Ellie Pagan has a list of reasons to stay away from Ford Landry. Ford gets Ellie isn't his biggest fan. He just doesn't care. Standing in front of him, giving him hell, she's even prettier than he remembered. All he can think about is how she felt in his arms, the taste of her kiss, the sound of her giggle in the middle of the night. He may not know how to win her back, but he does know this: he may have let her go once, but that's one mistake he won't make again.

Life moves on. Only people who have never lost anyone they loved with all their heart can blindly believe those words. What if I didn't want to move on? What if I wanted to wake up every morning with that familiar ache in my chest, knowing I'd never see her again? But, life can change in a moment. I knew that better than anyone...so, when I couldn't get those mesmerizing green eyes out of my head, I decided to do something about it.

I'm that guy. Camilla Landry rustles against me, the silky fabric of her overpriced lingerie slipping along my bruised rib. The porcelain perfection of her skin is even more innocent against the colorful ink dotting my own. It's demure meets damaged, pampered meets punctured.

Parker Cruse despises cheaters. It might have something to do with her boyfriend sleeping with her twin sister. After a wedding day prank involving a strong laxative, that ends the already severed relationship between the twins, Parker decides to grow up and act 26. Step one: Move out of her parents' house. Step two: Find a job. Opportunity strikes when she meets her new neighbor, Gus Westman. He's an electrician with Iowa farm-boy values and a gift for saying her name like it's a dirty word.

One word. Stay. It was all he had to do. Instead, he got on that bus and took my heart with him. That was 17 years ago. I moved on. Marriage. Kids. White picket fence. Everything I ever wanted, but my husband betrayed me and I was left once again.