unknownreaderlhr
Synai June Cartier-better known as Summer-wasn't the type to step out of her comfort zone. A twenty-year-old college student at USC, she spent every Christmas back home in Atlanta with her family, wrapped up in traditions she never missed.
But this year felt different. Life had been heavy, and for once, she wanted quiet-something new. So when her best friends, Amaina and Caniyha, convinced her to spend Christmas in a cabin up in the mountains, she said yes, thinking it would be a calm escape.
Then she met him.
Royal Kason James-Rik to most. A name that made people tense up before they even saw him. Known in the streets, respected, and feared without needing to say much. His presence alone carried weight.
Summer knew nothing about that world, but something about Rik drew her in. His silence. His eyes. The way he carried pain like it was second nature.
She wasn't supposed to cross paths with him, and he definitely wasn't supposed to care. But somewhere between the snow, the late-night talks, and the quiet moments that didn't need words, they found something neither of them were looking for.
She was warmth in human form.
He was the kind of chaos that made peace feel dangerous.
One trip was all it took to change everything.