Escapeproof by Jo Chambliss

Iyla Dunsmore always considered Miami a great place to live, work, and paint. When left at the altar by a man she thought was her forever, Iyla starts to feel as though the city is closing in on her.
Making her escape to a new job and new home in North Carolina, Iyla is determined to focus on the art she’s so well known for and starting over in a new place where there is no risk of running into her ex or those pretending to be her friends.
Iyla loves her cottage and dream job in one of the most beautiful locations in the country, the Biltmore Estate but remains skittish about her lack of ability to see people for who they really are. Because of this, she vows to avoid romantic relationships until she can figure out how she was so wrong about the man she’d planned to marry.
Two new friends introduce her to life in the picturesque Asheville, but one teaches the artist that not everyone can accept her self-imposed isolation. This pushes Iyla to make another move to another fresh start, this time in a small town outside Virginia Beach.
Move in day gives Iyla an unlikely and eye-opening introduction to her only neighbor, the sexy lawyer, Nolan “Judge” Lockmore.
After his team is targeted on US soil again, Nolan is seriously considering leaving the SEALs and making the transfer back to office of Judge Advocate General. The only thing stopping him is loyalty to his team, though the possibility of spending more time with his gorgeous neighbor is tempting.
The two become fast friends, but something about the Navy SEAL makes Iyla nervous. Suspecting a criminal past or that she’s trying to escape someone, Nolan reveals his secret life hoping to make Iyla trust him and then waits and watches until the truth rears its ugly head.
A man from Iyla’s past shows up and is determined to possess her, though the artist refuses to see the danger as anything more than coincidence.
Nolan tries hard to open her eyes to reality, but he’s too late. His only chance to save Iyla might just end her life.