Shanntall

If my childhood taught me anything, it was to survive. Now I have a deep-rooted mistrust of people and a wall of steel and ice surrounding my heart. So, when Reed Ryan steps into my life, I know I need to keep him far away. He’s everything I grew up hating. Fighting. Fleeing. Devastatingly handsome, he looks like a drunken regret and has heartbreak written over every inch of his body - literally. He’s the quintessential bad boy...and he’s a cop. But the man is my undoing.

I got the call. The dreaded call every child fears. My dad wasn't well, and the man who had always been my everything needed me. There was only one thing to do: pack up and head back to my small hometown. I had finally made my dream life in the city, with the great job and loving boyfriend. But was there really a choice not to go?

"I want a divorce." That's the first thing she says to me after a decade of silence. And we're not even married yet. Her demand, the way her grandmother talks to her, and how she's treated by the town trigger me. This is just a business arrangement that'll save both our ranches, neither of us want this marriage, but I'll keep her safe by making her my wife. My wife. Those words are as powerful as her first ones to me. The rings on her finger are temporary, so tell me why I want them to remain there permanently?

What do ice cream and Sadie Montgomery have in common? They're both ice cold, but one taste is never enough. I wanted to be friends - I would have even settled for her seeing me as anything but a nerd - but there was no getting through. So just like any hard-headed, red-blooded man out there, I made up my mind. I'd make my coworker fall for me.

I owe everything to Emilia's father. I'd do anything for the man. When he asked me to marry his daughter, I thought he was insane. I was only going to protect her. That was my job. Yet, one innocent kiss changed everything. Now, it's not about what her father wants. It's all about her. When enemies try to take her and the life we could have away, they will learn why they call me the devil. I'll show them no mercy. Emilia is mine, and God help anyone who tries to come between us.