I curled my fingers around the soft robe, the gold embroidery silky under my hand. Any minute now he was going to tear hismouth from mine and storm away, I knew that, and so did the adrenaline rushing through me, urging me to take what I could before I was denied forever.
I slipped my tongue out and teased Rafael’s lower lip, begging for entry—begging for anything at this stage, really.
Who was the delusional one now?
He was a priest, for fuck’s sake. A man of the cloth. Cloth I was currently crushing in my fist and wishing I could rip off this holy man.
What was the matter with me? When was I going to learn? This wasn’t going to end the way I wanted it to, so why was I hellbent on punishing myself this way?
I was just about to give up on the whole humiliating move, admit defeat to the Almighty, when Rafael’s lips parted and his hand moved over the top of mine.
Wait…
That was when I heard it, the low moan echoing in my ears, a sound as familiar as it was new. Then Rafael intertwined his fingers with mine, and before he could change his mind, I slid my tongue between his lips and took my first real taste of him.
It was like coming home.
Sweet, seductive, and totally sinful.
He tasted exactly as I remembered, like sunshine and innocence, as I dipped my tongue inside for the first time in too many years.
I’d always loved kissing Rafael—he was kind of shy at first, tentative, and now was no different. But once that control snapped, he’d been right there with me.Desperate, greedy, and eager. Two boys who’d never been able to get enough.
Now here we were, two men, desperate and aware that this wouldneverbe enough.
As that thought slammed into me, I ripped my mouth free, stumbling back and trying to catch my breath, as I stared at thegorgeous man standing across from me with swollen lips and eyes the color of a stormy night.
This man I knew—Rafael Vitale.
But as my gaze shifted down to the rumpled white robe, embroidered with gold, I remembered thatthatman no longer existed.
Father Vitale had taken his place.
I licked my lips and brushed a hand over my disappointed hard-on, hoping on some fucked-up level he’d look. But of course he didn’t. He wouldn’t dare. I’d already corrupted his godly morals. He wouldn’t compound his sin by checking me out.
Instead, he stood motionless, the only sign he was still alive the deep swallow he took.
Fuck this. I was done.Done with spilling my guts. Done with exposing my most vulnerable thoughts and feelings, only to have him stand there and say nothing in return.
So before he could even try, I moved to step around him. “Well, I’ve never kissed a priest before. Guess now I have something to confess this month. Enjoy the rest of the reception,father.”
11
RAFAEL
ISAT DOWN slowly on the stone bench at the edge of the rooftop garden, the celebration still buzzing behind me. It felt like it belonged to another world entirely, all the laughter and happiness at stark odds with what had just happened here.
I pressed my palms flat against my knees, grounding myself, staring out at the city while my heart raced. The kiss replayed in my mind as if I were trying to convince myself it had really happened.
But of course it had. I could still feel the warmth of Alessio’s lips…the way he tasted…his hair brushing against my cheek. I supposed it had been inevitable. He’d told me the way he was feeling and I’d gone after him anyway. Maybe it had been naïve to believe we could have any type of friendship. Or maybe the truth was more dangerous than that. Maybe I hadn’t wanted friendship at all.
The space he’d left behind felt loud, and I looked to my right like he would reemerge at any second. I didn’t know what I’d do if he did. Already I felt my body humming and alive in a way I’d long forgotten about. My pulse raced, and I felt too warm, especially underneath my robes. My cock stirred, but that wasn’t even the worst of my body’s physical reactions.
It was the way Alessio’s kiss had sparked a flood of memories, ones I thought no longer mattered but came rushing back, causing a physical ache in my chest.
I closed my eyes like I could escape, but that only made it worse. My mind flashed back to the first time I’d felt the butterflies swirling in my stomach when I kissed him…
I STRETCHED MY legs out on the sand, my shoulder bumping against Alessio’s where we sat looking out at the ocean, the screams from those riding the Cyclone roller coaster echoing behind us.
