Growing up watching her father habitually cheat on her mother scarred Taj Sanders in ways she didn’t recognize until she noticed the same pattern in her own relationships. When her fiancé cheats on her and gets his side chick pregnant, Taj decides she’s done with men and love altogether. A drunken night at a hotel bar puts her at the mercy of a stranger who chooses to protect her and keep her safe instead of taking advantage of her—and he makes sure no one else does either.

Tristan Pierce, a quarter of the partnership for Montgomery, Pierce, Walker, and Gough, is known as the best strategist in Rose Valley Hills. When he lays eyes on Taj one year after saving her at the bar, he’s determined to not let her get away again so easily. He plays along, helping her make her ex jealous, which leads to them spending the night together. For Taj, one night is enough. For Tristan, their night together is the beginning of their forever.

As fate would have it, Taj finds in Tristan a man safe enough to choose and worthy of her love. Unfortunately, that’s no longer her heart’s desire. Tristan makes it his mission to not only soften her heart to love, but return her to her softness as a woman. With her hesitance to trust him and a lingering ex that won’t let go, Tristan is in for the biggest strategic undertaking of his life. Planned correctly, his actions can lead to his happily ever after with the woman he’s confident will be his wife. But one incorrect move or inadmissible action, and he may scar Taj’s heart worse than it already is.