She's no stranger to love and loss... By age eighteen, Alexa Kingsley had lost everyone. Only Joey, the lonely boy next door, remained. He'd clung to Alexa like a lifeline through years of abuse at the hands of his father, and she vowed to protect him as best she could. Alexa thought Joey was the one person who'd always be there-until the day he left her as well. Finally forced to go it alone, Alexa finds this latest loss may hurt worst of all. He's no stranger to lack of love... Joseph O'Connor was every bit the villain his father trained him to be, his young heart twisted into something ugly, corrupted. But his father underestimated the girl next door, miscalculated the impact Lexi would have on Joey's life, the spark she ignited that eventually, despite all odds, grew to an inferno of hope. To reclaim her, Joey must first become a man Lexi can be proud of...the kind of man she deserves. Amidst a shadowy world of guns and drugs, will Joey's ultimate sacrifice-a declaration of love from a man who was never shown any at all-be enough to finally set him free?