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

“I know.” He swiped his thumb over the wet tip, smearing the fluid there before sliding his palm down Micah’s shaft. “I know. I’ll never doubt that, Micah.”


His lips parted when Micah deepened the kiss, pressing their upper bodies together as their hands continued to move. Languid caresses of fingers and tongues, heat rising that had nothing to do with the memory of the fire. It banished the last of any fears or queries.


“I love you more than I ever thought possible,” Micah said against his mouth. “Thank you for such bounty.”


Micah’s gratitude swelled in Jefferson’s chest and spread through him. It was sincere and simple, and Jefferson could sense that he meant more. Jefferson chased the words in Micah’s mouth with his tongue, tracing his lips and teeth and the soft corners. He communicated his desire for more—more pressure, more friction, more everything—by squeezing Micah’s shaft gently and letting the edges of his teeth scrape across Micah’s lips.


Chapter 84