Axel Feeney is the youngest firefighter on the crew—and my boss's reckless, fearless brother.

He runs headfirst into danger without blinking, always the first to protect, never the one to flinch.

Or so I believed.

When tragedy strikes and one of his own is lost in the line of duty, Axel's armor cracks.

What began as a fierce promise to keep me safe spirals into a suffocating obsession that shatters us both.

Just when I think we might find our way back, he vanishes—leaving behind his family, his crew, and me.

"Move on," he says. "Find someone else."

So I do.

But months later, Axel storms back into town—furious, magnetic, and unapologetically possessive. He wants answers. He wants me. And he wants a seat at the table with my new boyfriend.

Then the fires start.

A torched truck. A scorched home. And a question I never thought I'd ask:

Is Axel the villain who broke my heart... or the hero who's come back to save it?