Lust: Chapter 22

I can’t believe I’m here.

The warmth of his breath tickles the back of my neck. His big arms are wrapped snuggly around me like he’s afraid if he lets go, I’ll sneak away into the darkness.

He’d never let me, and the thought is like champagne fizzing through my veins. I smile to myself as I wiggle my butt against his hips.

“You need to get some sleep.” His voice is just a little scolding, which makes my tummy flutter. I used to imagine him like this every Saturday night service when I heard that delicious voice of his.

It turns out his voice is different. It’s stern, yes, but it’s also sweet. Affectionate.

Maybe this voice is just for me.

“How can I sleep when you’re so good at making me come?”

He lets out a low growl. “Maybe I won’t let you come again if you don’t sleep. Did you consider that, young lady?”

I sigh as I let my cheek press against his biceps and stroke his forearm with my fingers.

This is heaven.

But how long will it last?

Not long, probably. When morning comes, he’ll tell me that it was a huge mistake. That he never should have crossed this line. He might even tell me that he took advantage of me again, and I’ll have to force myself not to roll my eyes.

Oh well. For now, I’ll enjoy it.

I smile. “Holy shit, you’re good with your fingers. I don’t think a guy has ever gotten me off with just his hands before you. Men are usually so bad at it.”

He squeezes me tightly. “I don’t want to hear about other men, young lady.”

My laughter is raspy from lack of sleep. “Even when I tell you they were bad at making me come?”

His warm mouth brushes against my cheek. “I don’t want to hear about the boys who touched you before me.”

I giggle. “My big strong boss daddy.”

His palm slides over my bare ass before giving it a firm little pat. “Somehow I feel like you’re making fun of me.”

“Never. All I could think about when you were fucking me was how many times I imagined it while I was sitting in church watching you preach.”

He’s quiet for a moment, his chest rising and falling rhythmically against my back. “And I was thinking about Machu Picchu.”

I gasp out a laugh. “What?”

“I hiked it just a bit after I became a Christian.” The warm, rough pads of his fingers brush from my forehead over my scalp.

I flip around so that I can look at him. The room is dark, but a lamplight from outside casts shadows over the angles of his face. “I’ve always wanted to hike the Inca Trail. My dad did it after law school, and he said it was incredible.”

Even in the darkness I can make out his smile. “He’s the reason I did it. He told me about it when he was trying to bring me to Christ. Said he couldn’t imagine that all that beauty could be random. It has to be the hand of God.”

I snort. “I see he likes to play the old hits. He said that exact same thing to me when I was a kid asking him to prove the existence of God.”

“My little skeptic.” He brushes my cheek with his fingers. “I don’t need proof of God, but I can see what he meant. It’s a long hike. Several days. You’re surrounded by green and mist for a lot of it. You start to feel like you’re in another world after a while. At times, I felt like God was walking beside me. My mom, too. It was the most divine experience of my life.” He brushes his lips against my cheek. “Until tonight.”

Warm rushes through me, making my head fuzzy. He must be teasing me. There’s no way he can really mean that.

“What…” My pulse pounds like a hammer against my throat. “What’s going to happen, Brandon? Between us, I mean.”

His smile fades into the shadows. “Mari.”

A weight engulfs my body, and I feel like I’m sinking into the bed. The pity in his voice is unmistakable.

I’m so stupid.

Of course he wasn’t serious.

“I never should have done this,” he says.

My throat is choked, but I manage to huff. “You. Always you. I have no agency in this.”

“Of course you have agency, but you haven’t done anything wrong. I’m the one who sinned here.”

“Because I’m your intern.” I spit out the word.

“It might not mean anything to you, but it does to me. You’re part of my flock.”

I hum. “It sounds kinky.”

“Mariana Hernandez.”

My tummy does a little flip at his stern tone. Before I get the chance to say something cheeky, he leans forward and kisses my mouth. “Let’s not talk about it anymore. For right now, I’m happy.”

“Even though you’re sinning?”

He lets out a long breath. “Yes, though I hate to say it.”

“Are you implying that you want to go a few more rounds since you’ve already sinned?”

He smiles, stroking the hair around my face. “Cheeky girl. I don’t want to be a sinner, but…” He swallows. “I don’t know how I could possibly get through the weekend without doing this again. Telling myself I could would be setting us both up for failure.”

I lean forward and kiss his cheek. “I agree.”

He lets out a long sigh. “Let’s just have this weekend.”

“I like that.” I trail my mouth from his cheek to his jaw. “Let’s live like there’s no tomorrow, Pastor.”

Brandon sets the phone on the receiver. “I just spoke to the staff, and they’ll have a room for you by three p.m.”

I step out of the bathroom, running a hand through my freshly curled hair. “And what… What should we say? If the other pastors find out my room flooded?”

“We’re not going to lie to anyone.” His voice is stern. “We’ll tell them you had to sleep in here because your room flooded, but we also don’t need to tell them any more than they need to know. It’s none of their business.”

I smile. What a contrast he is right now to moments ago when we lay in his bed and he stroked my hair and kissed me softly. At one point, I woke up to the deep rumble of his laughter, and when I asked him what he was laughing about, he said I was talking in my sleep. There was so much affection in his voice.

Now, he’s all business. My boss. My stern daddy.

It makes me want to be naughty.

He walks toward me and pins me with a glare. “I don’t like that look you’re giving me, Ms. Hernandez.”

I cock a brow. “What look?”

“Like you want to be spanked.”

Electricity shoots into my groin. “Maybe I do.”

His playful expression vanishes. “I was too rough with you last night.”

I scowl. “Absolutely not. I loved it. I want more.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “We’ll save it for tonight. I can’t have anyone finding out there’s something going on between us. I’ll deal with my sins when we get home. For now, we’re going to be living a double life. You can be my naughty girl at night, but during the conferences today, you need to be my professional PA. I can’t have any distractions while I’m teaching.”

I nod. “Yes, Boss.”

He smiles. “Maybe I’ll even reward you for it later.”