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 c**k 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?"