Running Hot — Rachel Hanna

Not all secrets are meant to be kept.

Rory Avery's got a secret. It's enough to send her running over a mountain in a 100-mile footrace through grass fires and the smoldering heat from the firefighter whose self-declared mission is to rescue her.

Rory doesn't want to be rescued. She doesn't want to feel like a damsel in distress. What she wants is to make it to the finish line in the 100-mile endurance race she's running over the Sierra mountains. Superstitious or not, Rory's come to believe if she can finish the race in sub-30 hours winning time, she can forget the pain of her past and move on with her life.

Cody Green, firefighter, keeps getting in her way. Determined to save her, from either fire or from herself, Cody refuses to bow out when Rory demands it, and when she injures her ankle still 15 miles from the finish, he's there to see her safely off the mountain whether she likes it or not.

But Cody has his own secrets, long buried and still burning, secrets that make him caring one minute and closed down the next. Rory's already sworn off relationships for the time being. Cody's demanding and changeable nature make him exactly what she's not looking for. What she's looking for is the finish line, a belt buckle and a t-shirt.

Avery can't always get what she wants. And what she does want might not be what she expects at all.

This is a standalone book in The Heroes series. It is hot and steamy, but full of emotion. Intended for those 18 years and older.