Prologue
Jocelyn 'Joss' Sharp had always been the kind of girl who liked to sit in the background. She never got caught up in gossip or mixed into all that drama that came with a group of girls her age. She had a quiet strength that kept her down to earth, focused on her goals and her little world. Nothing could ever pull her out of her comfort zone, and most definitely not some smoldering, cocky guy who seemed to get right under her skin without even trying.
But Paxton Miller? Paxton was different. A storm she wasn't prepared for.
Scratch that—he wasn't just a storm; he was a hurricane in a too-tight T-shirt with an easy smile and a laughter promising only trouble. He moved through life with arrogance so thick it practically oozed from his every pore, as if he owned the world. Yet, there was an undeniable magnetism about him-the kind that tore through her carefully built walls and left her reeling. She couldn’t figure it out—was it the way he looked at her with those green eyes, like he was seeing something she didn’t even realize she was hiding? Or was it the way his presence alone could shift the air in the room, making everything feel a little too close, a little too personal? Either way, Joss couldn’t shake him.
Of course, she’d never admit that.
It was supposed to be easy. Paxton Miller was just Kyle's best friend, her older brother-irksome and seemingly dragging chaos wherever he was. Paxton was temporary: a nuisance guy who would crash at their place for a semester, mess things up a bit, and then he'd leave. That was the plan; this whole unspoken promise that kept it all palatable. She'd prayed only to make it through the days, putting up with that cocky grin and the smooth-talking bastard just until he was boxed up and gone, leaving behind pieces of her sanity.
Well, for Paxton, at least, it wasn't exactly that promise that worked out.
Sharing a roof with him was just another exercise in the tedium that was her patience-a new battlefield with each passing day. She kept herself distant-keeping her thoughts to herself, shielding herself with sarcasm and a 'couldn't care less' attitude, reminding herself the clock was ticking. One week. That's it. But the more time he spent there, the harder it was to turn her head away from the pull that seemed to follow him everywhere. Every time he grinned, every time that casual remark slipped out, seemingly aimed directly at her, her resolve would crack just that little bit more.
It was maddening, really. Joss was the kind of person who got her way, who took her life in the direction she wanted. But Paxton? Well, Paxton had this really uncanny ways of making it all seem uncertain, rewriting all the rules without even breaking a sweat or trying. And try as she might to avoid it, Joss could not keep him out of her mind. It wasn't his looks, though they would make anybody's knees weak. It wasn't even the aftertaste of his voice in her mind long after he was gone. It was his presence. That air of confidence, the silent dare he issued her way, was as if he knew what buttons to push and pushed them with the finesse born of practice.
For her, it was simple: do not fall for the guy who made her skin itch with frustration, the guy who had her questioning all she thought she knew about herself. Don't let him in. Do not let him make her feel that the world was so much smaller than she thought it was. She could keep a distance. She could be indifferent. She could get through the week without falling into a mess of bad decisions, right?
Except Paxton Miller wasn't the kind of guy who let things go. He wasn't the type to back down, to let a challenge slip away unanswered. He was relentless, and Joss was about to learn that no one ever really stays immune to a force like him. She might have built walls around her heart, but Paxton? He was starting to feel like the wrecking ball she hadn't even seen comingg.
Author’s Note:
Hey everyone! Just a quick heads-up, I’ll be uploading chapters slowly, but I appreciate your patience and support. Hope you’ll stick with me on this journey! Let me know what you think, Comment, Vote and Like
Let me know what you think.
