Priest (A Standalone Bad Boy Romance Love Story) (20 page)

CHAPTER
FOURTY-FIVE

DAPHNE

Jace and I talked for a long time. By the
time I left, I’m sure he had no doubts that I didn’t do this maliciously. But,
he was still worried about how it would all come out and torn up about what to
do about it.

I hated seeing him that way. I felt
helpless and really angry with Bethany for stabbing me in the back. I called
her as soon as I got home, but she didn’t answer. I left her a message and just
asked her to call me back. I didn’t want to ask her anything in a message. I
wanted to hear her voice when she told me that she did this, and why.

The next morning as I was straightening up
after breakfast, she called me back. “Hey, girl! What are you doing?”

“I’m just straightening up, what about
you?”

“I just came from my work-out. It was a
good one today. It kicked my butt, though.”

“I’ve been thinking about joining a gym.
How do you like yours?”

“It’s okay; there aren’t many in town, but
I think this one is the best.”

I couldn’t do this. I just had to get it
over with. “Did you go to the Diocese about Jace after you promised me that you
wouldn’t?”

“What?”

“Please don’t act innocent here, Bethany.
Who did you tell?”

She was quiet for a long time before she
said, “I’m sorry, Daph. I’m so sorry.”

“Who did you tell? You promised me.”

“I know! I’m so sorry. I’m just a big
gossip. Sometimes I don’t think before I open my mouth.” She sounded like she
was on the verge of tears.
Good, maybe it
will make her think before she opens her mouth next time.

“Bethany, who did you tell?”

“This woman at the gym. She and I were
talking, and she mentioned him…out of the blue. She said their church had a new
priest and I said, ‘Oh, ours, too.’ We figured out we went to the same church.
Then it just slipped out.”

“It slipped? How loose are your lips?”

“Daphne, I’m so sorry. Please, don’t hate
me. I never meant to hurt you…or him, honest.”

I was furious with her, but at the same
time, I could see that as with me telling her and starting this whole thing, she
really didn’t have any malicious intent.

“Daphne, what happened? How did you know I
told someone?”

“Because that someone went to the Diocese
and Jace has been stripped of his duties while under investigation.”

“Oh, shit!”

“Yeah, you got that right. Poor Jace is a
wreck. I’m so scared for him. He’s a good man, he’s just been confused and it
wasn’t entirely his fault. I’m scared for him.”

“Oh, damn! I’m sorry. If there is anything
I can do, please let me know. I am so sincerely sorry.”

I was on the verge of telling her she had
done quite enough when I stopped myself. She didn’t mean to hurt me or Jace.
Jace and I had to accept the consequences of our actions and it wasn’t
Bethany’s fault. “I don’t think there is, but thanks,” was what I ended up
saying.

I could hear the relief in her voice as
she said, “Please call me if you hear anything.”

I didn’t hear from Jace for the next few
days. I knew he was struggling and he was probably busy with the investigation,
but a text or two would have been nice.

I felt like I was losing my mind sometimes,
and at the same time, I was relieved that I hadn’t heard from the church yet. I
didn’t think I could lie when in a room face to face with a bishop and a couple
of priests. I would try, for dJace…but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t do it well.

Since they hadn't called me, I was
beginning to hope they wouldn’t.
Maybe
they haven’t figured out yet that it was me.
I didn’t think Jace would ever
tell them.
I might know that better if he
would talk to me.

The church, unfortunately, is one of the
biggest gossip mills around and I hadn't heard anything there yet. No one
seemed to know what was going on. I did hear that it had been announced Jace
would be away for a while, but never said why. There was a visiting priest
covering for him.

I didn’t hear any of that first hand. I
got it from my customers who knew I attended their church.

I hadn’t been to church in a couple of
weeks. I wanted to hear that they never found out, or they did, before I showed
up with a scarlet letter on my chest. I did not want to find out when people were
already whispering and giggling about me as I walk by. It wasn’t that I really
cared what they thought about me, but I hated to think about the things they
would say about Jace.

