Rule number one of producing reality TV: don't fall for the talent.

Especially not the tattooed, cocky man looking at me like a dare he's dying to take.

I've had to be tough in a world that doesn't take women seriously—all business, no weakness, never let them see you crack. Joel Anderson is pure fire, all beard and bravado and blistering hot smirks.

The only thing he takes seriously is driving me crazy.

But beneath the cocky exterior is a man who's steady, loyal, and dangerously good at melting my armor. The more time I spend in his tattoo shop, the harder it gets to remember why I swore off men like him in the first place.

Then my boss makes it clear: if I want to keep my job, I'll have to do whatever it takes to make this show a hit. Even if it means using Joel's darkest secret as ammunition.

I can save my career, or I can save what we're building.

But the choice might destroy us both.