When Brandon returns as head of MIA's Research and Development team, the smart thing for his heart is to avoid Oliver at all costs. But he hasn't been able to forget or move on. When an unapproved prototype nearly kills Oliver, Brandon suspects it was no accident. Determined to ferret out the truth, he knows the time for avoidance is over.

Oliver is tired. He's never found another lover like Brandon, he's lost his regular partner to reassignment, and he's back out in the field with a poorly healed injury and a painfully green new partner. The last thing he needs is Brandon showing up, mid-mission, to cause trouble. But he can't convince Brandon to leave.

Without any real closure the last time they spoke, the hurt and guilt have festered, making for a tense, antagonistic working environment. With an elusive portal and the Umbrae creating a previously unknown creature, hundreds of lives, including Oliver's, are at stake, and they have no choice but to put their differences aside. But their unresolved feelings and an attraction that hasn't waned creates a potentially fatal distraction. Falling in love again might destroy them both.