He grins. “Well, preacher,” he says, completely ignoring that Gabriel bit. “Of course we will be, but I was curious what you were doing for grub tonight?”
“Papa…”
Delilah steps forward with a worried look on her face, her arms still crossed over her chest. But Jeb just smiles and turns to pat her shoulder before looking back at me.
“The wife and I would surely love to have you to the house for Sunday dinner. It’d be our honor to break bread with you.”
My dinner plans consist of instant ramen noodles form the Winnebago’s microwave and as much whiskey as I can get my fucking hands on. Needless to say, interests are piqued. But then, my eyes swivel past him, to Delilah. Dripping wet, gorgeous as hell, sexy as fucking original sin Delilah. And he wants to invite me, the wolf, into his house? Oh this is a terrible idea.
I smile and shake my head. “I do thank you, sir, but respectfully—”
“Aww, please, preacher? It’d mean the world to me and the missus. Plus, our son, Paul, is actually a divinity school man, and he’s looking to start his own church. It’d make his whole month if you’d give him some encouragement. Oh, and Delilah here,” he beams. “Well, I know she’d love a chance to hear an honest man of God speak His word while we sup.”
I groan. Shit. Shit shit shit. This is a terrible idea. I need to say no, and I need to just keep my damn distance from this girl for the next week. But then Jeb reaches out and takes my damn hands in his.
“Please, preacher?”
God fucking damnit. I’m getting soft in my years.
I beam at him. “But of course, sir. I’d be my absolute pleasure.”
He grins. “Well hot damn!” Instantly, he covers his mouth. “My apologies, preacher.”
I stop myself from saying “No fucking problem,” but I just grin instead and tell him it’s fine.
“Seven okay for you? We’re forty-seven Ridge Street, just through downtown past the post office. It’s the white house with the blue door.”
“Well I’ll be seeing you then, Jeb,” I smile. “And I thank you kindly.”
Jeb grins, but Delilah is standing behind him, shifting on her feet nervously and definitely avoiding my eyes. This is a very, very bad idea. Beyond the fact that I want to rip that dress off, bend her over the edge of this tub, and fuck this girl silly, there’s the very real thought that she might crack in the middle of dinner and out me for the sinner I am. We might be halfway through a pot roast when she decides to tell the whole damn Somerset family that Preacher Gabriel’s big cock was hard when he laid hands on her in the baptism tank.
“See you then, preacher.”
Jeb shakes my hand and whirls, and then he’s off before I can say a damn thing or take back my agreement. Shit. I watch the two of them walk away back across the field, wondering how the hell I can get out of this without looking like a dipshit.
But suddenly, Delilah stops, and she turns back. It’s only fleeting, but her eyes land on mine, and when she realizes I’ve been looking at her, she blushes hotly. The sun catches her dress and shines right through the transparent damn thing, and for a second, I can see everything. I can see ever curve of her body with the translucent white dress glowing around her. And my cock throbs thick and hard all over again.
She blushes deeply, her eyes spark again, and then she quickly turns back and runs to catch up with her father.
Fuck.
She was never part of the plan, and this is temptation I never saw coming. I watch her walk back across that field with the Georgia sun glowing around her, and I groan.
She’s temptation, all right. She’s goddamn original sin, incarnate. She’s the fucking apple in the garden, and God help me, I’m going to eat her whole.