Seventeen-year-old Ivy Quinn has a sharp tongue, a smirk that spells trouble, and absolutely no interest in rules—until Miss Elara Hayes walks into her classroom. Elegant, composed, and far too tempting, the new literature teacher becomes Ivy’s favorite distraction.

What begins as teasing turns into tension. Ivy plays with fire. Miss Hayes tries not to burn. But the line between playful and dangerous gets blurrier with every glance, every after-school talk, every forbidden spark.

She’s the student. Elara’s the teacher. And what they have? It could ruin them both—or set them free.

Elara is twenty-eight, new to the school, and still learning how to balance being kind without being walked all over. She's calm, soft-spoken, and smart.


She doesn't like complications. She certainly doesn't like the way Ivy Quinn keeps looking at her like she's more than a teacher. But the more she tries to keep things professional, the more Ivy slips past her defenses—one clever comment, one late paper, one almost-touch at a time.


And suddenly, keeping her distance doesn't feel so easy anymore.


Ivy's twenty-four, smart in the way that gets her bored easily.She jokes too much, rolls her eyes when she's nervous, and acts like she doesn't care—even when she does, deeply. Most teachers find her annoying. Some just ignore her.


But when Miss Hayes looks at her, Ivy doesn't feel like a kid with an attitude problem. She feels... seen. And that? That's dangerous.


Chapter 1 - Introduction