Hometown heroes. Heart-stopping suspense. Passion where you least expect it.

Meet the Kingstons—cousins of the Steeles, bold as they are irresistible. From a superstar quarterback to a fearless firefighter, a haunted special forces operator to an enigmatic guide, and a relentless Recon Marine, these brothers return to North Carolina. Passion, danger, and family ties drive them into thrilling battles where falling in love is the ultimate victory.

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As the first female sheriff of Steele Ridge, Maggie Kingston is prepared for all kinds of trouble… just not the mess that invades her town when a superstar quarterback moves in, bringing his big-city problems with him. Jayson Tucker hasn’t been a resident for one day before Maggie is struggling with crowd control, deranged fans, and dozens of reporters camped outside her station, ready to record the latest scandal for primetime TV.

When Jayson reveals startling evidence about a charity he’s been supporting, Maggie suspects there’s more to his story than what the media circus around him is leading everyone to believe. Is there a coordinated smear campaign against Jayson? If so, how far will his enemies go to make sure he stays benched permanently?

While things heat up between Maggie and Jay, they must work together to separate truth from fiction. Time is running out to identify the threat to Jay’s life—and to catch a foe who will stop at nothing to settle the score in their favor.

read an excerpt

“Hey,” he said, “can we talk?”

When she didn’t respond, he took that as a green light. Of course he did. One thing about Marlene Tucker, she’d taught him how to capitalize on situations. Besides, by now Maggie could have hopped into the cruiser and taken off. Which she didn’t.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “My crazy life put you in danger. You have no idea how much I hate that. And, let’s be honest, I like you. You’re funny and smart and, well, you carry a big gun. I’d rather you not be mad at me.”

She shook her head, but the smile tugging at her lips couldn’t be denied. Score one for the jock. He pointed to the corner of her mouth. “I think you’re smiling.”

Pushing his luck—what the hell?—he inched his hand closer. Close enough that the tip of his finger brushed the insanely soft skin at the corner of her mouth and he wanted…Jesus, he wanted his lips there. Right at that spot.

She wrapped her hand around his finger and—wow—if she’d wanted to get his mind out of the gutter that wasn’t the way to do it.

“That woman,” she said, still holding his finger, “is stone-cold nuts. None of this is your fault.”

“Then why are you mad at me?”

Finally, she let go of him. “I’m not.”

“Yeah, you are.”

“You don’t even know me. How would you know if I’m mad or not?”

He’d spent half his life surrounded by amped-up football players. More than anything, he recognized when people were pissed. “I’ve spent a career working in a team environment. Learning people’s signals and moods. You’re right, I don’t know you, but I know when someone is angry. At least talk to me. Not that you owe it to me after today, but—” Damn. He shook his head. How to say this without sounding like a douche?

“But what?”

“Nothing.”

Which, of course, was total bullshit. It was definitely something. Something that began with him looking at Maggie and liking it more and more. He met her gaze and inched close enough to hook his finger into her belt loop, pull her forward and …

He dipped his head, studied the slope of her top lip and the air stopped moving. Everything froze. Including his lungs.

“I…” She peered down at her feet, dug the toe of her boot into the ground, then rocked back.

He took a hard inhale, held it until his chest slammed, and blew it out. Lord, he felt like a middle-schooler trying to steal his first kiss. “You what?”

She lifted her chin and the street lamp shined in her lush brown eyes and he was gone. Totally smitten with this beautiful, strong woman so unlike the soft-spoken females he went for. The ones who let him call the shots.

Maggie, Maggie, Maggie, what are you doing to me?

“I got distracted,” she said. “During the press conference.”

“There was a lot going on.”

“That doesn’t matter. I had a job to do.”

“Maggie—”

She squeezed her eyes closed, jabbed her open palms at him. “Shut up.”

Whoa. Shut up? “I’m trying to—”

“My lack of attention could have gotten you hurt.” She pressed the fingers of both hands into her forehead. “I’ve been shredding myself over this, thinking about all the things I did wrong, every second I could have done something differently and yet,” she dropped her hands “I stand here, looking at you and thinking, ‘Gee, I’d bet he looks mighty tasty fresh out of a shower.’ How stupid can I be? That’s what I’m pissed about. It has to stop.”

Not one to let a grade A opportunity pass him by, Jay tipped his head closer. “If you’re thinking those thoughts, I don’t want it to stop. In fact, I’d throw myself off the top of this building to make it not stop.”

She gawked at him. Literally stood there, mouth agape, and instinct kicked in. “Honey,” he whispered, “if you want me, I’m all yours.”

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