Tessa O’Connell is in love with Jay Stone—the golden boy, her best friend, the perfect guy.
But getting out of the friend zone is much more complicated than it seems. Especially when Cole Stone shows up in town again: the nightmare from her childhood, the infamous bad boy… and, yes, Jay’s half-brother, too.
Cole was the devil who made her life a living hell: cruel pranks, taunts, endless humiliations.
Except the boy who’s back isn’t the same one who left: he’s older, sharper… and dangerous in a whole new way. Not the one who scared her back then—something much harder to ignore.
And the trouble? It seems Cole has now set his sights on her.
And no matter how hard Tessa tries to keep him at bay, he’s always there: one step ahead, watching her, provoking her, breaking down every defense she puts up.
As rumors about his dark past circulate around town, Tessa can’t deny what Cole stirs inside her—the way he disarms her, the way he lingers in her thoughts even when she’d rather he didn’t. He’s reckless, unpredictable, unbearably confident…
but he’s also the only one who truly sees her.
When her perfect world begins to crumble—with boundaries blurring, hearts breaking, and hurtful gossip swirling—Tessa must face an uncomfortable truth:
Sometimes, the person you’ve always feared is the one who understands you best.
And sometimes the bad boy isn’t the villain at all…
but the only one who’s always been honest.
The only one who’ll be there when it really matters.