She's rebuilding ecosystems in the ruins. He's designing the future in glass and steel. Their partnership is mandatory. Their chemistry? Inevitable.A Science Fiction Romance with Slow-Burn HeatRuna Dahl works alone for a reason. After her last team's betrayal cost her everything, she rebuilt herself the same way she rebuilds soil: slowly, carefully, without room for error. Her mycelium tech is revolutionary. Her trust? Shattered.Mateo Carter is the Reconstruction Council's poster boy. He's charming, brilliant, and insufferably certain he can fix anything. Including her.When they're forced to co-lead the Neosho City Project, the clash is immediate. She won't be managed. He won't be ignored. Every meeting is a battle. Every decision, a test of will.But the desert doesn't care about their egos.Sandstorms. Sabotage. Late nights troubleshooting failing systems under a sky full of stars. Somewhere between arguing and admitting, between proximity and permission, the line between professional and personal disappears.And when Runa finally lets Mateo past her defenses, the connection between them isn't just physical-it's everything she swore she'd never risk again.