Chapter Text
Rafe woke up after Talia. It was early for the both of them to be awake but Talia had an uneasy sleep and Rafe's hangover caused him to stir.
He rolled over onto his front and opened one of his eyes, noticing that Talia was sat at her cluttered desk, scribbling away in her sketchbook.
The rising sun bathed her skin in golden light as she intently studied her drawing. He couldn't help but smile at the way she bit her lip in quiet concentration, and the way her eyebrows scrunched frustratedly when she messed up.
She felt his eyes on her, prompting her to glance at him, "Good morning."
"Morning" he grunted, stretching out his arms and quickly trying to straighten out his hair with his slender fingers.
"There's water and aspirin," she said, pointing to the table beside her bed "I'm assuming your head is pounding."
He let out a weak laugh as he sat up and eagerly drank the whole glass along with the pills. He wandered over to where she sat with her knees pulled to her chest.
"Are these your tattoo designs?" he leaned over her, resting a strong hand on the desk beside the paper.
The design was rough but very impressive nonetheless; it was a flower, drawn with careful intricacies, made to be tattooed along someone’s arm.
She nodded, not taking her eyes off the page despite his tanned bicep bulging less than an inch away from her face; he had never met a girl so unbothered by his obvious beauty.
In order to gain her attention, he abruptly lifted her off the chair she was sat on and rested her onto his lap as he settled on her chair. She let out a shocked squeal, trying her best to suppress a smile.
"Wow, who knew Rafe Cameron could be so needy?" she teased, grazing his busted lip with quiet concern.
He simply laughed and brought his hands down to rest on her ass, lightly digging his nails into her skin as he gazed hungrily at her lips.
“I um…” his face turned serious as he lowered his gaze awkwardly “I really am sorry about yesterday.”
“You already apologised last night.” she pushed herself off his lap nonchalantly and made her way to the kitchen.
He rolled his eyes and followed her, “Yeah but you never accepted or denied it.”
The stove flickered as Talia placed a frying pan over the flame and opened the fridge, “You want some eggs?”
“What?” he groaned irritably as she held up a carton of eggs in response “Talia I’m just trying to make this right-“
“Makewhatright?” she cracked a few eggs into the pan “You don’t owe me anything, do I look pissed off?”
”Don't be like that…” he grumbled, a hint of sadness in his voice.
“Like what?”
”You’re acting like there’s nothing going on between us, like you don’t give a f*ck about me.” his voice became louder as he got more frustrated with her dire lack of emotions.
She scoffed, “Do you think you’d be in my house right now if I didn’t give a f*ck about you?”
This comment silenced him. He supposed she had a point, but then why was she being so cold with him? Hewas usually the one who froze girls out, not the other way round. He’d rather she just yelled at him for being a jerk, or cried after feeling embarrassed about his actions.
He shook his head, “It doesn’t matter.”
She finished scrambling the eggs and scraped them onto a plate in front of him.
”Are you not eating?” he asked quietly, trying to suppress the attitude in his voice.
“I’m not hungry.”
She sat across from him at the tiny dining table and stared at her nails. The scrapes of cutlery were the only sound filling the air as Rafe hungrily ate the food she had provided.
Once he finished, she took the plate and quickly began to wash it in the sink.
”Do you want me to go?”
She looked at him with surprise as he awkwardly leaned against the counter.
”Of course not.”
The tenderness of her voice almost made him believe her.
He shook his head and cast his eyes down, “Nah, I should go. You don’t need me here taking up space-“
”Stop,” she stepped towards him and took his hands “if you wanna go you can, but I have no problem with you staying.”
He met her kind gaze and smiled.
“You are so confusing, you know that?”
She laughed weakly, “Yeah, I know. Sorry. Can you see why me and relationships don’t work now?”
”Definitely.”
They laughed together warmly as he pressed his body against hers. The warmth of his fingers sent goosebumps across her skin as they brushed her cheek.
"Wanna f*ck?" he smirked, holding her tighter against his hardening co*ck.
Her eyes widened as she felt him pulse against her, "Well that was romantic."
"You don't want romance. If you did, you wouldn't be interested in me."
"And who says I'm interested in you?" she dragged her nails along the back of his neck.
"Well, let's see." he brought his fingers between her legs, sliding them beneath her underwear where they were greeted by her wetness, "I'd say that proves it."
She gasped as he continued to drag his fingers up and down her soaked core, slowly and teasingly.
