It was past midnight when Rafe drove you out past the marsh, headlights off, windows down, and music low—his hand resting possessively on your thigh. The air was thick and warm, and so was the tension, rolling off him in waves as he parked the truck just beyond the dunes.

You barely made it onto the blanket in the truck bed before his lips crashed into yours—wild, searching, like he’d been starving for this. For you. His hands roamed beneath your tank top, calloused palms dragging along your skin with just enough roughness to make your breath hitch.

“Fading in, fading out,” he muttered against your neck, “you don’t know what you do to me.”

You arched into him, nails raking down his back as his mouth traveled lower. “Then show me.”

He growled softly—low in his throat, like you’d flipped a switch in him. Every kiss after that turned deeper, needier. Your bodies tangled under the stars, hips pressed tight as he slid your shirt off with a look in his eyes like worship and trouble. His fingers traced every inch of your skin, slowly, like he was mapping something sacred.

“Every inch of you…” he whispered, his voice a little breathless, “...is that holy grail I’ve gotta find.”

When his mouth replaced his hands, dragging hot kisses down your stomach, you felt your entire body spark. The way he touched you—reverent, greedy, addicted—it made you ache. Like you were the only thing keeping him sane. Like if he lost you, he’d unravel.

And when he finally pressed himself into you, moving with a rhythm that had you gasping his name like a prayer, you realized something: You weren’t just giving him your body—he already had your soul.

He held your face as you came undone, forehead pressed to yours, voice rough as he whispered, “Only you... only you set my heart on fire.”

And in the heat of it all—with moonlight painting your bare skin, with his hands gripping your hips like he’d never let go— you knew he meant it.

Because no matter how many times Rafe Cameron tried to destroy himself, you were the one thing he’d burn for. Every. Damn. Time.