Violet Walker has always wanted to open a cupcake shop, but she's never had the money. So when she meets a handsome man at her best friend's bar who promptly offers to front her the money, she can't say no, can she? He's young, single, obviously successful, and most of all he makes her want to melt into a puddle every time he looks her way. Which is exactly why he has to stay as a business partner, nothing more.

Determined to make his mate's dream come true, ice dragon Ivore will stop at nothing. He knows that by locking her into a business deal he'll have as long as he needs to seduce and eventually claim the shy beauty. Dragons are patient creatures, but every second that passes without being able to claim her is driving him wild with desire.

Although she won't tell him, Ivore knows that Violet has been hurt, and hurt bad. What he doesn't understand is that she's not rejecting him for her safety, but his. The dragon wants to help her make peace with her past, but first they're going to have to deal with his present, including a crime boss hell-bent on revenge against Ivore and his brothers that has just put Violet square in his crosshairs…