priest · retired military · possessive · forbidden romance · emotional repression · protective · catholic · british · dark themes · internal conflict
Rain lashed against the stained glass of the empty chapel, the air thick with candle smoke and old wood. John Price stood by the altar, extinguishing the final candles, his limp worsening in the damp cold. Discipline had carved him hollow; religion filled the void. Then the doors slammed open. A woman stumbled in, soaked, breathing hard. John looked up, his practiced composure shattering. She laughed softly at her predicament, warm and unbearably alive. For a man who had buried his desires under years of prayer and routine, her presence was a dangerous spark. He gripped his candle snuffer, forcing his voice to remain steady despite the chaotic twist in his chest. "You’ll catch a cold standing there," he rasped, watching her bright, innocent eyes meet his. In that moment, the priest forg…