Vicente’s lips brushed mine softly, I could smell him and feel his hands tightening their grip on my shoulders. I had dreamt of this moment for so long and it was finally happening. I grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer to me and wanting to feel more of him. I wanted to touch him, taste him, be one with him. He kissed me harder and I knew that what I felt for him he felt for me too, he just needed to accept the truth in order to make me his. *** Vicente Hernández is a successful merchant that charms the ladies of Spain with his easy smile and boyish charm. He leaves women wanting for more but despite his passion for romance, he never commits to one lady. Ines Diaz is a young woman who has loved Vicente from afar for years. She arrived to Spain with her mother and father from the Caribbean when she was just a girl. Vicente had only ever seen the young Ines as a friend, but after an incident with a deadly pirate, a biased ex-lover and horrific storm that traps them together, he realizes that his devotion and care for Ines goes beyond anything he could have imagined.

“Davina, look at me.”Oliver touched my cheek with his gloved hand. Despite the fabric separating his skin from mine, I could still feel the heat from his fingers.Without wanting to, I leaned into his touch. It was impossible to deny my body what it so desperately wanted.It was him.Always him.“Don’t have me sweetheart,” Oliver said, his eyes welling with tears. “I couldn’t bear it if you of all people left me.”——————————————————————————-Oliver Thompson lived his life the only way he know how-absentmindedly.He loved his children, more than anything in the world. But having to had married a woman he did not love, and didn’t love him, was no way to live life. The one love he had was taken away from him and he thought of her only when he needed to feel warmth again.Davina Ross was a noble woman forced into the role of a governess. A man made it his mission to ruin her when she refused his advances. Her mother’s distant cousin offered to take her in and with a twist of events, she follows her new family and job to London where she meets a man she cannot stand.He is stubborn, hopeless and undeniably handsome. He too, can not stand her pride, need to be right at all times and obnoxious way she smiles when she is ready to be sarcastic.But neither can deny the undeniable attraction between them as well.

I looked at the woman in front of me. The woman I had loved for a whole year in silence. I felt my heart breaking watching her pull away from me and could feel her anger radiating off her. “Please don’t do this,” I said. Cecilia turned around to face the windows but then glared to me. Her bright green eyes that always reminded me of emeralds were full of tears and anger. “How can you ask that of me?” She screamed. “You knew exactly what you were signing up for when we started this. I am married. We were destined to keep our relationship a secret.” She continued to walk away from me and I desperately wanted to reach for her, to apologize and tell her she was right. But I couldn’t. I would not give in. One of us had to fight for what we had. “I can’t walk away from us Cecilia. I cannot continue to be with you in secret, not when I know that you deserve better. That I deserve better as well!” Cecilia ignored me, but I could see the tears running down her face. Why was she so stubborn? Why did she try to deny her self happiness by forcing herself to live in fear because of her husband? Her hateful and cold husband? ———————————————— Cecilia Campos is a young woman who was forced into a marriage by her mother. Her husband is a cold man who merely respects her and sees her as an object. With a year of being married to him, she grew accustomed to the lack of affection and convinced herself that she was not worthy of happiness. Her husband‘s best friend Gabriel Dupont on the other hand, loved her in secret. He would do anything for her, and she didn’t know.

“You are beautiful. Everything about you is beautiful.” My heart fluttered. He looked at me with fervent desire and there was lust in his voice. Despite my joy in hearing him declare his desire for me, I felt hurt. “You don’t have to lie Enrique.” I sat up straight and blinked away the tears in my eyes. “I have been lied to before. I have heard those pretty words time and time again. But I can’t stand being lied to by you too.” Enrique walked over to me. He knelt in front of me and held my hands. His dark eyes looked pained. “I would never lie to you Rachel..I cannot lie to the woman I adore.” I gasped, the intensity in his eyes and voice shocked me. “You adore me?” He smiled and nodded. “With my entire heart and soul.” —————————————————— Rachel Thompson had rejected proposals and dismissed advances from men for years. She refused to believe that any man could be genuinely interested in her. She had secret she was confident would make her undesirable. Enrique Cortez had taken joy in his bachelor life but when his father stepped back and let him be Viscount , he realized it was time for him to be the man his father wanted him to be. In search for a wife he ends up spending time with Rachel, the witty friend of his sister who asks him to help her find a man willing to sleep with her despite her deep hidden insecurity. As he does he realizes he wants to prove to her that she is desirable in every way.

“The nerve... the utter audacity of your actions Celeste.. they disgust me” The way he looked at me caused my heart to shatter into a million pieces. There was so much I wanted to explain, but I wouldn’t dare. It wasn’t my place to. “You wouldn’t understand Arthur.” “All I understand is that you’re marrying my brother.. you’re his now.” He clenched his jaw and fists. “And I should leave you alone.” His bright green eyes glowed as he walked towards me. His large hand caressed my cheek and I felt my heart quicken at his touch. “But I can’t... I don’t want to. I can’t give you up. Not you Celeste. Not ever.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Arthur and Celeste vowed to stay true to one another after a passionate summer before Arthur left to war. After 5 years he returns home to celebrate his older brother’s engagement only to find that the woman he loved is on his brother’s arm. They’re angry, confused, frustrated, anxious but most of all... they are completely and utterly in love with one another.