“Good news.” His eyes sparkle with a happiness I haven’t seen there before.
“What is it?”
He grasps my elbow and leads me to a set of chairs, nowhere near where Renault lingers in his own corner. The man acknowledges Jason with a tip of his head and gestures toward the door. Since Jason is here, he is obviously going outside. As much as I appreciate the security, I am beginning to feel smothered by people constantly being in my space.
Not Jason, though. “So are you going to tell me?” I ask.
“Look what turned up.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulls something out. I notice a flash of gold, and then he dangles a very familiar necklace in front of me.
“Oh my God!” I hold out my hand, and he drops the piece into my palm. Tears well in my eyes as I curl my hands around the cool piece of jewelry. “This means everything to me.” I look up at him in disbelief.
“I told you I’d do everything I could to get it back to you,” he says in a gruff voice.
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him close, breathing in his masculine scent as I hug him tight. “Thank you.”
Stepping back, I ask, “Will you put it on for me?” I don’t want to take the heart necklace off again for a long time.
“Sure.”
I lift my hair and turn, my back facing him so he can wrap the chain around my neck and hook the clasp. His big hands fumble a little and he grunts before finally succeeding. “Got it.”
I’m about to release my hair when he leans down and brushes his lips over the sensitive skin on the nape of my neck. I shiver, my nipples puckering and a sudden swell of desire rushing through my veins.
“Jason,” I say softly, dipping my head.
In reply, he sweeps his mouth over my skin and bites down gently with his teeth.
I shiver, backing against him, feeling his hard body come into contact with mine and the ridge of his erection nudging my back. I turn, cupping his face in my hands, and kiss him, sliding my tongue into his mouth. But I’m aware of where we are, and having been caught once before by a customer, I keep it brief, stepping away despite wanting so much more.
I brush my hair out of my face and glance at him, his eyes dark with need.
“How do you expect me to go back to work now?” he asks, not so discreetly adjusting himself.
I grin. “At least I know you’ll be thinking about me.”
“I’m always thinking about you, sweetness.”
I’m more affected than I should be by that nickname he gave me. “Thank you again for my necklace.” I touch the heart that now lies around my neck, a reminder of the mother I loved so deeply.
“You really should be thanking Renault and company. They scoured the shops,” Jason says, deferring the compliment.
I pat his cheek. “But it was your idea to hire him to look for it, so just accept my gratitude and go back to work. I need to help Kelsey in the back.”
“One more thing?” he asks.
“What’s up?”
He blows out a long breath and says, “We’ve hired the first live act for the club and they’re playing a week from Friday.”
“That’s great! Did Grey say yes?” I ask, happy for him.
His frown takes me by surprise. “I wish he had. But no. His former bandmate, Lola Corbin, is going to perform instead.”
“From Tangled Royal? I love her!” I clap my hands like the excited fan I am.
“She’ll be singing with Charlotte Jasper,” Jason says, shifting on his feet, his expression taut.
“She’s a big name, too, right? So what’s wrong? You seem uptight about it.”
