Prologue

Rafael POV

There were three things I knew for certain.

First, I was good at basketball.

Second, I was good at getting what I wanted.

And third...

Annika Rodriguez hated me.

It's not the ordinary kind of hate.

Not the I don't like your personality kind.

No.

Annika hated me with dedication.

With commitment.

With the kind of passion people usually reserve for religion, politics, or their favorite sports team.

And honestly?

I found it entertaining.

"Move."

I didn't.

Annika stopped directly in front of me, her arms folded across her chest.

"Rafael."

I looked down at her.

She was shorter than me by several inches, but somehow, she had never seemed intimidated by that fact.

"Annika."

"You're blocking the library entrance."

I glanced behind me.

There were two entire doors.

Both were wide open.

"There's another door."

"Then move away from this one."

"Why?"

"Because you're annoying."

I smiled.

"That's not a reason."

"It is when it comes to you."

I laughed.

She rolled her eyes and tried to walk around me.

I moved with her.

She went left.

I went left.

She went right.

I went right.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Are you twelve?"

"Twenty."

"You're acting twelve."

"You're still talking to me."

"Because you're standing in my way."

"Then ask nicely."

She stared at me.

I stared back.

The silence between us lasted several seconds.

Finally, she inhaled deeply.

"Please move."

I stepped aside.

"See? That wasn't difficult."

She walked past me without another word.

I watched her disappear inside the library.

"You're obsessed with her."

I turned.

My best friend, Diego, was leaning against the wall with an amused expression.

I scoffed.

"With Annika?"

"Yes."

"Absolutely not."

"You follow her around."

"I don't follow her."

"You argue with her every day."

"She starts it."

"You know her schedule."

"Because we have the same classes."

"You know what coffee she orders."

"That's because she orders the same thing every morning."

Diego raised an eyebrow.

"You just proved my point."

I shook my head.

"She's my rival."

"Sure."

"She is."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I ignored him.

Annika Rodriguez had been my academic rival since freshman year.

She was always there.

Second place.

First place.

Sometimes tied with me.

Always close enough to be irritating.

If I scored ninety-eight, she scored ninety-nine.

If I got the highest grade on an exam, she'd beat me on the next one.

If I answered a question in class, she'd correct my answer just to prove she could.

And if I beat her in basketball?

She'd remind me that sports weren't included in the university rankings.

She had an answer for everything.

Which was precisely why I enjoyed provoking her.

She was the only person on campus who didn't care who I was.

Most people knew me.

Rafael Montero.

Basketball player.

Rich kid.

Son of billionaire businessman Alejandro Montero.

Campus favorite.

The guy professors remembered.

The guy girls whispered about.

The guy people invited to every party.

I had never had to chase attention.

It came looking for me.

But Annika?

She couldn't care less.

And that bothered me more than I cared to admit.

"Game tonight," Diego said, breaking my thoughts.

"I know."

"Your father's coming."

I nodded.

My father rarely missed my games.

Not because he was particularly interested in basketball.

Because everything I did reflected on the Montero name.

Success was expected.

Failure was unacceptable.

And my father had never been shy about reminding me of that.

"After the game, we're going to the usual place," Diego continued.

"I'll see."

"You always say that."

"And I always show up."

"Because you love attention."

I smirked.

"Maybe."

Diego shook his head.

Then, his eyes suddenly moved toward the library.

"Speaking of attention..."

I followed his gaze.

Annika had stepped outside again.

She was carrying three books against her chest, her dark hair falling over one shoulder.

She didn't look at us.

Good.

Because the moment she noticed me, she'd probably start another argument.

Except this time...

She stopped.

Her eyes met mine.

For a brief second, neither of us looked away.

Then she frowned.

I smiled.

She rolled her eyes.

And walked away.

Diego laughed.

"You're definitely obsessed."

"Shut up."

"You're smiling."

"I'm not."

"You are."

I touched my face.

Damn it.

I was.

Annika POV

I hated Rafael Montero.

I had hated him since the day I met him.

He was arrogant.

Annoying.

Competitive.

Overconfident.

And entirely too aware of how attractive he was.

Unfortunately, the entire female population of Montero University seemed to agree.

I didn't.

At least, that's what I told myself.

Every time he walked into a room, people noticed.

Every time he played basketball, girls screamed.

Every time he smiled, someone inevitably whispered about him.

I couldn't understand it.

There were thousands of better things to talk about.

Books.

Grades.

Research.

Future careers.

Anything.

But apparently, Rafael Montero's face was more interesting than all of those things combined.

I entered the classroom and took my usual seat.

Five minutes later, Rafael walked in.

Of course.

He dropped into the chair behind me.

I didn't turn around.

"Good morning, Rodriguez."

I continued writing.

"Did you hear me?"

"Unfortunately."

He chuckled.

"You missed me."

"No."

"You looked disappointed when you saw me."

"I was disappointed."

"That's practically the same thing."

I turned around.

"You really think the world revolves around you, don't you?"

"No."

He leaned closer.

"I know it does."

I stared at him.

He grinned.

I hated that smile.

I hated how effortless it was.

I hated how he could turn almost anything into a joke.

Most of all, I hated the fact that sometimes...

I almost laughed.

Almost.

"Professor's coming," I whispered.

"You're worried about me?"

"I'm worried about my grade."

"Same thing."

"No."

The professor entered.

The room became quiet.

For the next hour, we were forced to focus.

Until the professor announced the results of our latest examination.

