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Every time I tried to shift out of his way, his grip would tighten and he’d pull me close.

In the middle of being asked a question, Jake turned to kiss my shoulder and the spot behind my ear. When he’d gently tugged the back of my hair, I’d tilted my head to look up at him.

I’d been fairly certain I could hear the subtle whoosh of women’s panties dropping around us. I was absolutely sure I heard more than a few wistful sighs.

“You doin’ okay, sweets?” he’d asked, his voice soft and tender. At my nod, he’d smiled down at me and moved his hand from my hair to my neck. He kept his hand there, his thumb rubbing the spot behind my ear, as he went back to answering questions.

As much as I loved all of that, my favorite part was when Jake actually answered a question. It was baffling to me that he didn’t handle more of the publicity for Hyde.

He’d told me how much he hated interviews, which was why he let Z handle it all. Since Jake wasn’t always great at communicating, I’d assumed that it leaked into his public speaking, too.

I wasway wrong.

While Jake’s confidence and roughness came across in an appealing way, he also simply had a way with words. It made people want to listen. His dad was half right because he probably would have made a successful lawyer.

However, his passion as he spoke came from his work now, from doing what he loved. That was what made his words so compelling.

Within moments of walking inside, I yelped as strong arms wrapped around me and lifted me into the air.

“Damn, Piper, lookin’ fuckin’ good,” Kase said, setting me back down. His bogus, innocent smile grew into a grin at Jake’s growl.

It didn’t matter that I wasn’t Kase’s type, or that he flirted with almost any woman, it still irritated Jake.

Which meant, of course, Kase kept doing it.

“Hey, Pipe,” Eli greeted, rolling his eyes at Jake and Kase’s usual routine as he dipped down to kiss my cheek. “You look great.”

Jake pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I need a fuckin’ drink after all that shit out there. Wait here, I’ll go get us somethin’.”

“Seriously, though, you look beautiful,” Kase said after Jake was out of earshot.

“Thanks. You both look very handsome.” Wearing traditional tuxes, both men cleaned up well.

“I know. I feel like James fuckin’ Bond, yo.”

“What about me, Doll Face?” Z asked from my side, startling me.

“You scared me. I didn’t see you sneak up. You’re also looking quite dapper.”

His dark slate gray tux complimented his eyes and hair, which he wore in his usual pompadour. He looked more in his element here than he did at the garage.

“Perfect. Just what I was going for. You look lovely as always.”

I scanned the quickly filling room. “Thanks. There are a lot of people here. All of your work has paid off.”

“You’re giving me too much credit. I should just say, ‘Tax deductions. Open bar. Hot chicks.’ It’d probably draw more people.”

“No way. I think the longer you talk, the more likely those hot chicks are to show up. Otherwise it’d be a big sausage fest in here.”

When conversation took the inevitable turn to the shop, I felt Jake behind me. He handed me a drink, his hand going to my back as he leaned close to me.

“I gotta go up and talk. Stick with the men.”

“Why?”

“Peace of mind. I’ll be back as soon as possible, yeah?”

Before I could ask what that meant, Jake pressed a kiss to my head and walked away.