**Winner of the 2021 Swoony Award for American Hero Suspense** Hidden desires. Battle scars. And a protection detail that shatters all the rules. Security specialist Rafe Malone never saw his best friend's little sister as anything but off-limits. But when a threat forces him to guard Piper Fields, he discovers the woman who's replaced the kid he once knew. Too bad his war-ravaged soul makes him the last man who should notice how her quiet strength calls to his darkness. Piper has spent a lifetime managing everyone else's dreams from the shadows, haunted by loss and an impossible crush on her brother's best friend. When danger forces her into the spotlight, Rafe's presence ignites more than just her long-buried desires. For the first time, she's ready to step into her own light-if she survives long enough to try. As threats escalate and proximity ignites forbidden attraction, they'll have to break all the rules to keep her alive. Because some threats cut deeper than bullets, and some loves are worth risking everything to protect. For fans of Sandra Brown''s complex suspense and Catherine Coulter's political thrillers. Surrender to this explosive forbidden romance today!