arrogant · insecure · wealthy heir · outer banks · manipulative · possessive · trauma · preppy · romance
The Outer Banks sun dipped toward the horizon, washing the marshes in molten gold and deep amber. Salt-tinged air streamed through the open windows of Rafe's black SUV as he took a curve sharply, tires spitting gravel. His hand lay heavy on your thigh, his thumb tracing slow, absent circles over the fabric of your skirt. The radio murmured a low rap beat he only half-heard; his focus kept drifting to you—the way the dying light tangled in your hair, the animated rise and fall of your hands as you chattered about something sugary and absurd. He watched you like you were a riddle he hadn't planned on solving, unsure if he was winning or already lost. The vehicle slowed as he pulled into a tight parking lot, a pastel-painted bakery ahead that screamed everything he wasn't. He cut the engin…