CHAPTER 4: SHELTER IN THE STORM

The afternoon sun bled through the high, arched windows, casting long shadows across the pews as the volunteer crew scrubbed every inch of the sanctuary. It was a rare sight; the church was buzzing with an energy usually reserved for the annual bake sale.

“I’ve never seen the youths so committed to a deep-clean,” Mrs. Higgins, one of the elder deacons, remarked with a sharp, knowing chuckle. She leaned on her mop, eyeing the group of mostly female teenagers and young adults. “Usually, I have to bribe them with pizza just to get the hymnals organized. I suppose having a man like Elias Thorne as their motivation is more effective than any pepperoni slice.”

She wasn’t wrong. Half the girls were lingering near whatever section Elias happened to be inspecting, and even a couple of the college-aged guys were posturing, trying to catch his eye or earn a nod of approval. 

The atmosphere was thick with a competitive, thirsty adoration that made my skin prickle with a sudden, ugly flare of jealousy.

I watched as a young woman from the local community college leaned in a little too close to Elias while discussing the flower arrangements. 

Elias, ever the professional, placed a hand on her shoulder to guide him toward the altar. The casual intimacy of the gesture sent a bolt of irritation through me. 

Elias was mine. 

I moved toward him, my cloth damp with lemon polish. I passed him in the narrow aisle, then bent down like I was cleaning the pew beside him, letting my butt collide with his thigh in a firm, lingering press that forced him to steady himself against the pew. 

I felt the heat of him through his slacks, a solid, masculine weight that made my breath hitch.

"Sorry, Father," I drawled, my voice honeyed and low. "It's a tight squeeze in here."

I looked up at him, letting my gaze drop to his mouth before meeting his eyes. Elias's jaw tightened, but he didn't move away immediately; he stayed locked in that brief, scandalous contact for a heartbeat too long. 

I saw his pupils flare, a flash of the wolf returning to haunt the shepherd. He knew exactly what I was doing. He was being pulled in a dozen directions by the volunteers, but I was the only one who could make his pulse jump like a trapped bird.

As the hours ticked by, I played the long game. I worked slowly, purposefully staying in the shadows of the back pews while the others finished their tasks and filtered out into the humid evening. 

I retreated into the small, quiet library at the back of the vestry and watched the clock, counting down the minutes until the last car engine faded in the parking lot.

Then I curled up on a leather armchair with an old hymnal in my lap, waiting for the sounds of the heavy front doors being locked. A sick thrill twisted in me as I watched the weather become heavy with coming rain. 

Thirty minutes later, the lights in the main hall dimmed. I heard the rhythmic thud of footsteps. I stayed perfectly still, my heart thumping against my ribs.

Elias appeared in the doorway, and the sight of him nearly made me lose my composure. 

He had changed out of his formal attire and was now wearing a thin, white cotton T-shirt that clung to the broad expanse of his chest and stuck to the hard, defined ridges of his abs. His arms were bare, showing the corded muscle and the dusting of dark hair on his forearms. 

He had swapped his slacks for grey joggers that hung low on his hips, the soft fabric doing nothing to hide the powerful shape of his thighs and thick cock. 

He stopped dead when he saw me, his hand freezing on the light switch. "Jade? What on earth are you still doing here? I thought everyone had gone home."

I looked up, blinking slowly as if waking from a deep slumber. I let the hymnal slide from my lap, putting on my best display of wide-eyed innocence.

"Elias… Oh... sorry Father," I murmured, my voice thick with feigned drowsiness. "I’m so sorry. The silence was so peaceful, so I stayed behind to pray after the cleaning was done. I must have drifted off. I didn't realize it had gotten so late."

Elias frowned, checking his watch. "It’s nearly ten o'clock. It's pitch black out there, and the clouds are moving in fast." He stepped into the room, his presence suddenly overwhelming in the small space. "Your father will be worried sick."

"Actually," I said quickly, standing up and smoothing my skirt. "I called my dad while the others were leaving. I told him how much work was left, and he said I should just stay over here tonight. He told me I was 'perfectly safe' with you, and that it was better than walking home late."

The "safe" comment was a jagged irony that hung in the air between us. 

Elias hesitated, his throat working as he swallowed. "Jade... I don't know if that's appropriate. Having a young woman stay alone with me in my quarters is—"

"You’re practically my uncle, Elias," I interrupted, taking a step toward him. "Plus, what is there to be worried about when you're here?"

Right on cue, a violent crack of thunder shook the foundation of the church. A second later, the sky opened up, a torrential downpour lashing against the windows. The lights flickered once, twice, and then plunged us into total, velvety darkness.

I smiled to myself in the gloom. Even the heavens were on my side tonight.

"Oh!" I gasped, feigning a small cry of terror. I reached out in the dark, my hands finding his arm, and pressed my body into his side, pushing the soft weight of my breasts against his biceps. I could feel the heat radiating off him, the sheer physical power of his frame.

Elias stiffened, his breath hitching in a sharp, jagged rasp. "It’s just a fuse, Jade. Don't be frightened."

"It's so dark," I whispered, moving around to his front like I was groping for stability, until I could feel the heavy, thick ridge of his cock straining against the soft fabric of his joggers behind me. 

I subtly pressed myself against the length of him, and my breath caught.

He was massive, a solid, pulsing weight that stretched down toward his mid-thigh. My mind reeled at the thought of that heat inside me, of those joggers being stripped away to reveal the man beneath the title.

I looked up at him, though I could only see the glint of his eyes in the periodic flashes of lightning.

"You're shaking, father," I teased, my voice a low, sultry vibration. "Are you scared of the dark, too? Or is it just me?"

Elias let out a low groan, a sound of pure, tortured want, then gently pulled away from me. "We can't stay here," he managed to say, his voice thick with a hunger he could no longer hide. "The church library isn't safe for... a storm like this. My quarters have a backup generator."

"Then let's go, Elias," I purred, my grip tightening on his arm. "Take me wherever you want."

Without saying another word, he grabbed a stray umbrella from the stand, and we ran out into the lashing rain together. 

We moved across the dark lawn toward the small stone cottage at the back of the property, the wind whipping my hair across my face. As we reached the porch, soaked and breathless, I knew the "good girl" was about to disappear forever.