Page 106 of The Love of Priest

"You wanna go out there?" Priest asked before taking a drink from his glass.

Britain snapped out of her trance, glancing in his direction with a sheepish look on her face. "We're having dinner. I don't wanna ruin it," she said as her face warmed.

Priest smiled lightly as he pushed his plate away from him, indicating that he no longer had the will to eat. "If you're finished, then I am," he shrugged, causing a light laugh to filter out of Britain. Sure enough, Britain pushed her plate away from her as well.

Together, they rose from their seats at the table. Priest made sure to grab two beach towels so their clothes wouldn’t be covered in sand. As they walked hand in hand with each other, Britain let Priest lead the way to the beach.

Their feet sank into the grainy sand that had cooled down at the setting of the sun. Priest couldn't help but find Britain's excitement about having sand between her toes funny. She exaggerated everything, but not in a bad way. "Pick a spot," Priest told her.

Britain grinned up at him in excitement before pointing out a spot that wasn't too close to the shoreline but was still close enough for them to take in the aroma of the fresh salt water. With Priest’s help, Britain laid down the towels in the sand for them to sit.

"You turning me into such a fucking simp," Priest laughed with a shake of his head at the realization that J'Ru had been right to an extent.

Britain leaned her head against his shoulder before applying a kiss to the side of his face. "Now I just have to work on you not taking your piece to public places." She grinned, hoping she could get him to decide it was no longer necessary to carry his gun everywhere with him.

Priest eyed her as if she were crazy. "It's gonna be a cold day in hell before I do that." Priest shook his head, not even giving the suggestion a chance.

"You think you can cheat death?" Britain asked him, touching base on a much more serious matter.

Priest glanced down at her before pulling her closer into his arms. "Uh." He stretched out as his eyes averted to the sight of the endless water crashing against the shoreline. "Sometimes, I do. I can't even lie," he shrugged. "But I live everyday like it’s my last. I wake up, and I have no intentions of seeing tomorrow so I won't face disappointment if my life really does end," Priest admitted.

His words were chilling and frightening to Britain, but she couldn't dismiss them because that was his mentality. "I don't want to lose you," Britain mumbled.

Priest applied a soft kiss to the back of her hand. "Even when I'm not around, I'll still be around," he said.

"It won't be the same," Britain swiftly let out, not allowing him to convince her that things would be okay if he weren't around.

Priest let out a sigh. "You're right, but life is what you make it. Whether I'm in a cell or in a casket, you'll be fine. I'll make sure of it."

Since dealing with Priest, Britain had learned how to gamble. One thing he made sure to preach to her was that she should never gamble her own life to conform to his lifestyle. He protected her way of life at all costs.

"When did you realize that you loved me?" Britain glanced over at him while pulling her knees to her chest.

Priest sighed before chuckling. "The day you told me you prayed for my wellbeing," he admitted with a light smile. "You gave me that sense of care and love that I've never gotten from my mother. Old heads in the hood always used to tell me to find a woman who reminds me of my mama. I never got the chance to get that stand-up type of mom to love me and put me first, but I get that from you, even though I want you to put yourself first?—"

Britain couldn't help but laugh. She recalled Priest having to remind her to do things for herself first before doing things for him. "I love that you think of me," Priest continued. "You nurture me and assure me of myself. I never knew how receiving love unconditionally felt until I met you, and I'm so grateful for that."

Britain’s eyes bore into him before she leaned in and kissed his lips. A smile emerged on both of their faces as they kissed. "Stop living your days like they're your last," Britain whispered in the midst of the kiss. Priest pulled away and gazed at her. "Please," she croaked with her orbs full of hope.

Priest took his bottom lip between his perfectly aligned teeth. With some hesitation, he nodded his head. "Okay." He wrapped his arms around her. "You got my word."

ChapterTwenty-Nine

The next day,Britain slowly eased on top of Priest with her camera clutched in her hand. Making sure the flash was off, Britain aimed the lens down at him to capture him in his natural state. He was at peace as he slept. His breathing was steady, and his nostrils flared with each breath he took. Holding down the shutter button on the camera, Britain allowed the view to focus before taking the photo. She held the button again, taking a burst of photos of him asleep. The sound of the camera quickly shook Priest awake.

"Gioia, this how you gonna wake me up all the time?" he groaned as he tossed his arm over his eyes.

Britain laughed. "Catching you while you're awake isn't as good as catching you while you're asleep," Britain told him as she clicked through the photos she had taken. "You’re so handsome when you’re at peace."

Priest shook his head as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Is that right?"

Britain nodded in confirmation before easing off of him. "I could've used some more sleep. You know that?" Priest smirked as he rose out of bed.

Britain shrugged carelessly. "Really?" She screwed her face up. "You looked like you were begging me to wake you up."

Priest chuckled while shaking his head at her. As he made his way to the bathroom, Britain followed suit. He eyed her oddly as she shuffled behind him with a smile on her face.

"Yo." He side-eyed her. "What's good with you?"

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