Rafe POV
The night was warm; no breeze stirred the trees, leaving only the chorus of crickets and bullfrogs mingling with the steady rush of the waterfall nearby. The faint scent of damp moss and wildflowers hung in the humid air.
My stomach bubbled with excitement, but my heart jittered, and my pulse thrummed in my ears, syncing with the rhythm of the creek. I’d been out here an hour earlier, setting up a stargazing picnic. There were so many things I wanted to do with Mikayla, but right now I just wanted her to feel comfortable. This was all new to me—the wooing, the planning—and I hoped she liked it.
Every time I thought about the night ahead, my body tensed with the urge to pull her close, to taste her lips, to hold her completely—but I fòrced myself to breathe, to slow down. My pal
