Love's Broken Vow Page 2

  Brandon leaned in for what was meant to be a surprise kiss, but Royce had sensed it coming. She reacted quickly to thwart his efforts by turning her head to the side. His lips made contact with her long braids dangling against her cheek. Brandon opened his eyes, lifted his head, and gave Royce a puzzled look. She was about to address the issue of the kiss when a pair of bright headlights pulled her away from the moment.

  The car stopped directly in front of her house. The sleek, red sports car was a two-seater. Sister Eva didn’t drive anything that stylish or fast. Father Gregory, a still, small voice within whispered. Royce’s body responded with a slight shiver to the name and became warm when an image of the man it belonged to suddenly appeared inside her head. She immediately took a step backward, freeing her body from Brandon’s unwanted embrace.

  “Hey, sweetie,” she called out to Tyler the moment he exited the car. She watched him walk slowly up the long walkway in her direction. “How was the game? Did the Hawks win?”

  “Who’s he?” Tyler’s eyes narrowed.

  Embarrassed and slightly annoyed by the whole scene, Royce looked toward the sports car still parked in front of her house. The engine was purring, and the headlights were shining ever so brightly. She turned to face Brandon, intentionally ignoring her nephew’s question. “I think you should leave now. Tyler and I need to talk.”

  Without protesting, Brandon descended the three brick, half-circle steps and left Royce standing alone on her stoop. She watched as he slowed down his pace and greeted Tyler, but he got no response from him. The obviously upset boy glared at him before turning cold eyes on his aunt. Royce braced herself for a confrontation.

  Father Gregory honked his horn twice and sped away seconds after Tyler turned and waved good night to him. He couldn’t explain it, even if his life depended on it, and the reality of it all disturbed him beyond insanity: he was jealous. The sight of Royce Phillips in another man’s arms enraged him.

  He rounded a curve leading to I-75 North, clutching the steering wheel tight with pure anger churning inside. Father Gregory couldn’t recall a single time in his life when he had felt so helplessly flustered over a woman. He had a mother whom he adored and two amazing sisters. He had never been jealous of their relationships with others. He didn’t even know Royce. They had no emotional ties whatsoever. He was her priest, her spiritual leader. And she was a member of his congregation. They weren’t lovers, and they never would be. But Father Gregory’s attraction to Royce had taken wings, and he lacked the power to control it. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he wanted her. He craved her like the forbidden fruit that had caused Adam’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. Royce, a woman, was the one thing he, a Catholic priest, was sworn and avowed to never have. Yet she was the single thing he desired more than anything else under the heavens.

  * * *

  “Peace be unto you.”

  “And also unto you,” the congregation responded in unison to Father Gregory.

  He raised both hands high toward heaven. “Let us depart from this place with a spirit of peace and goodwill in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.”

  The priest left the altar and made his way up the center aisle. He marched slowly behind the servers bearing the cross, candles, and the book of the Gospels. Hands folded in front of him, he focused straight ahead as the organist played, filling the sanctuary with “For the Beauty of the Earth,” the recessional hymn.

  It had been a glorious mass, and Father Gregory’s sermon titled “Triumph Over Temptation” couldn’t have come at a better time for Royce. She had battled lust and other impure thoughts the previous week. She couldn’t rid her body or mind of her mounting magnetism toward Father Gregory no matter how hard she’d tried. And for that, she felt like a heathen.

  It was a blessing to be able to come into the house of the Lord to pray to God for forgiveness and to partake of Holy Communion for the cleansing of her sinful soul. But even as she’d sat in a pew close to the back of the church in the right wing, she struggled with desires of her flesh. At one point during the sermon, Royce had expected God to strike her with lightning for allowing her imagination to creep underneath Father Gregory’s white and gold chasuble. She could’ve sworn she was able to make out his firm pectoral and abdominal muscles through the fabric. No priest had any business with a body that damn fine.

