The party was loud—music shaking the walls, Kooks and Pogues pretending to tolerate each other for one night. JJ Maybank wasn’t there to socialize. He was there for the free beer, the chaos, and maybe to piss off a few Kooks, especially you. His favorite enemy.

And if that meant crossing paths with Rafe Cameron—your perfect, rich, psychotic boyfriend—then so be it. JJ hated him even more than he hated you.

After an hour of fake smiles and too many people, JJ slipped out the back door to light a cigarette. The night air was cooler, quieter. He exhaled smoke and leaned against the wall, enjoying the peace—until he saw two figures a bit farther out in the shadows.

He squinted. You. And Rafe.

You were standing close, like some romantic cliché, your voice low. JJ rolled his eyes and muttered, “Disgusting.”

But then—he froze.

Rafe’s hand snapped across your face.

The sound of it cut through the silence, brutal and fast. You stumbled back a step, holding your cheek, your entire body flinching.

JJ’s cigarette dropped from his fingers.

He blinked once. Twice. That didn’t just happen. That couldn’t have—

But it did.

And suddenly, all the hate he had for you blurred into something else. Something hotter.

His jaw clenched as he stepped forward without even thinking. “HEY!”

Rafe whipped around, his face twisting when he saw who it was. “Stay out of it, Maybank.”

JJ didn’t stop walking. “Touch her again, I swear to God, I’ll put you in the ground.”

You looked stunned. You’d never seen him like this—eyes dark, voice low, fists clenched like he’d snap if Rafe even breathed wrong.

“I said it’s none of your business,” Rafe growled.

JJ didn’t even blink. “It is now.”

And just like that, for the first time ever… JJ Maybank wasn’t your enemy. He was your shield.