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“I did,” Julien finally answered. “Don’t ask me why. It was clear that Priest wanted nothing to do with me. But I’d been taking stupid risks for months leading up to then, and it seemed no worse than getting drunk and arrested. What was the worst he could do? Say no? Doubtful. I knew he was interested in me.”
A smile slowly curved Robbie’s lips. “So cocky. I love it.”
“Priest might be good at denying himself what he wants. But his body language told a whole other story.”
“Oh my God. I know, right? Whenever he used to argue with me, he was always staring at my mouth. I totally knew he wanted to kiss it or fuck it. He wasn’t fooling anyone,” Robbie said, and then laughed with devious glee. “Sooo, what did he say when you asked him out? I bet it was something totally jackassy, wasn’t it?”
“Oui,” Julien said, floored again by just how intuitive Robbie was when it came to them. “It most certainly was. But then, we wouldn’t want Priest any other way, would we, princesse?”
“THIS ISN’T WHERE I dropped you last time.”
Julien looked over at his driver, Priest, who sat behind the wheel of his flashy import with a scowl on his face as he navigated the streets leading them up to Bel Air Road. He’d had the same dour expression for the past thirty minutes, ever since the police officer had opened Julien’s jail cell and set him free, and he reminded Julien of a statue—a silent, scowling statue.
“I know,” Julien said, and then pointed to the next street. “Take a left here.”
Priest turned where he was told and continued along the road that bisected the mansions up on this particular stretch, and Julien knew it was now or never to work out a way to see Priest again, or he was going to be tossed out on his ass before he knew it, and that would be the end of that.
“Have you ever been up here before?” Julien asked, as they passed by several gated driveways.
“No.”
Julien smirked at the one-word response. “Impressed?”
Priest slid a look his way and said, “Less and less with every passing second.”
Julien laughed and wasn’t really sure why he found this man so amusing…or intriguing. It was obvious Priest didn’t like him, not even a little bit, but… “I like you, Mr. Priest.”
“It’s Mr. Priest-ley. And the feeling is not mutual, I assure you.”
Julien ran his eyes down Priest’s profile and lingered on his stern lips before he murmured, “Ça le sera.”
“What was that?”
“What?”
“What you just said?”
Julien pointed out the windshield at a driveway with iron gates and lights flanking either side of it. “You can pull in just here.”
Priest brought the car to a halt in the drive, the headlights illuminating the winding road that led up to a mansion on the hill. Julien went to open the door, but before he could, Priest reached out and took hold of his arm, halting him.
“I asked you what you said back there. You have a nasty habit of switching to French when you’re being a smartass.”
Julien lowered his eyes to the hand on his arm. Jesus, it felt as though he was connected to an electrical socket with the energy coursing through him at Priest’s touch. “I also switch to French when I’m turned on. Ce que je suis en ce moment précis.”
Priest arched a cool eyebrow and removed his hand, then he looked out the windshield to the gates up ahead.
“Whose place is this?” he asked, ignoring Julien’s words and the obvious sexual tension that crackled and sparked between the two of them like a live wire.
Julien shook his head, more disappointed than he realized he would be at the dismissal, and then pushed open the door and climbed out. As he shut it behind himself and headed toward the gates, he heard a second car door open but didn’t stop.
“Mr. Thornton, I asked you a question,” Priest called out, as Julien reached the iron fence, grabbed a hold of the bars, and then scaled it before jumping down and landing on the other side.
The crunch of gravel underfoot had Julien turning to see Priest storming toward the gate, and when he reached it, Julien came up to the other side opposite him.
“Are you out of your mind?” Priest said. “I just bailed you out of jail. I don’t relish the idea of getting another phone call in an hour because you’ve been picked up for breaking and entering someone’s home.”
Julien laughed and found it surprising that out of all the people, it was this man who had made him do so again. How was it that around Priest he remembered how to breathe? How to stop being so…sad all the time? “Watch out, monsieur. You almost sound worried about me.”
