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“Go ahead.”
“And what?” I ask.
“Stand up there. Pretend this place is yours.”
I laugh, but then I do as she says. I walk up to the dusty podium and I place my hands against the surface, staring out at the empty pews in the dim light.
“What would you do?” she asks, sitting in the first pew and resting her hands in her lap. “If this place was yours.”
Thinking about it for a moment, I push away everything with my father and his church. I let twelve-year-old Adam, who had been torn away from the life he knew, answer her question.
“I’d…fill the rec room with Mary’s enchiladas and I’d feed as many people in Austin as we could.”
I can barely see her smile in the darkness. So I go on.
“I’d look every member of the congregation in the eye. I’d learn their names and I’d make sure each and every one knows they are all worthy and loved by God.”
My throat stings and my eyes grow moist as I struggle to speak the next one. With a quiver in my lip, I mutter with conviction, “I’d hang a rainbow flag above the door so Isaac knowseveryoneiswelcome.”
Sage’s smile grows brighter, the light outside catching a glint of moisture in her eyes.
“I’d make this place feel like home.”
Slowly, she stands and walks toward me, squeezing herself between me and the pulpit. “I like the sound of that,” she whispers as she lifts onto her toes to kiss me.
Before taking her lips with mine, I look her in the eye. “Would you be there?”
Her expression changes as she lowers to her feet without a kiss. Averting her eyes, she presses her hands to my chest.
“I don’t know, Adam.”
And I understand. This chasm between us isn’t something we can cross easily. How could you build a life with a person so fundamentally different? What could our future possibly hold when our pasts are so vastly contradictory?
But for now, I love the feel of her in my arms and the comfort of her in my life. For now, I’ll savor that much.
Putting my fingers under her chin, I lift her eyes until she’s staring at me. “It’s okay,” I whisper, so she knows. We may not be forever, but we can be for now.
Grabbing the backs of her thighs, I swiftly lift her onto the surface and position myself between her legs. She wraps her arms around my neck and goes in for the kiss again. This time, I take it, reveling in the warm sweetness of her lips and how much I love playing with that ring with my tongue.
Before we get too hot with this kiss, I pull away. “So what about you?” I ask, leaning away to look into her eyes.
“What would I do if this church was mine?” she replies with lifted brows. “Probably turn it into a sex club.”
This time when I laugh, I lean my forehead against her shoulder and squeeze her ass, pulling her closer. The sound of her giggles against my ear is sweet and calming.
When I pull away, I clarify my question. “No, what would you do if Pink was yours? What would you do with it?”
“Oh.” Her eyes light up with excitement. “First thing I would do is reinstate the two-drink limit and stick with it.”
“Good.”
“Then I would fire every one of those lousy bouncers and hire a whole new security staff.”
“Excellent.”
She takes a deep breath, gazing off into the distance as she thinks. “And then…I would find people who could teach real courses on sexuality for men and women. Couples could come in to find a new spark together. Assault survivors could have a place to feel safe and empowered. Members could learn how to practice BDSMsafely. And I’d abolish the VIP section entirely.”
With excitement, she tightens her arms around my neck. “It would be more than just a sex club. It would be like…a sex church!”
