登入MICAH"Absolutely not." I spat and tried to step aside. His arm shot out and stopped my way, his palm pressing flat against the counter by my hip. "I have home visits arranged for this afternoon. Elderly parishioners who need someone to pray with them and give communion. There is a youth group meeting at five o'clock that I have to lead. I can't just call in sick."His voice dropped and it was not good. "Oh, you will call in sick.""I'm not sick!""Then text them. Let them know something came up. You have a family emergency. Whatever priests do when they want a day off."I ducked under his arm and created some distance from him, my heart beating so loudly I could hear it pounding in my ears. "No, it doesn't work that way. I have a duty. I can't just lie. I need to give a minimum of two weeks' notice if I am to be absent. There are protocols. Chains of command. You can't just decide for me that I am not going to work."Blaze observed me pacing with the same look on his face as a cat o
MICAHI could not eat.Breakfast on the dining table was something to be featured in a magazine — fresh berries placed in a bowl of white porcelain, a silver carafe of orange juice forming drops of condensation on polished mahogany, eggs cooked into perfect yellow crescents, toast cut into triangles, and the crusts of which were removed as if I was some kind of invalid who could not deal with corners. Blaze was sitting at the head of the table, watching me with those pale blue eyes that missed nothing, his own plate remaining untouched, his coffee growing cold in the cup."Not hungry?" He leaned back in his chair and presented himself as an embodiment of casual authority, his one arm resting over the backrest of the chair and the other — on the table.I moved the raspberry on my plate with the tines of my fork. "I don't care.""Eat. It will provide you with more energy to complain and for later."For later? Blaze spoke in riddles as if he thought I was dumb. My shoulders became tense.
MICAH The word hung in the air between us and I could not make sense of it. My feet stayed planted on the thick carpet while my eyes moved over the wide bed with its dark sheets, the tall windows that showed the city lights far below, the heavy furniture that looked like it had never been touched by ordinary hands. Everything in the room was quiet and expensive and waiting, and Blaze stood a few steps away watching me the way he always did when he already knew the answer to a question I had not asked yet. “I prepared this weeks ago,” he stated, voice low and even. “The day I first told you to leave Haloshul I had this suite cleared and set up. Clothes in the closet in your size. Toiletries in the bathroom. Extra sheets in the drawers. I knew you would end up here eventually.” I turned to face him fully. “You decided that without asking me.” “Yes.” “That is not how any of this works.” He took one step closer. “It is how it works for me.” Ah, lord. This was too much. I had
BLAZE He shook his head vigorously and started to turn around. “Hell no. I'm not going anywhere with you.” I was already tired of the argument and more amused than I should have been. I hooked an arm around his waist, lifted him clean off the ground, and settled him over my shoulder. He made an outraged sound and tried to kick. I dumped him onto the backseat, climbed in after him, and shut the door. The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and his eyes went wide. “Wait a minute! Aren't you, Father Micah Sawyer? From the cathedral?” Micah sat up straight and tried to smooth his hair. He looked marvelously ashamed than before and I relaxed even better in my seat. “Yes.”He was not expecting someone to recognize him. “Why are you here? With him?” The driver asked. Now, that was a stupid ass question. Why couldn't a grown ass man be outside and what the fuck did he mean by, “with him?”What was wrong with me being with him? As much as I wanted to tell him my mind I had to hold
BLAZE The shot cracked over our heads and the concrete bit into my palms as I shoved Micah under me. His body went rigid for half a second before the fear hit him full force and he clutched at my hoodie like it was the only solid thing left in the world. I kept my weight over him just long enough to check the angle of the car, then dragged him by the arm toward the nearest dumpster alley. The black sedan had already started to turn. I pushed him behind the metal bin and pressed him flat against the brick. “Stay here. Do not come out. Do not make a sound. Nod if you understand what I am saying to you.” He nodded once, eyes wide, breath coming too fast. “B..Blaze.” “It's okay. I can handle them.” He held my arm. “Don't go.” He begged. I held his hand and gently let it off to hold it against my palm. “Trust me. I won't die today or tomorrow. We're leaving together.” I watched him try to calm his breath, and I waited counting as I kept my senses alert for the attackers mov
BLAZE.He didn’t in fact watch the movie. His eyes darted sideways. I closed my fingers around his form through the clothes and squeezed lightly. He gasped sharply and shifted in the seat. I traced him slowly through the jeans, feeling him harden in my palm. The denim was hot. The contours of his erection became sharper with every touch of my hand. I unzipped him one tooth at a time, as he sat still, fighting to remain silent. His eyes were no longer watching the movie. I slid my hand inside his unzipped fly, touched the soft fabric of his underwear and slipped my fingers underneath. Hot skin. Already half-hard and growing even harder. I grabbed him firmly and started jerking in long, steady motions. The pre-come came from him in a second, wetting the tip. I smeared it with my thumb, keeping the rhythm consistent. "Blaze... someone might walk in," he whispered, voice shaking. "You scream, I take you. Got it?" He nodded once, sharply and desperately. I kept the pace unhurried.







