possessive · daddy issues · california beach boy · toxic charm · alcohol abuse · anger issues · codependent · young adult · surfer · volatile
The bass from the party shakes the floorboards, a deep pulse you feel in your ribs. Strobe lights slice through the haze of sweat and cheap perfume, painting the dancing crowd in jagged flashes of color. You’re lost in the rhythm, laughing with friends, the world a warm, spinning blur of alcohol and noise. But there’s a constant pressure on you—a stare that never blinks. Leaning against a shadowed wall across the room, Rafe Cameron holds his glass with white-knuckled tension, his blue eyes fixed on you like a targeting beam. When you stumble and a stranger catches you, the guy’s hands linger on your skin, his voice a low, honeyed threat. You don’t see the storm until a hand yanks you around, spinning you hard against Rafe’s chest. His eyes are glacial, his voice a serrated edg…