Guarded Knight

I’ve been in a lot of bad situations. War zones. Hostage rescues. But nothing prepared me for protecting Lara Young.

My buddy’s sister. The kiss that made and broke me.

The woman I swear was written into my bones.

When Xander says her ex won’t back off, I agree to step in, even though being near Lara means tearing open scars I fought hard to survive. Being with her reminds me life is more than survival. She lives every heartbeat like it’s a gift—still defying the clock her illness set.

But our past hurt us both.

She’s drawn lines, kept her distance, tried to make me just a memory. Now protecting Lara means being close again, and the rules neither of us said aloud are unraveling fast. No matter how many walls we build, fate keeps pulling me back to her.

And every time I look at those lips, I remember exactly why she’s off-limits…and why I want her anyway.

She pushes back, tests my restraint, and makes me crave the forever I swore I couldn’t have.

Keeping her safe isn’t a job anymore. It’s the fight of my life.

Because if she falls, I fall with her.