Page 123 of Those Who Are Bound

Lucy sat opposite them, still exchanging faces with Jonah. She cast an assessing look at the party-goers before returning her attention to them. “It’s going well.”

“It is,” Elliott agreed. “Another successful Lucy Moore event in the books. Did you take pictures for the website?”

She nodded, her attention shifting to Jonah. “I’m glad you were able to come after all.”

His arm tightened around Elliott as he responded to Lucy, “Me, too.”

A welcome thrum started purring through her as she looked up at him. “I’m happiest of all. I have a chef for the morning.”

Jonah frowned, a look of regret passing over his face. “I can’t stay.”

“Why not?” she asked, hearing the slight edge of a pout. Because of her own issues, he hadn’t stayed last night; she wanted him tonight. And she wasn’t above pouting at this point.

“Church,” Lucy provided the answer.

The laugh burst out of her as she looked at Lucy; funny girl, that one. Jonah was the furthest thing from a church-going man she’d ever known. Well, in bed, at least. But Lucy was looking back, perplexed.

When she tilted her head to look up at Jonah, he was smiling across at Lucy. Certain she was being teased by the two, Elliott dismissed them. “Church can be skipped.”

“But he’s leading tomorrow.”

“Leading?” Elliott parroted, looking up. He looked back at her with slight realization.

Holy shit.

Sitting up, pulling herself from his embrace, she asked, incredulous, “You lead…church?”

“I don’tleadit.”

“He’s the pastor,” Lucy said.

Elliott looked over at her again, desperately wishing for the moment when they would start laughing at their joke.

“Assistant pastor,” Jonah corrected.

It wasn’t a joke. Scooting farther away from him, an action he noted with a concerned look, she asked, needing it to be driven home, “You’re a preacher?”

“Technically, no.” He reached for her, but she pulled her hand away. “Is there a problem?”

“No.” The lie fell out of her mouth quickly. It wasn’t true, because there was a problem. There was no way she could explain it to him. Her heart was actively breaking even as she assured him, “I’m just… shocked. I mean, you drink, cuss, and…” She glanced across at a baffled Lucy.

“And?” he asked, his mood inching toward amused.

She whisper-shouted at him, “Sex.”

He laughed as Lucy informed her, “I can hear you.”

“I’m not a priest.” He took her hand this time. “And our church is progressive. We’re real people, Elliott, living in the real world.”

“It’s non-denominational,” Lucy said.

Elliott frowned. They didn’t realize what this meant; what it meant for her and Jonah.

He wasgood, not that she believed in anything he did. But he did, enough toleadit. It meant something to him. And knowing that, she was already having visions of how to destroy that in him. And she didn’t want to do it; didn’t want that for him.

So she had to give him back. He didn’t deserve her.

---