Then there was the simple fact that I
missed him so badly that I ached. I was probably just being paranoid, but I was
afraid that if people saw us together, I wouldn’t be able to hide how I felt.

 
So
with all of this playing in the background, I went to work and I went home and
I worried myself almost to death.

I also had to wonder why I couldn’t just
stay away from him like this in the first place…then we wouldn’t be in this
place. Maybe I hadn’t stayed away because then it was just lust. Lust is hard
to ignore…but now I was pretty sure I loved him and staying away was what was in
his best interest, and I wanted him to be happy more than anything.

I was pretty sure I was hopelessly, madly,
head-over-heels in love with him and I was also pretty sure that he loved me,
too.

CHAPTER
FOURTY-SIX

JACE

I waited nervously in the outer office for
Bishop McDougal. I’d beat my brains trying to find the right decision. I kept
waiting for a sign, but when I really searched within myself, I found out that
I truly believed just meeting Daphne was the sign. I never should have been in
that bar and it wasn’t a normal place for her to be, either…but we were both
there.

I put everything together that had
happened over the past couple of months and the way I was feeling about my
choices and my faith after Grandmother died, and I finally came to the
conclusion that there was no right and wrong. God gives us free will and that
free will was telling me to follow my heart.

My heart was across town, with Daphne, and
that’s where it wanted to stay.

“Father Jace? The Bishop will see you
now,” his secretary said as she took me into his office. I took a chair
opposite his desk and looked at the religious artifacts along the wall behind
him. I still got a feeling of peace in my heart when I was in or around a
church. I wasn’t as worried anymore that God and I wouldn’t be okay. I felt He’d
given me His blessing.

I took a deep breath and I said, “How are
you, sir?”

The bishop looked at me like he was waiting
for me to drop a bomb. He thought I was there to confess. I suppose I could
have, but I didn’t see the point. God knew what I had done. His opinion, and
mine and Daphne’s, are all that really matter.

“I’m fine, Father,” he said. “What can I
do for you?”

I knew I was doing the right thing, but
from childhood, the leaders of the church had been my male role models. Sitting
face to face with him and telling him this was different than practicing it in
my head.

Quickly, before I lost my nerve I said, “I
was wondering if I should step down and save the church the annoyance and
embarrassment of having me investigated. I know these things can often take
months, if not years, and you won’t be able to put a permanent replacement in
place until it’s over. I want to do what’s best for the church. I also think
that at this point in my life, it would be best for me.”

He raised a bushy gray eyebrow. “You’re
willing to just give up your calling that easily?”

I sighed, “May I speak frankly with you,
Bishop?”

“Please do.”

“For some time now, since the death of my
grandmother, I’ve had serious struggles with my faith. At least, I thought it
was my faith.

“But, with much soul searching and praying
I think the conclusion that I’ve come to is that it’s not my faith I’m struggling
with. It’s my choice to become a priest. I was a confused kid when I decided to
do this. It was what my Grandmother hoped for me, as well. I wanted to please
her and I felt safe here. I thought that was enough to justify taking the vows.

“I think, though, that I finally realized
that I don’t have to be a priest to be a good Catholic, and I think that’s
where I became a little lost and confused. I thought this was what I needed to
do in order to have a relationship with God, but I don’t believe that’s true
any longer.

“So, since I have these issues with the
investigation and all, and I’ve already been considering leaving…maybe now
would be the best time to go and just make a clean break. It would probably
save us all a lot of embarrassment and trouble.”

He nodded slowly. “I hear what you’re
saying. There’s no sin in deciding this isn’t for you and walking away…as long
as you’re okay with God. I will offer you counseling, Father Jace, and I will
encourage you to examine yourself more deeply than you ever have before. This
is not a big step; this is a huge, life-altering step.”

“I do realize that, sir. I have dug down
deeper than I ever have, and I do believe this is the right thing…the only
thing for me to do.”

“Okay, I will begin the process with the
Diocese and we will call you for your exit conference when everything is ready.
I’m sorry to see you go, Father, but we all have to do what’s right for us, as
well as the church.

