Page 24 of Broken Halos
I led Archie to the dimly lit living room, and we discovered the recliner was definitely big enough for us both. We lay facing one another beneath the quilt Archie pulled off the back of it.
“Mrs. Fletcher from bingo made this for me for Christmas.”
“She’s very talented.” I nodded. “Ollie, I know you run an NA chapter which means you have a history with drugs, alcohol, or both.” Archie’s green eyes were relaxed and sincere with none of the hesitancy I was used to seeing. “I’m not disgusted or disappointed to know this about you.”
“What if I told you I spent six months in jail?”
Archie’s eyes widened then a crooked smile spread across his face. “Okay, you got me there. How long ago?”
“I was arrested the day after I turned eighteen, so fourteen years ago.”
“So, you’re thirty-two,” Archie said. “You look younger.”
“How old are you?” I asked. I knew he was older than Milo, but not by how much.
“Thirty-five.”
“You look ten years younger,” I said in awe.
“Good genetics, and I take excellent care of my skin.” Archie inched closer and slipped his hand around to rest on the small of my back. “What did young Oliver Knight do to end up in jail?”
“I broke into homes of the super-rich, stole their things then pawned them to buy food for runaway kids. I didn’t want them to turn out like me.”
“Turn out like you how, Ollie?” The fingers from his free hand ghosted over my chin.
“A drug addict and prostitute.”
The fingers on my chin stilled, and Archie closed his eyes, but not before I saw the pained expression. When he reopened them, all I saw was compassion and understanding. “Your story is way too common for our people. Abandoned and tossed on the street with no place to go. Is that what happened to you, Ollie?”
I could only nod.
“You think I’m disgusted by you? Did you think I’d judge you for doing whatever it took to get by?” Archie dug his fingers in my skin and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “It makes me respect you more. Look at who you’ve become, Ollie. Look at all the people you help. I don’t look at you and see a disgusting man; I see a man I’m proud to know. I’m dying to know the journey you took to reach this moment in your life, but I think we’ve done enough talking tonight.”
“We have?” I asked.
Archie nodded. “Don’t you think we’ve taken big steps tonight? We both opened up to each other. I think it calls for a kiss.”
I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer of thanks Archie still found me kissable. Archie rubbed the tip of his nose along mine ever so softly, making a sappy sigh escape my mouth. “Just kissing, right?” I asked, reminding myself more than warning him off.
“For tonight.” Archie kissed the tip of my nose. “Nothing below the neck.” As if his words were a command, I tilted my head back and exposed my neck to him. Archie lowered his head and sucked the tender flesh in the dip above my clavicle then licked a path up to my ear. “You taste better than I imagined.”
“You’ve been imagining what I taste like?”
“Wasn’t that your intent when you sent the racy text messages?” Archie asked, his breath ghosting hotly over my flesh and making goose bumps pebble on my skin. “You had to know they’d make me hard and aching for you.”
“Would you believe me if I told you I don’t normally send those types of texts?”
Archie lifted his head and looked into my eyes. “Really? You’re so good at it.”
“I acted on pure instinct. I recognized you wanted to brush me aside, and I wasn’t willing to go without a fight. Maybe, on some level, I wanted to show you I am a man with needs just like all others.”
“Being a pastor doesn’t change how you see sex?” Archie asked, hesitation returning to his eyes. “You don’t think it’s a sin to have sex out of wedlock?”
“My love of God doesn’t make my needs as a man go away. I still get blue balls and ache if I don’t let off some steam, but I usually take care of business myself. As much as I enjoy sex, I want it to mean more than just a physical exchange with a random guy.”
“Is it because it reminds you of your days on the street when there was no emotional connection? Just a transaction to survive?” Archie brushed the back of his hand over my cheek.
“I think it has a lot to do with it,” I admitted. “It took a long time and a lot of therapy before I could see sex as something healthy and good. Yes, my physical needs are sometimes at war with my theological beliefs, but I try to make decisions that are good for everyone involved. I need to be able to look at my reflection in the mirror and know I’m the best person I can be and the decisions I made didn’t bring harm to anyone. That’s my contract with God which is what Christianity really is—one’s personal relationship with God.”