PARADISE LOST | JJ Maybank VS Rafe Cameron

FIVE

F I V E

JULIETTE WAS UP EVEN BEFORE THE SUN EVEN HINTED IN THE SKY. She laid in bed for a second as memories of last night resurfaced, and she mulled over them. JJ with a gun, Topper nearly drowning John B, and Rafe — God, the way Rafe was looking at her and the way his hands gripped her hips and moved her against him did things to her.

     She let loose a long, ragged sigh before pushing the covers off her. She stayed in the guest bedroom next to Sarah who'd spent the night in Topper's trying to get him to talk about what the hell happened last night. She grabbed some clothes off her luggage — she had yet to unpack and place them in the drawers — and slipped inside Sarah's bedroom to take a shower in her bathroom.

     Now all fresh and decked in a pair of shorts and a loose button-down polo over the bikini top she wore, the bottom ends tied to a knot above her stomach, Juliette ran her fingers through her hair as she made her way downstairs as quietly as she could. Walking in the kitchen, she nearly jumped six feet into the air when she came face to face with Rafe.

     "Holy shit — you scared me!" Juliette stage-whispered, a hand over her heart.

     "I'm so sorry, are you okay?" Rafe set the bottle of something blue he'd been drinking down, walking over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

     "Yeah, I'm good — sorry for overreacting." Juliette glanced over at him as he chuckled.

"Well, you wouldn't be the Jules I know if you weren't melodramatic," Rafe crooned teasingly, returning to his drink.

It was just then she realized that he was shirtless and was wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts, an AirPod in one of his ears. He was drinking Gatorade, and Juliette couldn't help but to watch enraptured t the way his throat bobbed with every swallow, the thin sheen of sweat that dripped down his bare chest. He wasn't overly bulky — just the right amount of muscles to go with his lean body.

Rafe set the bottle back down and glanced over at her, and her face flamed when she realized he'd caught her practically drooling at him. She pretended not to see the way his lips tugged up to a smirk and she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.

"What're you up to today, Jules?" Rafe asked, amusement laced in his voice.

Juliette didn't answer for a minute, chugging down water to cool her face. Not that it really mattered since it was dark and the only source of light was from the yellow lamp at the side table nearby.

     "I'm thinking of taking the Benjamin out to watch the sunrise, then head back here in time for brunch. Your mom said something about that last night." She turned around, setting her bottle on the island counter as she looked at him on the opposite end. "Good run?"

     "Stepmom," Rafe instantly corrected before nodding. "And yeah, it was a great run. I figured since Sarah and Topper wouldn't be here, I assumed you'd cancel it."

     "Well, you know me — I'd never turn down an opportunity to go to the docks and get to be out on sea." Juliette began to leave the kitchen before stopping briefly to throw a glance at Rafe over her shoulder. He was watching her walk away, idly playing with the cap on his Gatorade. "You coming?"

     Her heart skipped a beat at the way Rafe grinned. "Hell yeah, I am."

𓆉

     "I smell like sweat," Rafe mumbled, throwing a shirt on as he sniffed himself.

Juliette rolled her eyes, tying the boat to the dock as she hopped off. They were forty minutes away from home, in a little place called Mr. Papaya. She loved everything about it — the name, the atmosphere, the food, the owner. Mr. Papaya served all types of breakfast food, but their specialty was açaí bowls.