Prologue
ADRIANNA
Of all the men in the world, why did fate have to choose him?
Five years later, I returned to Westhaven—the small town where I grew up—after failing to build the life I had once dreamed of in New York.
I had spent years drifting from one job to another, never staying long enough to feel settled. I couldn’t even explain why. I would start something, lose interest, resign, and begin again somewhere else, as if I were always searching for something just beyond my reach.
In five years, I had worked at nearly ten different jobs.
I never lasted.
I never belonged.
In short, I was a failure.
So I came home.
I decided to start over in our small town and build something of my own, even if it was just a modest business. I had saved a little money, and I told myself it would be enough.
But the moment I arrived at our house, my world shifted.
My mother no longer lived there.
She had sold the house.
And without even telling me, she was now living with her boyfriend.
Worse, that boyfriend turned out to be the former mayor of Westhaven, Mr. Joseph Williams—and now his place had been taken by his son, Mayor Brion Williams
Brion Williams
The devil I had never forgotten.
The man who had once looked at me like he wanted me.
The man who had once made me believe I meant something to him.
The man who had touched my heart, then shattered it without mercy.
And now, fate had thrown us together again.
“Stop calling me stepbrother because we’re not siblings!”
His voice sliced through the air, low and sharp, carrying that familiar arrogance that used to make my pulse betray me.
I should have been scared.
Instead, I smiled.
“Whatever you say, we’re still going to be family soon,” I said, keeping my tone light even though my heart was already pounding. “My mom and your dad are about to get married. That means we’ll be siblings, stepbrother.”
I dragged out the word slowly, deliberately, just to push him.
Just to see how far I could go.
That was a mistake.
In one swift motion, he had me pressed against the wall.
The impact stole the breath from my lungs.
His hand was braced beside my head, trapping me there, and suddenly I became painfully aware of how close he was—how warm, how solid, how impossible to ignore.
His eyes darkened as they held mine.
“You really like testing me, don’t you?” he murmured, his voice dangerously low.
My throat went dry.
Brion lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling to my lips for the briefest moment before locking back onto my eyes. That single glance was enough to make my skin heat.
“Say that one more time,” he whispered, leaning closer, “and I don’t know if you’ll still be able to call me stepbrother after what I do to you.”
My breath caught.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
The air between us grew thick.
His body was too close, his voice too intimate, his presence wrapping around me like a slow-burning fire. I had no idea how to escape.
“Wh-what are you going to do?” I asked, though my voice came out softer than I intended.
A slow, wicked smile curved his lips.
He looked dangerous like that—half-smirk, half-threat, all temptation.
Then he leaned in until his mouth was near my ear, and his next words sent a shiver straight down my spine.
“I’ll make love to you,” he whispered, his breath hot against my skin, “and I’ll get you pregnant.”
My entire body froze.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
No. It can't be. It's forbidden.
Because soon, we were going to be family.
Everyone expects us to act like family. Brion refuses to play the part.
He was going to be my stepbrother.
My evil stepbrother.
The same man who had once been my ex.
The same man who could still make my body react with nothing more than a look, a whisper, a touch.
And the worst part was, even now, with every reason to hate him, I could still feel that dangerous pull between us.
The kind that didn’t fade.
The kind that burned.
The kind that could ruin me all over again.
He would be the death of me.
