Page 45 of The Love of Priest

Priest chuckled as he stood behind her in the mirror while she ran a brush down her now straightened hair. "You won't need many clothes," he advised her with a light smirk as he craned down, applying a light kiss to her cheek.

Britain couldn't contain the laughter that sprung out of her. "You seem so sure about that." She hiked her head up so she could eye him.

Priest licked his lips slowly, reminiscing on the steamy sex session they shared the night before. "We should head out. I have something planned for you," Priest told her.

Impressed by how much effort he was putting into her enjoying herself and enjoying life, Britain turned around in his arms, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. A smile graced her face, and this time, it was an open one, the one Priest overly enjoyed. Priest couldn't help but to reflect her wide smile. They looked like two overindulgent kids, staring deeply at one another.

"I appreciate this," Britain expressed her gratitude. Priest shrugged as if it were nothing.

"Gioia, you bring me joy, so I gotta do the same," he declared. It instantly flashed her back to their first date, their first moment of intimacy without being physical. That same ear to ear smile remained on Britain's face.

After Britain made sure she had everything for her four-day trip, she and Priest headed out of her apartment. He helped her into the car after placing her bags in the back seat. Once he got in, Priest started the vehicle and exited the parking lot.

"Okay, before we actually get on the interstate, we have to get mad fucking snacks ‘cause I'm hungry all the time." Britain stuck out her bottom lip as if she were a child.

Priest chuckled, finding her infantile ways amusing. "There's a rest stop an hour in. You think you can hang in there for that long?" Priest glanced at her for a moment before putting his eyes back onto the road.

Britain shrugged a bit. "Ya girl stays prepared." She unzipped her purse, extracting a zip lock bag she packed with gummy worms to appease her sweets craving.

Priest shook his head with a laugh. "And you never had a cavity?" He furrowed his brows as he pointed to the bag of candy. Britain always managed to have some type of sweets.

Britain shook her head with an arrogant smile. "Nope. Hopefully my kids won't have any either."

"Your kids?" Priest chuckled. "Mine too," he agreed with her.

Britain glanced over at him, a light smile on her face. "You look so… revitalized and replenished." She reached out, caressing his face. Priest always had a compelling aura to him, but lately, he seemed much livelier. Those eyes remained dark as they always would, but Britain could sometimes see a streak of brightness within them. She wouldn't assume he was happy since he had yet to confirm or clarify, but it made him look ten times better.

Priest licked his lips containing the smile that wanted to take over his face. His shoulders motioned in an up and down manner. "I've been sleeping lately," he responded as he gripped the steering wheel.

"Good sleep I hope," Britain said.

Priest nodded in confirmation. "Great sleep," he exaggerated as he utilized his free hand to grip Britain's exposed thigh.

"Wow, I wonder who's been the cause of it?" Playfully, she laced her words with sarcasm.

Priest laughed, knowing she was fully aware of who the cause of his recent good night’s rest was. Shrugging, he leaned back in his seat. "Some shorty namedLondon," he playfully eased out as he took the interstate that they had to grow accustomed to for the next three hours.

Britain jokingly cut her eyes at him since he knew how much she didn't like being called anything besides Britain, Gioia, and Brit by him. "You have one more time to call meLondon. My name is Britain," she warned him, using her fingers to imitate a gun that she shoved into Priest's face.

Priest gently took ahold of her wrist, guiding her hand to his lips where he applied a kiss to the back of her hand. "Chill out,Paris. Who said you wereLondon,anyways?" he continued to tease. Britain rolled her eyes, not taking him seriously. "I'm joking," he assured. "It's ‘cause you always win, but I don't want your head getting mad big off of it," he jested.

Britain laughed. From the time they'd spent together, he was able to recognize the fact that not only was she competitive, but she was also arrogant with it. There were just a few things no one could tell Britain without hearing about it forever.

"I pray for your health," she absentmindedly admitted. Her face instantly heated up in embarrassment by how silly she thought she sounded.

Priest glanced at her momentarily, slightly shocked. His brows furrowed as if he didn't believe her, but what reason did she have to lie? "You serious?" he asked her. There was a slight hope in his tone. It was like he was hoping Britain actually cared about his well-being.

Britain sheepishly nodded her head. "I have. Since last week. Has it been working?"

Priest chuckled. Ironically, as of the week before, he'd been well rested, well fed, and leveled out spiritually, along with emotionally. "You're a real gem. You know that?"

"Well, thank you." Britain smiled proudly as she angled herself so she was facing him while he remained attentive to the road.

A silence consumed them both. Britain took in Priest's entire being and aura while Priest lingered in his own thoughts, processing the fact that Britain actually cared about him more than people he’d known for years. Others may have viewed Britain praying for Priest as something small and minuscule. However, Priest took it as something big, something to be grateful for.

For a slight portion of the drive, it remained as such: quiet. They eventually ended up hand in hand. Like always, Priest had to touch Britain in some way.

"You ever been in a committed relationship?" Britain asked. The question had been stuck on the tip of her tongue, but she never found the right time to ask. Although all he did was fluster her with his deep questions, she didn’t want to do the same to him. She got him to open up fairly quickly, so she knew he could shut it all down just as fast, maybe even faster.

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