I'm lost, sunburned, and trapped on a remote ranch with a stoic ex-SEAL whose scowl could scare off a mountain lion-and whose touch makes me forget every reason I ever had to go it alone.

Angelo Ramirez rescued me from the Arizona desert, then made it clear he has no patience for lost city girls, or messy complications.

But my body's still weak, the roads are gone, and I can't remember the last time I wanted to trust someone this badly.

He's gruff, maddeningly steady, impossible to read. Each day in his orbit, my defenses crumble. Each brush of his hands makes me ache for something I swore I'd outgrown.

The press is hunting me. Deadlines are closing in. The life I built back in New York waits, cold, relentless, and safe.

But out here, the real danger isn't the desert.

It's the way Angelo looks at me like I'm the only thing worth saving.

And the hardest part isn't surviving him.

It's walking away. †

† This novel was produced using author-directed AI tools.