Page 40 of Broken Halos
“Of course.”
We brushed our teeth together while waiting for the shower to warm up. I was too busy staring at Archie in awe to notice the hickey he’d left on my collarbone until Archie pointed it out to me in my reflection.
“I got a little carried away,” Archie said, not sounding a bit sorry. “I like knowing you’ll wear my mark beneath your clergy collar.”
“I like you wearing my scruff marks on your chin and neck,” I countered.
Archie studied his reflection with a crooked smile. “So do I.”
Once inside the shower, we worked together like we’d done it for years. I began washing my hair while Archie started on his body. As soon as I tilted my head back to rinse my hair, Archie asked, “Do you need me to give you some space so you can prepare for your service? I don’t want to be in your way and be a distraction.”
“You could always help me sacrifice the goat,” I suggested once I was done. “Ow,” I said when Archie tweaked my nipple.
“That’s not funny,” Archie said, trading places with me so he could wash his hair while I washed my body. “I’m serious. Maybe you have a routine like athletes and performers have before giving each sermon. I don’t want to mess anything up.”
“I don’t have a routine,” I said, “but I want to hear all about yours.”
Archie tilted his head back to rinse the shampoo from his hair. “Not me, Golden Boy. I know plenty of queens who do though. Dated a few athletes too. I swear baseball players are the worst. There was this one who—” His words died off when I pressed my lips to his for a quick kiss.
“Can we not talk about other men you’ve dated? Especially, considering the weekend we’ve shared together.”
“Works fine for me,” Archie said happily, and I knew I’d been had.
“Except Ryder,” I said. “You already agreed to tell me about him.”
“Fine, but there’s nothing really to tell,” he said stubbornly.
I knew better. I saw the look of determination in the man’s eyes backstage. “Then it won’t take long, and we can move on.”
“We’re not discussing it now though. You need to get your game face on.”
“Game face?” I asked.
“Preaching face then.”
After our shower, I made us both real oatmeal with fresh bananas and blueberries. “Okay, maybe I do have a preaching day routine,” I confessed. “I make oatmeal every Sunday just like Millie did for us every week.”
“Millie?” Archie asked.
“Millie Givens. She’s Pastor Randall’s widow. They’re the ones who put me on the right path after I got out of jail. Pastor Randall saw something in me worth saving and wouldn’t let me give up on myself. They became my family, and the message in my sermon today. I’m really glad Henry is coming because I think he can benefit from hearing my story.”
We dressed together after breakfast. Archie surprised me by slipping on silk stockings before he put on his dress pants. “How am I supposed to behave knowing what you’re wearing beneath your pants?”
He rose seductively from the bed and crossed the room to where I stood to lean against my dresser. “You can strip them off me with your teeth after church,” he offered. “Pastor Ollie, will lightning strike me for having naughty thoughts about you in church?” Archie ran his hand up my shirt and stroked his finger over my clerical collar.
“Have you ever been struck by lightning for having naughty thoughts about anyone?” I asked.
“Not yet.”
“Then you won’t get struck for lusting after me, Arch.” I pulled him closer for a kiss. “I am just a man. This collar doesn’t change who I am beneath the clothes.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be held to a higher standard? Aren’t you supposed to sacrifice your wants and needs to serve the Lord?”
“Serving the Lord doesn’t mean I have to sacrifice my happiness. What’s going on here? Are you worried my being with you will risk my eternal soul? Worried my congregation won’t approve? Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn who approves or disapproves.” Archie smiled when he recognized the line I’d borrowed fromGone with the Wind. “Only your thoughts on our relationship matter to me, Arch.”
I knew I’d hit the nail on the head when he looked down at his feet. “You might feel different once people start losing respect for you because of our relationship. I want to be with you, but I don’t want there to come a day when I see resentment in your eyes when you look at me. I couldn’t handle that with you.”
I lifted his chin so he looked into my eyes once more. “Never going to happen, Arch.”