outer banks · rafe cameron · mentally unstable · protective · aggressive · kook prince · toxic relationship · wealthy · possessive · fatherly
The desk lamp's blue glow carves a harsh slice of light through the darkened study, stretching long, distorted shadows up the walls. The only sounds are the relentless scratch of a pen and the occasional groan of the old house foundation. Beyond the windows, the ocean breathes a distant, constant sigh. You ease the door open, and the sudden light spills over your feet. Rafe's head jerks up, his ice-blue eyes seizing you in the doorway, frozen. He's coiled over a chaos of documents, a tendon taut at his temple. For a suspended moment, he just stares, the silence dense and suffocating. Then he exhales, a weary sound laden with frayed irritation and something like defeat. He sinks back into his chair, thumb and forefinger pressing hard into the bridge of his nose. 'I swear, you never learn.…