He had been like that for years.
Diane felt a little guilty. All she wanted was a little bit of freedom, but the thought of getting it with her father looking over her shoulder didn’t sit well with her. Gilbert said he was looking after her because he loved her, and Diane believed him.
She just wished that he could properly trust her. Diane was not stupid, and how was she supposed to show that he could trust her if he wouldn’t give her an opportunity?
“That was a beautiful service.”
Diane gasped and spun around. He was here. The Chris Hemsworth-lookalike was standing in the doorway, giving her a smile that made Diane’s insides feel like they were melting.
For a moment, she panicked. He couldn’t be here; this was not where non-church members should be. She should be telling him to leave.
But Diane also found that she wanted to stay. What was wrong with her?
“How…how did you get back here?” She squeaked. Goodness, what was wrong with her voice? She coughed and tried again. “You’re not supposed to be back here.”
“Nobody told me. I was having a look around the place, and I found you,” his smile widened as he looked her up and down, “I seem to be very good at that.”
Diane didn’t know what to say to that. She knew that he was flirting with her, that much was clear, but she didn’t know how to respond. She licked her lips, and it was like his gaze focused on her mouth.
Why did he have to do that?
“You’re a great singer,” he went on, “like hearing an angel.”
“I…, thank you,” Diane swallowed. “I…, I think you need to leave. I don’t want to get into trouble talking to you.”
“Talking to another person will get you into trouble? You’re not a child, Diane.”
“How do you know my name?”
His eyes glinted.
“I overheard you and your friend talking.”
“You were eavesdropping?”
“I heard voices, and then I realized one of them was yours. I just got curious,” he approached her and held out his hand, “Gregory Benjamin.”
“The real estate mogul?”
“You’ve heard of me?”
“I think everyone’s heard of you. But I didn’t think you lived around here.”
“My main residence, and my main office, are in Boise, but I have a second home here in Cascade, along with the recently-opened offices. I spend a lot of time here while I’m sorting things out,” that smile of his was almost devilish, “and I’m certainly enjoying the sights.”
His hand was still out towards her, and Diane had almost forgotten her manners. She grasped his hand very briefly, and then let go, feeling the warmth from her fingers spread over her hand and up her arm. She had to get out of there.
“Nice to meet you,” she mumbled. Grabbing her bag and coat, she ducked around him, giving Gregory a wide berth. “I have to go. Just…just make sure you go back to the front of the church. My father won’t be happy that you’re back here.”
“Your father?”
“Pastor Gilbert. The one taking the service.”
“Oh, I will. A pastor’s daughter,” Gregory’s gaze was taking its sweet time drifting over her body. How many times had he done that since he had come in? “That’s a title that suits you.”
Diane didn’t want to hear anymore! She couldn’t. Ducking her head, she practically ran out of the room. She didn’t stop until she entered the office, trying not to slam the door behind her. Then she sagged against it, her heart racing.
She must have looked like a fool, running away from a man like that. He had to think she was rather simple for behaving the way she did. If she had found her usual confidence, Diane would have sent him a way with a flea in his ear.
And she just couldn’t. It was like his good looks had made that disappear, and she was left a simpering mess.
It had to be a crime to be that good-looking.
*****
“You okay, Greg?”
Gregory looked away from the water.
“Sorry?”
“You’ve been staring over the water like it’s going to give you some answers,” Clint Baker peered at him, “you’ve been out of sorts since we met earlier. Are you, okay?”
Gregory thought about denying it and diverting attention away from his mood, but his best friend had known him for too long; he would know that something was wrong.
Sighing, Gregory pushed his fries around his plate.
“I think I’m going mad, Clint.”
Clint chuckled.
“Since when has that been a new thing?”
“This isn’t funny, Clint. I really feel like I’m going mad.”
Clint sliced into his steak and chewed on it for a moment.
“I think you’re going to have to start from the beginning. Otherwise, this is going to be rather confusing, and I’m not in the mood for cryptic clues at this time of the day.”
Gregory wasn’t in the mood for being cryptic, either. His head was still turning over his interactions with Diane. They had been brief, but that had been enough for him.
He wanted her. Badly. It had just been a case of harmless flirting the first time he saw her, mostly because he knew the limitations of what they could do if they were not on the same page with certain ideals.
Then he had listened to her sing. Touched her hand when she made a feeble attempt to shake his hand while holding onto him as little as she could. From the way, her cheeks flushed, and the flustered behavior after that, Gregory knew she was equally affected.
His cock had been at half-mast ever since, and Gregory had struggled to hide that from his mother as they left the church. He had ducked away and gone back to the office as soon as he could, trying to dive into work and ignore the way his body reacted to a mere slip of a girl who was trying to make it clear that she didn’t want anything to do with him.
And it didn’t work.