“I love it!” Leo slaps his leg, a spritz of water bursting from the wetsuit fabric.

“Fuck off,” I say.

“The thing I don’t understand is why you’re telling us this.” Vance grabs his towel, drying his hair. Always trying to make sure he’s prettied up for the paps. He’ll deny it, but the man hasn’t had a bad picture in the press since he started dating Layla.

Leo and I both stare at him with confusion.

“A girl tied up your legs and left you with a hard-on. I’d keep that shit in the vault for life.” Vance pulls his water from his bag, tipping his head back and guzzling it like he’s in a soft drink commercial or something.

“You know that the paps don’t really give a shit about you, right?” I ask, and Vance takes the bottle from his lips and gives me the stink eye.

“Don’t deflect onto me, man. Today we’re dealing with your shit.” He sits down on the sand.

I let my head fall forward into my hands. I wonder when my dad is going to call to ride my ass for not working twenty-four seven. I’ve been pretty much MIA for seventy-two hours, so he’d have a valid reason.

“She’s screwed me royally,” I complain. “She’s all I can fucking think of now. All these years I imagined she was married with kids. Shit, I never even checked up on her because I just couldn’t—”

“I would’ve thought you’d get a P.I. for sure.” Leo grabs a handful of sand, letting it slide through his fingers.

“P.I.? I woulda thought he’d contact the feds,” Vance chimes in.

I roll my eyes at both of them. “Are you even listening to me?”

Both their faces remain stoic. “You fucked up, Jag. Man up,” Leo says, tossing his head so his blond hair swings out of his eyes.

“Fight. Isn’t that what you told me?” Vance adds his two cents.

I’m not sure what I expected my friends to say. Did I want them to coddle me and tell me I did the right thing all those years ago? Tell me she was better off without me and still is? Encourage me to forget her and fuck the next girl who comes along?

“She does have you all twisted.” Leo laughs, and Vance joins him. And why not? The two of them are tucked into their beds every night with their loved ones, while I’m face down on my bedroom floor with a bruised dick.

“I might bow down when I meet her. She must be a goddess or something to have this much control over you.” Vance laughs again while packing up his shit.

“She doesn’t hold any power. I still lead where this relationship is going,” I counter to save face, though I don’t even believe it myself at this point.

“Sounds to me like there isn’t a relationship.” Vance stands, swinging his backpack over his shoulder. He grips my shoulder, squeezing it. “Do what you’re known for. Be the pit bull you always are and if she has feelings for you, she’ll stop fighting—eventually.”

Pit bull? He has a point.

Hell, I’m Jagger fucking Kale. The agent most Hollywood studio heads fear. The one who got a B-list actress the highest-paid deal ever. I negotiate with powerful people every day. Surely, I can deal with Quinn.

“You’re a fucking genius.” I stand, grab both sides of his face and kiss his forehead.

A camera snaps somewhere behind us and Leo laughs.

“Fuck. Of course, they snap a photo of that. Damn it.” Vance shakes his head while I join in Leo’s amusement. Vance takes the paps way too seriously.

“Why is Vance a genius?” Leo asks. “You know you can’t actually bite the girl, right? And pit bulls get a bad rap, they’re one of the most loving animals and they’re completely loyal.”

He raises his eyebrows and I’m going to let the whole insinuation that I can’t be loyal go right now because I’m about to break out in song, I’m so damn excited.

“A business proposition!” I yell, my arms stretched out to the side. The warm sun heats my body like God himself is blessing my plan.

“Proposition?” Vance asks, glancing over to Leo. They’re both shaking their heads.

“Yeah.” All the fine print and stipulations rush into my head.

“Like draw up a contract?” Leo asks.

I cringe. “Quinn probably won’t go for that. A verbal agreement will have to do.”

“Earth to Jagger, come back to us.” Vance waves a hand in front of my face.

I clap my hands, ignoring his bullshit. “That’s it. I’m going to her house as soon as I’m done visiting Marisol.”

“We should stop him,” Vance says to Leo.

“Why? He’s not even listening to us now.” Leo shrugs.

“You guys don’t get it. Quinn needs a commitment and I need to woo her back. This might just be my most brilliant plan.”

Leo raises his hand in the air. “I’d like to vote for stupidest idea.”

Vance laughs. “I gotta get Payne and Via. You want to come and maybe pick Payne’s brain for some ideas on getting Quinn back? I think you’re both on the same wavelength.”

I ignore him and Leo. Squatting down, I shove my water bottle and phone into my bag and grab my towel to change outside the car. “See you later, once the imaginary ink dries!”

Without waiting for a response, I jog up the sand to my car, running through the best way to approach Quinn to make sure she can’t refuse.

* * *

The antiseptic scent of the hospital nauseates me as I head up the elevator to the third floor. Isa called me this morning and Marisol will be here for three more days at least, getting tests done on her kidneys to find out exactly what’s going on.

Laughter rings out from the room before I have a chance to open the door and I take that as a good sign for Marisol.

I knock, peeking my head in, seeing the curtain pulled around the bed for privacy. “Hey, it’s me.”

“Come in, Jagger,” Marisol says.

My shoes click on the laminated floor and I peel back the curtain, expecting to find Isa and Marisol. I smile with surprise. She just saved me a trip.

“Quinn.” I nod my head in her direction.

“Good morning, Jagger.” She stands, patting Marisol’s hand. “I’ll come back later.”

“Don’t go. Surely we can all sit in a room together.” Marisol looks to me and then to Quinn and back again.

I shrug.

Quinn wavers though, her eyes never meeting mine. Either she’s obsessed with my pecs or she’s having trouble facing me after her little escape artist routine the last time we saw one another.

