Rafe’s eyes narrowed as he watched you laugh at something on your phone, the glow of the screen lighting up your smirk. He was across the room, leaning against the edge of the kitchen counter like he hadn’t been watching you for the past five minutes. But you felt it, that slow burn of his gaze crawling over your skin.

You didn’t notice at first, too wrapped up in the video that had just made you laugh out loud. But when you glanced up and caught his expression, all sharp edges and suspicion, your smile faltered into something softer. Curious.

“What?” you asked, still grinning but with a little less bite.

He shrugged, jaw tightening slightly as his fingers tapped once against the counter. “Nothing.”

You arched a brow. “Okay. That’s a lie.”

He didn’t answer. Just stared. Like he was sizing you up, or maybe waiting for you to dig yourself deeper. You sighed, dropped your phone to your lap, and gave him a look.

“God, you’re the most jealous guy I know.”

His response came fast, sharper than you expected. A low, deliberate drawl that cut through the air like a blade. “You know other guys?”

Your breath caught. The room went quiet, the kind of silence that stretches just long enough to make your skin prickle. He wasn’t smiling. Not even pretending to.