In this early scene, Charles believes he’s confessing to his best friend, Keir. The truth is somewhat different!
“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” he said in a stage whisper. “It’s been…” He paused as though thinking. “Hang on. I’m going to need to take my shoes and socks off.” He muttered, counting, “Nineteen, twenty, yes, it’s been twenty years since my last confession.”
He heard Keir draw in a quick breath, but Charles continued, determined to distract him from asking about an interview that had gone so badly.
“Father, first I need to confess about all of the sex I’ve had before marriage.”
That indrawn breath turned into a gasp.
Making Keir laugh always made him feel so much better. “I know,” Charles said. “It’s a lot, and we probably don’t have time for a complete run-through, but would you pass on my thanks for making me both gay and a magnet to men? Especially to the ones I like best—allergic to commitment, like me? It’s made being a man-whore so much easier.”
Did Keir just stifle a laugh? Charles worked harder to make sure, revisiting thoughts he’d had while on his knees that morning.
“Oh, and Father? Could you extend my thanks for my prostate too? Should have mentioned that first. God truly is good. Apart from when he graced me with all those crabs in Ibiza. Could have done without that gift, to be honest.”
“Now, wait,” Keir said from the far side of the curtain, his voice strangled.
“Hush,” Charles said, his spirits rising now he’d made Keir choke with laughter. “I’m not finished confessing.” He pictured a face he knew as well as his own, and kept going. “Don’t stop me now. I’ve barely got started.”
Amazon
Opposites attract in this low-angst romance filled with British snark and humour.
Life should be a breeze for a playboy like Charles Heppel. As the third son of an earl, he lives for the moment, partying and playing. Settling down isn’t for him. Not when London is full of beautiful men who he hasn’t one-and-done yet.
To escape his family’s nagging, Charles applies for a temp job that matches his playful skill set. A role in a Cornish classroom could be his until the summer, if Charles meets two conditions: he must move in with the headmaster’s best friend, and teach him to be happy.
Living with Hugo should be awkward. Charles is a free spirit, but Hugo’s a man of faith, with morals. A man who almost took holy orders before disaster changed his direction. Only far from being a chore, Charles finds that making Hugo happy soon becomes his passion.
Together, they share physical and emotional first times. Ones that change Charles, touching his soul. He wants Hugo for longer than they have left, but learning to love with his heart, not just his body, will take a leap of faith from Charles — in himself as well as Hugo.
New from Con Riley, Charles: Learning to Love is the first novel in a series based at Glynn Harber, a very special boarding school set in England’s glorious Cornwall.
♥ This shared-world series starts with Charles and Hugo, but each book follows a different couple in their own standalone novel, with a fulfilling happily ever after. Want to hear more from Charles? He stole the show in His Haven. ♥
CON RILEY lives on the wild and wonderful Welsh coast, with her head in the clouds and her feet in the ocean.
Injury curtailed her enjoyment of outdoor pursuits, so writing fiction now fills her free time. Love, loss, and redemption shape her romance stories, and her characters are flawed in ways that make them live and breathe.
When not people-watching or reading, she spends time staring at the sea from her kitchen window. If you see her, don’t disturb her — she’s probably thinking up new plots.
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