Burning Embers

Entwined Series
Book #4 "Burning Embers"

Elena Hayes

The first time I met Noah Rivers, I knew he was going to be a problem.

Not in the way bad weather ruins a picnic or a spilled drink stains your favorite shirt. No-Noah Rivers was the kind of problem that seeps under your skin, lodges itself in your bones, and refuses to let go.

I was sitting in the campus café, sipping an oat milk latte, scrolling through my notes on micronutrients when he waltzed in like he owned the place. Tall, broad-shouldered, with that kind of effortless arrogance only the truly self-absorbed could pull off. His brown hair was perfectly styled, his jawline sharp enough to cut glass. He had that air about him-the kind that screamed *I think I'm better than you.*

And to make matters worse, he was in my class.

"Excuse me," a deep, undeniably attractive voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked up, already irritated. He stood before me, one eyebrow raised in mild annoyance.

"You're in my seat," he said.

I blinked. "I'm sorry, I must have missed the golden plaque with your name on it."

His lips twitched, but not into a smile. "Funny. But I sit here every morning."

I sipped my latte and set it down deliberately. "Looks like you'll have to find a new spot, then."

Noah exhaled, amusement and frustration flickering in his stormy blue eyes. "You must be new here."

"And you must be under the impression that I care."

There was a beat of silence before he let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Alright, have it your way, princess. But don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, he turned and strolled to another table.

I should've ignored him. Should've gone back to my notes.

But something about Noah Rivers-his arrogance, his sharp words, the way his presence felt like both a challenge and an invitation-lingered.

And for reasons I couldn't explain, I knew this wasn't the last time our paths would cross.