Kieran Taggart's days are spent looking after his family.

He keeps tabs on his baby brother, who is still travelling abroad. He helps his mom out with her shelter, and he keeps his older brother Shane from being too stupid with his money. Kieran usually loves how generous his brother is, but not when he ends up tangled in someone else's mess because of it.

Clayton Cross knows he messed up his life. One minute, he was working with his best friend, and the next, he'd cleaned out the business accounts and left that friend high and dry. Taking the money was only supposed to be a temporary means to an end. The odds should have been in his favor, but once again, things didn't go his way.

Clayton hits rock bottom when he's assaulted, and with nowhere to go, he's forced to turn to the best friend he betrayed for help. Archer wants nothing to do with him, but can't bear to let Clayton suffer.

Given refuge at Patricia Taggart's shelter, Clayton can attend therapy and heal his broken bones. With his life in shambles and the future a complete mystery, all he knows for certain is that everyone hates him. Shane and Archer keep their distance, leaving Kieran to step in when Clayton needs help.

Kieran should have no use for a man like Clayton. A man who stole from his best friend and dug himself into a hole that Kieran's brother had to pull him out of. Even so, the more time they spend together, the more Kieran feels his heart drifting toward Clayton. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all. Maybe he just needed someone to care for him.

But how could he entertain the idea of a relationship with a man his brother despises? Falling for Clayton Cross is a terrible idea. So why can't Kieran seem to help himself?