SHE THOUGHT SHE HAD EVERYTHING SHE EVER WANTED -- — UNTIL SHE MET THE ONLY MAN SHE'D EVER NEED.... — Forced into the spotlight by her fabulous wealth, heiress Grace Hall isn't always prepared for the consequences of her standing. When a string of attacks against the city's most prominent women leaves Grace vulnerable, the refined beauty reluctantly hires a bodyguard. Now she finds herself subject to the ironclad will of her new protector. In spite of her frustration, Grace is drawn to John Smith in ways she can't explain. For beneath his tough exterior and dark past, there's an inner core that is tantalizingly seductive. John knows that when you're a professional bodyguard, it needs to be all business. But such conduct makes for a solitary life with few ties and too many good-byes. Grace was supposed to be just another assignment on a long list. Yet there's something about her that gets under his skin. With each passing day, the attraction grows more intense -- until John is faced with a decision he never thought he'd have to make. Can he give up the only life he's ever known to be with the only woman he's ever loved?

As far as bad boy Spike Moriarty was concerned, Madeline Maguire defined female perfection. When they'd met, she'd walked up as if she wasn't the most gorgeous thing on the planet and asked to see his tattoos. He--a tough guy who'd make grown men run--had just about passed out. But their connection was definitely one-way...it had to be. Because he could never be the man in a million she was looking for, not with the things he'd done and seen. So for as long as she'd let him, he'd give her whatever she wanted. He'd worry about her walking away when it happened.

All Alex could see was her long, thick, copper-colored hair. Pale smooth skin. Lipe that were naturally tinted pink. Eyes that were green like sea grass.He stopped himself. His best friend Reese might be dead. But in Alex's mind, Cassandra was still very much the man's wife.Cassandra. The forbidden woman Alex had yeared for from the first moment he'd laid eyes on her six years ago. The woman who'd been married to his best friend--the friend he'd lost to the sea. The woman who was rebuilding his family's bed-and-breakfast...and who just might, in the process, be rebuilding his anguished heart.