“I wanted to talk to Quinn anyway. I’ll go grab a coffee and then we can all visit.” I step forward, gripping Marisol’s cold hand in mine. “Do you need anything?”

She shakes her head, a smile on her lips. “No, mi querido. I’m good.”

I haven’t seen her this happy since Isa’s college graduation years ago.

Leaving the two of them in the room, I go to the waiting area and pour myself a shitty cup of coffee. Should’ve picked one up on my way here, but I’d planned for a quick in-and-out since I have to get to the office today.

A few nurses glance my way as I pass by them again. It’s the expensive suit that’s tailored for my body. I’m not sure why, but experience has taught me that a good suit is like an aphrodisiac for some women. I can only pray that Quinn is one of them.

Sipping my coffee, I walk back into Marisol’s hospital room, finding her alone, her smile replaced with a frown now.

“Where is Quinn?” I ignore the panic my body is feeling.

“She said she had to go. You just missed her.”

I place the coffee on the side table. “I’ll be right back.”

I race from the room, the click of my wingtips sounding closer together as I increase my pace down the hall. I press the elevator button, and the doors that were about to close open back up and I can’t even attempt to wipe the smile from my lips.

“Running scared?” I cock an eyebrow at Quinn.

She shakes her head, no trace of amusement on her face. “I have work to do.”

I step in, facing her. Her eyes focus on the numbers going down until I press the stop button.

“It’s a hospital. You’re going to get in trouble,” she says. I shrug, and she rolls her eyes. “Let me guess, you’re a Kale, so you don’t give a fuck.”

I tilt my head, wondering what’s stoked her anger in this particular moment. “Why are you mad? From what I remember you weren’t the one who fell on a dick harder than granite.” I stalk toward her and she retreats until her back is pressed firmly against the wall.

“Give it a rest, Jagger. You just want me because I don’t want you.”

“You don’t want me,” I scoff. I place one arm above her head, leaning in close.

Her breathing hitches and her gaze stays fixed on my chest. Placing a finger under her chin, I force her to lock eyes with me. “You don’t want me?”

A small shake of her head.

“I think you might be lying.” I corner her with my other arm, caging her in with my body. I bend down, my lips mere inches from her, and she sucks in a breath. “I think if I kissed you right now, you’d kiss me back.”

Her gaze hasn’t left mine. “I wouldn’t.” Maybe in her head she’s cool and calm, but I can read her body as well as I can the studio heads who say they can’t afford to pay my client another dime—like an expert.

“Liar.” I lift one corner of my mouth.

She places two hands on my chest and shoves, knocking me back a few steps. “Stop it. Don’t try to use your sex appeal to win me over.” She crosses her arms over her chest, effectively pushing her tits up. “No! Eyes up here.” She points to her face. “You tried to seduce me last night and it almost worked, but you’re not going to fool me twice.”

“Twice? Quinn, I explained myself.”

“Explained that you didn’t even try. You just gave up, Jagger. You have no idea if you could have gone to college and had a long-distance relationship with me. Or the fact I was trying to get into Stanford and would join you in a year. You didn’t even consider it. You didn’t even talk to me about it. You made the decision for both of us.” She reaches over and presses the button to get the elevator moving again.

“Bullshit. I was a punk kid.” I press the red button again and the elevator shudders to a stop. “I would’ve fucked it up and broken you. That’s what punk kids do.”

Her hand hovers over the button. “You broke me anyway.” Her voice is small and weak, making me wonder for the first time if maybe the decision I made wasn’t the best thing for her.

I grip her hand, linking her fingers with mine. “Not this time. This time I don’t break you.”

She shakes her head. “No.” She fights to get away from me, but I pull her toward me.

“Four dates. Give me four dates and if I don’t prove it to you by then, I’ll say goodbye…forever.”

I can’t imagine never seeing Quinn again now that we’ve been reunited after all these years. Not now that I know she still harbors the same feelings for me that I have for her. For years I’ve been pushing them down, telling myself not to compare every other woman out there to her because the truth is that no one ever even comes close. No woman has had the combination of sweet and sexy that Quinn does. No woman has ever been as intelligent as she is and stood up to me the way she did. The way she still does. I’ve never felt like I could really be myself with anyone since Quinn.

Her body stays in my arms and I feel her fight wavering. She’s intrigued just like I knew she would be.

“You’re telling me if I go out with you on four dates, you’ll let me go afterwards? No more pushing me to sleep with you?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

She shakes her head. “You’re so cocky. You’d agree to almost anything because you believe you can win me over by then.”

I shrug, not about to argue with her.

“I’m not sleeping with you.” She backs up, my hands falling to my sides.

“I’ll agree to that stipulation. But I want hand-holding and goodnight kisses. Maybe a make-out session or two.”

A hollow laugh falls from her mouth. “Should I have a witness sign a contract for us?”

Girl after my own heart, but probably a bad idea.

“Listen.” She raises her hand. “I’ll give you four dates. That’s it. We’ll see about kissing and stuff as it goes, but if I were you, I’d prepare for us to be platonic.”

Yeah, she’ll lose that fight.

“Great. I’ll pick you up tonight at seven. Be ready.”

“I’m not going out with you for the next four days straight.”

“I’m not saying that, but we’re going to get this started because…” I let my eyes sweep greedily over her. “I want you under me sooner than later.”

I press the red button to get the elevator moving again. Our eyes remain locked until it reaches the main floor and the doors open.

“You’ve got your work cut out for you, Mr. Kale.” She walks out of the elevator, never looking back.

“See you tonight, Miss Ryan,” I call out after her.

A crowd of people swarm in, mumbling their displeasure over having to wait for the elevator for so long, and I ride back up to Marisol, my smile unable to leave my lips. Mark my words, she will be under me again.