"What do you think?" I reach the pinnacle of the slope, then turn to take in the sight of all of London stretched out in front of me. Which means it is largely flat… Except for the tall buildings in the distance, which constitute the city.
"I think," Isla pants as she lurches up to the flat stretch of space at the top, then pivots to stand next to me, "that you want to do more than that, regardless of the fact that he’s a priest. Not that I blame you; he’s freakin’ hot." She fans her hand in front of her face. "And right now, the only one of the Seven who’s not attached."
"What about Baron?" I frown, "Isn’t he also unmarried?"
"Who knows with Baron?" She bounces on the balls of her feet in a bid to warm herself. "From what the rest tell me, they have no idea what he’s up to. They only know he’s alive because he sent a letter of congratulations to Arpad and Karina at their wedding."
"So, they do know where he is?"
"Nope." She shakes her head. "He only uses snail mail. There’s a PO Box where they can reach him, but other than that, they have no idea what he’s been up to all these years."
"So, he doesn’t want to keep in touch with the others?"
"Well, I’m told he’s still one of the co-owners of 7A investments, the company that the Seven own together… So presumably, he’s able to access the money that they make for him to live on."
"You know a lot about the Seven, huh?"
"Only because they’ve been keeping me busy, planning their weddings. Those alphaholes," she shakes her head, "they spend their days fighting their attraction to their women, only to fall harder and then, can’t wait to get married, very often overnight." She wraps her hair around her palms and tugs. "Honestly, the kind of stress they’ve put me through to find the right venues and book them, not to mention arrange everything else at the drop of a hat, it’s a wonder I haven’t had a cardiac."
She thumps her palm against her chest.
"Good thing there’s only Edward left," Isla mutters, "and clearly, he’s not getting married."
"There's Baron," I remind her. "Also, how can you be sure?"
"Baron's missing, so I'm not counting him." She scowls at me, "And Edward's a priest, and considering what he just told you, you can safely cross him off the list of potential boyfriends."
"Can I?" I turn away, stare at the now partially-clouded-by-fog view of London in the distance. "I mean, just because he’s a priest… And rude, not to mention, obnoxious…"
"There’s also a small matter of," she points a finger in the direction of the skies, "you know, the relationship he has with the One Above."
"Tell me about it." I dig the heels of my boot into the ground. "I am sure I’m committing some kind of sin just by thinking of him in the way I am, but darn it, I can’t get him out of my mind."
"Not even after how he treated you the other day?"
"Especially after how he treated me the other day." I shoot her a sideways glance. "Does that make me…stupid? Or just someone who loves punishment… Or maybe I simply have irrational expectations from this entire situation."
She closes the distance between us, grips my shoulder. "I know all about what it feels like to be attracted to the wrong man."
"Umm," I scowl at her, "something you wanna tell me?’
She blows out a breath, "Nope, just saying, that I empathize."
"Hmm, well, not much I can do about it, considering what’s-his-face has told me there’s no future for us. Not that I expected there to be. I mean, he’s a priest." My shoulders slump. "Shit, this is sooo wrong on so many levels."
"Easy, babe." She pats my shoulder. "No harm done. It’s not like the two of you acted on the itch or anything. You only thought about it, which hell… Nothing anyone can do about it. I mean, it’s not like he can peek into your head and punish you for your thoughts, right?"
"Umm," I scowl, "isn't the whole point that God can, in fact, peek into your head and punish you for your thoughts?"
"I guess," she shrugs, "but you know what I mean?"
"No," I shake my head, "explain it to me."
"Well, I mean... So maybe the One Above knows your thoughts, but he's not telling anyone, is he?"
"No, I’m doing a damn good job of that myself." I gesture between us.
"What you need is a distraction from all this. Maybe a night on the town, let your hair down."
