Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Ellie

The first thing I learned about Florida was that it didn’t believe in personal space.

The sun didn’t just shine here—it pressed. It leaned down on you like it had something to prove, like it was personally offended by clouds, shade, or the concept of mercy. The air was thick, damp, and warm in a way that felt less like summer and more like being slowly steamed alive.

By the time Mom pulled the car into the driveway of our new house, my shirt was already sticking to my back.

I missed the cold.

I missed layers. I missed sweaters and hoodies and boots and the way winter let me hide. I missed the way my body could disappear under soft fabric and oversized sleeves.

Here, there was nowhere to hide.

“Ellie, honey,” Mom said, practically glowing as she turned off the engine. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

I stared at the house.

Calling it a house felt like calling a castle a cottage.

It was huge. White. Bright. Wrapped in a porch that could probably host a small wedding. Palm trees lined the yard like something out of a magazine, and the windows were so big and open it felt like the place was allergic to privacy.

“This looks… expensive,” I said carefully.

Mom laughed, brushing her hair back as she got out of the car. “Marcus does well.”

Marcus.

My soon-to-be stepdad.

The man she’d met less than a year ago at some random conference. The man who’d somehow become the center of her world in record time. The reason we’d moved from a quiet, gray, cold town in the northeastern corner of the country—where nobody looked twice at me—to… this.

A place where even the grass looked healthier than I felt.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and climbed out of the car, immediately hit with another wave of heat.

“This is definitely… different,” I said.

Different was a polite word for terrifying.

Mom came around and squeezed my arm. “I know it’s a big change. But think of it as a fresh start. New place. New people. No one here knows you.”

That part was supposed to be comforting.

It was also deeply unsettling.

I’d spent most of my life being invisible. Not bullied, not popular—just… there. The quiet girl who always had a book in her hands. The one teachers liked and classmates forgot.

Being invisible was safe.

Being new meant being seen.

And being seen in a place where girls probably wore bikinis to buy groceries?

That felt like a personal nightmare.

I glanced down at myself.

Jeans. Sneakers. A loose t-shirt. My usual armor.

I had an hourglass shape, technically. Curves in the right places. But my thighs were thick, my stomach wasn’t flat, and I’d never once in my life looked in a mirror and thought, Wow. I’m pretty.

More like, You’ll do. If no one looks too closely.

“Come on,” Mom said. “Marcus should be home soon. Let’s get you inside before you melt.”

Inside was blessedly cool, but still too bright. Too open. Too… airy.

Everything about this place felt like it expected someone better than me to live here.

We were halfway through carrying in boxes when I felt it.

A strange… pressure.

Not heat.

Not cold.

Just… something.

Like the air shifted.

Like the world tilted, just slightly.

I straightened slowly and looked toward the front window.

And that’s when I saw him.

He was standing across the street, next to a black truck.

Tall.

Broad.

Dark-haired.

He wore a black t-shirt and jeans, and the fabric clung to him like it was afraid to let go. His arms were muscular, his shoulders wide, his posture… alert.

And he was staring at me.

Not in a casual way.

Not in a curious way.

In a what-the-hell-is-that way.

Our eyes met.

Something twisted violently in my chest.

Not butterflies.

More like my lungs forgot how to work.

His entire body went rigid.

His jaw clenched.

His eyes darkened.

And then—

He looked away.

Completely.

Like I was nothing.

Like I didn’t exist.

Like I wasn’t worth a second glance.

My stomach dropped for reasons I didn’t understand.

“Wow,” Mom said, appearing beside me. “This town really does take fitness seriously.”

I swallowed. “Apparently.”

I told myself I didn’t care.

I told myself he was just another ridiculously attractive Florida guy.

I told myself my chest didn’t feel… strange.

We finished unpacking in silence.

Marcus came home an hour later.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, with kind eyes and a presence that filled the room without being overwhelming.

“Ellie,” he said warmly, offering a hand. “It’s really good to finally meet you.”

I shook it. His grip was firm, warm. “Nice to meet you too.”

“You’re welcome here,” he said. And he sounded like he meant it.

Dinner was… weirdly normal.

They talked about wedding plans. About the town. About how different everything was from back home.

“So what do people do around here?” I asked.

Marcus smiled. “Outdoor stuff. Beach. Hiking. Fitness. It’s a healthy town.”

“Everyone looks like it,” I muttered.

Mom laughed. “You’ll get used to it.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

Everything felt too quiet. Too loud. Too new.

The next morning, I decided to explore.

I walked.

And walked.

And walked.

And discovered that everyone here was beautiful.

Men looked like models. Women looked like influencers. Even old people looked… aggressively fit.

It was like I’d accidentally moved into a town populated entirely by Greek gods.

I was halfway through mentally planning to become a hermit when I turned a corner—

And slammed straight into a wall of muscle.

“Oof!” I stumbled back.

A hand shot out and caught my arm.

“Careful,” a deep voice said.

I looked up.

And forgot how to breathe.

He was blond. Tall. Warm brown eyes. A smile that should’ve been illegal.

“Sorry,” I blurted. “I wasn’t looking.”

“That’s okay,” he said easily. Then he frowned slightly. “You’re new.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Uh… yeah. We just moved.”

Something… shifted in his expression.

Not bad.

Not good.

Just… intense.

Then his eyes widened.

Just a fraction.

Like he’d seen something impossible.

“Oh,” he whispered.

“What?” I asked.

He blinked, then smiled—big and bright and way too charming. “Nothing. I’m Theo.”

“I’m Ellie.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Ellie.”

Finally?

Before I could ask what that meant, he said, “If you need anything, anything at all, you should come find me.”

“Okay…?”

He looked like he wanted to say more.

Then he seemed to think better of it.

“I’ll see you around,” he said.

And walked away.

I stared after him, confused.

Then—

“Unbelievable.”

I turned.

And there he was again.

The guy from yesterday.

Dark hair. Cold eyes. Scowl like it was permanently etched into his face.

“Uh—hi?” I said.

He looked at me like I’d personally offended him by existing.

“Stay away from my brother,” he said flatly.

My mouth fell open. “Your… what?”

He stepped closer.

And the air changed.

He smelled… incredible.

Like pine and smoke and something wild.

“I said,” he growled, “stay away from him.”

“I don’t even know him,” I snapped, finding my spine. “And I definitely don’t know you.”

“Good,” he said coldly. “Keep it that way.”

Then he walked away.

Leaving me standing there, heart pounding, completely bewildered.

I watched him go, anger and confusion swirling in my chest.

I didn’t know it yet.

But I had just met:

Blake.

And my life was already no longer mine.