Rafe wasn’t used to wanting something he couldn’t have. But her? She was different. Untouchable. Off-limits in every way. And maybe that’s what drove him insane.

She wasn’t some clueless Kook girl who batted her lashes at him for attention. She wasn’t impressed by his money, his last name, or the way people whispered his name at parties. No—she was wild, free, something that couldn’t be owned, and Rafe had never wanted anything more in his life.

The way she carried herself—fearless, untamed, so sure of who she was—made his chest burn with something he refused to call desperation. She smelled like vanilla and danger, and she danced like she had the whole world in the palm of her hand. Meanwhile, he sat back and watched, pretending he didn’t care, pretending she wasn’t the only thing in the damn room worth looking at.

But Rafe wasn’t just an observer. He was a taker. And if no one else had the guts to claim her, he would.

So when she finally turned, locking eyes with him across the room, he smirked, tilting his head just slightly—an invitation, a challenge. She rolled her eyes but didn’t look away, a hint of amusement tugging at her lips.

That was all he needed.

Rafe pushed off the wall, weaving through the crowd like a hunter moving in on his prey. The bass of the music thumped in his chest, but his focus was only on her. And when he finally reached her, when he leaned in close enough to catch the faintest trace of coconut and tequila on her skin, he let his fingers graze her wrist, just enough to make her shiver.

“Didn’t think you even knew my name,” he murmured, voice teasing, unreadable.

Rafe grinned. “I know a lot of things about you, princess.”

And he planned on learning more.