Mia Cappella.

She was my first.

She was supposed to be my last.

But then she left me.

At one time Mia was my world. My everything. She owned my heart.

But that was a long time ago.

When Mia left town eight years ago, she took that pathetic loser with her. And I swore I'd never be whipped again.

I call the shots. Who I date. Who I screw. It's my business. And just because Mia has turned up in Maple Ridge again doesn't mean I'm about to change. Even if she still looks as beautiful as she did the day she walked out on me.

She's back for the summer to help run her dad's sporting goods store. And even though the two of us used to run around in the same circle, we decide to keep our distance. But as luck would have it, she and I get stuck organizing Maple Ridge's biggest summer event: Bikes and Beers.

Being tossed back into Mia's orbit forces me to remember feelings I've pushed down for years. Memories of both peak ecstasy and the lowest of pits. But being with Mia is like a car crash I can't look away from. Her infectious smile, gentleness, and sultry laugh sucks me back in. And before I know it, we're caught up in our familiar love affair.

The only problem is, we have unfinished business. We share a secret; a deep, dark grief that neither of us have truly recovered from. Being together is painful. It's a constant reminder of our heartache.

But maybe being apart is even worse?