European cuisine at its finest was how critics were touting it, and when Julien kissed Lise on either cheek and waved goodbye, Priest couldn’t help but think Julien Thornton was a European male at its finest.
It’d been nearly a year since the two of them had officially started dating, and as he watched Lise drive away, and Julien walk around the side of his restaurant to where he’d parked his car, Priest wiped his hands on his pants and told himself to breathe.
He was nervous. In fact, he’d never been more nervous about anything in his life, as he watched the man he loved come to a stop in the empty parking lot and look around.
There were four floodlights that lit up the new parking area, and as Julien stood under one of them, he turned to his left and then his right, before shaking his head. Priest smirked and thought Julien just might kill him for this, but was hoping what came next would make up for it.
Priest pulled his cell phone out and brought up Julien’s number, then he hit call and waited. Julien’s cell began to ring, and he frowned, shoved his hand into his pocket, and fished it out. When he brought it to his ear, Priest braced himself for the impact.
“Salut, Joel,” Julien said, and the frustration in his voice took nothing away from the sensual cadence of it. Even pissed off, Julien sounded like he was trying to seduce you.
“Well,” Priest said, and chuckled, “that wasn’t exactly the kind of greeting I was expecting tonight. Especially when we’ve barely seen each other all week.”
“I know, I’m sorry,” Julien said. “But you won’t believe this. Someone has stolen my car.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Non. I’m not kidding. I’m standing here at the back of JULIEN in an empty fucking parking lot. Bordel, Joel. I knew I should’ve waited to open until after I got the security cameras installed.”
Yes, Priest thought, he was guilty of two things: taking shameless advantage of the fact he knew Marcus, the security guy Julien had hired, and asking him ever so nicely to maybe be booked until Monday—and, of course, he was guilty of…stealing Julien’s car.
“Shit, Julien,” Priest said, as he opened the door of Julien’s Porsche Boxster and climbed out. “I mean, what kind of reprobate would steal your car?”
“I don’t know,” Julien said as he started to pace, too caught up in his annoyance to realize what was really going on. “I locked all the doors, and you’d think with the way this place is lit up, someone would’ve seen something.”
“You’d think so,” Priest said as he leaned back against the vehicle and crossed his arms and legs. “Maybe the person who took it is just a really good…thief.”
As that final word left Priest’s mouth, Julien’s feet stopped and he slowly pivoted, scanning the parking lot. “Where are you?”
Priest was happy to hear, and see, the smile on Julien’s face as he watched from his spot in the dark alley alongside the restaurant. “In the neighborhood, of course. That’s where friendly car thieves hang out. Isn’t it?”
Julien chuckled, and Priest smiled in automatic response. He was ridiculously in love with this man, the one who’d entered his life in such a brazen way.
“I wouldn’t know. It’s been a while since I met one.”
“Me too,” Priest said, and then clicked the locks, making the headlights of the Porsche blink. Julien turned in his direction. “But there was this one I met, some time ago, and I can’t seem to get him out of my mind.”
“Vraiment?”
“Yes, really,” Priest said, understanding most of the words and phrases Julien used around him, and as Julien began walking his way, Priest’s heart beat a little faster with every step. “He has eyes the color of gemstones, rich and vibrant, and they darken whenever I’m inside him.”
“And how often is that?”
“Not as often as I’d like lately.”
“That’s a shame,” Julien said when he finally reached the curb, stepped up on it, and crossed the grass, heading straight for Priest. “It sounds like you really have a thing for this…thief.”
Priest nodded. “I think I might,” he said, as Julien finally crossed the dark alley. “But you know what they say about playing with thieves, right?”
When Julien stopped in front of him, he lowered his phone and ran his eyes over Priest’s black shoes, matching trousers, and button-up shirt, until he landed on his face. “What’s that?”
Priest pushed off from the car and whispered above Julien’s lips, “Be careful, because they just might steal your heart.”
“Joel…” Julien sighed and tilted his head for a kiss.
But before their lips met, Priest said, “Marry me.” Julien sucked in a breath, and Priest took his chin between his fingers. “I know we aren’t traditional by any stretch of the imagination, but”—Priest ran his fingers along the line of Julien’s throat—“I love you. I want this, you, forever, Julien.”