an accident, but it happened. I’ve already taken the risk, professionally. If there’s any possibility I could get out of this with my career not just intact, but better off than when I started, I want to take it."
"This is an unusual request," he said, a grudging smile spreading across his face. "But that doesn’t mean I won’t work with it. What’s in this for you?"
I held up my chin. "There’s a twenty-thousand dollar bonus on the line for me, if I can achieve all budgetary goals for the band within two weeks."
"Ah, I see. So it’s purely mercenary," he said smirking. "Well, these budget cuts affect me and the band’s shows. So if that’s how you want it, Pepper, you’re going to have to sweeten the deal. A hand where you had it last time for this kiss, and I’ll make your budget cuts."
"Over your pants or under?"
"Under."
"Then no deal."
Jax’s kiss was one thing. But his naked, thick cock in front of me again? That would be a surefire way to make a mistake I’d regret later.
"Fine. Over. But they have to be good kisses."
I smiled confidently. "Oh, don’t worry. They will be." If I could be sure of anything, with someone as hot as Jax, it would be that.
"Do we have a deal?"
His low, throaty rasp was so close to my mouth that I could feel the heat of his breath.
I took a deep breath, feeling more excited than I should. My body was aching with arousal for being so close to him for so long, half-naked. Once my mortification had worn off, the whole situation kind of felt naughty.
"Yes, Jax. We have a deal."
"Then let’s seal it."
He looked at me like a lion looking at its prey—and then I felt his lips.
With frantic urgency, Jax’s tongue pressed hard against the seam of my eager mouth. It penetrated fiercely as I cried out in surprise. His hands ran down my bare back as his fingers pressed roughly into me, gripping my wet skin tightly, and I moaned against his mouth.
I felt him pulling back slightly, and I followed, unwilling to break our lips apart. I was like an animal in heat, consumed with need, rising from the water inch by inch to keep my tongue tangled with his. He’d said he wanted good kisses, and I intended to show him.
I slid a hand down to his pants, pressing my palm into his crotch. He was already getting hard, the heat from him throbbing through the thin fabric. As I rubbed him gently, he grew even larger. A hungry groan escaped from his mouth, and I slowly moved my hands up his body with a slight twinge of regret. He had negotiated for a hand down there, but he hadn't said for how long. Besides, if we kept this up, I'd end up making some serious life mistakes.
My hands found their way to his velvety hair, fingers caressing his scalp as the kiss grew deeper. His mouth, ravenous but subtle, started an avalanche of pleasure. Each small sensation combined into something much larger, something I couldn’t control or even comprehend.
His movements grew sweeter, more lingering and soft. The kiss had begun in lust, but now there was something else there, something new, almost frightening with its gentleness.
Surprised, I pulled away, hearing a loud suction sound as our lips parted.
Our faces inches apart, I saw that his eyes were still closed. He opened them slowly as if waking from a dream. "Are your kisses always this good?"
"Sometimes better," I said, as I stared at him defiantly, daring him to kiss me again.
He opened my palm and dropped the bikini into it. "Then I’d say I got a bargain, and you got ripped off." Smiling to himself, he headed to the stairs.
As I watched him walk away, I tied my top back on and felt a surge of victory; I’d gotten the top back, and I’d even managed to get Jax to agree to an arrangement that could put me one step closer to my bonus. If anyone was ripped off in this exchange, it was him.
But as I toweled off, the negotiation played back in my mind, and I realized with a growing sense of discomfort that he’d gotten me to do exactly what I’d wanted to avoid. I’d started the morning wanting to tell Jax we were through with playing games. But now we had an ongoing agreement—a dangerous game I’d have to replay every time the Hitchcocks took the stage.
Chapter Ten
THE JAX EFFECT
My aching body was feeling a whole lot better by the time I went downstairs and changed back into real clothes. I tried forgetting about what happened with Jax moments ago, about his soft lips. His hungry kiss. But it required a lot of effort. I had to remind myself that I had things under control, that all I needed was a little self-control, and I could keep him at arm’s length. A kiss every now and then wouldn’t change anything between us, no matter how much he wanted it to.
After scolding myself and slapping my face a few times, I was finally able to concentrate on the work that needed to get done. I wanted to have the band’s finances in some semblance of order before the next show, so I set up shop with a stack of papers on the first floor, working as the rest of the band eventually woke up.
When afternoon rolled around, I had a pretty good idea of where to start making changes, but I had to discuss the changes with Jax first—a prospect that sounded less than ideal after what had happened in the hot tub. Ideally, a tour accountant could regard band members as co-workers, team members—even friends. But even then, cutting budgets could lead to conflict and drama.
One of the first things I
learned at certification training was to make sure the band understands where your friendship ends and your working relationship begins. With Jax, I’d broken the rules in a big way, but I hoped it would have an equally big payoff. If he was willing to make the cuts, my job was about to get a whole lot easier. Of course, that was a big if. I didn’t know for sure if Jax meant to keep his end of the bargain, but I was about to find out.
I got up from the couches and steeled myself with a quick lifesaver on my way up the stairs. I wasn’t sure I’d need it, but I wanted to be as calm and collected as possible when I approached him.
On one of the second-floor couches, Chewie and Sky were rolling blunts together in the mid-afternoon sun. With marijuana legal in Colorado, they were working their way through the band’s stash, and planned to restock in the morning when we arrived in Denver. Knowing how a lot of rock stars liked to party, I was just grateful they were sticking to weed—at least it was cheap.
As I walked past them, holding my breath to avoid a contact high, I heard voices emanating from Jax’s room, too quiet to understand. Was he in there with someone?
I tapped at the door, tentatively. "Jax?"
The voices suddenly went silent. He opened the door a crack. "Can it wait?"
"Not really." The sooner the expenses were cut in the budget, the sooner I could notify venues and change vendor requests. "I wanted to get these expenses trimmed before we got into Denver. Want to go downstairs?"
He opened the door wider, and I saw a TV inside the room, paused on a frame from a black-and-white movie. "I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you come in here?"
"I’m . . . not sure that’s a good idea at all."
"Then we can talk some other time. How does next week work for you?" he said, starting to shut the door again.
Oh no you don’t. I wedged my arm into the door frame. "No, Jax. This has to happen today. It can’t wait."
He sniffed at the air. "Then come in, but close the door. Everything smells like skunk out there."
I noticed the white clouds of pot smoke drifting into his room. Was he trying to get me to play another game? I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to piss him off by making his room stink. I scooted into the small space, shutting and latching the door behind me.