Losing a friend is never easy. But losing a friend and knowing the blame resides entirely on your shoulders is something else entirely. Tessa Shay had spent her life surrounded by a father and two brothers who loved and protected her. Having lost her mother at a young age, Tessa quickly learned that to survive growing up in an all male household she had to become strong and fiercely independent. It was easy to do, knowing that they always had her back. Then one day her youngest brother came home on leave from the military and brought with him a man she quickly fell in love with. Having no family of his own, Jack Sanders was more than happy to accept his friend's invitation to go home with him between missions. He looked forward to being around a family, even if it couldn't be his own, to recharge and get ready for the next deployment. At least he had been, until he walked into the Shay residence and was introduced to Tessa. From that moment on he was lost. Not wanting to betray his friend, he heeded the warning to steer clear of Tessa, but watched and protected her from a distance as she grew from an immature adolescent to a beautiful young woman. But now, as he watched her from across a crowded room, he knew without a doubt that something was terribly wrong. Tessa tried valiantly to avoid Jack, knowing he would only dig until he learned her secrets. If he knew the truth of what happened to her, she would lose him forever. Tessa didn't want anyone involved with the violence that had touched her. Nor did she want to be responsible for the harm that could come to those she loved most. Jack, however, had other ideas...