Playing with Fire by Amy Knupp

Derek Severson walked away from his career as a Dallas firefighter after tragedy shook him to his soul. Running his uncle’s beachside bar on a south Texas island gives him the chance to heal, find peace, and avoid entanglements. That is, until Macey, his childhood friend, tracks him down.

After spending two years abroad in a developing country, Macey Locke has come home ready to dive in to her Peace Corps-inspired foundation. But when she learns Derek is suffering, she can’t turn her back. Six weeks on a tropical island to help the guy she’s loved for years? No-brainer.

Derek has no patience for Macey’s good intentions. He can’t help but notice, though, she’s not the same girl he used to know. She’s more. More self-assured, more determined, more irresistible. She threatens his newfound fragile peace, and he knows if he gives in to the passion sparking between them, it could easily ignite into a fire he can’t control.