The Consequence of Secrets - Part Two: A Priest Romance (5 page)

My mind calms when his mouth touches mine, and I’m flooded with the most wonderful emotions that chase all of my fears away. Braden makes me believe that it really is possible to experience a true and pure kind of love, even if it’s just for a moment in time, and I want that. In the uncertainty of things to come, I want this one risk. Just once.

With shaking fingers, I work at his buttons and pull his black shirt from his pants. I can’t bring myself to pull the collar from its clasps, and I’m glad when he reaches up and does it for me. Then I push his shirt from his shoulders, revealing his smooth, hard and well-defined chest, and I pause when I see the cross tattooed over his heart, a ribbon running through its intricate design. My unsteady hand reaches up and I slide it over his skin, feeling him with my fingertips.

“Does this bother you?” he asks, pointing his finger to his chest.

“No,” I tell him, moving my fingers so the tattoo is visible again. “I just didn’t expect you to have it.”

“I guess we’re both hiding things beneath our shirts,” he comments, hooking his finger underneath my chin and tilting my head upward, bringing his lips back to mine. He inhales deeply as he kisses me, his tongue deliciously luxurious against mine as he works my buttons open and slides my blouse off my shoulders. When it gets caught on my wrists, he breaks the kiss to focus and undo the cuffs so the silk can fall like a soft cloud to the floor. “I’m sorry, I’m a little out of practice with this,” he whispers, his eyes returning to mine as he presses his body against mine.

I smile, loving that he isn’t perfectly in control and wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him passionately as he trails his fingers up my arms then down my body until he reaches around my waist and finds the zip to my skirt. He slides it down, pushing my skirt from my hips and when it hits the floor, he lifts me out of it and I wrap my legs around his waist.

“There’s a couch in the office,” he explains between kisses as he heads for the door beside reception and fumbles for a moment, before realizing it’s locked. “Wait, I have a key,” he says, shifting my weight to one hand as he reaches into his pocket to retrieve it. “Don’t move a muscle,” he instructs, planting a quick kiss on my lips as he finds the key and unlocks the door. Inside is a desk with some computer equipment, three chairs, a couch, a small table and a crucifix on the wall. However, the only thing I’m interested in is the couch.

“I feel like a monkey,” I giggle, as I hang off him and he carries me to the couch, chuckling as he settles me down and kneels before me.

“You’re the sexiest monkey I’ve ever seen,” he smiles, running his hand down my smooth legs to remove my shoes one at a time before sitting back and just letting his eyes take in my body.

“Well, you’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen,” I whisper, reaching behind me to remove my bra, watching the heat in his eyes as I allow it to slide down my arms. I’ve never felt so desired by a man before this moment. His eyes say it all.

“I need to taste you, Emma,” he growls, his voice thick and needing as he slides his hands up my thighs and hooks his fingers into the waist of my lace panties. I lift my hips as he pulls them downward and slides them off my feet then glides his fingers up along my calves and parts my knees, his eyes fixing on my dripping core. And for a moment, I’m incredibly nervous. I’ve never had a man go down on me before, but he puts me at ease when he glances back up at me and swallows hard. “I feel it’s only fair that I tell you I might not make it through the first part. I’m pretty close bursting just thinking about making you come – like I said, it’s been a while. So try not to hold it against me, because I’m pretty sure, after all these years of abstinence, I’m going to be ready to go again pretty fast.”

I release a light giggle, watching the man I desire above all else get all nervous about the thought of pleasing me. “Braden,” I murmur, reaching out to run my fingers through his hair.

“Yes?” he whispers.

“Stop talking,” I instruct, bringing my mouth down on his and kissing him deeply as he moans into my mouth. It’s all he needs to settle down and before long, his hands are kneading my breasts, and exploring my every curve.

“Lie back,” he whispers, his lips moving to kiss his way down my body, lingering to suck at my pert nipples before he continues to my core and spreads my legs wider. He stops for one second then I feel his tongue lap softly at my opening before gliding up to my clit, and it feels magnificent.

“Oh Braden,” I moan, my hands reaching down to slide into his hair, gripping him tight. At first, he tenderly tastes me, teasing me with the tip of his tongue. Then he releases a long moan of his own and sucks back on my clit, swirling his tongue as his fingers enter me, and I almost scream. “Holy, Oh!” I yell, as the biggest orgasm of my life rips through my body causing my thighs to clamp around his head and my fingers to pull his hair as he wraps his arms around my thighs and holds me firm to him, his tongue working between my thighs, lapping greedily as he moans along with me, seeming to enjoy this almost as much as I am.

“You taste amazing,” he growls when we release each other, and he kisses his way back up my body before crashing his mouth against mine, the taste of myself in his mouth turning me on even more as his tongue glides against mine.

