Page 18 of Hotter 'N Hell

“No. It was very interesting. I’ve just been busy,” I replied.

“You were missed on Saturday night,” he told me.

Had I been though?

I decided to make light of it. “I’m sure there wasn’t much time to dwell on my absence with Sibby there to entertain everyonewith all her words.”

He covered up a laugh with a cough, as if he needed to clear his throat.

Caught ya, Father.She’s annoying as fuck, and you know it.

I raised my eyebrows as I smirked.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. His lips were delicious any day of the week, but when he went without shaving for a few days and he had that thick, scruffy thing happening? Whew. I wanted to put my hands on his face. Feel it under my fingertips. See if those lips felt as soft as they looked.

“Yes, well, her talking didn’t fill your void. I hope you’ll return,” he told me.

Don’t do that, Father. Don’t make me want to come see you again. It’s just a torturous tease.

“Perhaps,” I replied because I was hoping for the strength not to go back.

He nodded his head once, but the glint of disappointment in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed. Was he that worried about helping me?

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” he replied. Then, he glanced over at Gathe. “It was nice meeting you, Gathe. I’ll leave you both to your lunch.”

“Yeah, you too,” Gathe replied.

“Bye,” I said, and his eyes lingered on me for a moment longer before he walked away.

I watched him, wondering if he had meant to look at me as if he was memorizing my face.

“You’re gonna split the gates of hell wide open. Like a fucking explosion,” Gathe said.

I jerked my eyes off Father Jude’s backside and turned to Gathe.

He held up his hands with his fingertips pressed together before making them fly open like a bomb was going off,mouthing the word,Boom, as his eyes danced with amusement.

“Shut up,” I snarled.

“They might find a place worse for you. Somewhere hotter ’n’ hell.”

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” I told him. Unless masturbating while fantasizing about a priest was wrong because, yeah, I’d done that a few times or more.

“Seriously, Saylor. Come on. That man is so fucking hot for you. He might have to go back to his office and jerk one off after this.”

I shifted in my seat.Not an image I needed, Gathe. I was already struggling.

“Priests don’t do that. He is a Catholic priest, and they have to take a vow of celibacy.”

Gathe looked at me as if that was ludicrous. “How the hell do you know? You’re not Catholic. You’re not even a fucking Christian.”

I picked up my water. “I googled it.”

He covered his mouth to smother his laughter.

“I am five seconds away from throwing my water in your face,” I warned.

Why had I admitted that to him? He’d never let me live it down.

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