Grayson (Gray) Kane comes to Caynham Castle Hotel to pick up an award for his late father. Not even the news that an assassin has targeted Gray will deter him. Not this time. His dad's last wish was for Gray to pick up the award and do all the other things they had intended to enjoy together on this same trip. Gray promised he would. Dealing with his loss amid the families celebrating the Christmas season makes him question his solitary life as an covert agent.

Gray's partner, Laurel Whitney, joins him to watch his back. Having grown up with bickering parents and ostentatious Christmases, she long ago decided holiday hoopla and family togetherness weren't for her. Gray needs to be here, though, so she'll cover his back and suppress her envy of the warm family life he once enjoyed. As the long-suppressed attraction between them flares anew and a killer closes in, she must decide whether she has the courage to seize what she has always wanted.