Page 31

While Taylor and J'Ru traveled down to the parking garage, Priest was left alone with Jazzy and Britain eying him down. "I'm assuming you two want an explanation." Priest eased out a light breath as he leaned against the wall.

Jazzy shook her head as she rose from her seat on the couch. "Nah," she declined. "I know all I need to know.”

Priest knew there wasn't much he could hide from Jazzlyn. As much as they tried to protect her from the truth, they only exposed her to it more.Everyone else may have been fooled, but she wasn't. "You wanna head out?" Priest shifted his attention to Britain.

She nodded her head. "I think that's best," she said as she rose from her spot on the couch.

Priest extended his hand to her, which she took with no hesitation. "We'll talk later, Jazzy," Priest told his sister as he let Britain lead the way toward the elevator.

"Stay safe," Jazzy said as she waved goodbye to them as the doors glided shut.

In the elevator, Britain pulled her hand from Priest’s with an agitated look masking her face. "How can I make this up to you?" Priest asked in a low voice as he pulled Britain in front of him. He lowered his head, applying a kiss to her cheek.

"Tell me the truth, Kanaz," she demanded as they reached the parking garage.

A heavy breath slipped out of him. He led her toward his Porsche, where he assisted her with climbing in. He made his way around to get in himself. "So, are you going to tell me?" Britain questioned him once more.

Priest pressed the button for the car to rev to life. Pulling out the parking spot, he tried hard to avoid her gaze. "Fine. Don't tell me." She shrugged in defeat. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"You’re settling now?" Priest raised a brow, wondering why she let up so easily.

Britain leaned back in her seat. "Eventually, I have to learn to settle. You keep things from me and claim it's for my benefit. If that's what you want to do, I can't change that," she concluded.

"It is for your benefit," Priest stressed.

"You don't have to convince me anymore," she assured him. "I'm learning that with you, it just comes with the territory.”

"Just know you're my purpose for all this shit." He took ahold of her hand, bringing it up to his lips for a gentle kiss.

A faint smile broke free on Britain's face as her brown eyes shifted toward him. "I love you," she professed.

"I love you too,Gioia," he declared.

Chapter Six

Britain felt her knees sink into the plush mattress of her bed. Priest stood before her, stepping out of his sneakers and getting undressed for a shower. She sighed lightly before taking on the task of aiding him out of his shirt. Since the car ride, neither had said a word to the other. There was no animosity or unspoken tension. They simply preferred silence.

They were at eye level with each other as Britain used her bed for extra height. Her soft hands cupped his handsome face, brushing the pad of her thumb gently against his lips. She pulled him closer, causing their lips to touch. The subtle kiss progressed into a much deeper one. His massive hands conformed to her mild curves that were accentuated by the Juicy Couture tracksuit she wore for leisure while in the Hamptons.

She had tossed the velour jacket that paired with the pants on the couch upon entrance into her apartment. His cold hands rolled her tank-top up a bit, exposing the skin of her midriff. He held her sides, ultimately causing her to melt into the kiss completely. She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck as the kiss grew more passionate.

She felt his hand navigate down to the stings of her velour pants. Instantly, she pulled away from the kiss. If she allowedhim to do as he pleased with her, she would never get the answers she was searching for. "Tell me, P." Her sweet voice drifted out of her in a low octave.

His dark orbs pierced into hers, never departing from them. It seemed as though the light she had grown used to being in his eyes had disappeared. He was back to being the same old guarded Priest she initially met. "I can't, Gioia," he told her with a shake of his head.

Britain released an exasperated sigh. "I tried settling, but I can't," she admitted as she retired from the position she was in and sat on the bed instead. Looking up at him, she could tell that this wasn't what he was expecting from her.

The conversation they had back in the car was just too good to be true for Priest. He knew Britain wasn't a woman who wouldn’t get her answers. Whatever it was going to take to get him to crack, she was going to do it. "Britain, I warned you about this," he reminded her as he walked away from the bed toward her dresser where he proceeded to take off his Audemars Piguet watch.

She watched as he unhooked his chains from his neck, laying them down on the dresser alongside the watch. "Okay. Come back," she called him back over to her.

Priest sighed as he shuffled back over to her. He wasn't sporting his usual confident gait. He seemed to drag, and she could tell he was exhausted. She slipped her hands into his big ones, pulling him down to lie on top of her. Usually, whenever he did this, she would complain about how heavy he was, but right now, she didn't care. She just wanted him close.

"Then tell me something else," she suggested, hoping that would alleviate the heavy feeling that weighed down on both of their hearts.

Priest stayed silent.

All that could be heard were the traces of their steady breathing and, of course, the traffic outside the apartment. Britain continued to stroke his low cut as he his soft fingertips rubbed against the smooth skin of her waist in circles.