When Drake Lockhart, wealthy ranching scion and Texas tycoon, meets a stunning redhead at a fancy ball, the last thing he expects is a tryst he can’t forget, followed by her disappearing in the middle of the night. Every minute spent with the vulnerable beauty has left him hungering for more.

Shannon Piper was out of place at the charity ball. And an intimate encounter with a man so far removed from her social hemisphere wasn’t on her agenda. He has a reputation for ruthlessness and is one of Texas Monthly’s most eligible bachelors, known for his history with women. Is a relationship based on just sex the way to protect her heart? Or is it the beginning of the most enduring love a girl with a sketchy past could ever know?