He’s haunted by his past. She has a secret that could destroy him. And falling for each other might get them both killed. After a mission in Afghanistan that cost him everything, former British SAS captain Lachlan Mackay doesn’t do trust—his ghosts won’t let him. As head of global security for LAI, Lachlan discovers someone is shipping US weapons to an Afghan warlord with Taliban ties and sees an opportunity to avenge the fallen. Until Sophia Russo walks into his life. She's sunshine to his storm, and makes him feel something he thought died years ago. Sophia’s new job at LAI comes with a secret mission: prove the head of global security is trafficking weapons to a warlord. But when she uncovers proof pointing directly at Lachlan, she doesn’t believe it. The haunted, honorable man who makes her pulse race every time he’s near isn’t a traitor. The moment she shows Lachlan the evidence and chooses to help him, she paints a target on her back. And Lachlan realizes the walls he built to keep everyone out just became the reason she’s in danger. She risked everything to believe in him. Now he’ll risk everything to keep her safe, unmask the real traitor, and prove that letting her in wasn’t a mistake—it was the only right choice he’s made in years. B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree and 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Award Finalist Near Miss is a slow-burn, wounded hero, grumpy-sunshine book one in C.S. Smith's steamy military romantic suspense series featuring former special operators from the US and UK. It contains cursing, sex on the page, and violence. It can be read as a standalone and does have a HEA. If you like alpha males, strong women, danger, and spice in your romance, this is the story for you! "The action never let go and I was so caught up in the story that I read it in one night." (Teshe/Amazon.au) "This book was fast paced, full of twists and turns that kept me reading long into the night." (KT/Amazon.com) "The story held my attention from start to finish. It has a very twisty storyline with some unexpected outcomes." (Rosie/Amazon.uk) C.S. Smith writes steamy romantic suspense featuring former special operators. She admits to having a thing for alpha males. The bigger and badder, the harder they fall!Her love of spine-tingling romance can be traced to her formative years in DC, surrounded by intrigue and handsome men in uniform-including the one she married.A native New Englander who has spent over half her life in North Carolina, she's an empty nester, leaving only her husband and "faux" Golden Retriever at her mercy.