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

Jefferson took Micah’s shoulders gently. “I promise we’ll return even before that. But I can’t leave things as they are right now.”


He sighed, nodding in resignation. “You would not be the man I know you to be if you denied your instincts.” Closing the distance, he tilted his head back to brush a kiss across Jefferson’s mouth. He hoped it showed his trust in Jefferson, if not the people who surrounded him.


Jefferson grinned as Micah stepped back. “I hope you’re not trying to distract me.”


“Not this time.” He pressed a soft kiss to Micah’s forehead, then reached behind him to push the door open. “But don’t let that discourage you from future attempts.”


Chapter 85