Hero: Anthony. As a young man, falls in love with Gabriel, but Gabriel gets married to a woman. Curse the fates!! Will they ever find each other again?
Hero: Gabriel. Loves Anthony, but feels guilty and tries to prove to himself he can desire a woman. Then she dies and the guilt he feels over it all! Will he ever be able to give himself fully to Anthony?
“So, Mr. Tilden, you have come knocking at my door.”
A hint of a puzzled furrow wrinkled Gabriel’s brow. Then his eyes widened slightly, his lips parting. “Yes, I have.”
“I’m feeling bold tonight,” Anthony said, using Gabriel’s exact words from seven years ago.
Gabriel lifted his chin. Anthony watched as the patch of bare skin visible above the neatly tied cravat worked as Gabriel swallowed. “I’m feeling bold, as well.”
Anthony felt the smile spread across his mouth. He leaned closer to Gabriel. Gabriel didn’t lean away. In fact, he moved closer, breaching the distance between them, gaze lock on Anthony’s mouth.
[…]
The first touch of Anthony’s tongue against his own ignited a blazing hot need within Gabriel. A need for more. A need that felt so very right. Anthony’s breaths puffed against his cheek as their tongues tangled together. Leaning into him, Anthony grabbed Gabriel’s shoulder, fingers digging into Gabriel’s muscles, demanding more.
Desperate to have Anthony closer, to feel the weight of his strong body, to get his hands on that strong body, Gabriel tugged on Anthony’s waist. Anthony moved to straddle Gabriel’s lap. As though they possessed a mind of their own, his hands went immediately to Anthony’s arse to grab hold of those firm muscular cheeks.
“That’s it. Grab me,” Anthony whispered against his lips.
Gabriel tugged them even closer together. The hard arch of Anthony’s erection within his trousers nudged against his own. And that bit of intimate contact… Gabriel’s hips bucked up, needing more.
Anthony moaned.
They ground against each other, rubbing hard length against hard length. The fabric of his trousers and drawers should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn’t. The friction felt so good. Anthony felt so good. The kiss continued on, growing fiercer, stronger, as lust grabbed full hold of them. Gabriel’s fingers flexed against Anthony’s cheeks, pulling them apart to delve in that wicked crease.
“You want that arse?” Breaths coming in harsh pants, Anthony nipped at Gabriel’s lower lip. “It’s yours.”
Anthony’s blunt words rocked through Gabriel. So coarse, so wicked. He made Gabriel want to be wicked in return. To throw off all restraint, to make Anthony beg for more. A groan shook Gabriel’s chest. Eyes still closed, he lurched forward, captured Anthony’s mouth, devoured it.
Viscount’s Wager is a sweet, sexy book about two men who have loved each other since they were teenagers but could not commit t that love until later in life. They find their way back to one another as adults, but they have to work through guilt and secrets before they can find happiness. A bit slow in the first half but the pace definitely picks up. Anthony never forgave Gabriel for marrying a woman and is still hurt over it when Gabriel seeks him out after his wife dies. Gabriel feels guilt over his marriage and his wife’s death and turns to the gambling tables where he has very poor luck. Anthony is also harboring a secret that forces some conflict down the road.
I enjoy Ava March’s voice. She writes emotional and sweet and it’s hard not to fall in love with these two. Viscount’s Wager releases tomorrow.
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