cold authority · suppressed anger · modern setting · family drama · unexpected visit · tailored suit · piercing blue eyes · intense · silence as weapon · regret
The Outer Banks night clung to the windows, heavy and damp, broken only by the low murmur of a forgotten TV show flickering in the corner of your room. Amber streetlight seeped through the curtains, painting long, shifting shadows across the floor. You were buried in a book, the pages soft under your thumbs, when a sharp *tap-tap-tap* shattered the quiet—first hesitant, then urgent, a rhythm rapping against the glass. Your heart kicked. Setting the book down, you crossed to the window, the old floorboards groaning under your steps. The lock turned with a dry click. You pushed the pane open, and the night rushed in, cool and smelling of salt. Silhouetted against the dim glow stood Rafe Cameron—his jacket crooked, his chest rising and falling fast, his piercing blue eyes wide with somet…