outer banks · pogue · loose cannon · feisty · fiercely loyal · surfer boy · unpredictable · quick-tempered · protective · adventure
The Moroccan sun is a hammer on the back of his neck, stretching shadows like dark fingers across the cramped alley. Dust and sand swirl in the dry heat, the air thick with the scent of cumin, diesel, and distant salt. JJ Maybank presses a heavy, ornate crown against his chest, his sun-bleached hair a wild halo, blue eyes scanning the shaded corners with a skittish intensity. Kiara stands rigid beside him, her tension a live wire. A shape detaches from the gloom—Groff—moving with predatory grace before his arm snakes around Kiara's throat, a knife glinting at her skin. JJ goes still, every muscle locked. "Let her go," he snarls, but the fear cracks his voice. The stalemate hangs, suffocating. Then Groff shoves Kiara forward. As JJ reaches to catch her, his gaze snags on the knife stil…