CHAPTER 5: KEEP US FROM TEMPTATION

The stone cottage was silent, save for the rhythmic drumming of the rain against the roof and the low mechanical hum of the backup generator. Inside, the air was warm and smelled of cedar and the faint, lingering scent of the incense Elias used in the sanctuary. 

As we stepped into the small foyer, I peeled my soaked hair away from my face, my breath coming in short, jagged bursts.

Elias stood by the door, his chest heaving as he shook out the umbrella. When he turned to look at me, his entire body went rigid. 

The rainwater had turned the thin fabric of my blouse into a second skin. Every curve of my breasts was on full display, and my hard nipples were pushing defiantly against the wet silk.

His gaze dropped, tracking the water as it dripped from my collarbone and pooled in the valley of my cleavage. I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard, his blue eyes darkening with a look that was far from holy.

"The... the guest room is just down the hall," he rasped, his voice sounding like it was being dragged over gravel. "There are clean towels in the cupboard. Go and dry up before you catch a chill."

Before I could say another word, he rushed down the hall like the devil was on his heels and went into the room at the end of the corridor, slamming the door behind him. 

I took my time in the bathroom, letting the hot water slicked over my skin, but it did nothing to douse the fire Elias had started. When I dried off, I realized there was nothing for me to put on. Not even a robe. 

I wrapped the oversized white towel around my chest and padded down the hallway toward his bedroom.

The door was slightly ajar. I stopped, watching him through the crack. Elias was on his knees at the foot of his bed, his head bowed, his large hands clasped, so tightly the knuckles were white.

"Give me strength," I heard him whisper, a desperate plea into the silence. "Deliver me from this temptation, Father. Keep my heart pure and my hands clean..."

"Elias?"

He jolted, spinning around on his knees. His eyes widened as they raked over me. Taking in my damp, flushed skin, bare shoulders, and the towel that barely reached mid-thigh.

"I... I have nothing to wear," I murmured, leaning against the door frame. "My clothes are soaked through, and I don’t think I can stay in a towel all night."

Elias stood up slowly, his height looming over me. He looked haunted, his resolve fraying at the edges. He walked to his dresser and pulled out a worn, grey cotton T-shirt that was thin and soft from years of washing. 

"Take this," he said, holding it out to me, his hand trembling slightly. 

I stepped closer until the heat of his body was radiating against my bare skin. I reached out and took the shirt, then, looking him dead in the eye, I began to slide the towel down.

Elias made a choked sound in the back of his throat. He tried to look away, but he couldn't. 

I let the towel fall to the floor in a heap of white terrycloth, standing completely naked before him for a fleeting, heart-stopping second before I pulled his shirt over my head. 

The fabric was huge on me, the hem falling to my upper thighs, but as it settled, the thin material did nothing to hide the prominent peaks of my nipples.

Elias looked like a starving man in front of a feast, his gaze locked on the way his own shirt clung to my body.

"Jade... please," he groaned, his hands curling into fists at his sides. He practically lunged for the door, his movements frantic. "Go to your room. Now."

He pushed me into the hallway and slammed the door behind him. I heard his breath coming in ragged gasps through the wood, his body likely leaning against the other side just as mine had in the church restroom.

Trembling as heat coursed through me, I rushed back to my room, reached into my bag, and pulled out the small, silicone bullet vibrator I had hidden in the side pocket. I climbed onto the bed, the grey shirt riding up my hips. 

The rain outside was a roar now, a perfect mask for the sounds I was about to make.

I closed my eyes as I rolled my hard nipples between my fingers until they ached, imagining Elias’s large, calloused hands doing the work instead. He would pinch them before following his fingers with his mouth. 

I moaned, sliding my hand down until my thumb found my clit and I began to circle the sensitive bud. Then I turned the vibrator on and pressed it directly against myself, the low hum vibrating through my palm. 

My spine arched as the sharp, electric jolt shot through my spine. I began to thrust my hips against the toy, the friction and the vibration building a pressure that was almost unbearable. I was wet, so incredibly wet, my own natural slickness making the silicone slide easily. I pushed it inside, feeling the internal buzz vibrate against my G-spot.

"Elias," I whimpered, the name a prayer of its own.

I was lost in the rhythm, my breath hitching as I pushed the toy deeper and deeper, seeking that elusive peak. I was right on the edge, my muscles tensing, my vision starting to blur.…. 

Then the vibrator slipped out of my fingers and went upwards like it was sucked by a vacuum. 

I tried to pull the vibrator back, but it wouldn't budge. The more I tugged, the further it seemed to slip behind my pelvic bone, lodged firmly in the tight canal.

The pleasure vanished, replaced by a cold spike of panic. 

I tried different positions, my fingers slick with my own arousal, but I couldn't get a grip. It was stuck.

I stood up, my legs wobbly as panic rose.

Without thinking, I rushed down the hall and banged on his door. “Father Elias!!”

Elias opened it almost immediately, looking wrecked; his hair was messy, and the front of his joggers was strained to the breaking point.

"Jade, I told you—" His words faded off when he saw the panicked look on my face. 

"Elias," I whispered, my eyes filling with real, humiliated tears. "I... I did something. I brought something to use in private... and now it's stuck inside me. I can't get it out."

Elias froze. The silence in the hallway was deafening. 

He looked down at the hem of his shirt on my body, then back at my face. "You what?" he rasped, looking horrified and aroused at the same time.

"Please," I sobbed, the shame finally hitting me. "I don't want to go to the hospital. You have to help me."

Elias stared at me, the conflict in his eyes reaching a breaking point. Then, he let out a long, slow breath and walked toward the bathroom to grab a pair of gloves and some towels. 

"God, help me,” he muttered under his breath with his eyes closed, his voice a low rasp. Then he looked at me. “Let’s see what I can do.”