"Highest score," she said, looking at her papers, "Annika Rodriguez."

I smiled.

Small victory.

Then she continued.

"By one point."

My smile disappeared.

One point.

I slowly turned around.

Rafael was already looking at me.

He gave me an exaggerated smile.

"Congratulations."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't act like you're happy for me."

"I am."

"You're not."

He leaned closer.

"You beat me."

"And?"

"I'm impressed."

I looked away.

For some reason, those three words affected me more than they should have.

I hated that.

I hated him.

So why did my heart suddenly feel like it was beating faster?

That afternoon, everything changed.

Neither of us knew it yet.

Neither of us could have imagined what was waiting for us.

Our parents had been keeping a secret.

A secret that would change our lives.

A secret that would turn our rivalry into something neither of us could escape.

I was in the middle of studying when my mother called.

"Annika, sweetheart?"

I looked up.

"Yes, Mom?"

"Can you come home early tonight?"

There was something strange in her voice.

I closed my book.

"Why?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes."

She paused.

"Everything is more than okay."

That didn't make sense.

When I arrived home, I found my mother standing in the living room.

And she wasn't alone.

A tall man stood beside her.

I recognized him immediately.

Alejandro Montero.

Rafael's father.

My stomach dropped.

"What is he doing here?"

My mother smiled nervously.

"Annika..."

I looked between them.

"Mom?"

She reached for my hand.

"We need to tell you something."

I pulled my hand away.

"What?"

Alejandro stepped forward.

"I know this may come as a shock."

"What's going on?"

My mother's eyes filled with tears.

Then she said the words that would change everything.

"We're getting married."

Silence.

I stared at her.

Then at Alejandro.

Then back at her.

"What?"

"We've been together for some time."

I couldn't speak.

My mother continued.

"We wanted to tell you sooner, but..."

I barely heard the rest.

Because one thought had already entered my mind.

Rafael.

I swallowed.

"Does Rafael know?"

Alejandro exchanged a glance with my mother.

"Not yet."

My heart sank.

"You mean..."

My mother nodded.

"We're all going to live together."

I laughed.

Not because anything was funny.

Because there was no other reaction I could find.

"You can't be serious."

"Annika—"

"Mom, you're marrying Rafael's father."

"Yes."

"Which means..."

I couldn't finish the sentence.

My mother did.

"Rafael will be your stepbrother."

My world went completely silent.

Across town, Rafael was having a similar conversation.

Except he reacted differently.

"You're getting married?"

Alejandro nodded.

"Yes."

Rafael stared at his father.

"To whom?"

His father's answer came calmly.

"Isabella Rodriguez."

Rafael nearly choked.

"Annika's mother?"

"Yes."

He stared at him.

Then laughed.

"You've got to be kidding."

"I'm not."

"You want me to live with Annika?"

"Yes."

Rafael dragged a hand through his hair.

"You know we hate each other, right?"

His father smiled faintly.

"Perhaps this will teach you both to get along."

Rafael laughed again.

"That's impossible."

His father looked at him.

"Try."

Rafael shook his head.

He had no idea how right his father was.

Because living under the same roof as Annika Rodriguez wasn't going to teach them to get along.

It was going to make everything worse.

Much worse.

Three weeks later, the Montero house became our new home.

The first time Rafael and I saw each other in the hallway, we froze.

He was holding a suitcase.

I was holding a box of books.

We stared at each other.

He looked at the box.

"Still carrying books everywhere?"

"Still carrying your ego everywhere?"

His mouth curved into a smile.

"Nice to see you too, Rodriguez."

"Don't call me that."

"Why?"

"Because we're family now."

The word felt strange.

Family.

I didn't want to think about it.

Neither did he.

But neither of us could change it.

We were now living under the same roof.

Eating at the same table.

Walking through the same hallways.

Sharing the same family gatherings.

And somehow...

That wasn't even the most dangerous part.

The dangerous part came a few days later.

When Rafael's friends discovered our new situation.

They laughed.

They teased him.

And then one of them made a stupid suggestion.

"Bet you can't make Annika fall for you."

Rafael laughed.

"That's ridiculous."

"Scared?"

"No."

"Then prove it."

Rafael looked across the room.

Annika was sitting alone, reading.

Completely unaware of the conversation.

His friends continued.

"She hates you."

"Exactly."

"Which means it'll be impossible."

Rafael smiled.

His pride took over.

"Fine."

The bet was made.

It's a stupid game.

A harmless challenge.

At least, that's what Rafael thought.

He didn't know that the moment he accepted that dare...

he had already lost.

Because Annika Rodriguez wasn't going to be another girl he could charm.

She wasn't going to fall for his smile.

She wasn't going to surrender because of a few sweet words.

And she certainly wasn't going to make things easy for him.

But Rafael didn't know something else.

He didn't know that every argument between them had already planted something neither of them wanted to acknowledge.

Every glance.

Every challenge.

Every moment, they stood too close.

Every time their hands accidentally touched.

Every time, one of them became jealous without understanding why.

Something was growing.

Something dangerous.

Something neither of them had a name for yet.

And when the line between hatred and attraction finally disappeared...

there would be no easy way back.

Because Rafael had started the game thinking he would make Annika fall for him.

What he didn't realize was that somewhere along the way...

he would be the one who fell first.

And when that happened, the dare would become their least dangerous secret.

Because sometimes...

the person you're never supposed to want...

becomes the only person you can't stop wanting.

And sometimes, love doesn't knock before it enters.

Sometimes, it devours you whole.