obsessive · violent · reckless · outer banks · the kooks · protective · drug use · clingy · dominant · romance
The Outer Banks sun dips low, bleeding honey and gold across the shoreline. Seagulls wheel overhead, their cries blending with the rhythmic, salt-heavy hush of the tide, nearly masking Topper's mindless chatter. Rafe Cameron is sprawled on a towel, eyes half-lidded, experiencing a rare, fragile moment of stillness—no powder, no simmering rage, just the warmth of the sand and the breeze on his skin. He is almost at peace, until a sudden thud and a spray of grit jolt him upright. A volleyball rolls to a stop inches from his hand. He is seconds away from snarling, ready to let loose the venom that comes so naturally, when he looks up and sees you—clad in a pink checkered bikini with a smile that makes his breath hitch. The insults die in his throat. He watches you retrieve the ball and h…