“I need you inside me,” I gasp, reaching down to undo his belt and pants before sliding my hand inside, desperate to touch him, as I use my other hand to push his pants from his hips. His shaft is smooth and hard, thick and long, and I position him at my entrance, wrapping my feet around him to bring him closer. “I need you.”

“I don’t have anything,” he starts, but I silence him by whispering over the top of him.

“I don’t care,” I gasp against his mouth, my fingers gripping the base of his hair, as I lift my hips, drawing him inside just a touch. It feels glorious, and my entire body shakes with need. “Oh, I just want you, Braden, please,” I beg, rocking and teasing myself with his tip.

With a groan, his mouth comes down on mine, and he slowly sinks himself inside me, causing blinding lights to flash behind my eyes as I experience the most fulfilling sensation of my life. Sex when you’re in love is more amazing than I ever dreamed it could be, and I find myself becoming emotional as his thrusts fill me and he kisses me fervently.

“Are you all right?” he asks, pausing inside me as he looks upon me with concern. “You’re crying.”

“I’m fine, Braden, keep going please,” I gasp, wanting our moment of bliss to continue on forever.

“I’m not hurting you, am I?”

“No, I’m perfect. I just…I love you, Braden,” I whisper, choking up more as I run my hands through his thick dark hair. “I love you.”

Leaning down, he takes my mouth in his, moving again inside me, his thrusts stroking, fitting perfectly inside me. I call out as my body releases again, my orgasm busting forth like spinning stars, flashing behind my eyes and making my entire body sing as he groans, and I feel him pulse inside me, his own release spilling inside me as we continue to kiss, and I cry happy tears. How am I ever going to let him go?

“You know, I never imagined that a priest could have a tattoo,” Emma says as we lie together on the couch afterward as she runs her fingers over the cross that’s embedded into my chest. “Did you get this before or after you were ordained?”

“Before. The church isn’t against tattoos, but I got this not long after the accident in honor of my father and brother. It reminds me of the price they paid for my wrong doing, and helps me stay true to my promises.”

“Wasn’t becoming a priest a part of your penance?”

“Yes, but this was about never drinking, driving or doing the drugs that caused the accident. It’s about being a better person and refraining from using unnecessary violence, or for taking people for granted. It’s about loving them even in death, just as I did in life, and remembering them enough to live a life they’d be proud of.”

“Do you think they’d be proud of what you just did with me?”

I chuckle and pull her a little closer, thinking about the way my father would have reacted if I told him about this. “In this moment? Perhaps my father would be a little disappointed in the whole priest versus a married woman part of it, but I think he’d understand once I told him how much I love you.”

“And your brother?”

A smile curves up the side of my mouth as I run my fingers up and down the soft skin along her side. “My brother would have taken one look at you and made a comment about how smoking hot you are then told me to go for it.”

“He sounds like he was a bit of a character,” she murmurs, turning her head to press a kiss to my chest. I return it by kissing the top of her head.

“Yes, he was. I wish he was still around so you could meet him.”

“Me too. I wish I had met you before.”

“The best things in life are rarely easy. That’s why we fight for them, so we appreciate them more,” I say, pulling her tightly against me as my eyes drift down over her naked body, taking in every mark and bruise that are a painful reminder that she isn’t mine. There’s even a bite mark at her breast – who the hell bites someone?

“I don’t think we’re going to win, Braden. I want to win, but I don’t know how we will.”

“You have to trust me, Emma, I will get you out of there,” I assure her, knowing that there has to be something we can do to force Gabe to leave her alone. Then I move my left hand to take hers in mine, touching her wedding ring with my fingers while I look at the ring that represents the promise I just broke to God. “Although, until after you’re separated, and I’ve resigned, we should probably refrain from more afternoons like these.”

“Don’t leave the priesthood for me, Braden,” she says, turning in my arms so she’s able to look up at me. “The church needs good men like you, and I think you can do a lot as a priest. I mean, just look at how this youth center is coming along – that’s all because of you. I don’t want you to leave it, especially when we don’t know what will happen with Gabe.”

Frowning, I move and sit up. “I’ve already broken my vows, Emma, and besides, I won’t be any good to anyone if I can’t be with you. I love you in the most intense way possible, it consumes me, and I can’t serve God when you’re the only person I can think about. However, I’m not going to leave before you’re free from your marriage and safe from harm. I can promise you that.”

“You love me in the most intense way possible?” she asks, a slight grin curling up the sides of her beautiful full lips.

“Yes, Emma, I do,” I whisper, bringing my mouth to hers as my body grows hard, and I’m ready to show her all over again.