All of a sudden, Chewie, Kev, and Sky hurried past me onto the stage as the crowd started clapping. I watched them with keen interest, loving this up-close view of the band gearing up to start the show.

"Trying to keep an eye on me, Pepper?" I nearly leapt out of my shoes as Jax’s familiar voice whispered in my ear. I’d been so intent on watching the band set-up that I’d let him get the jump on me.

Knowing who it was, I didn’t bother turning to face him, but I also didn’t move away. "Somebody needs to make sure you stay out of trouble."

"And you think you’re up to the task?" he said, his warm breath tickling my ear.

His mischievous tone was a far cry from his earlier mood, and I wondered if the conversation I had with him had anything to do with his change.

I turned my head slightly, looking at his searing grin through the corner of my eye. "How hard can it be?"

"It can be very hard," he said, his voice a velvety rasp. "But I trust you." He shot me a quick wink that made my heart flutter.

As he left me to take the stage, I got a whiff of his raw, earthy scent, and my brained scrambled. It seemed like no matter what I did, we were continuing to grow closer. The sexual tension building between us was starting to drive me crazy, and I wondered if he felt the same way.

The lights dimmed as Jax sauntered out onto the stage and the audience erupted into crazed cheers and hoarse hollers. Those lucky enough to be in the front row were frantically grasping at his leather-clad legs. The fans were screaming their faces off.

Jax positioned himself in the center-stage spotlight and The Hitchcocks exploded into a sonic surge that echoed off the far walls and reverberated through the concert hall. A rumbling bassline poured from Sky’s fingers and Chewie’s rapidfire snare drove a steady beat as Kev’s guitar riffs built an intricate melody on top of it all.

But it was Jax that stole the show as he growled into the mic and prowled the stage like a predator stalking his prey. His fluid movements and mesmerizing lyrics hypnotized the audience and they collectively followed his every step, gesture, and word. I couldn’t even begin to fathom what it must’ve felt like to have thousands of reverent fans idolizing me and worshiping my every word, but Jax drank it all up and thrived on it.

Not much changed from the previous show, but the band gave the audience exactly what they came to see: a wild rock ‘n’ roll spectacle. This time I was more familiar with the set list and the show’s overall arc, so I was almost able to anticipate what song was going to come next. My eyes never left Jax’s writhing torso and gyrating hips. Without realizing I had been doing it, I found myself moving my hips in unison to his seductive movements, and I quickly stopped it. Thankfully no one was around to see my momentary lapse of self-control.

After cycling through more songs, the band launched into a catchy one that got me all riled up. It was quickly becoming my favorite one. I sang along to the parts I knew and tapped my hand against my hip to keep the beat. Trying to learn all the song’s words, I focused in on Jax’s lips curving and twisting as he sang the lyrics. I had the sudden desire to run my tongue over his lips, and I licked my own, anticipating our scheduled kiss after this show.

Jax turned his head my way as the song moved into the bridge. When he noticed me singing along, he locked eyes with me and we synced our singing.

I won’t bend my knees

and I won’t beg you please

‘Cuz I know we can’t ever be together.

But it’s times like these,

I just can’t feed my needs

And I don’t know if I can last forever.

Only time will tell

If we can end this hell,

Oh the hell with time

I wanna make you mine.

Only time will tell

When we can end this hell,

Oh the hell with time

I’m gonna make you mine.

Singing those words together as we gazed into each others eyes sent a chill coursing through my body. He turned back to face the crowd, swung his boot up on an amp, and continued belting out the lyrics, reaching out to his fans reaching out to him, his fingers just inches from theirs.

I felt a momentary concern. Had he been singing those words with me or to me? And did he think I was singing them back to him?

Toward the end of the set, the entire room was riding close to a musical pinnacle. The band had been building up the whole show to the final climactic crescendo, getting the audience—including myself—more and more amped up with song after song of euphonic foreplay. Cymbals crashed in thundering metallic clangs and the guitars hurled harmonies in cascading waves of reverb. Strobelights flickered wildly while bright white flashes detonated and sent sparks flying across the stage. The intensity of the show had me so excited that my pounding heart felt like the kick pedal from the bass drum was smashing directly into my chest.

Jax moved his hands from his guitar to grip the microphone on its stand as he howled out the verses, his left foot stomping along to Chewie’s drumming and his guitar hanging around his neck. Still gripping the microphone with one hand, Jax’s other hand shot up above his head signaling for the band to immediately pause the high-octane song as he belted out a sustained note. His rich baritone voice reverberated in my ears sending tingles through me.

Standing in the spotlight maintaining the deep note, Jax kept his hand up above his head as beads of sweat dripped down his cheekbones. He was holding the note so long, I swear he must’ve had an extra set of lungs buried under all those muscles and tattoos.

Sustaining the note, he glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes darting around the stage. The rest of the band exchanged baffled looks with him, shrugging and shaking their heads. With his arm still awkwardly held above his head, I could hear the note start to strain against his vocal chords. His face turned red, then dark red, and then a deep shade of purple. It looked like his head was about to explode, but he kept singing.

Something was very off.

I held my breath in suspense. The faces in the crowd slowly shifted from wide-eyed euphoria to scrunched confusion as second after tense second passed.

All of a sudden, the pyrotechnician sprinted out onto the stage. Jax mercifully cut off the note and covered the mic with his hand. The two exchanged a few quick words, both of them pointing at all the pyrotech devices strategically strapped down around the stage. Jax shook his head and took a deep breath as the pyrotech ran off the stage.

"Sorry," Jax said into the microphone. "Our dumbass pyrotech f**ked up the show. But don’t worry, Denver, a little f**k-up won’t stop us from rocking you!"

Shit, the pyros! My hand flew to cover my gaping mouth as queasiness filled my stomach. He must’ve been waiting on the Monster Inferno Fountain as a cue the entire time.

The band collected themselves and broke into the next song. The crowd went berserk, seemingly unaffected by the mishap.

I wiped my forehead, relieved that my decision to cut the pyro didn’t ruin the show. But as I did so, I caught a look at Jax. He had an unmistakable scowl on his face that told me he was seething about the communication breakdown.

***

Wringing my fingers, I paced anxiously up and down the long, narrow hallway that led to the green rooms. The show had ended a half hour ago to a roaring applause, but Jax’s expression hadn’t changed since the pyro mishap. In fact, he looked even more pissed when I saw him leave the stage.