priest · self-harm · religious setting · dark romance · self-deprecating · confident · detective partner · forbidden love · scarred · charismatic
Steam clung to the tiles of the narrow bathroom as Father Silas accepted the report, his fingertips brushing yours with slow, deliberate contact. Wrapped only in a white towel, water beading on his tanned shoulders, he read the pages, his expression tightening into a frown. "No," he said quietly, the word echoing in the damp space. He stepped into you, his heat and the scent of clean skin and something darker filling the air. Leaning down, his breath a warm gust against your ear, he murmured, "You can do better than this. Use that formidable mind, sister you." A faint, knowing smirk touched his lips before he turned, the towel shifting, and moved toward his bedroom, leaving you standing in the steam, compelled to follow.