Title: Gibraltar (English edition)

Genre: M/M historical

Blurb:

Benjamin Scott is a fair man and a fearless sea captain, but his heart is broken. A while back, during a fierce battle in the West Indies, he witnessed the death of his best man, Jack, who fell into the sea before Ben had the chance to confess his love to him.

In Gibraltar, he happens to run into a stranger, John, who bears an uncanny resemblance to his lost love. A friendship grows between the two men, soon turning to love. This time, will Benjamin find the courage to confess his love, before losing John as well?

“Benjamin?”

“What?” He stirred from his thoughts, and looked at John like he was seeing him for the first time. Amazed, delighted, confused.

“I don’t want to keep you from your duties.”

Benjamin sat in a chair next to the bed, smiling. “There’s nothing more important I need to do. You stay warm under those blankets, and get some rest. I’ll stay here and watch over you tonight. Besides, I’ll have a good friend to keep me company,” he chuckled, showing John the book he’d brought along.

“What’s that?” the blond man asked, his eyes eagerly scanning the cover, looking for the title.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” he answered, removing his jacket and boots.

“One of my favorite Shakespeare plays. . .” John commented.

Benjamin tilted his head to the side and smiled. “This used to be your book.”

John looked at him tenderly, his head propped up on two pillows. “Ben, I don’t want to disappoint you. We still don’t really know if I. . .”

“Yeah. . . You’re right. We don’t know, for sure, yet.”

But I don’t care.

A heavy, embarrassing silence filled the room.

“Would you mind reading to me? It might help me fall asleep,” John suggested.

“Didn’t you just say you love this play? Now it puts you to sleep?” Benjamin teased.

“I want to hear your voice. So beautiful, so comforting. . .”

Benjamin blushed like a schoolboy, for the umpteenth time since he’d met that mysterious young man. He stubbornly ignored the chill running down his spine.

“So, act two, scene two. Titania is sleeping and Oberon just came in.” He opened the book, holding it with both hands, concentrating on the words in front of him.

“Come here,” John interrupted.

“What?” Benjamin looked at him, puzzled.

He patted the space next to him. “I don’t like seeing you sitting on a chair way over there. This bed is plenty big enough for both of us.”

Benjamin couldn’t come up with a rational rebuttal. And now his throat was suddenly bone dry again. He thought about Mamy’s beer. He’d like a pint just about now. Or maybe a couple.

John took one of his pillows, and laid it back against the headboard, right next to him. Uncertain, Benjamin stood up and awkwardly settled onto the bed, on top of the blankets, next to his patient.

“So, where was I?” he stuttered.

“Act two, scene two. Oberon just arrived. . .”

“Yes, of course, that’s right.” He felt confused. How could he concentrate on Shakespeare with John’s warm body right next to him, so close that his hair was brushing against his shoulder? “Oberon squeezes the flower on Titania’s eyelids and says. . .” He tried to focus on the words and ignore his heart, which was demanding to be heard, beating faster than ever in his chest.

“What thou seest when thou dost wake, Do it for thy true-love take, Love and languish for his sake: Be it ounce, or cat, or bear, Pard, or boar with bristled hair, In thy eye that shall appear When thou wakest, it is thy dear: Wake when some vile thing is near.” he read.

“Unless I’m mistaken, Lysander and Hermia enter now. . .” John whispered, eyes closed. Morpheus was slowly working his magic, and John wasn’t putting up a fight.

Benjamin tilted his head toward the man lying next to him, listening to his soft breathing. With John’s eyes shut, Benjamin could safely admire his beautiful face, his perfect nose, his slightly parted lips.

“Yeah, they do enter now.”

He turned back to the book, but couldn’t resist glancing at John from time to time.

He continued with Shakespeare: “Fair love, you faint with wandering in the wood; And to speak troth, I have forgot our way: We’ll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good, And tarry for the comfort of the day.

“Hermia: Be it so, Lysander: find you out a bed; For I upon this bank will rest my head.

“Lysander: One turf shall serve as pillow for us both; One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth.”

One bed. . .

Those words sent another shiver down Benjamin’s spine. He was frightened by how much he was aching to hold and caress that hot body lying next to him, to trace those tempting lips with his finger. He desperately wanted to kiss those sleeping eyes.

“Dammit. . . I lost my place again. . .” he cursed.

“O, take the sense, sweet, of my innocence!” John murmured.

Benjamin looked at him, spellbound. John’s eyes were still closed, as he recited the lines by heart:

“Love takes the meaning in love’s conference. I mean, that my heart unto yours is knit. So that but one heart we can make of it; Two bosoms interchained with an oath; So then two bosoms and a single troth.”

His voice drifted off into an almost inaudible whisper. Then, silence. Only the soft sound of his peaceful breath. Benjamin smiled. “May this night grant you its rest.” He closed the book and set it next to him. Then, he slowly bent over and tenderly kissed his yellow hair.

“My beloved Jack. I don’t know what plans God has for us, but it’s certain he wanted our souls to meet again,” he murmured, caressing his forehead with his breath.

 

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Cristina Bruni lives in northern Italy with her husband and their child. She’s already published in the US the M/M sport novel “Seven Days” by JMS Books and many other novels with the Italian publisher Triskell Edizioni. Since she was a young girl, her biggest wishes were being a mother and an author and now, after fighting for it for years, she finally succeeded in both. She loves travelling abroad, going to the cinema, reading Sherlock Holmes, luxury bags and playing tennis and golf. She’s madly USA-sick and UK-sick. She made her debut writing fanfictions and, now, her new wish would be writing love Male-to-Male stories for the rest of her life and living on a beach in Hawaii.

Maybe dreams will come true again, sooner or later…

 

Author’s contact:

Blog https://cristinabruniauthorblog.wordpress.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CristinaBruniAutrice

Twitter https://twitter.com/Cristina__Bruni

Instagram https://instagram.com/cristina.bruni/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7164783.Cristina_Bruni

 

Christina graciously brought an ecopy of her story to giveaway to one lucky reader!

 
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