She lives for the likes. He just wants to be left alone. But when a travel disaster strands them together, the only thing rising faster than the tide is the tension. Travel influencer Lily St. John has built an empire on the belief that "disappointment is a choice"—but her optimism meets its match when a booking error dumps her on a deserted research island instead of a luxury resort. No Wi-Fi. No cocktail bar. No escape for two weeks. And her only company? A grumpy marine biologist who treats her like an invasive species. Dr. Alex Carmichael spent two years fighting red tape for the chance to study coral reefs in peace. He has a strict schedule, an allergy to human connection, and zero patience for a woman who "destroys ecosystems one viral post at a time." His ignore the intruder, focus on data, survive. But when a tropical storm forces them into a one-bed cabin, the walls—and Alex's defenses—start closing in. As hostility melts into something far more dangerous, Alex finds himself breaking every rule he's ever made. The problem? Paradise has an expiration date. And when the boat returns, Alex must decide if he's brave enough to risk his carefully controlled life—or let the best thing that ever washed ashore sail away without him.