A Perfect Storm Read Free

of two men in love would not shock or repulse her.
    With a nod, Sophie murmured, “Go on.”
    “The duke was apparently in love with his wife’s younger brother,” Lucien shared. “This young man was apparently a reader and a dreamer. The duchess invited her brother to live with them, and the duke found him charming, witty, and intelligent. It seems they became lifelong friends.”
    “Did they become lovers?” Sophie asked, making eye contact once more. “Is that why the duke had to leave his country?”
    Lucien shrugged. “There is no written evidence they were ever anything more than friends who spent a great deal of time in each other’s company. The wife accompanied the duke to America, along with the brother. She lived here as well, so one could speculate the duke and the wife’s brother’s relationship never became sexual.”
    Sophie turned slowly in a circle, and Lucien watched her gaze land on every stone within her sight. “They were soul mates, though,” she murmured.
    “I would say so.” Lucien kept his voice low too, even as his heart hammered with every moment he watched Sophie entrench herself into his world. “One doesn’t commission a castle like this for someone he only considers a friend.”
    Facing him, Sophie began walking backward again. “You have evidence to prove the intimate relationship between these men and the inspiration behind the castle?”
    “Possibly. I have various documents and journals, as well as some correspondences I tracked down from the architect and his apprentice. The two of them comment many times on the odd ”—Lucien put his fingers in the quote formation—“friendship between the two men.”
    Sophie’s stare narrowed. “This is the story about Ravenstoke you really want told.” She came to a stop so abruptly Lucien almost bumped into her. Her blue, blue stare pinned him to the floor. “You don’t want us to share anything about who Lucien Cabot is, or why he bought this island, and why nobody ever sees him leave it.” She crossed her arms under her perfect little breasts. She wore a white, long-sleeved T-shirt. Even though she clearly had a bra on, Lucien had noticed the chill in the air kept her nipples in a pebbled state throughout their entire walk. He wondered if she even realized it, or how fucking arousing a sight she presented.
    Years of training kept a hard-on at bay, but Lucien barely suppressed the groan that wanted to accompany a deep-seated pull in his balls. “I’m not very interesting.” Lucien started walking, forcing her to do so or get left behind. She quickly caught up, and he added, “On the other hand, why this house came to exist, and the mystery of whether these two men ever became lovers, or somehow managed to keep their friendship platonic, is fascinating.”
    “Or it could be viewed as intrusive and lurid and look as if these two men who cannot confirm or contradict the story are being dragged through the mud.”
    Yes. I have you now. So utterly simple . “That is why I chose you.” Lucien reeled little Sophie in. “You have an ability to hit the right tone with every story you produce. You won’t let these men become a laughingstock or a joke. You’ll highlight and celebrate the wonderful friendship they shared while also striking the right chord about the heartache and pain they must have experienced every day believing the connection they shared was unnatural.”
    On the second level of the castle, they landed back in a central sitting room that served as the heart of the home. Each corridor of private rooms in the house veered from this main chamber. Lucien guided Sophie to a grouping of couches and chairs and waited for her to sit before taking the seat across from her.
    Immediately, Sophie leaned in. She looked right at him, and it seemed to shrink the space between them by half. “This seems very personal to you,” she said softly. “Why is that?”
    What the fuck? She couldn’t know… Oh. Right. Of