Page 19 of Sin With Me

I should have known that stepping into her yard when she was half-naked – actually, make that ninety percent naked – was a mistake. I’d had a difficult time remaining in control around her before, but now, it seemed that all bets were off as my testosterone-infused body was beginning to show signs of arousal.

“Here.” Turning my head the other way I picked her spare towel off the ground and passed it to her. “Again, I’m sorry.”

“It’sokay.”

I waited for the all-clear as she fumbled with the towel.

“I like your tattoo,” I finallysaid.

“Oh, thank you. It’s my mom’s favorite quote.”

“What is it?” I asked. “I couldn’t make out the letters, just the font curvature looked…”

Sexy.

“…Nice.”

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow,” she replied.

Thinking how we both had tattooed hope on our bodies made me smile. That little gasp almost four weeks ago when she saw my marking now made perfect sense.

“You can turn around now. I’m covered.”

When I looked at her this time, still kneeling in front of me with her face perfectly aligned half way down my body, I bit the inside of my cheek. The temptation was burning through my skin like hell’s fire. If she called a tightly wrapped towel around her body covered, then I hoped she’d remain covered for the rest of her life. Now she appeared as if she were completely naked underneath.

Control. Keep it cool, Cam.

As Kate would often remind me, I was a priest, and I had come to Pace on a job. This town and this church were the only lead we had, and I couldn’t throw that away because of distractions. But her golden eyes that captured sun’s constant light kept my attention when I saw a spark of desire. Was it for me? The urge to pull down my zipper grew stronger. I wanted to give in. I didn’t want to resist her any longer, but that nagging voice of intuition snapped inside of me, reminding me why I washere.

“I think I’m going to pay for this tonight.” Kate looked to the side, to her red shoulder.

“You should moisturize it. Like right now, and continue doing so every hour until nighttime.”

“I can’t believe I burned myself. I wasn’t planning on falling asleep.”

“It happens to all ofus.”

“No, this only happens to me.” She sighed as if the entire world was collapsing around her. I wondered what was troubling her. “I’ve been making stupid decisions lately. I can’t imagine someone responsible like you being this reckless.” She gently touched her finger to her shoulder and immediately pulled it away, as if the temperature of her skin burned.

I wished I could tell her about the time when, as a twenty-two year old, I had thought it was a good idea to sunbathe in my birthday suit. I paid for that one big time when it was time to piss. But such over-sharing would have been inappropriate for a priest, and so I kept my mouth shut. Besides, I’d already told her too much about myself and my family.

“Ahm, this may sound like an odd request, but would you mind helping me?” Her gaze once again flew from her shoulder to my hand, her eyes beggingme.

What?I stared her perfect body as she lay back down and removed the towel, and all sense of my responsibility disappeared.

“I shouldn’t, Kate,” I said to her. She rolled to her side, her hip thrusting higher, creating a larger dip in her waistline. Her smile faded, replaced by concern.

“Yes, you’re right. It’d be inappropriate, wouldn’t it? You’rea—”

“Priest,” I finished, a little annoyed with myself that I wanted to roll my eyes. “But I’m also a friend,” I added.

Nothingmore.

Even lying to myself seemed easier. Her smile returned, and I immediately felt better. I was doing a good deed. That was it. Nothing more. I wouldn’t think otherwise until I was in bed, alone at night, able to ease the sense of urgency growing in my pants.

I poured a blob of aloe moisturizer into my palm and knelt at her waist, gently touching her burnt shoulders.

“Tsss…” she hissed under her breath.

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