Everyone knew Alicia Harrison’s marriage to Ilya Stern
wouldn’t last. They’d grown up on a remote stretch of Quarry
Street, where there were two houses, two sets of siblings,
and eventually, a tangled mess of betrayal, longing, and
loss. Tragedy catapulted Allie and Ilya together, but
divorce—even as neighbors—has been relatively uncomplicated.
Then Ilya’s brother, Nikolai, comes home for their
grandmother’s last days. He’s the guy who teased and fought
with Allie, infuriated her, then fled town without a
good-bye. Now Niko makes her feel something else entirely—a
rush of connection and pure desire that she’s been trying to
quench since one secret kiss years ago. Niko’s not sticking
around. She’s not going to leave. And after all that’s
happened between their families, this can’t be anything more
than brief pleasure and a bad idea.
But the lies we tell ourselves can’t compete with the truths
our hearts refuse to let go…