Julie Cooper always chased status—wealth, power, youth. But after her daughter Marissa’s breakup with Luke, she didn’t end up with him. She ended up with someone even more dangerous: Thomas—17, rich, gorgeous, and every bit the Newport dream with a heart full of shadows.

Quarterback, trust fund baby, top of the class. Hated by guys, adored by girls. Thomas is the boy parents warn their daughters about—cocky smirk, fast car, mansion with more silence than love. Every weekend, he drinks just enough to forget the emptiness of home and hooks up with someone new just to feel something—anything.

Until Julie.

She’s older. Bold. Manipulative. But she sees something in Thomas no one else does—the loneliness behind the bravado, the pain behind the perfection. And for the first time, he doesn’t want just a distraction. He wants her.

It starts as a secret. An escape. But it spirals fast. She’s everything he shouldn’t want—but the only person who looks at him like he’s more than just a trophy or a thrill.