<p><strong><em>Blaise North</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p>The aftermath of my parent's death was the toughest time in my life, but at least I had him . He was there every step of the way, wiped the tears I shed, and made me smile when I'd forgotten how to.</p><p><br></p><p>Until he became the reason why I had to protect my heart with one simple rule-no more kissing.</p><p><br></p><p>Six years later, because life had a great sense of humor, I found myself having to use that same rule on the man who inspired it.</p><p><br></p><p>It's no surprise it didn't work. After all, my heart was never my own to protect-it belonged to Ares Hart the entire time.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong><em>Ares Hart</em></strong></p><p><br></p><p>Growing up, I didn't have a perfect example of what love should look like. My parents were the definition of a disaster, and I didn't intend to end up the same way.</p><p><br></p><p>So, I made myself a promise. To this day, I've followed it blindly, even if in the process I had to hurt the one I cared about the most.</p><p><br></p><p>But what I hadn't realized was that the key to keeping my promise was right next to me the entire time.</p><p><br></p><p>Blaise North gave my vow purpose, and when I was finally ready to make up for my mistakes, the unexpected happened.</p><p><br></p>