RIPTIDE

🌊 Gabby Ashford doesn't belong in the Bay.
She's from the Crest. Big house, absent parents, money that can't buy the one thing she actually wants. But years ago she found Theo Lawson, and with him came a crumbling house three blocks from the beach, a kitchen that always smells like coffee, and a brother who looks at her like she's trouble.
She is.
🏄 Noah Lawson has enough on his plate.
Raising his brother. Running a surf school on dreams and duct tape. Keeping their heads above water while their dad rots in prison. He doesn't have room for distractions. Especially not one with long legs, green eyes, and a smile that makes him forget his own rules.
🔥 She's his brother's best friend. Off. Fucking. Limits.
She's also the only person who makes him want to burn everything down just to keep her warm.
He calls her Stardust. She's been catching fire every time he says it.
💋 This is a slow burn until it isn't.
And when it ignites, it doesn't ask permission.
🌴 Salt-soaked, sun-faded, and set in a small California surf town where secrets don't stay buried and tension doesn't stay in the bedroom. Best friend's older brother. Rich girl, poor boy. Age gap. And the kind of longing that ruins you in the best way.
⚠️ Content warnings: parental neglect, parental loss, DUI, underage drinking, explicit language, explicit sexual content, and mature themes. Reader discretion advised. 🖤🔞