First Contact by Theresa Beachman

She’s MI6. He’s ex-Special Forces. A terrorist threat throws them together. But the spark between them? That’s the real danger.

Katerina Landon doesn’t back down from a fight. When armed mercenaries seize a finance tower and a high-level surveillance system on Christmas Eve, she’s thrown into a hostage negotiation that could unravel global security. Her backup? A battle-scarred operative who clearly thinks she doesn’t belong in the field.

Leo Bychkov doesn’t do politics or diplomats—and he sure as hell doesn’t do partners. But Kat is no pencil-pusher. Cool under fire, sharp as a blade, and calm when things go sideways, she’s everything Leo didn’t expect… and the one thing he can’t afford to want.

Their mission–neutralize the threat, extract the hostages, and keep Nightwatchman from falling into the wrong hands. But as bullets fly and secrets unravel, Leo and Kat find themselves locked in a far more dangerous game—one that will follow them long after the mission ends.

This is how it starts. The mission. The spark. The choice.

And it all leads to The Gentleman.