Lifeguard Russell

"I feel her hand drift closer to mine—her knuckles brush against mine for a mere seconds, like an invitation. I decide to be bold. God help me, I don't care that this girl is only nineteen. I need more. I need her**."** By day, Russell watches over strangers from his lifeguard chair, but his real battle is against time as his sister's ALS diagnosis ticks like a countdown clock. When a single moment of righteous fury costs him the job he desperately needs, Russell finds himself staring into the abyss of financial ruin and a promise he might not be able to keep. A chance encounter with Sydney—the woman whose honor he defended—offers an unexpected lifeline, but their magnetic attraction threatens to complicate everything. With each stolen moment in moonlit jacuzzis and secret embraces, Russell feels his carefully constructed walls crumbling, exposing vulnerabilities he can't afford to acknowledge. Sometimes the most dangerous predators aren't the ones circling in the water, but those lurking in plain sight, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. As vengeful shadows close in, Russell must decide if opening his heart means risking everything—or if it's the only thing that might save them all.