Sweeping settings. Slow burn tension. Falling in love with your enemy was never part of the plan.
When Seattle finance director Sophia Fairbourne makes a career-crushing mistake, instead of coming clean, her fear of failure leads her to claim an Italian inheritance she never knew existed. But there’s a catch: The property is held in a trust with Peter Belli—the unfairly attractive family attorney—whose last name alone is enough to make her blood boil. After all, the Bellis froze her family out of the olive oil business generations ago.
Between his father’s declining health, his crushing workload, and now a property dispute with a woman who’s been raised to hate his family, Peter doesn’t have time for this. When Peter refuses to buy Sophia out, she makes a counteroffer: They’ll compete to fulfill the trust’s requirements, and a series of challenges will decide the property’s fate.
From a ridiculous pasta-making contest in Siena to a steamy swim competition on the island of Elba, each challenge brings them closer—physically and emotionally. As they clean up the property and explore the city of Siena, Sophia begins to question everything she’s believed about Peter and the Bellis. And Peter? He’s hiding secrets of his own, including the truth about his family’s business and his growing feelings for the one woman he should stay away from.
It was only supposed to be temporary. An Italian fling. A distraction before real life resumes.
But somewhere between sun-warmed stone streets and late-night confessions, pretending it’s casual becomes impossible.
Because for Sophia, falling isn’t the risk.
Trusting someone enough to break her heart is.
This slow-burn romance told in dual POV, two enemies will discover certain traditions are worth breaking—while once-in-a-lifetime chemistry is impossible to resist.
