Guarded | 18+

"Cleo..." Seth whispers, our breaths mingling as his thumb slowly traces my lips, maintaining eye contact. I watch him swallow, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. His eyes dare me, and the pulse in my pants surges. Suddenly, our lips crash together, devouring me as if he couldn't survive without the taste of my breath.

He pulls away with a groan, as if it pains him, raising his hands in defense. "I will stop," he says, more to convince himself than to tell me. I step closer, running my fingers through his hair. "Don't stop," I beg, my voice needy.

His brows raise. "I will stop."

I inhale, this time my voice even needier. "Don't stop." And then he kisses me again, more passionately than before, as if he's finally ready to give in-one hand gripping my throat and the other possessively at my waist.
~

Cleo Sterling, the rebellious daughter of the mayor, has never followed the rules. With a party-girl reputation and a life lived on her terms,her carefree world is shattered when a tragic event forces her father to hire Seth Castillo a stoic ex- special forces military officer with a dark past. As tension rises between them, Cleo starts to uncover that the danger she faces runs deeper than she ever imagined. Seth knows more than he's letting on, and as the threat escalates, so does their undeniable, forbidden attraction-bringing them closer to a line neither of them can afford to cross.

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