Chiara Leone thought college would be a fresh start. Between volleyball practice, classes, and the constant pressure from her parents, she barely has time to think about anything else. So when her best friend Sophie suggests spending the afternoon at the beach, Chiara is more than happy to go. The last thing either of them expects is to meet the most talked-about guy on campus. While walking along the shoreline, Chiara and Sophie notice a group of guys playing football in the sand. They’re loud, competitive, and constantly teasing each other. Neither girl pays much attention to them—after all, neither of them knows anything about football. Then everything changes in a second. One of the guys throws the football much too hard and much too far. Before Chiara can react, the ball slams straight into her shoulder, nearly knocking her off balance. “What the hell?” she snaps, clutching her arm as Sophie rushes to her side. The game immediately stops. And that’s when Liam Carter starts running toward her. Tall, athletic, and annoyingly attractive, he looks genuinely concerned as he reaches them. While his friends try—and fail—not to laugh, Liam apologizes and makes sure she’s okay. Chiara isn’t impressed. In fact, she finds him arrogant, irritating, and far too confident for someone whose friends just used her as target practice. But Liam can’t stop thinking about the blonde girl who glared at him instead of asking for his number. Because unlike everyone else, Chiara doesn’t care that he’s the star quarterback. She doesn’t care about his popularity, his reputation, or the attention that follows him everywhere. And for the first time in a long time, Liam meets someone who sees him as more than a football player.