At six foot four, muscles for days, and a take charge attitude, Duncan Hawkins is exactly my type and everything I've sworn to avoid... So when I find myself in trouble, why is he my first call?

Mika has run before—first from trouble at home, then from an abusive ex.

For the past two years, he’s built a quiet, safe life in Vesper, Texas, determined to never run again. But when his past comes knocking, he needs protection. And there’s only one man he trusts to keep him safe—Hawk.

Hawk is ex-military, a seasoned bodyguard, and the very type that man Mika has spent years avoiding—big, tough, and in charge. Exactly his type. Exactly the kind of man who once broke him.

But Hawk is different. He’s protective, patient, and unwavering in his promise to stand between Mika and danger. As Hawk teaches Mika to fight back—both in his self-defense classes and in life—sparks fly.

But trusting a man like Hawk means risking everything, including his heart. And with his ex growing more dangerous by the day, Mika must keep running, or stand and fight—with Hawk by his side.