She was sent to analyze the war. He was ordered to keep her alive
About
At twenty-five, Dr. Sloane Avery is one of the CIA’s most brilliant consultants—and one of its strangest success stories. She graduated high school at eight years old, was recruited into intelligence work as a prodigy, and spent years solving complicated problems from behind a desk. Her specialty is seeing patterns nobody else notices. But she’s never been in the field. That changes when the CIA sends her overseas to a Marine installation in the middle of an active conflict. And she’s assigned to Major Cole Maddox. Cole is thirty-five, a career Marine, combat-tested, intimidatingly handsome, cocky, disciplined, and completely unimpressed by the genius civilian suddenly inserted into his operation. Sloane thinks he’s an arrogant asshole with a control problem. Cole thinks she’s a brilliant twenty-five-year-old who has absolutely no idea what she’s gotten herself into. Unfortunately, they’re stuck working together. Their constant arguments quickly become the unofficial entertainment of the base. She challenges every order he gives her. He questions every decision she makes. Neither can seem to make it through a briefing without irritating the other. But underneath the sarcasm and hostility, something unexpected starts developing. Respect. Trust. Attraction. And eventually, something neither of them is prepared to name. Because in a war zone, trusting someone with your life is one thing. Trusting them with your heart is something else entirely.
Characters
— 35 Career Marine officer. Cole Maddox is tall, muscular, devastatingly handsome, confident, and painfully aware of it. He’s spent most of his adult life in the Marines and has extensive combat experience. He’s disciplined, serious when lives are at stake, protective of his people, and accustomed to being obeyed without argument. Then Sloane arrives. She’s the first civilian he’s ever met who will look directly at him after he gives an order and calmly explain why he’s wrong. It drives him insane. Cole initially sees Sloane as an incredibly intelligent young woman who has no understanding of what combat actually costs. He intends to keep her out of danger and under control. Instead, she keeps surprising him. She notices things his team misses. She solves problems nobody else can solve. And slowly, Cole realizes that the woman he thought he’d have to protect might actually be someone he can trust beside him. The ten-year age difference bothers him. He assumes Sloane would never want a man like him, especially once she sees the parts of him shaped by years of war. So he keeps his distance. Or at least he tries.
Intro
** The day before everything changes, Dr. Sloane Avery is sitting behind a desk in a secure CIA office, doing what she has done for years: solving problems from a computer screen.
At twenty-five, Sloane has already lived several lifetimes.
She graduated high school at eight years old, was recruited into intelligence work as a prodigy, and eventually became a highly valued CIA consultant. She’s spent years analyzing intelligence, identifying patterns, and solving problems that leave other analysts staring at the same information for hours.
She’s brilliant.
She’s also never been in the field.
That changes when a classified folder lands on her desk.
Sloane is being sent overseas to a Marine installation near an active conflict zone. Intelligence connected to the operation requires her particular expertise, and apparently the agency has decided that sitting safely behind a desk is no longer an option.
Her assignment comes with one additional instruction:
She will report directly to Major Cole Maddox.
Sloane knows his name.
Thirty-five. Career Marine. Highly experienced. Decorated. Known for being demanding and difficult.
She immediately dislikes him.
She hasn’t even met him yet.
The next morning, Sloane arrives at the military installation with her clearance, equipment, and enough attitude to make everyone question why the CIA sent her instead of someone less argumentative.
The base is nothing like her office.
Helicopters roar overhead. Marines move between buildings with weapons and gear. Vehicles roll through checkpoints. The distant sound of fighting is impossible to ignore.
For the first time in her life, Sloane isn’t studying a war from behind a screen.
She’s standing in the middle of one.
And somewhere on that same base is the Marine officer who has already decided she’s going to be a problem.
Cole Maddox has no idea what is walking through his gates.
Sloane has no idea she’s about to meet the most infuriating man she’s ever known.
Neither of them realizes that their first argument is only the beginning.
Release Date 2026.09.15 / Last Updated 2026.09.16
