PARADISE LOST | JJ Maybank VS Rafe Cameron

FOURTEEN

F O U R T E E N

JJ'S HANDS WERE ON HER HIPS. She could feel his breath on her neck as he shifted her stance, wedging his feet between hers to spread her legs further apart in a good distance. Juliette could feel his front pressed against her back, and suddenly she was hyper aware of every inch of skin that held physical contact with his.

     "Okay, now, let's fix your hands," JJ murmured, trailing his hands down her arms to wrap around her hands that held the gun, gently repositioning her fingers so they were in the correct spot.

     Juliette's breath caught in her throat, moving her head ever so slightly, finding him focused to watch her hands. He was so close to her, she could see the curve of his lips, the lashes on his eyes, and she could smell the faint cologne on him. It wasn't like Rafe's expensive scents or even his aftershaves — this one smelled like sea salt and vanilla.

"Now, you're gonna want to raise it level to your line of sight," JJ's voice was lower than usual, his hands still holding hers with his arms around her as he positioned her to a shooting stance. "Don't close your eye — keep both open when you aim and pull the trigger. Deep breaths before you take the shot."

"Yes, sir," Juliette said as he stepped away from her. "Like this?"

JJ's lips curled to a faint smirk as he appraised her. "Just like that," he said, reaching forward to adjust the headphones on her ears to keep her eardrums safe. "Shoot when you're ready."

Juliette nodded obediently as she held the gun firmly in her hands, concentrating on the teddy bear sitting on the log further ahead. It was old, stuffings spilling out in random spots. Standing like this with a weapon suddenly made her feel powerful — badass.

Then she pulled the trigger.

She flinched at the recoil and the resonating echo of the gun. The bear wasn't where it was on the log, and Juliette squinted to see it had toppled over. She gasped when she realized she'd managed to shoot a bullet through its ear.

"JJ, I did it!" she squealed, spinning around to face him excitedly. She made to fling herself at him but was cut short by the blond pointing at the gun and stopping her.

"Woah, woah, woah — you're forgetting something."

"Oh, right." Juliette clicked off the safety and laid the gun aside.

JJ grinned widely as he opened his arms, catching her as she jumped into them. "Good girl," he praised, doing a little spin as he hugged her tightly before placing her back to her feet.

Juliette's eyes were staring right into JJ's as she rambled, "God, the adrenaline rush — my heart is beating like crazy. But holy shit, that felt good!" She had went on and on talking about how she wants to learn more things from JJ, when she noticed he hadn't said a single word.

She trailed off, her voice slowly dying in the back of her throat as she observed him. He was watching her — his hands still loosely holding her as he had that half smile on his face. The same on Rafe had whenever he watched her fondly. JJ had that look right now as his blue eyes seemed even bluer than usual. She watched the way they flickered down from her eyes to her mouth.

Her heart stumbled.

"Guys," a voice interrupted them, and JJ and Juliette practically yanked away from each other as they avoided the other's gazes. It was Pope, and he looked like he just swallowed something bitter as he made his way to them anxiously. "They know."

     Juliette shared a look with JJ, the previous moment forgotten just like that. "What?" they chorused at Pope in confusion.

     "They know," Pope repeated, pointing at somewhere behind him. "I just saw Rafe and Topper — they know."