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Chapter Twenty-Seven

The next day, the waves of pain that Britain shared caused a slight tension between her and Priest. They weren’t angry at each other; they were just processing how they were going to return to normal after Britain broke down the way she did. Priest didn't want to assume that she was just back to being okay like any other situation she opened up to him about, and Britain didn’t want to scare Priest off by acting as if nothing had happened the night before.

Only a few words were shared between the two. They consisted of polite good mornings and Britain’s offer to cook breakfast. Although they weren't speaking much, Priest kept an eye on her. He assessed her movements and her body language. Her eyes weren’t filled with darkness and sadness like he expected. Instead, they were bright, just like usual. Her shoulders were pushed back, and her posture was straight. Everything seemed okay, but he didn't want to jump the gun.

"Waffles or pancakes?" She popped her head out of the kitchen with a light smile.

Priest chuckled lightly. "Whatever is less of a hassle for you," he told her as he got up from his seat on the couch and began making his way to the kitchen.

Britain smirked. "Waffles it is, then," she concluded.

"You need any help?" Priest asked as he stood at the sink, washing his hands.

"Came in here to make a mess with your two left feet?" Britain laughed as she stood at the counter mixing the batter for their waffles.

Priest laughed, knowing he was bound to make more of a mess in the kitchen than a successful meal. "I'm good in the kitchen, and you know that." He nudged her head slightly.

"Somehow, I only trust you to boil water," she teased.

"How about I cook you dinner tonight in the Hamptons?" he proposed with hope in his tone. The Hamptons brought them closer and made them happy. Priest didn't think anywhere else would allow them to just breathe and relax besides the Hamptons at the moment.

A small smile played on Britain's face as she looked up at Priest who still had a hopeful look on his face. "I am craving lamb chops." She smirked as she wrapped her arms around his neck before rising onto her tippy toes to apply a kiss to his lips.

"Lamb chops," he let out with a heavy breath. "Never made those before, but that ain't nothing to me." He shrugged his shoulders arrogantly.

"Why do I feel like I'll be cooking for you by the time we get there?" Britain side-eyed him with a laugh.

Priest scoffed. "Stop playing. I'm cool in the kitchen. I'll show you," he asserted with a confident smile. Once Britain served breakfast, the two sat at the table having light conversation with each other. They both avoided the conversation about the night before for obvious reasons because neither of them wanted to dampen the mood.

Once breakfast was over, Priest took the initiative to wash the dishes, and Britain was thankful. "How many days are we staying?" Britain looked over her shoulder at Priest as she folded another shirt into her bag.

Priest shrugged. "For as long as you want,Gioia."

Britain grinned at him. "You should get Diane to give me a massage again," she suggested smoothly. Priest chuckled, finding her little slick ways amusing.

"I can give you a massage," he said.

"Yeah, you can, but Diane wouldn't try to flip me over to have sex," Britain pointed out.

Priest laughed. "But doesn't that make me better, though?" He raised a brow.

"In your own little way," Britain muttered jokingly.

Priest sighed dramatically as he stood up from the bed. "I'll hit Diane up so she can come through since you all high maintenance now," he teased. Britain laughed as she tossed a random shirt at him.

"I'm not high maintenance," she corrected him as she zipped up her traveling bag.

"My bad," he chuckled. "But you ready to go?" Britain nodded as she handed him her overly stuffed bag to carry out.

"I'm convinced you pack fucking boulders, man." He shook his head as Britain laughed behind him.

"So dramatic," Britain groaned as she wrapped her short arms around his torso as he led the way out of the apartment. She locked the apartment up before they both made their way to the car.

Priest reversed out of his parking space and set out on the road. "P, what are you doing? The interstate is that way." She pointed in the opposite direction.

Priest nodded. "I know. I just need to check on Jazzy real quick," he assured her.

"So, you found her?" Britain asked as she raised her knees up to her chest in the seat.

Priest nodded as he kept his attention on the road. "Yeah, she ain't make the search hard." He chuckled lightly with a shake of his head. "We came to an agreement, though."

"I'm happy for you guys." Britain clapped.

For the most part, the drive to Priest's penthouse was silent, mostly because Britain was taking in her surroundings since she had never been in the area. The tall buildings and streaming corporations in the area amazed her. The community was definitely elite. She wasn't sure why the hell Priest always insisted on leaving his place to come to her when he had everything around him.

Priest slowed down the vehicle as he turned into the parking garage of a tall building. The exterior resembled black glass, and the trimming of the top of the building was lined in gold. “Golden Pointe Tower,” Britain read the name of the building inwardly.

Priest parked the car, and Britain couldn't help but notice the reserved sign that had his name printed on it. Glancing to the right, she was slightly shocked to see the next six parking spaces were also reserved for him and occupied with various foreign vehicles.

"You wanna come up?" Priest asked before getting out of the car.

Britain pursed her lips nervously. "I'm scared," she admitted her fear of meeting Jazzy at the moment.

Priest chuckled. "Cool. I'll be down in a second," he advised before applying a light kiss to her lips.

"I'll be waiting." She winked at him, causing him to laugh as he got out of the car.

