Commanding Officer — Emerson Rose

Some rules are meant to be broken. Major Drake Valentine is one of those rules. Just when I'm on the verge of having it all -- I lose everything. Three years of waitressing and singing my heart out in audition hall after audition hall were flushed down the drain thanks to a wild New York night I can't remember and one humiliating viral video. Feeling like a failure and drowning in shame, I leave the city and move back home to Jewel Falls, North Carolina to live with my older brother until I can get back on my feet. Our arrangement is simple -- I can stay with him as long as I abide by his one rule at all times. His one rule? Stay away from his best friend and next door neighbor, Drake. Easy enough. Dating's the last thing on my mind, and I'd rather lay low for a while. But then I meet the dominant and alluring United States Marine. And while I know he's off-limits, I just can't help but to wonder how his hands would feel in my hair, how his full lips would taste against mine. Drake is commanding and guarded, but his heart isn't the only thing he's trying to protect. Major Drake Valentine has a secret. And there's only a matter of time before his secret -- and our budding relationship -- is exposed. And only then will I know the true reason my brother insisted I stay away from his best friend.