Sometimes friendship is just another word for love.

Violet MacAllister is no stranger to rejection. Growing up with dyslexia, she was bullied mercilessly, making her feel as though she would never be good enough. And she believed it—until she found art and a new way of expressing herself. But her wounds run deep, and even though she’s been pining over her best friend Hudson for years, he has no idea, and she intends to keep it that way. He’s everything she could ever want—sensitive, artistic, hard-working, smart, and so, so hot—but she knows they’ll only ever be friends.

Hudson Prescott has been through a lot. He lost his father as a child, his fiancée jilted him, and six months ago, he was in a terrifying motorcycle accident that could’ve cost him his life. The one bright spot through the dark times has been his friend and co-worker Violet, who’s talented, driven to help others, and a total sweetheart. She’s his closest friend, and he’d be lost without her.

But one emotional night, everything changes, and suddenly Hudson’s seeing Violet in a different light. One that has him questioning how he could’ve been so blind to what was in front of him this entire time: Violet, with her curls, and tattoos, and her laugh that feels like sunshine. So when Violet has a proposition for him—one that involves her painting a nude portrait of him—he agrees. Because now that his eyes are open, he’ll do anything to make her see she’s the one for him.

Including bare it all.

TARA. WYATT