The light in Kim’s eyes was pure joy, and Will couldn’t have wiped off his own grin if he’d tried. He reached out and tugged Kim’s perfect bow tie a little askew. “I’ll probably stick with the secret agent for now, but don’t get cocky.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Kim caught his hand and kissed the palm. “I couldn’t. You changed everything, Will. My life, my work, myself. It’s all changed—all better—because of you.”

“You did that yourself, you daft sod. I just shouted at you a bit.”

“A lot. God, I adore you.”

“Same.” He ran a finger over Kim’s jaw, up to his lips. “Jesus, Kim. I was on my own in a dusty bookshop and you turned up, and now it feels like I’ve got the whole world at my feet.”

“And a hole in your leg.”

“And a scar on my arm and a broken hand, but who’s counting?”

“You are, clearly.”

“Yes, and I can’t help noticing you got away clean. Again.”

Kim’s hand slid into his. Will gripped it, feeling their fingers tangle in that familiar way. An intimacy, a promise, a physical touch that spoke of a far deeper connection. The pair of them heading into the future, together.

This was going to be fun.

<<<<>>>>

Acknowledgements

With huge thanks to the endlessly patient Jan-Piet Stuursma, who helped me get my head round 1920s steam yacht diagrams, and explained which way the pointy end goes. Hartelijk bedankt, JP.

Massive gratitude to the people who read this in early drafts, and helped me wrench it into shape and believe it could work. Elisabeth Paice, Charlie, May Peterson, Ali Williams, Moog Florin, I owe you all.

Tiferet’s wonderful covers have made this series for me. Courtney Miller-Callihan is an endless support as an agent, and Matthew Lloyd Davies / Cornell Collins a joy of a reader on the audiobooks.

Thank you to everyone who supported the first two books, and waited an unconscionable time for this one. Sorry about that.

PS: If you read White Stains, it’s at your own risk. I wasn’t kidding about the dog.

The Will Darling Adventures

A m/m romance trilogy in the spirit of Golden Age pulp fiction. It’s the 1920s and tensions are rising along with hemlines. Soldier-turned-bookseller Will Darling finds himself tangled up in spies and secret formulas, clubs and conspiracies, Bolsheviks, blackmail, and Bright Young Things. And dubious aristocrat Lord Arthur ‘Kim’ Secretan is right in the middle of it all: enigmatic, unreliable, and utterly irresistible.

Slippery Creatures

The Sugared Game

Subtle Blood

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