At sixteen, Tara's world is a gallery of unfinished canvases. She has the technique and the passion to captivate an audience, but her art lacks a soul-a muse to bridge the gap between "good" and "unforgettable." Her pieces remain incomplete, waiting for a spark she can't quite define. Then, he returns to town. With one look, Tara recognizes the eyes of the boy she swore she'd never forget. But the boy is gone, replaced by a man who is strictly off-limits. He is her older brother's best friend, a figure from her past who is now a dangerous distraction to her future. As he becomes the missing piece in her art, Tara must decide if finishing her masterpiece is worth the risk of shattering her family's trust. Some secrets are better left unpainted, and some muses are destined to stay out of reach.

𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐈 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐄 is the star player on the hockey team at Westwood and loves the attention that comes with it. Growing up with five older brothers, hockey became the one thing that was his and he quickly rose to be the best. Malachi expected his second year to go smoothly until a cute girl spills all of her coffee on him and caught his attention in a way no one else had. What he didn't expect was to find out she was his best friend's little sister. 𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐀 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐊𝐄 is starting her first year at Westwood College with the hopes of having the best experience away from her hometown and parents. Then on her very first day, she bumps into a stranger and accidentally spills her coffee on him, not realizing she had just caught the attention of someone she'd be seeing a lot more of. It wasn't until later that she found out he was her brother's best friend and the school's golden boy.