Student of letters, Micah Yardley wants one thing: to meet the poet Jefferson Dering. After hearing his idol speak at Harvard, Micah travels to Jefferson’s home in nearby Wroxham, entertaining visions of discussing poetry over dinner and drinks. What he experiences exceeds anything he ever anticipated.<br><br>Jefferson finds Micah mesmerizing and passionate, everything he has ever wanted. But after getting caught in a compromising position with another young man a decade earlier, he exiled himself from Boston and from affairs of the heart. Jefferson represses his longing for Micah, but his tumultuous emotions cannot be contained.<br><br>Micah denies the truth of his desire for Jefferson. Jefferson refuses to act on his passion for Micah. But all it takes is a single kiss in Wroxham's haunted church to change the course of their lives ... and ignite the flame that could fulfill a generations-old promise.

A Hidden Beauty

Micah responded to Jefferson’s kiss, dipping his tongue into Jefferson’s mouth, mimicking Jefferson’s slow, thorough investigation. Jefferson’s hands drifted down Micah’s body until they reached his hips, and he gripped Micah firmly, holding him in place. He felt something hard against his thigh, and realized it was Jefferson’s erection, the undeniable proof of his arousal. Jefferson shifted his weight, grinding the bulge in his pants against Micah’s body.


Jefferson’s arousal. Rubbing against…


The heat of his blood doused as quickly as snuffing out a candle. His shaft was as hard as Jefferson’s, throbbing with its own life. Because he was kissing Jefferson.


Panic raced through his veins. Letting go of Jefferson’s neck, Micah braced his palms against Jefferson’s chest and pushed, grateful when it broke the connection between them and left him panting against the wall. “What are you doing?” Was that raspy voice his? “Why?”


Chapter 27