Page 14 of Robbin’ the Rich

Belle caught me draining the rest of my drink and immediately narrowed her eyes. “Oh no.”

“What?”

“Your face.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“It means you’re about to make questionable decisions with confidence.”

She wasn’t wrong. I slid off my barstool before I could overthink it.

Across the room, Micah leaned against the far end of the bar waiting for a drink, sleeves still rolled to his forearms. Up close, he looked even better. He was taller than I realized. His hands looked strong, and that sharp jaw was a nice contrast to his slightly messy blonde hair that looked dangerously touchable. And yes, I hated myself a little for noticing.

His gaze lifted as I approached. For one brief second, genuine surprise flashed across his face before that easy smile returned.

“Guess I should start going to church more often,” I said with a practiced confidence.

I stopped in front of him and let my eyes drift deliberately down the white priest collar.

“I’m pretty sure there’s a rule about priests tempting nuns.” His mouth twitched immediately. “Although,” he said, leaning slightly closer, “I’m pretty sure you’re the one dressed like a sinful thought.”

Heat flashed through me.

The bar was loud enough that conversation required leaning close, bodies naturally drifting nearer through the packed crowd. Music thumped around us while Halloween chaos swirled in every direction, but somehow Micah’s attention felt completely fixed on me.

“I gotta say,” he murmured, “this is not what I expected when I picked this costume.”

“What, the religious sexual tension?”

“That exactly, yes.”

I laughed softly before I could stop myself. Up close, he smelled unfairly good. Something warm and woodsy beneath sweat and stage lights, like cedar and amber and bad decisions.

My eyes caught briefly on the edge of dark ink disappearing beneath the sleeve rolled at his forearm. I wanted to know what the rest looked like.

“You know,” I said, voice lowering slightly as I leaned closer to his ear, trying to talk over the loud music, “your whole thing is extremely confusing for someone dressed like a priest.”

His breath hitched. Actually hitched. Oh, I liked that.

Micah turned his head slightly toward mine, close enough now that I could feel the warmth of him.

“You’re not exactly helping,” he said quietly.

The tension between us tightened so suddenly it almost startled me. There was no awkwardness, just immediate chemistry humming hot beneath every glance and word.

Well then. I tipped my head slightly, studying him for one long second before making the kind of impulsive decision that usually ended either very well or catastrophically. Honestly, fifty-fifty odds.

“Come home with me,” I said.

Micah answered so fast it nearly overlapped my sentence.

“Yes.”

I blinked. Then I laughed. “Oh my god,” I said. “You didn’t even pretend to think about it.”

“I’ve been preparing spiritually for this moment all night.”

“That feels inappropriate given the costume.”