Cal Stewart has it all. Tall, blond and built, the football star is a smooth-talking charmer. But there's one situation he can't talk himself out of—and now he's stuck doing community service at Frankie Devereux's after-school center for troubled teens.Six weeks and he's out of there. End of story. Except, from the start, Frankie gets under his skin. She's tough and vulnerable, passionate and guarded all at the same time. She makes Cal want to unravel her. Protect her with everything he's got. But he's no shining knight. What he should do is focus on his career and forget all about her. Too bad that's easier said than done.

Darcy Gordon lives in fear of the past catching up with her. So when a horrible accident injures her boss, she can't shake the thought that it was meant for her. And her problems only worsen when her boss' brother, FBI agent Patrick Devereux, comes to town asking questions. If it wouldn't raise so many suspicions, she'd be packing her bags and leaving Chicago. So she does her best to stay under the radar. Patrick's fierce good looks and razor-sharp stare have her stomach in knots…and her heart racing. The passion between them leaves Darcy more confused than ever. For the first time, she wants more than the pretend life she's living now. For the first time, fear is taking a backseat to what she could have with Patrick.

After his parents died, Nathan Devereux raised his siblings and ran the family restaurant, even though it wasn't the career he wanted. Now that they're adults, he can focus on what he wants. Until Emma Sloan shows up, telling him he's the father of a teen-aged girl. Nathan can't ignore the girl, whose mother just died. He can't ignore Emma, either. And trouble from the past is breathing down his neck, threatening to destroy everything he's worked to keep together. Can he bend the rules to protect his siblings as well as Harley and Emma?