Page 10 of Priest (Confessions 3)

Fucking hell, Priest thought. This was the worst feeling ever. Seeing Robbie so neutral, so…stiff made Priest feel as though he’d stripped a rainbow of its colors.

“We slept well,” Julien said, and then turned to Priest to see if he wanted to add anything, but honestly, he was too busy staring at Robbie and willing him to look his way to think of anything.

“Do you have any plans today?” Julien continued when it was clear he was the only one in the room who was going to talk.

“I, uh, I thought I might go and visit Nonna at her new place now that she’s settled in, and maybe have dinner with Elliot,” Robbie said, and then finally turned his attention to Priest. “If it’s safe for me to go.”

Priest wanted to tell Robbie that he would always be safe, that Priest would never let anything harm him. But since Priest was the one who had brought the potential threat to their door, he was hardly in a position to promise any such thing.

Instead, he said, “I’d feel better if one of us drove you.” When Robbie stared at him, Priest added, “Just until I know more about what’s going on with Jimmy.”

Priest didn’t want Robbie to feel as though this would be his life from here on out, that he wouldn’t be free to do what he wanted, and when, because he’d gotten into a relationship with the son of—well, Jimmy. But the reality was that Priest had no clue how this was going to go, and until he had an inkling, he wanted his men safe. No matter how annoying or inconvenient it may be.

“Okay,” Robbie said.

“Why don’t you eat something while Priest gets ready for work, and then I’m sure he’d be happy to take you to your nonna’s,” Julien said.

Way to be subtle, Julien.

Robbie frowned, likely about to disagree, but then he turned to Priest and said, “Would that be okay? I wasn’t sure you were going in, since it’s nearly eleven.”

“I am. Just a half-day.”

“Oh, all right. Well, it’s not that far out of your way. She picked a place right here in town.”

Priest wouldn’t have cared if Robbie’s nonna lived three hours out of town. If Robbie wanted to ride with him, then Priest wasn’t about to say no. “Give me about twenty minutes.”

Robbie bit down on his lip and nodded as Priest stepped around him and headed toward the bedroom, and as he went, he heard Julien say, “Bien. Now that that’s settled, what can I get you for breakfast, princesse?”

* * *

BY THE TIME Robbie had finished his bagel and coffee, Priest was stepping out of the bedroom ready for work in a grey pressed suit and black dress shirt that made his hair and eyes stand out in dramatic contrast.

For a moment there, while Priest had been showering, Robbie had been able to breathe. Julien hadn’t pressured him into talking, and unlike Priest, he was just easy to be around—even in the dead silences. There was no tension rolling off Julien, no uneasy emotions or expectations. Whereas Priest was making the room practically vibrate with how on edge he was.

Priest wanted to talk; Robbie knew that. He wanted to clear the air and know where things stood between them all. But right now, what Robbie needed was some normalcy in his life. He needed to make sure the decisions he was making—or about to make—were the right ones, considering how big they were.

After he’d finished dinner last night, he’d lain in that enormous bed on his own and stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours. He’d tossed and turned and willed himself to fall asleep. But he couldn’t stop thinking about the two men in the other room.

He couldn’t stop thinking about how much he wanted to be out there with them or have them in there with him, and despite what had happened earlier in the day, Robbie had found himself seeking them out, drawn to Julien and Priest in ways he’d never imagined. And once he was by their side, on that soft rug of theirs, he’d fallen asleep in an instant, like it was where he was meant to be.

It was that which had him heading out the door today. He knew he’d never be able to think beyond the three of them when Julien and Priest created such a strong pull. So the only solution was to remove himself from their gravitational field for a little while—at least for a few hours.

“Are you ready to go?” Priest said, as he walked into the living room and picked up his keys.

Robbie stood from the couch. “Yes.”

“Okay,” Priest said, as Julien came out of the bedroom dressed for the day. “Then let’s get going.”

As the three of them headed out the door and down the hall, it was in complete silence, and Jesus, Robbie thought, this is worse than having a damn tooth pulled. Once they were in the parking lot, Julien kissed Priest, who then got in his car, and wrapped his arms around Robbie and kissed his temple.

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