Page 45 of Sin With Me

He didn’t.

“Sometimes when you work close with someone, you develop a relationship that can be somewhat confusing.”

Oh, boy.

I stepped uncomfortably from one foot to the other, and he gently let go of my hand. I didn’t like that part. I didn’t like not touchinghim.

But he’s a priest. You’re not supposed to like him touchingyou.

Desperate to pretend I didn’t know what he was talking about, I asked, “Was one of the kids you spoke to confused?”

“Kate, I’m talking about our friendship. I don’t want you to mistake it for somethingmore.”

“Of coursenot.”

“Because that could easily happen, and I understand that, butI’m—”

“A priest. A very well-respected priest. I’m so sorry if I did anything to make you feel uncomfortable.”

If my mother knew the hole I had just dug and fallen into, she’d be ashamed ofme.

“Believe me, I’m comfortable.”

I stilled. It was times like these, when he spoke as a man and smiled with that extra lift on his right cheek, when I became more confused. Despite all the alarms going off in my head, I wanted the challenge. I wanted to prove to myself that I was a good detective, and that was all. Whether I found Jack or not, I wanted to do so with pride. I wouldn’t cross that line, no matter how much my body wantedto.

“Is the shoulder still bothering you, Father?” I asked.

“Yes, I have a feeling I’ll need to take something for inflammation.” He made a circular movement with the shoulder and winced inpain.

“Here, let me look at it.” I leaned forward and slowly pressed my fingers from the bridge down to the collar bone at the front, then up again to the top and slowly toward the back muscles. They felt firm and nice. I took my time pushing through the tissue, gently massaging the bundles of acidic areas, feeling the change underneath my fingertips.

“There,” I pressed gently around the swelling over his shoulder. “You should iceit.”

“That feels… good.”

I smiled. “Thanks. I hurt mine once in training, and the masseuse did this for me every second morning. I was healed in aweek.”

“Training?” he asked.

“For work. And my father was into fitness”

“Well, that’s definitely something I’m grateful for, then. Your touch, I mean, your expert hands…”

Father Cameron’s eyes opened wide as he looked at me in that special way again. He gently removed my hand and stoodup.

So here I was, once again testing the boundaries of our friendship and my own faith. Why was I so drawn to him, and why was it so difficult to stay away? Sometimes I found myself fantasizing what it’d be like if he wasn’t a priest, just a very handsome man who took my breath away, the way he had now. Maybe that was my first problem. I had to stop pretending that he wasn’t a priest.

He’s a priest.

“Ahm, if you have ibuprofen, you should take some. And if you don’t, then I have some. I usually come prepared to outings like these.”

What was happening to me? Why was I stuttering?

He gave me one last body-trembling and panty-melting smile before turning toward the door. I met his gaze as he pulled on the doorknob. “Thank you, Kate. For everything.”

I nodded.

As soon as the door closed I pressed my hand to my chest and held down my pounding heart.

This was bad. Very bad. Maybe Father Cameron had the right idea when it seemed like he started avoiding me last month. Maybe our friendship was truly testing its bounds. Perhaps my faith was crumbling. And if I had no faith, how could I hope for tomorrow?

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