The Foundation

I bought a crumbling Victorian mansion to escape my past. I didn't expect the grumpiest contractor in existence to move in-or to claim me as his own.

Layla Chen is running.

After escaping a dangerous, obsessive ex, she pools her life savings with three strangers to buy a foreclosed Victorian mansion in the middle of nowhere. The plan? Renovate it, sell it, and vanish.

The reality? The house is a death trap. The roof is leaking, the wiring is explosive, and Layla is out of money, out of options, and terrified she's been found.

Silas Crane is a man who fixes things.

He's six-foot-four of scarred muscle, flannel, and bad attitude. He doesn't do charity. But when he finds Layla nearly electrocuting herself in a flooded basement, he makes her an offer she can't refuse:

He and his crew will fix the house for free.

In exchange, they move in.

Now, he's everywhere.

Sleeping in the room next to hers. Taking the door off the hinges so he can hear her breathe. Watching her with dark, possessive eyes that make her knees weak.

Silas isn't just fixing the walls. He's dismantling Layla's defenses. He establishes rules. He demands her obedience. And he promises to keep her safe.

But when Layla's past finally tracks her down, Silas proves that he's not just a contractor. He's a protector. And he'll burn the world down to keep what's his.

The Foundation is a full-length contemporary romance with a "Touch Her and Die" hero, a found family of four chaotic women, and high-heat "Good Girl" themes. It is the first book in the Fractal Enigma series.