THE PROTECTION VARIABLE

She calculates probabilities. He throws punches. The only variable they didn't account for was falling in love.

Dr. Olivia Moore has a hypothesis: Life is safer when you control the variables. As a biochemist, she thrives on data and logic. But when she finds her boyfriend cheating with her roommate, her carefully curated life implodes. Homeless and heartbroken, she posts a desperate ad for a roommate. She expects a student.

She gets Claude Russo.

A 240-pound underground boxer with scarred knuckles, eyes like ice, and a past he's running from. He's massive, dangerous, and completely occupies her small Queens apartment-and her thoughts.

They agree on ground rules. No questions. No personal entanglements. Just a business transaction.

But when Olivia's toxic ex refuses to let go, Claude steps out of the shadows. Suddenly, the grumpy giant who eats all her eggs becomes her fake fiancé, her protector, and the only man who makes her feel safe.

From a shared tiny bathroom to a "one bed" situation that tests every boundary, the tension between them becomes explosive. Olivia knows Claude is hiding a deadly secret that could destroy them both. But as his walls come down, she realizes the most dangerous thing isn't the mob chasing him-it's the risk of giving her heart to a man who might leave to save her.

"I would burn the world for you, Plankton."

The Protection Variable is a steamy, swoon-worthy Grumpy x Sunshine romance featuring a STEMinist heroine, a protective boxer hero, and the forced proximity trope that will make you melt. No cheating, and a hard-fought HEA guaranteed.