TREY

I don't like people, and I don't do things out of the goodness of my cold heart. But when a blonde bombshell gets roofied in my night club, and she has no identification, no money, and no place to go, I shock the hell out of myself and offer her a job cleaning my penthouse.

It's those damn blue eyes and her optimistic attitude that have me doing and saying things completely out of character. Like squirting toothpaste all over my bathroom sink and tossing leftovers into a pot on the stove and purposely leaving a mess in the kitchen sink just so Ella-with-no-last-name has something to clean.

And then I offer her my bed for the night while I take the room down the hall, despite the pressure behind my zipper wanting, needing, a release. It's not because I'm a good samaritan, but because her girl-next-door looks and sunshiney personality will get her eaten alive in the city.

It's obvious she's hiding something or running from someone, and it's not in my nature to get involved or to even care.

But I do.

ELLA

I'm not one to run away from my problems, but in this case, leaving my life behind is the only way I'll ever be truly free. What I don't expect is to be swindled and drugged in my first twenty-four hours of freedom.

When I wake up on Trey Baxter's couch, it doesn't take long for me to see the cinnamon roll he's hiding inside his grumpy and growling tattooed exterior. His sentences are short and gruff, and always include some form of the f-bomb. If it weren't for his kindness, I'd be more offended.

But he offers me more than a roof over my head and a temporary job. He offers me kindness and friendship, even if it seems to pain him at times. Even as I begin to trust him, I continue to keep my secrets, because I've learned the hard way that people aren't always what they seem.