The Divine Temptation (18+) (Forbidden Priest Romance)

3. Rosy plump lips (Edited)

'Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.'

Matthew 26:41

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Gabriel

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"There you've had your show," Evangeline shouts. The entire square is silent as they stare in her direction. As she walks off, she lifts her right arm in the air and raises her middle finger, directing it at everyone. A quiet set of gasps makes its way around the crowd. "What's that all about?" I turn and ask my father. "Nothing to concern yourself with, boy," he snuffs out any possibility of me asking him any other questions. Instead, he simply shakes his head and his brows furrow, as rather than answer the question at hand, he's moving the conversation to Evangeline's faith.

"She's a troubled young woman, which is why I hope that some time spent helping you down at the church will help bring her back to her faith."

"Is she not a believer?" I ask.

"No, not anymore, it seems. She was an active participant of the church growing up, but she seems to have lost her way over the past couple of years." I don't question my father regarding Evangeline or her faith. To the contrary, I don't consider her lack of belief a concern to myself.

The gasps have now subdued to hushed voices, as everyone speaks amongst themselves, a sliver of tension blanketing the square. As I watch Evangeline walk in the direction of what I assume is home, I can't help but recognise how captivated I feel by her presence. When she walked into the square, both my body and eyes gravitated to her instantly as the sunlight adorned her in nature's spotlight. She was wearing a light blue floral dress, decorated with small daisies. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, a few single strands sticking to the back of her neck and face, presumably slightly wet from the hot weather. She was confident in her own company as she walked around the green, her eyes closed for brief moments as she basked in the summer sun.

She was beautiful.

Her hair was dark brown, but sprinkled with silver strands. However, weirdly enough, she wasn't old. If anything, she was younger than myself. The shade of her hair made her predominantly green hazel eyes stand out, among other things, such as her smooth, pale, blemish-free, olive-toned skin, and her rosy plump lips.

"Would you mind if I leave early? I want to get a start on moving things into the office for tomorrow," I say, distracting myself from my ever-so-developing thoughts. My father refused to move any of his precious belongings out of his house until he had his final service. He said it boiled down to leaving prematurely, which would result in bad luck. In addition to the now undecorated office, I no longer found myself in the mood to be around my father, nor really anyone for that matter, especially with the now awkward turn of events. It was evident that there was a certain animosity towards her from the people that live here, based on the exchange between Bethany and Evangeline. I contemplate asking her about it later today.

My father then clears his throat before sticking his swollen fingers into his pocket and pulling out a set of keys. Clearly not managing his blood pressure if they were now this swollen.

It was one of the reasons for his early departure. His health was now slowly declining, developing not only high blood pressure but also diabetes and early heart disease. He was a walking time bomb, and I don't think anyone would appreciate it if he were to keel over the pulpit. Death by sermon wouldn't particularly go down well here.