On Valentine's Eve, Delta Force leader Ryder "Hawk" Blackwell slips into a quiet flower shop for red roses. A small apology, eight years late. He doesn't expect Dr. Ivy Rose behind the counter, sleeves rolled, hands tending rare hybrids with real pharmaceutical promise.
One look brings everything back. The past doesn't stay buried. Ivy's work has drawn attention she didn't ask for, the kind that escalates fast. When threats turn physical, Ryder steps in off the books, all instinct moving them between safe houses and empty greenhouses that smell of damp soil and cut stems.
Being close again opens old fractures. His deployments. Her fears left unsaid. Choices that split them cleanly and left scars. Under pressure, feelings resurface, messy and distracting. Ryder knows the cost of hesitation. He also knows what it meant to walk away.
As danger tightens and trust thins to a thread, Ryder faces the regret he never shook.
Can he keep her safe without losing her again?
***
Part of the interconnected standalone Delta Valentine Force series each book delivers a complete, sizzling happily-ever-after with no cliffhangers.
Delta Valentine Force throws elite Delta Force operators into their most personal assignment yet. Love.
Across five standalone stories, battle-tested warriors collide with women who don't flinch. Valentine's Day turns volatile cartel compounds, glittering galas, crowded festivals slick with melted chocolate, auction rooms humming with money and risk. The air smells like cordite and roses. Control gets harder to keep.
Each mission brings bullets and secrets, tight escapes and closer quarters. One woman cuts through each operator's discipline, testing decisions made under pressure. Protecting her becomes personal. So does wanting her. Promises are murmured between radio checks. Gifts turn tactical. Desire complicates every call.
Survival has always been the goal. This time, surrender might be the cost.
When the mission ends, what's worth holding onto?
