Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 45996 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45996 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Jace Hawthorne is supposed to blend in.
Easy. He’s got the charm, the smile, and the kind of confidence that makes trouble look like an invitation.
Then she becomes his assignment.
She’s smart, stubborn, and way too visible in a town where everyone’s watching… including the person who wants her gone. Suddenly Jace is playing bodyguard in board shorts, keeping her close through beach crowds, midnight marinas, and the kind of heat that has nothing to do with summer.
The closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous Sunbreak Harbor becomes.
And the more Jace realizes the biggest risk isn’t the threat stalking her—
It’s how fast she’s turning his “temporary” into mine.
One safe house. One too-small bed. One hot bodyguard summer…
and a man who will burn the whole coastline down before he lets her be taken.
summer fling that isn’t a fling • forced proximity • one bed • protector hero • flirty banter • “stay behind me” • found family brothers • high-stakes suspense • swoony HEA
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
Jace
I lean against the warm hood of my black Jeep Wrangler, arms crossed over my chest, watching the front door of the neat two-story house in one of Halo City’s quieter suburbs. The sun’s beating down hard, turning the asphalt into a shimmering mirage, but the salty breeze rolling in from the coast a few miles away keeps it from being unbearable. Even here in the middle of the city, you can still smell the ocean if the wind is right.
I check my watch again. She’s running late. Or maybe she’s inside debating whether to climb out a window and make a run for it. I wouldn’t put it past her after everything Anniston told me about her big sister.
The front door finally swings open. Sadie Wells steps onto the porch, dragging a sensible rolling suitcase behind her like it has personally offended her. She looks exactly like the third-grade teacher Anniston described and somehow even better in person: neat blonde ponytail, crisp white button-down shirt tucked into khaki pants, sensible flats, and a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
She stops at the top of the porch steps when she sees me. Her eyes narrow behind her glasses as she takes in my board shorts, faded black T-shirt, sunglasses pushed up into my messy hair, and the easy grin I’ve got locked in place.
“You must be Jace Hawthorne,” she says, voice clipped and professional. “The bodyguard my sister insisted on sending. Banks’s brother, right?”
I push off the Jeep and stroll toward her, keeping my smile friendly and relaxed. “Guilty as charged. Jace Hawthorne, at your service, Miss Wells. You ready for a little involuntary trip to Sunbreak Harbor?”
Her grip tightens on the suitcase handle until her knuckles turn white. “It’s Sadie. And no, I’m not ready. I have lesson plans due next week, and a very normal life here in Halo City. I don’t need a babysitter because my little sister decided to play hero with dangerous people.”
I stop at the bottom of the porch steps and look up at her. She’s smaller than I expected—maybe five-five on a good day—but she carries herself like she’s six feet tall and armed with a ruler. Cute as hell, too. The kind of pretty that sneaks up on you when she’s scowling like this.
“Anniston doesn’t strike me as the overreacting type,” I reply, keeping my tone light. “And considering someone tried to put a knife in her recently, I’m going to trust my brother’s judgment on this one. You’re important to your sister. That makes you important to me.”
Sadie’s cheeks flush the tiniest bit, but she lifts her chin higher. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I have conditions before I get in that Jeep with you.”
I raise an eyebrow, fighting a grin. “I’m listening.”
“No flirting. No calling me sweetheart, darling, or any other cutesy nickname. No treating me like I’m some helpless damsel you need to charm into compliance. I’m a grown woman with a career and responsibilities. I’m here because my sister is worried sick, not because I want to be your summer project.”
I can’t help it. I grin wider. “No flirting? That’s going to be tough. I’m naturally charming. Doctors say it’s a medical condition. Very serious.”
She gives me a flat, unamused stare that could wilt steel. “Try harder.”
I hold up both hands in surrender, still smiling. “Fine. Professional mode activated. For now. But I’ve got to warn you—I’m very good at my job, and part of that job is keeping you safe and sane. If that means making sure you actually relax a little while you’re stuck with me in Sunbreak Harbor, I’m not apologizing for it.”
Sadie huffs a short laugh that sounds more like disbelief than amusement. “You’re ridiculous.”
“So I’ve been told. Frequently.” I step up onto the porch and reach for her suitcase. She reluctantly lets me take it. “Come on, Sadie. The sooner we get on the road, the sooner we can get you settled in a safe house by the beach instead of standing on your front porch where anyone could be watching.”
She follows me down the steps, arms crossed tight over her chest. As I load her suitcase into the back of the Jeep, I catch her glancing around the neighborhood like she’s saying goodbye to her normal life.
I open the passenger door for her with a small flourish. “Your chariot awaits, Miss Wells.”
She climbs in without a thank you, spine straight, hands folded neatly in her lap like she’s heading to a parent-teacher conference instead of protective custody.
I slide behind the wheel, start the engine, and pull away from her house in Halo City. The moment we hit the highway heading north toward Sunbreak Harbor, the city skyline starts shrinking in the rearview mirror. The salty ocean breeze blows stronger through the open top of the Jeep as we leave the concrete jungle behind.