“I appreciate your honesty with me about
this and I do appreciate you doing this now before we went through the effort
and expense of a lengthy investigation.”

I thanked him and shook his hand. He gave
me a blessing before I left. As I walked through the church on my way out,
something about it felt different. I still felt at peace, but there was
another, lighter feeling there, too. I didn’t really understand what it was
until I got home. I looked around my place and thought about what I was going
to do with the rest of my life.

In that moment, I realized that having
that freedom of choice also gave me a feeling of relief. I knew the first thing
I wanted to do was go get the woman I loved.
I love Daphne, and as long as she and I are together, I have faith that
the rest of it will fall into place. My faith is restored in God, and in
life…all thanks to her.

CHAPTER
FOURTY-SEVEN

DAPHNE

An entire week went by without a word from
Jace. Every time I was anywhere near his side of town, I thought seriously
about stopping by and confronting him.

I was a nervous wreck and had so many
questions. Why was he shutting me out? Did our time together mean so little
that he could just walk away that easily without a word? Did he just need time?
I wasn’t sure. I had no idea what to do.

So, I did nothing. I went to work every
day and went through the motions of my life. Bethany and I didn’t really talk
anymore. I’d forgiven her, but I couldn’t forget. Her betrayal hurt me deeply,
mostly because it had hurt Jace.

I knew that I couldn’t live like that
forever. Carla was the only person I had to talk to and that was only on the
phone. She was as supportive as she could be, but the second I hung up with
her, I was reminded once more of how alone I really was. I’d never been so
confused or felt so empty in my life…and considering my life, that was saying a
lot.

I was working double shifts to keep busy,
but was dead on my feet. I finally kept my day off. I had to get some rest; I
was running on nerves and lots of caffeine.

Speaking of which, I had just gotten out
of the shower and finished my coffee and was thinking about what I needed to
get done when there was a knock on the door. I went over and looked out the
hole.

Jace’s beautiful face was there and he was
smiling. He looked…radiantly happy. I pulled it open, and I had to remember to
breathe.

“Hi…” I had barely got the word out before
he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

At first, I was so overwhelmingly happy to
know he still wanted me that I responded. I reveled in the feel of his hands on
my body, his lips on mine, and his tongue in my mouth. God, I loved kissing
him. It took me several seconds to get a reign on rational thought and my
anxiety returned.

What
is he doing? People will see us! He’s under investigation!
I
felt panic well up in my chest
. They
could be watching us right now.
I pulled my lips away and grabbed his arm.
I pulled him inside the apartment and slammed the door behind him. I know I was
looking at him like he was crazy; I thought he’d lost his mind.

But, he was still smiling. “Are you
insane?” I finally said when I caught my breath and found my voice.

He laughed and I thought,
Maybe he’s drunk.
“No,” he said, “I’m
not insane. At least, not much. I have good news, though.”

My fear was replaced by hope instantly.
“Oh my God! Is the investigation over? Were you cleared?” I knew it was too
soon, but he was all over me on my doorstep. I couldn’t think of any other reason
he’d be so excited.

“Have a seat,” he said, calmly.

“But…” I couldn’t wait to hear his news.
Why didn’t he just tell me?

He laughed again. “Daphne, sit down, please.”

I sat. I wasn’t happy about it. I wanted
to know what was going on. Right then. I wanted instant gratification so that
we could kiss more.

“Let me get through this before you say
anything, okay?” I nodded. It was going to be hard, but for him, I would do it.
He said, “I’m not a priest any longer.”

My stomach fell as I suddenly thought
maybe he was let go, kicked out, ostracized…all because of me. There was a part
of me that guiltily celebrated, too.
Now
we can be together! That’s what the public kiss was about.
I kept my mouth
shut though, although it was hard as hell.

“I’ve been soul-searching since the night
I met you, trying to figure out why I would do what you and I were doing
without regard to the fact that I’d taken a vow of celibacy and promised my
life to the church. I can to some big conclusions about that.

