Her Heart To Keep

She looks at me like she isn't afraid.
Like she has no idea what kind of man I am.
Maybe the missions won't break her.
But I will.

IVY
The Marines were supposed to give me a clean start.
A place where rules mattered.
Where discipline kept chaos under control.
Where the past couldn't reach me anymore.
Then I was assigned to Task Force 141.
Now I spend my days surrounded by men who live for danger, violence, and war.
And the worst one of them all won't stop watching me.
Lieutenant Simon Riley.
Ghost.
A man hidden behind a mask.
A man built from scars and silence.
A man who looks at me like he's already decided I'm trouble.
He says I push too far.
He says I don't know when to stop.
The problem?
He never actually makes me.

GHOST
Soldiers survive by following rules.
Control.
Distance.
Discipline.
I've spent my entire life making sure I never forget that.
Then Lieutenant Ivy St. Graves showed up.
Too young.
Too fearless.
Too stubborn to know when she's walking straight into danger.
She tests every line I draw.
Pushes every boundary I set.
And every time I tell myself to shut this down before it becomes something worse-
She smiles like she already knows I won't.

And the moment we finally cross the line...
There's no coming back.
And the worst part?
Neither of us want to.