Everyone knows falling for your best friend's brother is a disaster waiting to happen.

Good thing I can't stand him.

River Ashburn has all the makings of a main character — striking looks, seductive charm, and a career as modern art's reigning prince. But to me, he’s a villain.

For the last nine years, the only passion we've shared is mutual loathing. As for the other tension I occasionally feel?  That's just my body confusing fury with foreplay, easy to ignore...

Until a plot twist changes everything.

When I arrive for my writing residency at a secluded retreat in Northern California, the last person I expect to cross paths with is River. Now he's derailing my dream from the other side of a paper-thin wall.

Seeing him every day is a distraction I don't need. Listening to him shower? Torture. But the real danger of forced proximity is the truth unveiled over days and weeks: beneath our hostility lies powerful chemistry.

With every shared smile, vulnerable confession, and not-so-accidental touch, the magic between us grows. So does my fear. Writing happy endings isn't the same as believing in them, and surrendering my heart means risking more than I can afford to lose.

Except River isn’t the villain in my story anymore. He’s the hero.

And he’s about to steal my pen.