“Once I did that, I went to the Diocese
and I told them that I would step down so they didn’t have to have this big
investigation. I also told them that this wasn’t a snap decision. I’ve put a
lot of thought into it. I’ve agonized over it and I’ve prayed over it.

“This is what I kept coming back to: being
a priest was not my calling. Being a Catholic is completely separate from that
and I can still have a relationship with God.”

He paused to take a breath and I opened my
mouth. He smiled and held up a finger. I stayed silent as he reached and took
my face in his hands.

Leaning in close, he said, “I realized
that this was the only decision that would allow me to be happy. I realized
that since that first night, I had already chosen you. It’s the right choice,
as long as you choose me, too?”

I decided that I didn’t need to speak. I
let my lips meet his and we kissed, passionately, speaking without any words; we
were talking to each other through our hearts and our souls.

A sense of peace washed over me and
although I knew Jace and I would have a lot to figure out, and our lives would
never be perfect, we could be happy, as long as we were together.

He kissed the corner of my mouth and then
up along the side of my face to my ear. He pressed his lips into me and said, “You
take my breath away, Daphne.”

I couldn’t speak. No man had ever told me
that. I kissed him again, this time with even more passionately. When he pulled
back he let those sexy, intense eyes roam across my body. “Take off your
clothes,” he said as he stood up off the couch. “Take them off.” He pulled off
his shirt.

The sight of his naked chest got me busy.
I pulled off my shirt and as I was tossing it aside I felt him drop to his
knees in front of me and pull at the waistband of the shorts and panties I was
wearing. He pulled them down to my feet and I lifted my feet so he could pull
them all the way off.

Then, I felt the warmth of his hands
around my calves. He ran them up my body, pushing me back into the couch as he
did. He was suddenly straddling me, looming over me. I could feel his hard
erection pushing against his jeans and into the top of my mound. Looking up at
him like that was so arousing.

He flexed into me and I shuddered as I
felt the fool force of his arousal. He bent down and nipped at the lobe of my
ear.
God, he’s so sexy and he smells so
good
. The whole picture had the effect of gasoline being poured on the fire
he had constantly smoldering in the pit of my belly.

He pressed his lips into me again, and I
felt his warm breath and the vibrations of his voice as he said, “Have I ever
told you how beautiful you are?”

“Yes, but not today,” I breathed out with
a grin.

I felt him smile. “You are so beautiful,”
he whispered into me before letting his mouth travel from there down the side
of my face to my throat.

He left a trail of kisses across my neck, leaving
goosebumps in their wake. Then, he kissed and licked his way down my chest,
between my already aching breasts.

I arched up into him. I wanted him to suck
on my nipples, but he moved on right past them, stopping at the top of my hip.
I shuddered and with his mouth still pressed into me he said, “Do you like that,
baby?”

 
“Mm
hmm…” I was incapable of rational speech, but I knew this was different than
before. Jace was making love to me. All the other times had been satisfying a
driving need. Today, we were free to make love like any other couple. I was
going to love this.

My back was still arched up off the couch.
He slipped one of his big, warm hands underneath me and grabbed one of my
cheeks. He let it mold to the palm of his hand and he continued trailing kisses
until he got to the bottom of my stomach and the top of my other hip.

I was losing my mind. I slid my hands down
and got them underneath his arms and said, “Jace…come here…”

I felt him grin against my flesh again.
“Not yet, I’m exploring. Just relax while I play, baby.”

This was definitely a different Jace. I
liked it…no…I loved it. He pushed into the couch on either side of me and
pulled himself up over me again. My pussy was soaked and tingling. I wanted him
inside of me so badly, but I was trying to be patient.

He was straddling me, holding his weight
up on his knees as he took my shoulders in his hands and began to massage. It
felt so good and his smooth, powerful strokes pulled me forward and worked
their way down my back. It was so erotic.

When he reached the small of my back, I felt
his mouth on the sensitive flesh of my neck. He bit down lightly, and I
struggled to breathe.
He’s so sexy. He’s
killing me.

