I never saw him coming.

Literally.

I ran straight into him outside the bathrooms of his brother's bar. Not that I'm going to complain about having Carter Ellis's body pressed up against mine.

The enigmatic man I've crushed on for the past year had always intimidated me. His closed-off expressions and overwhelming intensity kept me from acting on my infatuation. But with one mishap and a cracked phone screen, I finally got my chance—and also learned not to judge a book by its cover.

It only took one night for me to realize how special Carter was, and when he began receiving threatening messages, I vowed to do whatever it took to keep him safe. I mean, I am a firefighter; it's kind of in my job description.

But how could I protect him from someone we never thought would betray us?