”Are you finally gonna let me make you come?” he whispered into her ear as he placed gentle kisses along her sharp jawline.
She nodded involuntarily, mesmerised by his warm skin and eager kisses. He excitedly pulled her into the bedroom and lay her down gently, pulling down her underwear and tugging off her shirt.
He took a moment to admire her naked form which trembled slightly in anticipation. He rubbed her thighs soothingly as he sensed her apprehension.
“You’re so f*cking beautiful” he whispered, mainly to himself, as he started to devour her core.
His licks were soft and swift against her cl*t, causing her to buck her hips up as she felt herself actually enjoying this feeling that was building up deep within her stomach.
Their fingers found each other and intertwined; his thumb caressed her skin comfortingly as tears fell down her cheeks as a result of this new and overwhelming sensation.
At the sound of her breathy moans, Rafe brought down his hand and abruptly thrusted his middle finger inside of her.
”f*ck-“ she whimpered as he quickened the pace of his tongue and finger in unison.
Her fingers found a place in his hair as she pushed his face further into her. She could feel the pleasure rising as he relentlessly devoured her, suddenly sending her over the edge as he inserted a second finger.
He felt her legs tremble around his neck, letting him know she was almost there. He suddenly sped up the pace to tip her over the edge, reaching his other hand over her nipple and pinching it slightly.
Her legs tightened around his face as she org*smed, letting out a series of loud moans which she tried to muffle with her sweaty arm.
”Jesus f*cking christ” she panted, laughing weakly as Rafe shuffled up the bed and lay facing her on his side.
He stroked her stomach as she came down from the immense high she just experienced, better than any drug she had tried or any alcohol which had passed her lips.
”You okay?” he brought her leg over his hip and wiped the tears from her flushed face.
She hummed happily, closing her eyes and resting her hand on his cheek, “Thank you.”
He laughed fondly, “You don’t have to thank me.”
”I know” she brought his face closer to hers and licked his lips teasingly, tasting herself on him.
”Pervert” he whispered, smiling as he kissed her fiercely.
The sound of Talia’s phone buzzing broke them out of their hazy bubble. Rafe groaned as she rolled onto her front and picked up her phone.
”Hey Pope” she answered, smirking as Rafe placed kisses along her shoulder and down her back.
“Okay I’ll come over now” she hung up the phone and dragged herself to her feet.
”What’s up?” Rafe asked, privately jealous that those stupid pogues were stealing her away from him.
She shrugged, “He didn’t say, just told me to come to John B’s.”
He watched her intently as she put on a flattering red bikini and pulled on some shorts and a boob tube.
”What’s your plans for today?” she asked him as she packed a few necessities into her backpack.
He shrugged with a childish petulance, staring out the window emptily.
“Maybe you should try talking to your dad,” she sat beside him and rubbed his thigh “or at least go over to the house and pack a few things.”
He brought his hand to hers and nodded, “Maybe.”
She smiled at him warmly and kissed his cheek, “I don’t know when I’ll be back. There’s a spare key under the porch just in case.”
The soft smile on his face disappeared when the front door shut and she was gone.
JJ would probably be there. He hated the thought of him touching her and smiling at her, or evenlookingat her. Even though Talia was capable of protecting herself, she rarely did, and Rafe decided a while ago that he would take up that job when she didn’t.
Talia pulled up to John B’s and smiled as JJ wandered over to her car and opened the door for her.
”You look nice.” he looked her up and down with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
”Shut up.” she smirked and slung her backpack over her shoulder “So do you know why we’re having this emergency meeting?”
He scratched his neck awkwardly, “You’ve missed a lot.”
She narrowed her eyes at him as he walked slightly ahead of her. When they reached the others in the garden, Pope was reading a book which he didn’t seem too interested in, Kiara was aimlessly banging on some bongo drums, and John B was leaning against the wall of his shack deep in thought.
”Finally, I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.” Kiara swung her arms around Talia in relief.
Pope closed his book and glanced between his friends nervously whilst JJ leaned against an old table and started to throw stones into a bucket.
Talia pulled away from Kiara’s embrace and looked at her friends worriedly, “What’s going on?”
”Why don’t you tell her John B?” JJ yelled co*ckily at his friend, to which John B scowled and folded his arms.
Pope rolled his eyes and walked over to Talia. He began to explain what had gone on over the past few days; the boat which had gone down belonged to a dead guy, Scooter, and they planned on finding a way to go down there and search it for contraband to sell.