He lifted me suddenly and turned me so I was
lying back on the couch. I felt him lay down next to me. I looked at him; the
beautiful smile was still on his face. I loved his smile. I could feed off of
it. “Are you finished exploring? Can we get down to business now?”

He didn’t answer me with words. Instead,
he leaned forward again and possessed my mouth in a deep, hungry kiss. Our
tongues danced together and I leaned my head back so he could press in deeper.

He sucked on my tongue and let his teeth
scrape along the side of it. Reaching one hand under my neck, he held me in
place while he moved one leg over me and once again loomed over me, pressing
against my hot pussy. He flexed those sexy hips into me again and I groaned. I
reached up and traced the hard lines of his chest with my fingers and he flexed
into me again.

This time he wrapped his fingers up in my
hair and tugged my head back. Then, he shoved his tongue in deeper while he
rocked against me, still wearing his pants.

He was making love to my mouth. It was the
most incredible, earth-shattering kiss I’d ever had in my life. I think I was
already on the brink of my climax and he hadn’t even touched my pussy.

When he finally had to come up for air, he
kissed down along the side of my neck again to my chest and finally closed his
mouth down over one of my breasts. I gasped as he swept his tongue across my
engorged nipple. He reached up and took the other one between his thumb and
forefinger and began to twist and roll that one while he sucked on the other.

“You taste so good,” he said against my
aching breast and then proceeded to change sides and begin licking and sucking
and tasting the other. “I want to taste more,” he said while I writhed
underneath him.

I was panting as his fingers made their
way between my legs and he touched the spot that was engulfed in flames. He
gave it a few light strokes, still teasing, before he pushed himself down on
the couch and buried his face between my thighs. My body jerked as I felt his
tongue suddenly shoot out and take one, long, sexy lick.

I pushed my hips up into his face and he
grabbed them with both hands and held me in place while he probed deeper with
his tongue, thrusting it into me as far as it would go and then moving it up to
press and lick against my clit. I was out of my mind with pleasure. I wanted to
scream.

“Jace,” I said breathlessly, “I’m going to
come…”

He stopped. I pulled open my eyes to see
him looking at me, grinning again. “Um…I know we’re both new to this, but I
don’t think that was the cue to stop.”

He laughed and stood up. Then he leaned over
to kiss me. Before his lips met mine, I said, “You’re kind of a tease.”

He ran his tongue across the outside of my
lips. “I’m done.”

“What? You’re done?”

He laughed again, and I watched as he
pulled his pants and shorts down and stepped out of them. “I’m not teasing
anymore,” he said. “I need to be inside of you Daphne, now.” His husky voice
was even deeper with lust and my boy shuddered at the sound of it.

I reached up for him, and he grabbed my
arm by the wrist and put it up over my head. He did the same with the other one
and held them there with one of his big hands as he slid into position and
entered me.

Fireworks exploded, ticker-tape parades
happened, rockets discharged…all inside my head.

The heat of his cock sliding into me where
I was already warm and wet was so intense that I cried out, loudly. I wrapped
my legs around his hips and pressed my feet into his back.

He wasn’t playing. He slammed into me as
deeply as he could, burying himself to the hilt. When he let go of my wrists,
my hands went to his hair and I pulled his mouth down for a hot, wet kiss. The
harder we kissed, the faster he moved his hips. He was plunging deeper and
faster and hitting my hips harder.

The orgasm was building and it threatened
to consume me. I called out his name as it boiled to the surface and I
exploded. I saw stars as the pleasure coursed through my body.

I opened my eyes and shook my head at him.
“You’re incredible.”

With a grin he said, “Have you had
enough?”

“No, I want more.” I put my hands on his
sexy butt and pushed him into me. “Harder…faster…”

He put his lips against mine and said,
“You drive me crazy, baby.”

I was still writhing underneath him and
the feel of his mouth and his words drove me back into frenzy. I began bucking
my hips, and our kisses were wet and sloppy. He moved his hips to the side and
hit that spot that I’ve heard people talk about.