Me and the Devil

20.

⚠️Sexual Content Warning ⚠️

I arrive at the club with my mom and Ezra, and the first thing I see is the Camerons, gathered near the entrance, waiting to make their grand entrance. The whole scene feels surreal. Soft bands playing in the background, lights strung overhead like a canopy of stars, and Kooks gliding by in pastels and linen, laughing in polished little clusters. The Midsummer's party is in full swing, and I'm supposed to play the part, blending in, even if every cell in my body is screaming to be anywhere else.

Then Rafe is in front of me, wearing a powder blue suit that matches the flowers on my dress almost too perfectly. His hair is slicked back in a way that feels too formal, too unlike him, but when he smiles and holds his arm out to me, something shifts. I feel a small rush of heat, my pulse rising despite everything he's put me through lately. Despite the fact that he was the one causing all that chaos, all that darkness. His blue eyes soften just for me, the edges of his gaze tinged with something vulnerable, something that feels dangerously real.

"You look beautiful," he whispers, his lips so close to my ear that his breath brushes my skin. A shiver runs down my spine. I try to remind myself of the past few days. All the chaos, mostly caused by Rafe. But the way his blue eyes softened when looking at me, like he wasn't the Rafe Cameron she'd seen unraveling time and again. Tonight, he was different. Tonight he was reminiscent of the Rafe he had been a few days ago at the party. The party where he had touched me. Kissed me. Fucked me. I feel my cheeks flush as Rafe's voice interrupts my thoughts.

He steps closer, his hand warm against my back as we approach the doorway together, in step with the other Camerons. "I don't usually do this any of this."He waves his hand around the decorated hall, the people moving in elegant waves through the crowd. "All this dressing up, all the expectations." He pauses, and for a moment, I catch something raw in his voice. "But tonight.."

"Tonight, what?" I tease lightly, trying to keep things from feeling too heavy. I need something light, some way to break the strange spell he's casting over me.

Rafe's gaze falls to my lips, then slowly back to my eyes. "Tonight, it's different."

I swallow, hard. The tension between us thickens, the pull between what I know is right and the undeniable draw of him. But before I can respond, applause breaks out, and the announcer's voice cuts through the music: "Ladies and gentleman, please join me in welcoming Ward Cameron, this year's Grand Knight of the Rhododendron!"

Just like that we're part of the spotlight, swept into the current of Ward and Rose, of Sarah and Topper, and Rafe and me. I can feel Rafe straighten next to me, pride flashing across his face. He has everything - privilege, confidence, a family with power - but as I glance at him, I see the flash of something behind his eyes. It's gone before I can catch it, replaced by the weight of his father's expectations.

I lean in, trying to ground myself, trying to shake off the nerves of eyes on me. "So this isn't you thing, huh? You seem like the type who'd be into all this," I say, half-teasing, nudging him lightly.

He chuckles, the sound surprisingly genuine and his hand presses just a little closer against my back, sending a thrill through me. "Maybe it's better than I thought."

"And what's different about tonight?" I ask, almost afraid of the answer.

"You." His voice is low, soft, meant only for me.

The word hangs in the air between us, and before I can respond, Rafe leans in, closing the small distance. His lips brush against mine softly at first, like he is trying to erase the intensity of our last encounters. But with the tension being undeniable between us, the kiss deepens. Our breaths mingle and our hearts pound in rhythm as I part my lips slightly, allowing his tongue to slip inside. It is perfect. Intense, but not too intense. Rafe's soft lips against the bitter liquor on his tongue, sending shivers down my spine.