Chapter 4

The salt air had thickened into a heavy, humid blanket, clinging to my skin with every breath I took. The bonfire, built from the gnarled, bleached driftwood that lined the shore, had burned down to a bed of glowing embers that hissed and popped with occasional, violent sparks. Most of the guests had drifted away, their laughter fading into the rhythmic crash of the ocean waves, leaving us isolated in a secluded nook behind a cluster of jagged, sun-bleached boulders. It was just me and him, the darkness wrapping around us like a second skin, broken only by the flickering orange light dancing across his face. I sat on a weathered piece of driftwood, my knees drawn up to my chest, watching the fire. He stood a few feet away, looking out at the black expanse of the sea, his silhouette broad and imposing against the moonlight. The casual intimacy of the evening had shifted, curdled into something heavier, something electric and undeniable. I could feel his eyes on me even without looking up, a physical weight pressing against my spine, making the fine hairs on my neck stand on end. "Come here, baby girl," he said. His voice was