As the son of a Formula One racer, the need for speed was in my blood. But in the blink of an eye, my life in the fast lane came to a screeching halt. With my racing career gone, I had no choice but to endure a new way of life. And that's when I met her-Kalliope Benton Riley. She wasn't my usual type at all. She was a total hippie, packaged to perfection with flowy dresses and rainbow-colored hair wraps. She had outlandish ideas about the stars, the moon, and predetermined destiny. Ridiculous. Yet, I couldn't turn away from her mesmerizing green eyes. She was more than a pit stop. She was my addiction-my checkered flag. Six years ago, a psychic gypsy gave me a warning. She said I was cursed when it came to romance and destined for a life of disappointment and heartache. She was right. So when the opportunity to move across the country presented itself, I was more than ready for a change-but that change was not supposed to include someone like Sloan Atwood. He was arrogant and cocky. Avoiding him should have been easy, but every time I looked at him, the attraction grew stronger. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe-just maybe-Sloan could be the one to break the curse. Then I saw a California sunset. The gypsy had warned me about those too. As the sun dropped lower in the sky, my heart knew I couldn't box this lap. There would be no winners in this race. Total shut down was the only way to prevent permanent damage.