by Cecilia Gray
“I didn’t really want those things,” she said.
“You wanted escape,” he said, echoing back the words she’s spoken to him.
“That’s not all,” she said. Her heart thudded in her chest. Could she trust Phillip with her heart? Could she tell him her most hidden desire?
“What is it, Franny?”
She tried to answer but she couldn’t say the words. What if she did and he laughed? What if he threw back his head on a chuckle and told her she was naive?
“Franny, please,” he persisted. “If you don’t want us to end up like the duke and your mother, then please don’t curse our marriage with the silence that befell theirs.”
“I want you to love me,” she blurted.
He blinked. “Franny-”
“No - don’t say it,” she said. She tried to pull away, feeling foolish, but his arm came around her like bands of steel. “Don’t say it. Don’t - not if you don’t mean it.”
“You don’t want me to say that I love you,” he repeated slowly.
“You’ll say it because it’s your duty,” she said.
He cupped her cheeks in his hands. “It absolutely is my duty.”
Her muscles seized at his statement. She wanted to pull away but he held her fast.
“It is my honor.” He kissed her forehead. “It is my absolute responsibility.” He kissed her cheek. “It is everything I am and everything I have wanted to be. Loving you is, for me, Franny. It just is what I am.”
With each kiss, with each word, Francesca felt her heart swell and melt and her resistance chip away bit by bit. “I am an idiot,” she declared.
“Fortunately for you, our marriage vows preclude I would remain married to you under these circumstances.”
“Watch your tongue or you shall get worse,” she said with a smile.
“And you, Franny?” he asked. He swallowed hard. She felt his hands tremble at her cheeks like he was frightened of her answer.
It was her turn to hold his face in her hands. Her whole life, her whole happiness, was between her fingers. It was a heady thought and most of all, it was a freeing thought. She blinked back a tear of relief. “I love you. Of course I love you.”
He rested his forehead against hers.
“Will you shake on it?” he asked, drawing her lower lip into his mouth.
She captured his kiss on a sigh. “Delightfully.”
The End
* * *
The complete Gentlemen Next Door Series is available—get it now!
A Delightful Arrangement
An Illicit Engagement
A Dangerous Expectation
A Flirtatious Rendezvous
Characters you meet in The Gentlemen Next Door also appear in the Kiss A Belle series. Secrets of the past will become very much present as arrangements are made and proposals fly in this charming, Regency-style series. While each book can be enjoyed as a standalone, you may want to read them all. Books 1–3 occur concurrently and can be read in any order; Books 4 and 5 follow respectively.
Kiss Me After
Kiss Me Darkly
Kiss Me Sweetly
Kiss Me Softly
Kiss Me Again
Cecilia’s Booklist
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
The Gentlemen Next Door
A lady in need of love need look no further than next door
The Complete Series
A Delightful Arrangement
An Illicit Engagement
A Dangerous Expectation
A Flirtatious Rendezvous
Kiss A Belle
Everyone has kissed someone, but who has kissed whom?
The Complete Series
Kiss Me After
Kiss Me Darkly
Kiss Me Sweetly
Kiss Me Softly
Kiss Me Again
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Small Town Jane
Coming in 2017!
Impulses (Emma—Christmas)
Illusions (Northanger Abbey—Easter)
Insensibilities (Sense and Sensibility—Halloween)
Impressions (Pride and Prejudice—Valentine’s Day)
Innuendos (Mansfield Park—Summer)
Intimacies (Persuasion—Thanksgiving)
YOUNG ADULT CONTEMPORARY
The Jane Austen Academy
“A unique twist on a classic.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred
Romantic Times Book Review Magazine “What’s Hot” Pick!
Fall For You (Lizzie—Pride and Prejudice)
So Into You (Ellie—Sense and Sensibility)
When I’m With You (Kat—Northanger Abbey)
Suddenly You (Fanny—Mansfield Park)
Only With You (Emma—Emma)
Always You (Anne—Persuasion)
Then Came You (Wickham—coming soon!)
Drawn
Drawn
Traced (coming soon!)
About Cecilia
Cecilia Gray writes sweet stories about smart girls and nice guys.
When she isn’t writing, she’s into books, movies, TV, food, and hanging out with her friends. Subscribe to her newsletter for updates on new releases, sneak peeks, and giveaways.
