"I’ve never been fishing before," he said with a grin. "But I think I’m starting to understand the appeal."

"What kind of game are you playing?" I cried in outrage. A horrible feeling began to settle in my gut.

I’d never seen his sparkling black eyes so intense as he leaned toward me, so close that I could catch his masculine scent. "The kind where everyone wins." His sultry voice sent shivers down my spine, even with hot bubbles swirling around me. He pointed to the water in the tub. "You’ve been trying to pretend that you’re not skinny dipping in my hot tub. You think I wouldn’t notice?"

My heart slammed into my chest. "I’m not skinny dipping!"

"Sure. This top belongs to some other girl, not the one trying desperately to keep me from seeing her chest under the water."

"I’m wearing the bottom, that’s just the top. Give it back!"

"Nope." He took a step back and smiled.

"Alright, f**k you Jax. I’ll just stay here, then." I sank back into the water and crossed my arms. If he expected me to keep reaching after the top until I fell over or he saw my ni**les, he’d have to think again.

"Will you, now?" he said, his eyebrows lifting. "You say so, but I doubt it. That hot tub’s pretty warm. You’ll either get out or pass out, soon enough. I guess I’ll stay here and fix myself another drink while I wait." He moved to the bar, set the bikini down, and started reaching for the bottles again.

"You’re really going to just stay here until you see me topless?" I cried in disbelief, aware that I admired his audacity as much as I hated it. "I knew you were an ass**le, but I didn’t think you were a scumbag!"

"You can have the top back whenever you want it, Riley," he said with a shrug, pouring himself a second drink.

"What’s that supposed to mean?" I scoffed. "I already asked you for it!"

A half-smile turned up one corner of Jax’s luscious mouth. He sipped, slowly, then said, "You asked, but you didn’t offer anything in return."

I glared at him, confused.

He continued, "Usually, when one person has something of value that another person wants, they make an exchange. I give you something you want, and you," he said, looking at me with seductive eyes, "give me something I want."

"You ungrateful bastard!" I cried, splashing him with water from the tub. "I already saved your life. I think giving my bikini top back is the least you can do."

Jax looked down at his wet t-shirt. "Not quite, Pepper. I saved you when I helped you onto the band bus, which I didn’t have to do. Right now, I’m holding onto your top, which I also don’t have to do. If I let it go, it blows out onto Interstate 80—if we’re talking about the least I could do."

I was mortified. I knew men like Jax didn’t always play fair, but I didn’t expect him to really hold my bikini hostage. "I can’t believe I used to be attracted to you," I said, scowling.

"Believe whatever you want. You’re the one topless in the hot tub. If you want this back," he said, gesturing toward the top, "you’re going to offer me something. And you know what I want. I’m looking right at it." His eyes directed straight at me sent an unwelcome desire fluttering through my belly.

I inhaled sharply. "Dude, I’ve told you before, and I don’t want to have to tell you again. My job—"

"Yes, I’m sure the people at Hans-Peterson take professionalism very seriously. Are you the same Riley I met Saturday night? Picks locks, dodges security guards?"

"My boss wasn’t going to find out I picked a lock. This could get back to him."

"You’d be just as fired if he found out about the night you got me half-undressed. What can they do, fire you twice?"

Fuck. He had me there. At this point, Palmer would probably throw me out onto the streets of Manhattan if he heard the whole truth. Which made things worse, because the other reasons I didn’t want to sleep with Jax were a lot more difficult to talk about than potential HR problems. "But if one of the band members tells them . . ."

"Pepper, I give you my word," he said, reaching out to lift my chin until I was looking directly in his eyes, "I can handle the band. They’re not going to tell anyone."

"You can’t guarantee—"

"Hold up," he interrupted, putting his finger to my lips. Then he softly brushed it across my bottom lip, sending unwanted tingles of excitement through me. "Here’s how this is going to work. You’re going to give me a kiss. It’s going to last as long as I want it to. After that, you can have your top back."

Wait, a kiss? I thought he’d been referring to sex this whole time. A kiss was already trodden territory between us. I squinted at him. This seemed too easy. "Fine. It’s a deal."

"That’s not the whole deal," he said, seeming to enjoy correcting me. "You’re also going to give me a kiss after every show on this tour."

My ni**les hardened at the thought of kissing Jax over and over again for the next two weeks, and I felt my body trying to say "yes" before my brain put the brakes on. "You’re asking for too much. One kiss right now. But that’s all."

His eyes burned into me, and when he spoke next, his voice was a low growl, "No deal."

"Fine," I said dismissively, feeling vulnerable in more ways than one. "Because I know how this story goes anyway." I’d been playing the scenario out in my head long enough that it was easy to see. "Girl plays games with rock god. Rock god plays until he gets bored. Then he moves on to the next new thing and the girl goes back to her humdrum life."

"Sounds like it’s not a bad deal for the girl."

"Spoken like someone who’s used to taking advantage of others, not getting taken advantage of himself."

His jaw tightened. "You don’t know me, Pepper."

Surprised by his reaction, I realized I must’ve hit a sore spot. "I know enough to know that you like picking on the young and helpless." I considered myself young at twenty-five.

He waited, his hand clenched around his drink. Clearly, I’d hit close to home.

"And it’s not just that," I said, feeling the words tumble out before I’d even thought about them. "You put the dark and dangerous act on harder than any guy I’ve ever met, and in my experience, most guys who do that are hiding something. Usually something big." Like a prison record. Or an ex-wife.

Jax set his drink down on the edge of the hot tub with a loud thunk, bending his knees until he was at eye level with me. His dark eyes were pools big enough to drown in and he stared directly at me. "Do you think I’m hiding something?"

I could feel his breath as he spoke. His scent filled my mind, and my eyes ran slowly over his taut, tanned skin. His body was inches from me, draining my resistance, making it impossible to free myself from his gaze.

"Yeah," I said at last. "I do."

He straightened and turned around, shaking his head. "See you around, then."

Shit. Whatever Jax was hiding, it was none of my business, and I didn’t want my bikini top to be a casualty of my curiosity. "Wait! Wait, wait, wait. Fine. Let’s negotiate."