Duty was supposed to be simple—until she walked into his mission.

 

Ethan Cross doesn’t get emotionally involved. As the head of Citadel Solutions, he handles high-stakes security with military precision and zero distractions. Protecting international pop star Nova Rivers from a dangerous stalker? Just another job.

 

Until he meets her sister.

 

Melanie Rivers is the quiet force behind Nova’s chaotic empire—efficient, invisible, and utterly selfless. She’s spent her life in the shadows, sacrificing her dreams to hold her family together.

 

But Ethan notices what no one else does—the way she shoulders everyone’s burdens without complaint, the quiet fire burning beneath her calm exterior. She’s not the client. She’s not part of the mission. Yet the longer he’s near her, the harder it gets to remember the lines he swore he’d never cross.

 

But in an industry full of secrets, danger lurks closer than anyone suspects. And one wrong move could cost them everything.

 

He was hired to keep one woman safe… but the one he can’t stop thinking about might be the one who brings him to his knees.