Author's Note: This work is clean.

Declan will do whatever he needs to do to protect his best friend. He runs off Janessa's dates who are actually predators or ex-cons. He watches over her from afar because that's all he'll ever be able to do for her. No matter how much Declan loves Janessa, it doesn't change the fact that he has a secret he's ashamed of.

Janessa is in love with her best friend and business partner Declan. She'll never be in a serious relationship with him because both of them lie for a living. How can she trust him if Declan turns to her for more than friendship?

Choices for both are ripped away when Declan's past comes knocking and they're taken hostage. This time, Declan's not sure if he's strong enough to protect Janessa, and Janessa doesn't know if she can accept that Declan isn't even human.