Sam Rider is mouthy, bossy, uppity as shit, and I have no choice but to deal with her smart-mouth since she’s my daughter’s teacher. Sam waltzes into our small town on a temporary contract equipped with brochures and more change than a single dad can handle. I never trusted anybody to tell me what to do and I sure as hell won’t start with Sam, ten years younger, a city girl and only in Starlight Canyon for the short haul. I have to watch those sinful pink lips tell me what’s right for three solid months and she won’t stop until I change my mind.

It was supposed to be a one-night stand with a sinfully gorgeous stranger. A man I’d never see again. I was stranded, he had a hotel room (which I had broken into), and the rest is history. Until he shows up at my doorstep five years later with a marriage proposal.

The Ivanov family exudes wealth and power, so when its founder shows up on the surgical roster of a third-year resident, even with me not laying eyes on her previously, I’m thrust under their spotlight. Her son’s, to be precise. Maksim Ivanov is a walking red flag. He oozes confidence, and appears to have never been told no, but despite our differences, sparks ignite the moment we trade sultry glances. The tension is white hot. I’ve never experienced such an immediate mutual connection. But as quickly as his mother was placed under my care, she is removed.

Having been kidnapped by his mother at age ten and left to die in a fire, billionaire lawyer Ares Huxley trusts no one. But he needs a wife to get a critical promotion at his law firm, and wakes up the morning after a friend’s bachelor party to find that he’s somehow married to an eccentric blonde he doesn’t even remember meeting! He immediately plans to annul, but it turns out she needs a husband to receive her inheritance. They have nothing in common, but if he plays along, she promises to be his dream wife.

As a bodyguard, I have one rule: don't get attached. Yet Daisy's got me hooked. When I'm asked to protect her, I can't resist. She's warmth and kindness wrapped up in a curvy package, and I'm willing to cross any line to keep her safe. Almost. No matter how torn I am between duty and desire, there’s only one chance I can’t take. For her, I’ll risk anything—except for my heart.