Page 63 of The Love of Priest 2

"True, but I had to be out here. Being alone, especially how fucked up I was back then, wasn’t healthy.

I needed to get my mind off things from time to time," he explained to Britain.

Throughout his stay in Italy, he was able to meet some really great people.

He networked for his future business ventures, and some connections led to personal relationships aside from business.

It was a great experience, and from those people, he was able to learn a lot for him to take back to New York.

"How bad was it back then?" Britain asked. His mention of his mental state a few years before piqued her curiosity.

Priest shrugged his shoulders. "It was just a lot going on at that time.

I wasn't really used to the media focusing on me so much, but with all the allegations, plus the mayor offing himself, shit was bad for me. I was a coward for running away from my problems for six months, but if I hadn’t, I'm sure I would have implicated myself in way more shit," Priest explained as he thought back to just a few years before.

Priest wasn't always as calm, cool and collected as he was now.

It took a lot of growing and security within himself to get to that place.

He was sure if his past self was handling the situation he was in now, he would have grown volatile and turned New York upside down.

It would have been a blood bath for whoever pulled the trigger on him and called the order to deem him dead.

He was sure that whoever did shoot him was basking in what they thought was a victory, and he was going to allow them to do so for now.

"P, you weren't being a coward," Britain asserted, not wanting him to shame himself.

Priest shrugged his shoulders. "I left everyone else with the burden of the mess I created.

Yeah, shit was good. We were gettin' paid more than we ever have, but we weren't really cleaning up our paper trail how we do now," Priest continued to confide in Britain.

He knew he had made clear boundaries of church and state; however, this was the past. His entire relationship was based on letting Britain into his life far before he even knew her.

He was sure Britain knew more details of his past than the people he experienced it with.

He let her into his thoughts, and she allowed him to speak freely without condemning him.

Leaning back in his seat, he exhaled a heavy sigh. "J'Ru really held it down for me for those six months. He handled shit better than I ever would have," he admitted.

"I love the brotherhood you, Kay and Ru have. You guys are so loyal to each other, it's kinda scary," she cracked with a laugh.

The three men had been through a lot with each other.

Priest’s overachieving mindset was the cause of most of the issues they had to work through, but they never made him feel bad about it.

He had been through the most with J'Ru. The many people who came and went in his life—Paula being one of them—always tried to warn him that J'Ru would eventually switch up on him.

J'Ru withstood all those people and their accusations, which was why he trusted J'Ru with everything.

"Me and Ru made a blood pact when we were kids," Priest extended his hand to Britain so she could see the small slit in the palm of his hand that never really went away.

J'Ru's palm was marked the same as his. "Kaymen, on the other hand, that's just the way he's cut.

He's big on loyalty and he's smart as hell.

I'm the brains when it comes to making connections, but Kay's the logical one. He was definitely the guy me and Ru would’ve dubbed back in high school, though," Priest jested with some laughter.

In his voice, Britain could hear how much he missed his guys.

Priest was really trying to be a good sport about this Italy move since it was his idea, but he was human.

He was definitely missing the city, and he was also missing his people.

"You three make me feel bad about how strained my relationship with Jadey is now," Britain admitted as she poked her bottom lip out.

Priest could definitely understand why Britain was still hesitant to jump back to how things always were with Jadey, but he knew deep down inside, she needed someone else besides him to confide in and lean on.

"You handled the situation the best way you know how.

Things are rebuilding themselves," Priest assured Britain.

"I guess you're right," she agreed.

Eventually, the two of them wrapped up lunch and thought it was best to go ahead and get ready for their outing.

Priest trashed all the food containers as Britain carried her laptop before her, still working as she walked toward the bedroom.

"You can't be serious right now,Gioia," Priest laughed with a sigh.

"Alright, one last thing," she promised as she slowly walked up the stairs, her eyes still on the laptop screen as she balanced the device in one hand. He kept behind her just in case she missed a step and fell. Eventually, she shut the computer and went on to get ready.

A while later, the two were fully dressed.

Britain applied the final curl to her hair, pleased with the full look she pulled together.

Priest always thought she looked her best in any shade of brown, so he couldn't keep his eyes off her as the brown long-sleeved dress conformed to her curvaceous body perfectly.

Her makeup application was always so flawless.

She made sure to always highlight her cheek bones, bring out her soft brown eyes with her lashes, and layer her lips with a swipe of her shiny lip gloss.

She accessorized her look with a few pieces of jewelry she purchased back in Ibiza and her Chanel bag.

"You look gorgeous." Priest always made it a point to compliment Britain. She just always looked nice. She never over did it, but also never allowed herself not to do enough.

A widespread smile panned across her face as she did a small spin for him to see the full look.

His strong hands made their way to her sides as he brought her close.

The smile on her face never diminished as he gazed at her full of lust and adoration.

"You're obsessed," Britain laughed, referring to the fact that he simply couldn't keep his hands off her even if he tried.

"Ain’t nothing wrong with that," he shrugged nonchalantly.

Priest craned down so his head was nestled into the crook of her neck. He inhaled the sweet scent of her perfume that she dashed along the pulse points of her body. "Guess the scent," she challenged him with a smirk.

He took another deep whiff of her perfume, trying his best to decode the aroma so he could match it to the brand. After a moment, he lifted his head from the crook of her neck with an arrogant smirk etched on his face. "Kilian Paris,” he answered.

Britain laughed. "Okay, which one?" she asked, wanting him to specify the exact name of the scent.

Priest smacked his lips. "That's cheating, but since you wanna test me—" He shrugged his broad shoulders before lowering his head to her neck once more.

He took another whiff of her perfume before lifting his head.

" Love Don't Be Shy ," Priest clarified the specific scent from Kilian with an accomplished grin.

"You can't trip me up,Gioia.I know stuff like this," his arrogant smirk never left his face as he spoke.

She rolled her eyes, playfully dismissing him. "You think you're so smooth," she jested, causing the both of them to laugh.

Together, the two exited their home for the first time in a while.

Italy's warm weather graced Britain's smooth sepia skin, making her glow.

It hadn't really dawned on Britain that she was really set to live in Italy until God knows when.

Things were still really fresh for her. She didn't think she would pick up on ordinary things like driving or shopping quite yet because everywhere she went, it seemed like she had American written on her forehead.

The people were nice, but with her language barrier, there wasn't much that could be retained.

Britain managed to grab a set of keys on the way out, tossing it over to Priest. The lights of their all-white Bentley flickered open.

Aside from tending to such a huge house that gave her the creeps when it was nighttime, Britain could get used to the lavish lifestyle.

She was never too far from it since her parents were two great surgeons, but Priest was introducing her to an entirely new way of living.

He assisted her into the vehicle, allowing her to sink into the plush crimson red seats. Once he made his way around, he got into the car, pressing the button to bring the engine to life.

"How much do I have to impress these people? Are they super important?" Britain asked as Priest circled the car around the fountain and began making his way down the lengthy driveway. He couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that she had already started with the questions.

"Nah, these aren't those type of people," he clarified.

Britain raised her brows, wondering what type of people they were.

Priest always gravitated toward the best types of people.

So far, he hadn't introduced her to anyone she hadn't grown to adore and care for, and realizing this put her at ease.

For the car ride, she of course sang passionately to each and every love song her phone shuffled through while Priest chuckled here and there in amusement.