Less than a year ago, Serena Carson was a happy socialite, heiress to a candy fortune, and had just had one of the hottest nights ever with Navy SEAL Noah Wild. Now, she's being held for ransom—which no one is paying—in a remote country in South America. And the one night stand with the hunky SEAL? That steamy night of heaven left her with a beautiful baby girl. Believing her captors are about to make good on the promise to kill her, leaving her child an orphan, Serena plans her escape, only to be rescued by...Noah. Bossy, tough-guy, sexy Noah. Who also is heartbreakingly gentle with his daughter. As the trio make their escape, the attraction that first brought Serena and Noah together flares to life, making Serena wonder if that one night could ever become something more...

Noah is not ready to be a father and certainly not ready to settle down. That's what he keeps telling himself anyway. Once the three of them are back safe in the U.S., he's ready to return to solitary life as a hired protector, working for the Southern Soldiers of Fortune. There's no place in his life for those warm, fuzzy, and completely unfamiliar feelings like love and togetherness. What is it about Serena that makes him crazy with emotions he doesn't want to feel? All his adult life, Noah has thrived on danger, but nothing for him is as dangerous as what he feels for Serena and his daughter. He believes it would be best for Serena if he just let her leave. What kind of life would she have, married to someone who is more than a little rough around the edges? But what kind of life would he have if he let her go...?