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“I mean, you’re the first and only man I’ve ever kissed. I’ve never been intimate with anyone, nothing outside of that perfect kiss.” She lets out a breath, weighted with lust and yearning.
If this is a test from God, I am going to fail. How on earth is someone like Harper Haven untouched?And mine.
It feels like my brain is short-circuiting as I speak. “Okay. That’s okay. It’s alright, Harper. We don’t have to kiss?—”
This time, she interrupts me. There's a hint of worry in her gaze. “Did you like it?”
“Yes, I can’t remember the last time I’ve kissed or touched anyone. I’ve been a priest for over a decade, and there is a celibacy vow we take.”
She raises an eyebrow with a curious grin, pushing away from the door to get closer to me. The sound of my pulse beating like adrum against my ears makes me wonder what she’s about to do. I hope she tries to take another kiss.
“So celibacy just means you’re not getting married, right? What about abstinence?” She licks her lips. The way her eyes take me in, head-to-toe, tells me she wants me to break my vows. For her, I don’t know how long I could hold out.
Harper steps so close to me that she barely leaves a few inches of space between us. She’s waiting for my reply, but the sound of someone knocking on my office door breaks me out of our conversation.
“Uh, Hunter?” Dennis calls from the other side.
The lock is still on and I have no intention of letting him in here. Especially with Harper’s nipples hard and on display through her thin tank top.
“Yeah, Dennis?”
“I’m about to head out. The storm’s really kicked up. Oh, and next time you want to lecture me about inappropriate behavior, take a good look in the mirror?—”
My apprehension about confronting him is gone, and I no longer care what the optics are of me and Harper locked in my office together. I storm toward the door, unlock it, and swing it open for him to see we aren’t in any compromising position. I already know how he thinks, and I don’t want to give him any ammunition to spread any more rumors about me.
“Excuse me, Dennis. You were saying something through the door I couldn't quite make out. Say it again,” I demand of him in a tone that reminds him that while I’m a man of God, I’m still a man.
The surprise in his expression when I open the door tells me he has no intention of speaking to me directly. My gaze holds him in place, daring him to repeat himself.
Dennis stammers as he tries to scale back whatever he tried to say. “Uh, um … see, I mean. Hunter, uh, Father Hudgens, I just meant that since you were so adamant about inappropriate behavior earlier, you being in this office with her of all people is inappropriate. I mean, if you wanted her, you should have just said that you wanted to keep her to yourself.”
He leans in closer to me, whispering even lower. “There’s a camera rig behind a wall or on one of the bookshelves in here, just in case you two want to put on a show. The last pastor liked to record bible study in this office. I won’t tell anyone. You can trust me.”
Rage shoots through my body like a birdshot because I can hear the words he’s not saying. He truly believes I’m like him. Anger controls me as I grab Dennis by the shirt and slam him against the wall. Fear causes his eyes to dart around the room, looking for help that isn’t coming.
“Did you really think that my discussion with you was just for show? You need to apologize to Harper for barging in on her discussion with me and then for making inappropriate remarks and suggestions.”
Dennis nods his head vigorously as he turns to Harper. “Uh, Miss Haven, I’m sorry.”
Harper nods but keeps close to the desk.
I turn back to Dennis. “Hey. When you come in next week, prepare for a sit down with me and the Archbishop to discuss your future here at Saint Alban’s.”
I set him down, nudging him toward the door. Dennis waits until he’s halfway up the aisle before shouting back to me, “If you think for one minute that you have a leg to stand on Hudgens, you’re wrong. I know what I saw in there, and youractions are going to weigh a lot heavier than my words.”
The anger is fading with every deep breath in and out. I’ll deal with the deacon tomorrow, but for now, I should probably get Harper out of my office and on her way home. I turn to see that she’s already putting her coat back on.
“Thank you for the donations, Harper. All of your help is appreciated.”
“You’re welcome, Father,” she says withfuck melacing silently through every syllable. “About the kiss?—”
The sound of the front door of the church slamming isn’t alarming, but the heavy thud that comes after that doesn’t sit right with me. I hold my hand up, gesturing for Harper to not say anything.
“Did you hear that?” I ask her.
There are a few noises around the church because of the storm blowing outside as I make my way toward the entrance, with Harper following closely behind.
“The sound of Dennis leaving?" She shrugs. "He didslam the door really hard. What did you hear?”