Britain watched as he strode toward the elevator to enter the building. Priest wanted to make his stop quick. He just wanted to warn Jazzy that he would be gone for a few days. Once he made his way up, he greeted Talia, who was already in the kitchen prepping food at Jazzy's request. Jazzy was standing at the counter, aiding Talia with cutting some veggies.

"All this for you?" Priest asked Jazzy after greeting her and Talia.

Jazzy shook her head. "Having some girls over so I can get some sketches and measurements in for their pieces. That reminds me, can you not be here when they get here? Women can't seem to contain themselves around you." Jazzy rolled her eyes, causing both Priest and Talia to laugh.

"No doubt. I'll have Cyro over here to make sure nothing goes left with Taylor's bird-ass friends," he assured Jazzy.

She nodded her head. "Where you headed?" Jazzy asked while looking up from the cutting board momentarily.

"The Hamptons. I'll be gone for a few days," he informed her with a light smirk.

Talia and Jazzy turned their heads to look at each other before turning to Priest. "Baecation?" Talia asked in laughter with Jazzy.

Priest groaned a bit before heading toward the elevator. "Yo, I'm out." He waved goodbye. "Talia, feel free to ignore Jazz's calls while I'm gone," he teased, causing Jazzy to gasp dramatically as he stepped into the elevator.

"She would never leave me hungry," Jazzy scoffed at him as the doors of the elevator glided shut and the elevator descended back down to the parking garage.

Once he made it down, Priest patted his pockets in search of his phone before remembering he had left it in the car. Getting into the vehicle, he grabbed his phone before shooting a phone call to Cyro. He informed Cyro of his absence but instructed him to supervise and guard Jazzy while he was away.

"Does she really need a babysitter, P? Let her live," Britain chuckled as they exited the parking garage.

"Gioia, Jazzy will always need a babysitter," he clarified with a confirming eye, indicating that his word shouldn't even be doubted.

The drive to the Hamptons was filled with laughter between the two. With Britain no longer able to stand the silence, the two of them rapped and sang along to various songs that played from Britain's playlist. Once they pulled into the entry gate of the home, Britain took a deep breath, being all dramatic about how fresh the air was out there. It was the middle of the day, and the sun was still out and shining, urging Britain to get into the water, despite not knowing how to swim.

"It's always so spotless in here." Britain looked around the home with a pleased smile.

The atmosphere of the home was always an open and vibrant one. Although Priest didn't overdo it with any overly bright colors, the huge windows and glass panes allowed so much natural light into the home that it always seemed to be bright. From being there the first time, Britain could admit that she preferred it to be dark while she was in the home. There was something about the illumination of the moon shining through the windows that put her at ease. She loved it so much.

"I got it cleaned up a few days ago. You know me and dust don't get along," Priest scoffed at the thought of sneezing constantly at the presence of dust.

Britain laughed. "The only guy I know with a statewide record but is afraid of dust." She tilted her head as he led the way up the stairs.

"Steady talking shit, yo.” He shook his head at her.

Priest sat her bags down in his bedroom before tiredly plopping down onto the bed. The drive had definitely been a strain for someone like Priest who wasn't really a big fan of being behind the wheel, but the last thing he would have done was let Britain drive him to his death.

Britain stood before him with her hands perched on her hips as he stared up at her. "You tired?" Britain asked with a slight smirk.

"Depends." He shrugged his shoulders.

Britain laughed lightly, knowing exactly what he was insinuating without him even saying too much. "Of course," she shamed him jokingly. She climbed into bed with him before straddling his waist. "Thank you for what you did last night," Britain said as she finally mustered up the courage to bring up the previous night's events. They both had just been tiptoeing around it as if it weren't something to speak on. Britain didn't want that awkwardness to last much longer.

Priest’s strong hands gripped Britain's small waist. The contact of his tender palms over her skin caused an immediate spark to ignite through Britain's body. Priest’s dark eyes seared into her feline ones, just taking in her beauty as a whole. The night before, seeing her break down had been painful, but Priest brought light to the situation. Britain was a woman who got broken down to mere pieces of nothingness just to build herself back up again. She found hope. She found happiness. She found her passion, and she found love. She found all the things that were once toyed with by a nigga who didn't deserve her.

"I love you, you heard?" Priest smiled up at her, and she reflected down to him. "Last night was needed for you. Shit was killing you on the inside, and you didn't even realize it. No matter how heavy the story is or how the conversation may turn, you can tell me anything. Alright? Don't ever think otherwise," he assured her with his deep baritone voice that brought a swarm of butterflies into the pit of her stomach.

Craning down, Britain hovered her lips over his. "I love you too," she professed before kissing his lips. A smug smile etched his face before he flipped them over swiftly and effortlessly. Britain laughed as Priest now hovered over her.

His chains were lightly hitting her face, just like they would when he was deep inside her core. "Let me eat you before dinner." He smirked in a devilish manner.

"Word?" Britain mocked him with the raise of her perfectly arched brow.

Priest laughed as he nodded. "Deadass,Gioia," he confirmed.

"Well." Britain stretched out as if it were a lot to think over. "If you insist," she finalized before hiking her legs up onto his broad shoulders.

They brought joy to each other.