Keon Kitson has lost his five-year-old son in a car accident, the same way he lost his parents when he was a kid. His fiancée left him before he woke from a coma. Keon can’t see past the pain in his heart and the darkness surrounding him. He wants to give up on life, but his best friend keeps pushing him to go on—as if it could ever get better. Shakita Chambers has just landed a dream job working with a man she’s admired for years. She would love to learn all she can from Keon, a world famous author. Except Keon is broken. He’s determined to drink himself into the grave, starve himself there, or tick her off so bad she kills him herself. Despite Keon’s ugly attitude, Shakita is attracted to him. One minute they’re arguing, the next they can’t keep their hands off each other. Shakita knows she’s playing a dangerous game. Keon still loves his ex, and his ex won’t let him forget it. Shakita’s worried about her heart, and so is every other interfering busybody in her life.

Cabrina Barnes has had to fight to survive. From as far back as she can remember her father and brother have been abusive and cruel. When her mother died, she fled the home where she grew up. She learned self-defense and carries a weapon for protection. While she won’t let a man get too close, she dreams of something more. A real family feels like an impossible dream. Then she meets Jamie. Jamie Westgate feels a little jealous of his best friend. Keon has found love and a family, but Jamie is still alone. He’s got money and success, but it means nothing without someone to share it with. From the first day he meets Cabrina, Jamie loves her. Everyone thinks Jamie’s crazy, especially because Cabrina is clumsy, ignorant, and blunt as hell. The day they meet, Cabrina pulls a gun on him. He doesn’t know if she’s manipulating him or if she’s truly as vulnerable as she seems. Regardless of Cabrina’s motives, once Jamie rescues her from danger, he won’t let her go—even if she fights him all the way to the altar.