Page 33 of Beneath His Robes

ChapterTwelve

Ronan

Elias was trembling against me, and every part of me wanted to pull him closer, to erase the distance that still lingered between us. The cold didn’t matter—not with him in my arms, not with the heat of his body pressing against mine.

I could taste the sharp edge of winter in the air, but it was nothing compared to the warmth of Elias, nothing compared to the way he felt, so real beneath my hands. His breath was shallow and quick, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or from me. It didn’t matter—either way, it was everything I had ever wanted.

I had known from the moment I saw him again that I wouldn’t be able to walk away. The pull between us had never faded, no matter how many years had passed. Every glance, every whispered word, every touch was a spark that ignited something deep inside me, something I had buried, something I couldn’t let go.

But here we were—on the edge of it all. The tension, thick and electric, was suffocating, and I could feel my resolve slipping with every passing second. His lips were so close I could feel the heat of his breath and almost taste his temptation.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” I whispered against his skin, my voice rough with the weight of it all. “I have never felt like this with anyone but you. No matter how many people I buried my dick into…it’s your lips that make me burn the most.”

Elias didn’t answer at first, but I could feel how his body responded to me, how his chest rose and fell beneath my hands, and how his fingers trembled just slightly as they slid across my back.

He wanted this. I knew it, even if he couldn’t bring himself to admit it. I struggled with the years of distance, all the tricks, the guilt that kept me away from him. But I had never stopped wanting him, never stoppedneedinghim. The memory of that fucking mouth was what brought me to orgasm every night.

I moved closer, my lips brushing the side of his neck. Inhaling deeply, wanting to remember his sweet scent for the rest of my life, the warmth of his skin—everything about him called to me.

“You can’t lie to me, Elias. I know you’re feeling this with me.”

He inhaled sharply, the sound low and shaky, and I felt his body go rigid for just a moment before his arms circled around me, pulling me closer as if he were afraid I would pull away.

It made me ache.

To know he needed this too, needed me, despite the walls he had built to keep me out.

“I can’t…” His voice was barely a whisper as if he were afraid to say it aloud.

Even after giving me a taste, he was unwilling to let himself fall deeper into what I was so desperate to give him. His hands were moving over me now, frantic, searching like he was trying to memorize every inch of my body.

I hissed between my teeth, closing my eyes to feel his gentle exploration. His hands were everywhere, such a light touch. I wouldn’t believe it was real if I wasn’t looking at his hands as they moved.

I pulled back just enough to meet his gaze, my heart hammering in my chest.

“You don’t have to say it, Mon Pur. But I will. I fucking love you. I have since we were stupid ass kids, and I can’t hide from it any longer.”

His breath was shallow, and his hands were trembling as they brushed over my chest, a ritual he fell into, a trance that had him opening my jacket and pressing his hands a little harder into my sweater. He bit his lip, and his internal struggle was evident in his determined look. I could see it in his eyes.

He was fighting it—fighting us—and for what?

The lies?

The vows?

He was a man who lived by rules and duty. When I found out he was a fucking priest, I told myself I was happy for him. But here, now, in this moment, I couldn’t bring myself to care about his title.

It was just us.

Ronan and Elias.

Not a prostitute/mechanic and a priest.

I cupped his jaw, my thumb tracing the sharp line of his cheek, and he leaned into the touch, his eyelids fluttering closed, his breath quickening.

“Elias,” I breathed.

The sound of his name was like my own prayer, a plea, and I felt the rush of it in my chest as it tightened. “Please don’t put the walls back already. I need this. Please.”

---