Her heart is guarded. His heart is haunted.

I don’t trust boys. Not since an incident two years ago involving my summer crush, his stupid friends, and my stupid gullibility scattered across the dock of my lakeside cottage. But now I’m the Queen Bee of Sandy Haven Prep. I say who’s in and who’s out. What goes and what doesn’t, ensuring no one messes with me again. Ever.

Then along comes Dylan Braun. Kidnapped as a toddler and raised by a serial killer, he’s just been re-united with his real father…who happens to be my next-door neighbor. And while Dylan may be...

Her heart is guarded. His heart is haunted.

I don’t trust boys. Not since an incident two years ago involving my summer crush, his stupid friends, and my stupid gullibility scattered across the dock of my lakeside cottage. But now I’m the Queen Bee of Sandy Haven Prep. I say who’s in and who’s out. What goes and what doesn’t, ensuring no one messes with me again. Ever.

Then along comes Dylan Braun. Kidnapped as a toddler and raised by a serial killer, he’s just been re-united with his real father…who happens to be my next-door neighbor. And while Dylan may be gorgeous, he’s also closed off and moody. Also, a total jerk. Even more so once I’m tasked with driving him to school every day.

Our time together throws me off, because I’m not used to having absolutely no effect on a guy. It makes me feel like I’m not the one in control… and that’s not something I’m okay with. Especially around a guy who has more control over his emotions than anyone I’ve ever met. Nothing seems to affect him.

At least, that’s what I believed. Until one night when he thinks no one is watching and I witness an incident that makes me realize how horribly wrong I was—and that, although I might not like Dylan Braun, I like even less knowing that he is hurting.

This book is a standalone in the Sandy Haven series. Like all of my books, it has a HEA. (*Swearing. Trigger warning: one scene depicting self-harm, treated realistically and with respect.)