Luca Pagano is a second son. The family rebel, he has always been a beat out of step with his father, who sees him as unserious and unsettled. But Luca is a man who knows his mind and follows his heart. He's never met a woman with whom he wants to be serious or settled, and he is definitely not looking. Active and adventurous, he prefers an uncomplicated life, free of any attachments but those of his family. Emmanuelle "Manny" Timko has recently moved to Quiet Cove. She, too, avoids attachments beyond her family, but her reasons go deeper than simple preference. To make her way in the world, she's had to build a life of coping mechanisms and control. The connection they make together is as intense as it is unlikely. To love Manny, Luca must learn to love in a new way. To love Luca, Manny must learn to love at all. When Luca's Uncles come to him to collect on a debt, what Luca and Manny have found together will be sorely tested. What happens next could change everything for them and for the whole Pagano family. Note: explicit sex, violent scenes