“Okay. Good.” She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Then . . . goodnight and sweet—”
With one big step, I ate up the gap between us, cupped the back of her head, and pressed my mouth to hers. She let out a strangled squeak, her shoulders bunching up.
I broke off. “Sorry, that was—”
Turning my back to her, I gripped my hair.What on earth, man? What is wrong with you?
I had to get out of here. “Be right back.” I didn’t wait for an answer and bolted out of the guesthouse. Marched through sheets of rain assaulting me until I found myself in the woods. There, I palmed a pine tree and leaned over, breathing hard. My whole body shook.What was that? Why did I do that?
“Oh, God, please forgive me.” I had a hard time breathing. “I don’t know what’s come over me.”
What I knew, though, was that, yes, Harley’s lips were as soft as they looked.
A guttural sound broke out of me. I sank down on my haunches and gripped my head. “Please forgive me, Lord. Please forgive me.”
Chapter 13
Harley
“It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine. It wasjusta kiss. It wasn’t even a real kiss. Our lips touched for like three seconds.” I ran a hand through my hair, the pre-dawn air cool after the thunderstorm last night.
The sun had yet to rise, the woods almost too dark to see where I was headed. But I had to get out of that guesthouse. I’d heard Kingsley leave earlier, then decided to get up, too. Now I was aimlessly wandering the property, trying to convince myself that I hadn’t done anything wrong.
The guilt gnawing at me told me otherwise. I must’ve donesomething, or Kingsley wouldn’t have pressed his lips to mine.
I groaned. Only Harley Raines could ensnare a monk. Was he in trouble now? Did our kiss break his celibacy vow, or whatever he was under? Good thing I hadn't given into the burning desire to kiss him back. And not that chaste, lip-touching peck, but a real kiss that would’ve left us both breathless.
Birds started singing as I kept pacing past trees with thick trunks and gnarly roots. The scent of wet dirt and greeneryenveloped me, reminding me of the numerous camping trips I’d gone on with my parents. Soon, the bell would ring for Vigils.Lord, what do I do? How can I fix this?
The underbrush grew thicker, and I fought through it, not caring that branches scratched my skin. The farther I ventured, the brighter it got. Until I suddenly stepped out of the woods. Had I crossed the entire thing? Ugh, I wasn’t supposed to be here.
Serenity Lake stretched before me, the green mountains rising around the back half of it once again stealing my breath. The clear sky slowly brightened as daylight chased away the darkness of the night. This place was paradise.
Movement in the water caught my eye. A lone figure swam in the lake, hands cutting through the surface at a fast pace, the strokes powerful and graceful alike.
Kingsley.
My heart fluttered. Unable to tear my eyes off him, I kept watching. The way he moved, so confident and determined . . . There was no doubt it was him.
Not wanting to disturb him, I withdrew into the bushes just enough as not to lose sight of him. He kept swimming, all the way to the other side of the lake, then came back. Never slowing down, he did several laps. Finally, he swam to shore. I felt a pang of disappointment.
Oh my, never mind. My jaw practically dropped to my chest when he waded out of the water. I immediately averted my gaze, but it was too late—the image was already seared into my brain. Despite the lack of decent daylight, I’d had no issues making out the V-shape of his torso and outline of corded muscles. And those strong legs . . .
Pleasure and guilt swirled through me.
No, no, no, Harley. You have no business seeing him in his boxers.Not that he was the first man I saw like this—inmy attempt to silence my loneliness I’d seen much more—but he was amonk. Heck, I doubted even his fellow brothers and fathers ever saw him half-naked.
Despite wanting to keep drinking in that perfect, muscular body, I forced my gaze to stay on the leaf-covered ground. Since breaking up with Craig I’d tried to be better. Avoid everything and anything that could make me stumble. The Bible said to flee from sexual immorality. If I wanted to stop myself from continuously walking down that same road, I had to scram from everything that was remotely connected to it. Not to mention Kingsley wouldn’t appreciate me watching. He was trying so hard not to make women stumble.
Crack.
I froze and held my breath. I’d been so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn’t looked where I’d stepped. On a stick, apparently.
I snapped my gaze to Kingsley. Arms shoved in his habit, he turned in my direction.
My heart raced.Please don’t see me.What would I tell him if he did?“Good morning, I’ve been here the entire time, watching you like a creep.”
Oh, brother.
