Riley was awakened by the sound of her mother crying. She could hear the fear in her voice and the anger in her his voice. Grabbing her bear she ran into the closet and crouched in the corner. Riley put her hands over her ears to block out the sound but she could still hear him as he hit her. Her mother was crying, she was pleading for him to stop but that only made it worse. Drawing her knees up, she pressed her hands hard against her ears. There was crying, but this time it was her crying.Riley McCarthy is twenty five years old but since her mother's death at the age of five, she has been haunted by reoccurring nightmares of that and other nights from her childhood. Left alone with an abusive father, whose sexual desires were directed at her, she became a product of the system. Each time she ran away, she was returned to the father whose reputation was above reproach. At 16, she left for the final time and never looked back.Ten years later, she is the owner of a successful bakery, living with her best friend Cassie and Cassie's fiancé Austin. She is finally at a point where she can relax and enjoy the life she has, but her work is her marriage, and the excuse to prevent any man from coming into her life. Only one man ever breached the barrier, and their one night together, is the basis on which all other men fall short. The fantasy of her dreams she occasionally brings out, to savor, before she safely tucks him away in her memory.Christian Chase is a self-made billionaire, the President and CEO of his own company. He owns six properties, including an apartment in Manhattan and a condominium in Gulf Shores, Alabama, a private jet and a collection of muscle cars. He lives the lifestyle most men dream about, where money is no object, and no woman too beautiful. Yet, despite having it all, he is haunted by the green eyed beauty he met briefly at the age of 20, than again five years later. They had one night together and since that moment, no woman has held his attention, or quenched the sexual desires that stir within.Reunited at Cassie and Austin's engagement party, neither Riley nor Christian can explain or deny, the immediate chemistry they felt for each other five years prior. Nor can they explain the desire that now consumes them. Entering into a relationship, the two explore the world of their sexual attraction, while dealing with the issues of Riley's nightmares. Just when it looks like their life together is falling into place, Riley's past resurfaces. Unlike in her past, this time Riley stays to confront her fears with the help of Christian. Neither realizes the true danger Riley is in and the threat it poses to their happiness.First in "The Dark Series"