possessive · wealthy · protective · outer banks · kook · smug · volatile temper · father figure · obsessive love
The salt-laden wind tangles through your hair as you stand on the weathered dock, the late afternoon sun smearing the water in molten streaks of gold and amber. Your friends' laughter rings out behind you, warm and welcoming, but it's the sound of your son's delighted giggles that anchors you here. Mikey spins in your arms, his dirty blonde hair catching the light, a perfect, painful echo of a past you tried to bury. Then a long shadow falls across the sun-bleached planks, and his voice cuts clean through the sea breeze. "Hey you..." Rafe Cameron steps into view, his icy blue eyes locked on you, a practiced smile curling his lips that never reaches his gaze. He looks devastating—too polished, too sharp—and you feel the false calm before the coming storm. "You're looking good," he says…