AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Me and a few girls are grabbing drinks tonight. You should join us.”
My heart pounds, and my palms sweat because the idea of making friends frightens me. If I were to make friends here and then get found, it would make running harder. However, I haven’t had a night out in forever. “Sure, text me the details?”
She nods. “Will do.”
And then, she walks off in the opposite direction as I continue into town. There may not be a hardware store, but I plan to explore the place. After all, I’ve got nothing better to do until later, when I’ve got a meeting with a sinfully gorgeous priest who drives me crazy with need.
I should bail and not turn up, as what we did yesterday after his sermon was wrong. There’s no doubt that he doesn’t only intend to talk over my options this afternoon. If our time alone together yesterday proved anything, the priest has suspiciously low control over his urges.
5
MADISON
The church grounds are eerily quiet on my walk toward the imposing structure, making my heart is pound in an erratic rhythm.
I pull my coat tighter around myself and draw a deep breath. The gravel crunches beneath my feet as I walk toward the church entrance, my mind flashing back to what happened the last time I was in this building with the priest.
“Just breathe, Madison,” I mumble, straightening my shoulders.
The heavy wooden door creaks open, and I step into the dimly lit church, the scent of old books and incense filling my senses. I see him at the end of the aisle, his back to me, and my pulse quickens.
My head is a whirlwind of thoughts, but I square my shoulders and force myself to walk toward him. Each footstep echoes around the cavernous, hallowed space as the distance between us steadily closes.
“Dante,” I call out when I’m close enough.
He turns around, and his dark eyes meet mine. “Madison, I’ve been waiting for—” he stops speaking when he notices what I’m wearing. “I hope you didn’t dress up on my account?”
“I’m on my way to a bar in town and thought I’d come here on my way.” I pull the jacket tighter around myself to hide my exposed cleavage.
His eyes darken. “Like hell you are.”
I tilt my head, unsure whether I’m more amused by the angry tone of his voice or the fact a priest just said like hell in his church. “Sorry?”
He marches toward me. “Who are you going with?”
“Eva and some girls I’ve never met, why?”
His jaw clenches. “A lot of men in this town will try to hit on you.”
I laugh. “What’s your point?”
I don’t see it coming, but he snaps, grabbing hold of my hips hard. “My point is that you belong to me.” He tightens his grip on my hips, and I wonder if this man is as dark as my husband. If he would hurt me. Something tells me that’s not the case. I trust him, despite myself.
“Belong to a priest?” I question. “How would that work considering your vow of celibacy?”
He growls, his eyes full of fire. “Don’t test me, little doe.”
I clear my throat and extricate myself from his grasp. “I’m here to discuss the job opportunity at the bookstore. Shall we discuss it?”
He looks irritated by the change of topic but nods. “Yeah, sure, let’s talk about the job.” He steps back, creating distance between us. His gaze, however, remains as intense as before.
I take a deep breath, getting my bearings. “Here’s my resume, although, as I said, I’ve never had a steady job. It’s mainly my education.” I pull out the folded paper from my purse.
He takes it from me, brushing his fingers against mine and sending a jolt of electricity through me. His eyes flick across the document, never leaving my face too long. “Impressive education, little doe. So impressive it makes you overqualified for the job.”
I grind my teeth as my parents sent me to Harvard Law School, not for my gain, but for theirs. They reckoned it would benefit them to have a lawyer in the family to get them out of sticky situations, but after I graduated, they didn’t allow me to apply for a job. Instead, I was on standby for any legal issues they had with their business. “I love reading, though. Books are a passion of mine.”
He nods. “Fine, you’ve got the job. You can start tomorrow if you’d like?”