  Thank God for the Scripture reading about Jesus’ temptation by Satan in the wilderness. Royce drew strength from what she’d heard. The words had enabled her to abandon her immoral thoughts and focus on the sermon being given by Father Gregory, her priest, instead of yearning for him as a delicious male specimen. She’d felt empowered and ready to fight all forms of temptation in the coming week. But now, watching Father Gregory’s towering, toned frame make its way up the center aisle, Royce’s forbidden fantasies had returned to her psyche for another visit. She was perplexed because she had never responded mentally or physically to a man the way she did to the new priest. It was just a silly crush, a brief phase, she’d told herself. But her heart and flesh mocked those words and struck her with the truth.

  As shepherd over the flock of Lord of the Harvest Roman Catholic Church, Father Gregory’s divine order was to nurture Royce’s soul. But if she were able to wish upon a star and be granted her most-desired wish, he would no longer be her priest. He would be her lover.

  Chapter Three

  “I read your next move. You’re too predictable.” Father Gregory shot the basketball he’d just stolen from Tyler straight through the hoop.

  “I’m left-handed. It’s hard for me to go to my right when I’m coming down the court.”

  “You’ll have to work hard and master it if you want to make the basketball team at your school.” Father Gregory threw a bounce pass, returning the ball to Tyler. “Now, let’s try it again.”

  For an hour, with very few breaks in between, they went at it up and down the court. Each time Tyler tried to drive to the basket, Father Gregory put great defensive pressure on the left side of his body, forcing him to maneuver to his right. Sixth-grade boys’ basketball tryouts at Saint Xavier’s Preparatory Academy were coming up next week. Father Gregory had promised Tyler and Royce that he would spend as much time as he could spare helping Tyler improve his skills on the court. After all, Father Gregory was a decent baller, having played from middle school all the way through high school. Two private colleges had offered him scholarships to play for them, but athletics was not a part of his life’s calling. His commitment to serve God and the church took precedence over everything else, including his personal life.

  Up until recently, Father Gregory had never questioned or given a second thought to the path he’d chosen. The idea of living a life outside the priesthood was inconceivable once upon a time. Serving God and the church under the sacred vow of celibacy was his destiny, or so he’d thought. Until he met Royce a few weeks ago, he was 100 percent certain that he had been created to become a priest. Now, he was confused and unsure about everything. His faith was shaken, and he had a troubled soul. Royce’s sudden entrance into his life was similar to a powerful tornado unexpectedly touching down on land in a small city. His world had been turned upside down.

  The kinds of dreams he’d once dreamed at night had changed. Gone were the visions of him preaching to the masses in the West Indies or feeding the starving children of Kenya. His heavenly vision of meeting and spending quality time with Pope Francis had vanished, too. Royce’s beautiful face and shapely body continuously invaded his dreams now. Every night she came to him in an erotic fantasy filled with a sizzling sexual encounter that snatched him from his sleep with a full erection and his body drenched with perspiration. Each dream was vivid and so lifelike. Father Gregory could actually feel Royce’s soft hands exploring his body, stroking his hard penis, giving him pleasure. Her moans of fulfillment caressed his ears as his body thrust in and out of hers during their steamy lovemaking. He was convinced that he could taste Royce
’s chocolate nipples and smell the savory scent of her liquid desire in the air. As real as the dreams all seemed, they were sinful and shameful yet passionate and gratifying to his body and mind. The conflicting feelings of enjoying the nighttime fantasies while loathing the guilt and disgrace they caused left him torn.

  Daybreak wasn’t much kinder to Father Gregory. The sunlight did nothing to erase thoughts of Royce from his mind. Constantly throughout the day, he had to remind himself that he was in the Lord’s house, where visions about making love were unacceptable. He would immerse himself into his work at the church, trying his best to recapture some semblance of his once calm and uneventful life as a priest. His days of tranquility, unwavering faith, and a strong commitment to his vow of celibacy seemed like a part of his past. It had all been replaced by fear, uncertainty, and the question of why the Roman Catholic Church would forbid a priest to take a wife.