Talia nodded as she tried to process the new information, “Okay, so what’s the deal with those two?”
The tension between John B and JJ was palpable.
”I’m calling it off, okay?” John B said finally, “Peterkin said if I stay out of the marsh, she’ll help me with DCS.”
JJ scoffed, “And you believe her?”
”Yes I believe her, JJ.”
”You believe an actual cop?”
John B was getting frustrated, “All I gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple of days and she’ll help me out. It doesn’t help that you were shooting a gun-“
”Okay, next time I’ll just let Topper drown you.”
The girls glanced awkwardly at each other before Talia stood up and tried to play peacemaker, “JJ, lay off him. With DCS up his ass he can’t afford to get into any sh*t.”
John B sighed gratefully, “Thank you, Talia. This is why we need you here.”
JJ stood up frustratedly and approached his friends, “They always win. Kook versus Pogue, they always win!”
”Its okay-“ Kiara started.
”No it’s not okay!” he yelled “They don’t want us to go to the marsh, which means there’s something valuable down there, and you know it!”
He came over to Pope, “I understand why you don’t wanna go. You’re the golden boy, you’ve got too much to risk,” he then approached Kiara, “And I meanyou’re already rich as f*ck anyways-“
Kiara glared at him and rolled her eyes as though he just said the most offensive thing in the world to her.
He finally turned to Talia and John B, “But us? We got nothing to lose.”
He sighed and looked down at Talia who looked up at him with concern, “You don’t have to do anything, John B.”
”Talia come on!”
“No JJ,” she gave him a stern glare before turning back to John B “if you don’t want to risk it, then no one will force you.”
She turned back to JJ and yanked his arm, dragging him away from the group.
”Don’t pretend that you don’t want and need this money, Gray.”
She sighed and folded her arms, “Of course I do, but you don’t even know there’s anything valuable down there. And besides, how would we even get down there long enough to check?”
He brought his arm over her shoulder and spoke in a low whisper, “You can get access to the Cameron’s scuba gear, right?”
”JJ-“
”Just listen! You sneak onto their boat, get the gear, we borrow it tomorrow afternoon, and that’s whats gonna save us, and John B.”
JJ looked down at her with quiet desperation; he needed her approval, not only because she was vital to his plan, but because her opinion mattered to him more than anything.
She hesitantly nodded her head, causing him to let out a breath of relief and wrap her up in his arms.
”Thank you.” he whispered.
She shook her head and smiled at him warmly, “Pogues for life, right?”
He laughed and nodded, “Pogues for life.”
“So what happened after I left last night?” JJ asked quietly.
He and Talia sat on the hammock outside John B’s as the other three sat at the dock. They lazily swayed back and forth as they lay top to toe, sharing a joint and watching the sun dip below the horizon.
Talia blew a cloud of smoke and watched as it slowly dispersed into the air, “He crashed at mine.”
“On the couch?”
She smirked mysteriously and handed him the joint, “No.”
He jabbed her ribs with his knee playfully, “Please do not tell me you’re actually into him-“
”Hey! I’m just helping him out. You saw how f*cked up he was last night…”
”So you felt sorry for him?”
She rolled her eyes and threw her head back, “It’s not like that… he’s actually not that bad-“
JJ laughed and sat up, “Do not try convincing me that Rafe Cameron is anything but the devil.”
She sat up too, leaning closer to JJ so their faces were merely inches away from each other, “I would never. I don’t expect you to like him… just don’t tell the others that he’s staying at my place, okay? Please?”
Teasingly, he pretended to think about it for a few moments, causing her to push his shoulder, “JJ!”
He caught her wrist and pulled her on top of him suddenly. She had removed her clothes a while ago after it got too hot, so the only thing standing between their bare bodies was a small red bikini and his khaki shorts.
”I won’t tell, but promise me something.”
”Okay?”
His face became serious as his voice dropped to a whisper, “Just… be careful, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt by him just because you’re too nice to turn him away.”
Talia rested her face against his warm chest, “I promise.”
His fingers brushed down her back as he brought his chin to her hair, “Good.”
“Hey! No pogue-on-pogue macking!” Kiara yelled as her and the others made their way over to the porch.
“Shut up, Kie.” JJ muttered.
He closed his eyes and held Talia against him, savouring the smell of her hair and the weight of her body on top of him.
