“Jason,” she said softly, dipping her head.

In reply, he swept his mouth over her skin and bit down gently with his teeth.

She shivered, backing against him, feeling his hard body come into contact with hers and the ridge of his erection nudging her back. She turned, cupping his face in her hands, and kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth. But she was aware of where they were, and having been caught once before by a customer, she kept it brief, stepping away despite wanting so much more.

She brushed her hair out of her face and glanced at him, his eyes dark with need.

“How do you expect me to go back to work now?” he asked, not so discreetly adjusting himself.

She grinned. “At least I know you’ll be thinking about me.”

“I’m always thinking about you, sweetness.”

She was more affected than she should be by that nickname he’d given her. “Thank you again for my necklace.” She touched the heart that now lay around her neck, a reminder of the mother she loved so deeply.

“You really should be thanking Renault and company. They scoured the shops,” Jason said, deferring the compliment.

She patted 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 asked.

“What’s up?”

He blew out a long breath and said, “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?” she asked, happy for him.

His frown took her by surprise. “I wish he had. But no. His former bandmate, Lola Corbin, is going to perform instead.”

“From Tangled Royal? I love her!” Faith clapped her hands like the excited fan she was.

“She’ll be singing with Charlotte Jasper,” Jason said, shifting on his feet, his expression taut.

“She’s a big name, too, right? So what’s wrong? You seem uptight about it.” She rubbed at the throbbing in his right temple, a clear indication he was bothered by this whole conversation.

“Charlotte’s my ex,” he said, as if bracing for an argument.

Faith narrowed her gaze. “And?” She hadn’t thought he was celibate before her.

“I just don’t want you to be…” He trailed off and she could only guess at what he had been about to say.

“Jealous?”

“More like uncomfortable with the idea of her being around, I guess.” He shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

Faith was a lot of things, but a clinging female wasn’t one of them. “If she’s an ex, I don’t see the problem. Unless there’s still something between you?” At the thought, jealousy began to seep through her, and she didn’t like the feeling.

“Not for me,” Jason rushed to assure her. “It’s just that she was persistent when I ended things, and I’m worried she’s going to take the opportunity to perform as something more than a professional invitation.”