  Marriage was honorable in the sight of God. It was a holy ordinance. Eve had been created for the sole purpose of fulfilling Adam’s needs. The Almighty knew it was not good for man to walk the earth alone without a mate. If the Creator sanctioned marriage, who was Man to disallow it for others? Father Gregory never in the past had questioned his church’s policy against a priest’s right to marry. He had simply accepted it as a sacred law that strengthened a man of the cloth’s commitment to God and the church. Today he wasn’t so sure about his belief in the marriage of a priest to his bride, the church. It no longer seemed sensible. And he was certain it wasn’t natural.

  Father Gregory took his eyes off the road for a few seconds to sneak a peek at Tyler. The child was sweating profusely after their basketball training session. His head was thrown back as he gulped down a sports beverage from a huge bottle. Like many times before, the priest wanted to ask Tyler about the man he’d seen embracing Royce on her stoop that night of the Hawks game. Was he her boyfriend? He wasn’t her fiancé. Father Gregory knew that for sure. There was no ring on Royce’s left ring finger. Any man in his right mind who’d been blessed with a woman like her for a fiancée would have marked his territory with the biggest and most expensive diamond money could buy. No, the mystery man on Royce’s stoop that evening was not her fiancé, but he could be one day. He wasn’t a priest bound by a manmade tradition that prohibited him from ever marrying a beautiful woman or filling her womb with his seed to bear his children. The thought was unsettling in his spirit, and he didn’t care to dwell on it.

  “Will your aunt be home by the time we get there?”

  “I think so. Why?”

  The question, although totally innocent, made Father Gregory squirm uncomfortably in his seat. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and smiled at Tyler. “I feel better whenever I leave your house knowing you’re under the supervision of your aunt. That’s why.”

  “I feel you. Hey, Auntie Royce said if I make the basketball team, she’ll let me have a sleepover so I can celebrate with a few of my friends. I can only invite five guys over, though. Rico, my best friend, is coming for sure.”

  “You should make the team, Tyler. Your game has improved. We’ll practice again Friday after we deliver commodities to the elderly in the Wilshire Retirement Village. That is, if your aunt approves. Ask her and let me know.”

  “Oh, she’ll approve. Auntie Royce isn’t mad at me anymore for the way I acted when I saw her with that dude. She said I was very rude and disrespectful. But I didn’t mean to be. I just don’t want her to have a boyfriend.”

  “So, was the guy your aunt’s boyfriend?”

  “No!” Tyler snapped. “He’s just a friend. They hang out sometimes while our cousin, Andra, watches me, but I had never met him before. I guess I was surprised to see him, and it made me mad.”

  “Why are you so protective of your aunt?” Father Gregory probed with deep curiosity and concern.

  “I’m responsible for her while my mom and dad are away. My grandparents down in Thomasville said I’m the man of the house while I’m living there or until she finds a husband.” Tyler turned to his priest. “I don’t want Auntie Royce to get married. Some men aren’t nice to women.”

  “There are lots of good men out there who would treat your aunt like a queen if given the opportunity. Maybe she hasn’t met the right one yet.”

  “If you weren’t a priest, you could date her. I would like that because you’re cool and I like you. I know you would never hurt Auntie Royce like that loser, Marlon, did.”

  “Who is Marlon, Tyler, and what did he do to your aunt?”

  The boy turned to stare out the window. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  * * *

  Royce self-consciously pulled the hem of her lavender T-shirt down over her hips and leggings. She stepped aside to allow Tyler and Father Gregory into the house. “I wasn’t expecting company. Please excuse the way I’m dressed.” She gave Tyler a kiss on the cheek as he crossed over the threshold. Then she quickly moved backward, careful not to touch Father Gregory. Royce didn’t trust herself not to do something totally unladylike. The front door closed with a light thud.

  “I just wanted to deliver your nephew safely to your doorstep. I’m sure he’s famished. He burned a lot of energy on the basketball court today.”

  “Well, lucky for him, I left work early this afternoon so I could come home and prepare his favorite meal.”

  “Did you really, Auntie?” Tyler’s eyes grew wide with excitement.

