Overachiever River Purcell was never supposed to be a struggling single mom, working double shifts just to make ends meet. Nor was she supposed to be abandoned by her high-school sweetheart, breaking her heart into a thousand jagged pieces. Now Vaughn De Matteo is back in town, his sights set on her...and River is in danger of drowning a second time. No one believed Hook's resident bad boy was good enough for River--not even Vaughn himself. But he'll fight like hell to win back the woman he never stopped loving, to keep the daughter he never expected, and to convince himself he's worth their love in the process--even if he has to rely on their fierce and undeniable sexual chemistry. But even as River's body arches under his hungered touch, the demons of the past lurk in the shadows--waiting for Vaughn to repeat his mistakes one last time...