Thanks for stopping by my First Kiss Friday blog. Please welcome my guest Maeve Greyson who has an excerpt from her book To Steal A Duke. This cover is just stunning. We hope you enjoy this first kiss scene. Happy reading, my lovelies.
Excerpt:
“You…do not…understand,” she hiccuped, then released another long, high-pitched cry.
“Then make me understand. I am not leaving, remember?”
She didn’t answer, just remained silent except for her weeping. But she stayed in his arms, curled on his lap, and for that, he was glad. He hoped neither Lady Sophie nor Lady Ardsmere came searching for her. Calming Celia was his honor alone, and he would guard that honor fiercely.
After a while, she resettled herself until her head rested on his shoulder. He enjoyed sitting like this and hoped it lasted quite some time. Eventually, she hitched in several quick sniffs, then slowly pushed herself upright, but kept her gaze downcast as if ashamed to look him in the eyes. She swiped at his chest as though trying to brush away nonexistent crumbs. “I fear I have completely dampened your shirt. Please forgive me.”
He reached up and touched her face, running his thumb across her cheek to wipe away the trails of her tears. “Will you forgive me for our misunderstanding in the park?”
A corner of her mouth quivered upward as though she wanted to smile but wasn’t quite ready. “Yes, my lord. I forgive you.”
“Elias,” he reminded her softly while gently pulling her closer.
“Elias,” she repeated, as though entranced. Her lips parted as her gaze lowered to his mouth, and she pulled in a shaking breath. “Are you going to kiss me?”
“If you will allow it.”
“I will,” she whispered, then leaned in and hesitantly touched her lips to his. She halted and drew back the slightest bit. “But be warned—I have only read about kissing. Never have I put it into practice.”
“Then let us test your comprehension of the literature you studied.” He slid his fingers up into her thick, loosely bound hair and cradled her head as he tilted her back. Starting slowly, so as not to frighten her, he nibbled gently across the soft suppleness of her mouth and tasted her with teasing flicks of his tongue. She surprised him by sliding her arms around his neck and opening to him, pulling him in as if starving, to commit fully to the union.
He tightened his embrace and poured every ounce of his yearning into it. She tasted of wonderment, need, and passion waiting to be unleashed. The soft weight of her on his lap combined with her mouth against his made him groan, then stop himself before doing something rash. This was not the proper time for anything more than a heated kiss. To take advantage of the lovely Celia now, when she was at her most vulnerable, would be an unforgivable disgrace and make him appear to be a rakehell of the worst sort. His Celia deserved better.
“Why did you stop, my lord?” Her breathy whisper almost made him groan again. “Did I botch the kiss?”“Absolutely not.” He cupped her cheek and tenderly stroked his thumb across the plump swell of her bottom lip. “Your kissing is beyond compare.”
To Steal a Duke
The Sisterhood of Independent Ladies – Book One
By Maeve Greyson
She didn’t steal. She simply took what was rightfully hers—including his heart.
Charles, Duke of Hasterton, admired and respected for his cunning business acumen both at home and abroad has an astounding secret. He is imaginary. But his brilliant twin sister Cecilia is quite real. She was born in Germany after her father died and taught to guard the title, wealth, and power like the rare stolen treasure that it is. After all, as a daughter, she could never inherit the dukedom legally.
Cecilia and her mother cultivate the ruse of the fictional duke quite nicely. Everybody who is anybody in London believes His Grace resides with them at their stunning residence in Germany. Their acquaintances in Germany believe the pretend peer is always in London or traveling the world over. But when Cecilia’s mother falls victim to a grave illness and begs to visit her beloved London one last time, even though it’s risky, Cecilia can’t refuse her. But her mother can’t travel alone, and Cecilia refuses to entertain superficial men pining for nothing more than her dowry. So, she poses as her mother’s companion to ensure their elaborate farce remains safe. While everyone is told Lady Cecilia remained in Germany because of frail health, Miss Celia Bening, companion to the dowager duchess, enjoys the freedom to handle whatever arises—or at least, she tries.
Lord Elias Raines might be the second son of a duke and the youngest solicitor in his law office, but he’s proven himself so capable and talented that when his mentor dies, he’s promoted to partner and assigned to the rich, influential clients cared for by the man who taught him everything he knows. Well, almost everything. His dearly departed advisor failed to mention some of the peculiarities in the Duke of Hasterton’s file. Elias’s requests for the duke to review the oddities have, so far, gone unanswered. Luckily enough, he discovers the duke’s mother is in London. While decorum demands he wait for answers from the duke, he can’t refrain from digging deeper when the dowager duchess requests he draw up her will with a suspiciously generous endowment for her companion, the lovely Miss Celia, an intriguing woman who drives him mad with desire.
Delightful, passionate, and at times heartbreaking, a merry chase is had by all until a lifetime of secrets explodes. Elias must make a choice—help Cecilia devise a plan to protect the world she and her mother so carefully crafted or end their illegal scheme and escort them both to the prison.
Only one can win: his profession or his heart—until a third option too terrible to imagine rears its ugly head and makes the choice for them both.
INTERNATIONAL BUY LINK: https://books2read.com/tostealaduke
About the Author:
USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Multiple RONE Award winner, HOLT Medallion Finalist 2022 and 2023.
Maeve Greyson’s mantra is this: No one has the power to shatter your dreams unless you give it to them.She and her husband of over forty years traveled around the world while in the U.S. Air Force. Now they’re settled in rural Kentucky where Maeve writes about her courageous Highlanders and the fearless women who tame them. When she’s not plotting the perfect snare, she can be found herding cats, grandchildren, and her husband—not necessarily in that order.
Social Media Links:
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