  Royce couldn’t help but laugh. “I sure did, sweetie. Go and wash up while I fix your plate.”

  “I’ll leave you two to eat and enjoy each other’s company.”

  “No, Father Gregory, you should stay. You’ve got to taste Auntie Royce’s famous shrimp scampi and scallop linguine. It’s the best.”

  “I’m sure Father Gregory has other plans for the evening. You know how busy priests are, honey,” Royce said, running her fingers through her nephew’s curly hair. She held her breath, hoping she was right about Father Gregory’s schedule. She didn’t want him in her private domain any longer than necessary. He was an invited guest in her dreams every night. She enjoyed him in her bedtime fantasies. But she didn’t see a need for the physical torture his presence at her dinner table would inflict on her sex-deprived body.

  “Come on, Father Gregory. You have to eat something, so you might as well eat the best seafood pasta in the world right here with us.”

  Royce noticed conflict straining the priest’s countenance. He wanted to stay and have dinner with them, but something was holding him back from accepting the invitation. What was up with him?

  “It does smell good,” he finally said with a sexy smile on his face. “My mouth is watering. How can I refuse such delicious-smelling food?”

  “Yes!” Tyler pumped his fist in the air. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to wash my face and hands.”

  Chapter Four

  “Tyler, it’s time to take a shower, honey. You have school tomorrow. And I’ll bet Father Gregory has something more important to do tonight than play video games with you. Lots of people depend on him. Who knows when a church emergency might require his attention?”

  “We’ve got to play one more game to break the tie, Auntie Royce. I promise just one more game.”

  Royce folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the doorjamb, watching her nephew and their priest battle it out in a game of NBA 2K17. Dinner had been a smooth and pleasant experience. The food was exceptional, she had to humbly admit. Tyler had dominated the mealtime conversation, mostly talking about school and basketball. A few times during dinner, Royce had caught Father Gregory staring at her from across the table. She had only noticed him checking her out because she’d taken frequent peeks at him as well. His penetrating gaze caused her body to shudder with nervousness and rise in temperature. It could’ve very well been Royce’s imagination, but she thought she’d detected a hint of something in the depths of his ebony orbs that was akin to desire.

  No one had ever accused
her of having an inflated ego or being arrogant because of her good looks before. But she could usually tell when a man had the hots for her. She was seldom wrong when it came to reading a male admirer’s vibe. Then again, it was Father Gregory, her priest. He could’ve been praying for God to bless her home because of the hospitality she’d extended to him. Or he may have been in deep meditation. Royce had no idea, but something in his eyes, smile, and body language had pushed all of her feminine heat buttons whether he’d intended to or not. Tonight’s dream would be hotter than all of the ones before it. The priest’s invasion of her home, and him sporting a navy and white jogging suit that displayed more of his magnificent physique than she’d been prepared to see, would no doubt take her nighttime fantasies to a brand-new level of heat.

  Waterloo, Sierra Leone

  West Africa

  “Once again, you’re allowing your overactive imagination to get you all riled up.”

  “No, I’m not, Eric. You didn’t hear Royce’s voice. She sounded bubbly, almost animated. You wouldn’t have thought she was talking about her priest. She was raving on and on like she was talking about a man.”

  Dr. Eric Benson reached over and took his wife’s hand as they walked side by side down the hall of the small medical clinic. He stopped in his stride and held her in place. “Royce is a sensible chick. She would never make a move on a holy man, and if he were to ever make a pass at her, she would shut him down immediately. So, stop worrying about nothing, okay?”

  “I have a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something ain’t quite right. I understand why the new priest is spending time with Tyler. We agreed he needed counseling. But why is the man eating dinner at Royce’s kitchen table and washing her car?”

  “He ate dinner with them twice. Both times were after basketball drills. Father Gregory helped Tyler wash Royce’s car when he arrived early to pick him up for the youth dance at the church. What’s the big deal?” Eric removed his keys from the pocket of his white lab coat and unlocked the door to his office.