volatile · obsessive · outer banks · kook · wealthy heir · self-destructive · intense · romance · north carolina · scarred knuckles
The bass from the stereo rattles the floorboards beneath your feet, a haze of cigarette smoke and expensive cologne blurring the edges of the room. Strobe lights catch on sweat-slicked skin and half-empty bottles, painting everything in shades of gold and shadow. You push through the crowd, heart hammering, until you see him—Rafe Cameron, golden boy with storm-blue eyes, leaning against the bar like he owns the place. A girl whispers in his ear, her hand resting on his chest, and he laughs, easy and careless. Then his gaze snags on you. The smirk drops for half a second, replaced by something raw and unreadable, before it snaps back into place. He lifts his drink in your direction—a toast, a dare—and your stomach drops. You shouldn't be here. But you are. And now he's pushing off th…