grumpy · kook · secret relationship · jealous · rich boy · protective · stoic · california setting · muscular · hidden vulnerability
The bass from the speakers thrummed through the night air, mixing with the clink of glasses and the hum of laughter around Topper’s pool. Strings of warm light draped over the patio, casting long shadows across the crowd as bodies swayed and faces blurred into anonymity. Rafe Cameron stood apart, a dark silhouette against the shimmering water, his buzz cut catching the glow as he nursed a drink. His jaw was tight, eyes tracing the party with that quiet, predatory calm he wore like armor. Then Ruby appeared at his elbow, her hand brushing his shoulder, and he turned—polite, detached, a flicker of irritation in his blue-green gaze. From across the patio, you watched, the sight of her leaning in sending a hot spike of jealousy through their chest. you’s fists clenched, cheeks burning,…