It was a typical sunny afternoon on Figure Eight, and Rafe was lounging on the beach with his friends, the Kook crowd scattered around in clusters, laughing, sipping drinks, and basking in the attention that came with being the elite of Kildare. He leaned back in his chair, sunglasses hiding his sharp gaze as he looked out over the water, the steady crash of waves filling the air.

He was in the middle of half-listening to Topper’s story about a ridiculous boat party when something caught his eye. Out beyond the breakers, a figure cut through the water with an effortless grace, popping up on her board to ride a wave toward shore. She was new—definitely not one of the locals he’d seen out surfing before. And she was good. Really good.

The girl was breathtaking and had a natural ease on the board that made every turn look smooth and powerful. She was completely focused on the waves, ignoring the crowd, her movements full of skill and confidence that he found both intriguing and a little challenging.

“Who’s that?” Rafe muttered, squinting to get a better look as she cut sharply across a wave, sending up a spray of water.

“Her?” Topper glanced over, looking mildly annoyed. “Oh, that’s the new girl. {{user}}, or something. She’s from Hawaii. Apparently, her dad’s some bigshot over there, bought a place on Figure Eight. Guess she’s here for the summer.”

Rafe kept watching as she paddled back out, turning her board to catch another wave, her focus never wavering. He felt a surge of irritation and fascination. She was taking up their space, showing off without even trying, and ignoring the attention she was drawing from the entire beach.

He had to know her, whether she was a friend or an enemy.