There is no other path when the heart knows what it wants. Lady Beatrice Stanhope is looking forward to two things: the annual Basildon Park ball and the return of her childhood best friend. Her parents have also made plans. Inviting a Viscount to court her a week early. Beatrice is content to follow their wishes… until an unexpected fall from a dinghy makes her realize that she may not have just one suitor after all. The ocean commands him, but she stirs his soul. After years at sea, Captain Bryce Maynard returns home to Berkshire, never intending to stay. His heart belongs to the waves, his future to the navy, and as a captain, he cannot bring a wife aboard his warship. Yet seeing Beatrice again—his spirited, infuriating, best friend—reawakens something he thought he had long since buried. Will he fight for love, or will duty win once more? Beatrice has only ever seen Bryce as her closest friend, but his return ignites emotions she never expected. She should be securing the Viscount's affections, yet she can't seem to stay away from the man who was never meant to be hers. Bryce has never been one to surrender easily, and as their connection deepens, Beatrice must decide: risk everything for a passion that defies reason, or take the safe road in matrimony. Friends to Lovers, Spice Level: Sensual Romance