That god damn rule… if it weren’t for that, he would have asked her out a long time ago. John B was always on the back of his mind though; he wasn’t sure if his best friend was completely over her or not, but he couldn’t imagine he was. Who could get over a girl like her?
The next day, Talia and JJ took the HMS Pogue to the Cameron’s.
She slept at the Chateau with JJ and John B since she figured it would be more convenient. She had texted Rafe to let him know but he didn’t respond.
”So what exactly is the plan here?” Talia asked nervously as they pulled up discreetly to the dock.
”Just act natural. Youdowork here, so it makes sense for you to be around.”
”I work in the garden, not on the yacht,” she retorted as she stepped off the boat “and besides, I’m not even working today-“
”Quit complaining and go!”
She narrowed her eyes at him.
He smiled apologetically, “Good luck?”
”Shut up.”
She looked around cautiously before climbing onto the yacht. It was huge. She was used to the luxury of Tanny Hill, but this was the first time she had stepped foot on the boat, and it was impressive to say the least.
John B lent her the key to the yacht and let her know that the scuba gear was behind a mahogany door.
She flinched as she turned the key after hearing the booming laughter of Ward, who was enjoying a meal with Rose, Sarah and Wheezie in the garden. Talia’s eyes rolled at the sound of him; she hated that man, even more so after seeing the state Rafe was in because of him.
She shook off the rage bubbling in her stomach and pushed the door open.
Without taking the time to look around, she swiftly jogged down the stairs and towards the mahogany door. However, she froze when she heard a muffled sound echo from the adjacent room.
Remaining cool, she stepped out of the open doorway and out of sight.
”Mmmm I should go…” a whiny female voice mumbled.
Talia raised her eyebrows in amusem*nt; it sounded like someone was having a pretty good time.
Before she realised what was going on, Talia found herself face to face with a half naked bleach-blonde girl who appeared to be only a few years older than her.
”Who are you, the help?” she glared at Talia judgementally.
Talia laughed quietly, “Uh yeah.”
”Who is it?”
A male voice sounded from the bedroom. Talia glanced over the girl’s shoulder and felt her heart drop when she made eye contact with Rafe, who was sat on the bed in his boxers.
Rafe immediately stood up when he saw her as his face turned slightly red, “Talia?”
”Who the hell is Talia?” the blonde girl asked angrily.
Talia scoffed, “Over here,” she waved condescendingly “not very bright are you?”
The girl slapped Talia across the face and, if it weren’t for Rafe intervening, she would have done (or tried to do) a lot worse.
”Okay, Lacy, just go. I’ll call you later.”
Lacy glared at Talia and shoulder barged her as she begrudgingly left the boat. Talia watched her walk away before turning to Rafe, who awkwardly leaned against the doorframe and stared down at her.
”That- um… she doesn’t mean anything-“
Talia couldn’t help but giggle as he desperately tried to explain himself. He sighed as his lips pulled into a smirk at her reaction.
”Really? You think this is funny?”
”Well a little, yeah. I just didn’t think she’d be your type.”
He raised his eyebrows, “What wouldyou know about my type?”
”I know you slept withmeso I assumed your type would be-“
”Drug-dealing bitches with a bad attitude and commitment issues?”
She glared at him, “I was going to say brunettes but sure.”
He laughed, “What are you doing here anyway?”
Realisation dawned on her as she remembered what she was doing; she could hardly tell him she was stealing his dad’s scuba gear for a pogue-related mission, could she?
He noticed her cheeks begin to blush, so he brushed her face with his fingers, but she quickly slapped his hand away.
”I don’t want those hands anywhere near me after you spent the night with that bitch.”
”Oh wow,” he scoffed “well why don’t I go take a shower and we can talk-“
”Okay, you do that.” she hurried him along to the bathroom, pushing his back into the room and closing the door behind him.
”I didn’t realise this would bother you so much.” he yelled from behind the door as she quickly grabbed the scuba gear.
She rolled her eyes, “I just hope for your sake you didn’t catch anything from her.”
”And for your sake-“
”Yeah right, you think I’m letting you near me now?”
”Talia-“
”Ive gotta go, talk to you later!”
She dashed up the stairs and off the yacht before he could say another word.
JJ flinched when she suddenly appeared and threw the gear into the boat. He let out a sigh of relief when she sat across from him.
”f*ck, Talia, what took you so long?”
She shook her head and pushed the boat away from the dock, “Nothing. Just took me a while to find it.”
