Page 58 of Taken By the Alpha Priest

Mine.

19

TILDA

Ididn’t know I needed forgiveness until now, but as Reyes’ hands clasp around mine, I realize that’s why I’ve felt so out of place here. These aren’t my people…and they can’t be my people until they forgive me.

“You’re only saying that because of what’s between us,” I murmur. I’ve managed to stay composed, even if tears are collecting at the corners of my eyes. A single drop trails down my cheek, and I duck my head so he can’t see. “Would you even be saying this if I wasn’t your…you know…”

“My mate?” he says. “Yes, of course. My wolf doesn’t control me.”

“‘Your wolf,’” I echo. “He’s made a lot of stupid choices.”

“But I don’t make stupid choices,” Reyes says. His hands are still gripping mine, and it’s clear he’s not going anywhere. “Bringing you into the den wasn’t a bad choice. Neither was biting you. I think—and I know you don’t agree—I think God had a plan for us, and that’s why you came here that night. I don’t believe there was any chance you would have killed me.”

“Because of fate or because I didn’t think it through before I came here?” I ask. “You have to admit I’m a little stupid.”

“You’re not stupid,” he says. “You’re brave, Tilda. And I…”

He trails off, shaking his head like he’s not sure what to say. I didn’t realize how close he was, so I’m a bit startled as I take in exactly where we are—on an altar, of all places, on our knees, just inches apart.

“You what?” I ask.

His voice is low and hoarse as he responds. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

I can’t help but laugh at that, the sound coming out more like a sob. Reyes moves one of his hands to my face, swiping at my tears with a calloused thumb.

“But you’re a priest,” I say.

“That doesn’t stop me from feeling,” he says. “And if this is what God had in store for me, then…”

His hand slides around to the back of my neck, underneath my hair. The bite mark on my hip throbs, sending waves of pleasure over me at his touch alone. I wonder if that’s my own wolf howling to be set free—to lie back on this altar and spread my legs for him. I take a shuddering breath and try to move my hands to splay across his chest, but he keeps them held between us, like the last barrier to what we both want.

“Tell me it’s not just this…chemical thing between us,” I say. “Tell me you want me and not just your wolf.”

His grip tightens on the back of my neck, and I roll my head back with a gasp. “I want you more than any woman I’ve ever met.”

He crushes his mouth to mine in a breathtaking kiss, finally releasing my hands. I grip his shoulders like I’m adrift on the sea, feeling for all the world like I’m battered by waves. His tongue thrusts past my lips right away, picking up where we left off too many days ago, and I can feel the weight of every second we’ve been apart.

His hands grasp the back of my head, tangling in my hair, holding me against him. I can’t collect my thoughts, a rush of pleasure pulling me into a haze, already so wet that my panties are soaked. I squeeze my legs together as Reyes kisses me into a frenzy, unable to do anything but breathe into and out of his mouth.

I finally manage to wrench myself away and we sit like that—still kneeling, our foreheads pressed together. “You changed your mind,” I murmur.

“I can’t stay away from you,” he says. “And ‘what God has put together, let no man put asunder.’”

“Matthew again,” I laugh, then open my eyes to stare into his. “Gotta admit…what I want to do with you doesn’t feel holy.”

“How could this be anything but holy?” He presses a kiss to my neck, and I let out sigh. “This thing between us…” Another kiss, lower down, brushing my clavicle. “The twists of fate that brought us together…”

His fingers slide under the strap of my dress until it’s hanging off my shoulder, his tongue on my breast. I’m dangerously close to getting naked in a church—and while I’ve done a lot of bad things, this isn’t on the list. “Should we do this here?”

“I think we’re already doing it,” he says. “And I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it back to my room.”

Reyes’ lips close around my nipple as the dress falls away, and I arch against him. He’s right, of course. I’m not going to make it back to his room, either, with how wet I am. I don’t even know if I can walk. My legs feel like jelly, desperate to spread for him. The bite pulses, desperate to be licked and cared for. I don’t make any move to stop him as he reaches for the other strap of my dress to drag it down my arm, pulling me toward him with a primal growl.

“You taste just like you smell,” he murmurs against my breasts. “Blackberries.”

I boldly reach toward his waist, and he groans against my breasts when I palm him through his jeans. “Oh God,” I breathe.

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