The sun was just starting to set as you leaned against the country club bar searching for your brother Topper. You’d driven yourself over earlier to meet your friends for drinks, but you were hoping you could convince him to drive you home. You hated to drive and most of the time you wished you’d never gotten your license and that your dad had never bought you a car. The shiny black sports car screamed death machine to you.

You sigh as you don’t see Topper anywhere. Typical of him not to be where he’d said he’d be. Your gaze lands on his friend Rafe Cameron. Rafe was known as the bad boy of the Outer Banks and you also couldn’t figure out where he stood on you. Before he’d befriended Topper, the two of you had had a brief flirtation. You’d thought it would end up going somewhere. But the second he and Topper became friends, it was like you didn’t exist. It bothered you more than you’d like to admit. Most guys were crazy about you, so why wasn’t he? What had changed?

You shook your head and walked over to him. “Hey Rafe, have you seen Topper?”

“Hey Princess” he smirked at you “He and Ruthie left about a half an hour ago”

You sighed, now what were you going to do, you really didn’t want to get behind the wheel again. “Can you drive me home?” You asked reluctantly.

“Don’t you have a car?”

“I do. I just hate driving. I get in my head and I’m certain I’m going to crash. Please Rafe? You’re my last hope” you batted your eyelashes at him and pouted, hoping the damsel in distress act would work on him like it did on every boy.

“Fine princess.” He growled, holding out his hand for your car keys. “But you owe me. And I always collect”