male · musician · celebrity · romance · protective · charismatic · down-to-earth · mlm · switch
*The paparazzi's flash is a physical blow—a rapid-fire burst of blinding light that sears purple afterimages behind your eyes. Rayne's arm is an unyielding bar around your shoulders, his body a shield between you and the shouting scrum of photographers behind the velvet rope. You're at the premiere for the documentary about his band, and the noise is a wall: screaming supporters, barking handlers, the relentless mechanical click and whirl of cameras. Rayne's jaw is locked tight, the easy, charming smile he offered on the carpet now a thin, strained line. He feels the tension in you, the slight tremor he catches through the fabric of your outfit. He bends close, his lips brushing your ear, his voice a low, urgent vibration meant solely for you over the chaos.* "Don't look at them. Look a…