Preacher (The Untouchables MC 5)

I knew he made my pulse race.

I knew he was scrupulously honest about his unconventional faith and his extremely unconventional values.

• I knew he was, or at least had been, a criminal.

• I knew he had kissed me in a way that was so possessive and consuming it felt like I had been branded.

None of that changed the fact that he was beyond disreputable and far too old for me. But when I was with him, it didn’t seem to matter.

I pressed my fingertips to my lips and handed out coloring pages about plants. I couldn’t focus on the lesson, anyway. Besides, we were trying to get everyone excited about planting the community garden in the empty lot across the street. Even the kids.

Hopefully, when they took home their artwork, they would get their parents excited enough to show up and help. It was a big job and we needed all the help we could get.

When I came upstairs, Preacher was still surrounded by people sitting in folding chairs in a cluster around him. His eyes caught and held mine. And just like that, I could feel him kissing me all over again. My cheeks were very pink as the memory of his cock pressed into me flooded back in. I exhaled shakily and forced myself to turn away before we made a spectacle of ourselves.

Well, I was the only one in danger of attracting attention. Preacher looked cool as a cucumber. Only his eyes were hot.

There was still work to do, things to clean up. But I was feeling cowardly.

I decided to text Clarice and ask her to close up the annex for the day.

I grabbed my stuff, resolving to do my homework at home. I couldn’t face him after that kiss. I needed to sort through my feelings. I hadn’t been looking for a romantic entanglement. I didn’t know what to do.

The whole walk home, I felt like I’d done something dishonest. Like I’d snuck out on him. I felt guilty for disappointing a man who’d driven me crazy only a few days ago.

Now he was still driving me crazy, but in a completely different way.

Chapter Thirteen

Preacher

The sun was shining as a crew of hard-working neighborhood folk pulled weeds and pulled broken glass and rubble from the hard-packed soil. The abandoned lot had officially been given to the church for a neighborhood garden. This was something that Paul and Cynthia had set in motion months ago. Today, it was finally coming to fruition.

“Save the bricks,” I reminded them as I pushed a wheelbarrow of garbage toward the front of the lot. I planned to build a grill with the bricks. Or a low wall for people to sit on. Raised planters. The possibilities were endless.

We had rented a dumpster, one of the few outlays the church had made. The volunteers had brought their own tools, and even some pots and pans and cuttings taken from their own yards and nurtured in anticipation of this day.

I saw a shapely form over by the snack table and made an abrupt turn, abandoning my wheelbarrow for the moment. I stared hungrily at her. From any angle, she was a feast for the eyes. Cynthia looked sinfully sweet in her cut off shorts, workbooks, and a slouchy tee that did nothing to hide her curves. I stared at her throat as she tipped back her head to chug a glass of fresh lemonade Clarice had brought earlier, winking at me and whispering, “Tastes even better with vodka in it.”

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

Her eyes widened as she wiped the excess lemonade from her mouth with the back of her hand. For a split second, she looked like a little girl who’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She shook her head.

“Just busy with school.”

“That’s why you come in at dawn and leave before the birds start singing?”

She had barely been in her office all week. Not while I was there, anyway. I’d checked. Cynthia was just showing up to run the evening events. She’d even been skipping her yoga classes. I’d been going out of my mind for a glimpse of her. My only respite was our nightly walks, though she was blatantly ignoring me during those too.

“I can work from home,” she said with a shrug.

“I’m not going to apologize for kissing you.” I gave her a heated look. “Especially when you enjoyed it so much.”

“I did not!” She frowned, looking around to see if anyone could hear us. “I just haven’t been kissed in a very long time. You surprised me.”

“How long?” I demanded gruffly, stepping closer. She looked up at me with startled golden eyes. I could fall into those eyes and never come out again. I resisted the urge to throw her on the folding table and have my way with her in front of everyone. I had to believe that God would understand. A man could only take so much.