Flirting With Forever by Gwyn Cready (books for 20 year olds TXT) 📗

Praise for Gwyn Cready and her tempting time-travel novels

TUMBLING THROUGH TIME

“Tackling both time travel and the concept of authorial intent in fresh ways, this romance debut is a joy and its author is worth watching.”

— Publishers Weekly

“Ingenious! This heartwarming, laugh-fil ed ride through time has everything a great novel needs. Cready adds even more spice with a dash of mystery and plenty of adventure.

Don’t miss this story and be sure to keep your eye on this talented new author. Bril iant.”

—Romance Junkies

“Keeps its promise of a wild ride into the past and zips through the present at warp speed. Time-travel enthusiasts wil have a field day.”

— Winter Haven News (FL)

SEDUCING MR. DARCY

Winner of the 2009 RITA® Award for

Best Paranormal Romance

“Sexy fun.”

— BookPage

“Hot, adorable, and irresistible. Rip its sexy white shirt off and have your way with it.”

—DarcyWars

“If I had to choose a passenger pigeon search team, Flip Al ison is the first person I’d cal .”

—Tim Gal agher, author of The Grail Bird These titles are also available as eBooks.

ALSO BY GWYN CREADY

Tumbling Through Time

Seducing Mr. Darcy

FLIRTING

with

FOREVER

GWYN CREADY

The sale of this book without its cover is unauthorized. If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that it was reported to the publisher as “unsold and destroyed.” Neither the author nor the publisher has received payment for the sale of this “stripped book.”

Pocket Books

A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

1230 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

www.SimonandSchuster.com

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2010 by Gwyn Cready

Excerpts from Viscount Lee of Fareham’s 1932 article by kind permission of The Burlington Magazine.

Al rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY

10020

First Pocket Books paperback edition April 2010

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Cover design by Lisa Litwack

Cover il ustration by Gene Mol ica

Designed by Jil Putorti

Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN 978-1-4391-0724-9

ISBN 978-1-4391-7124-0 (ebook)

For Karen Flo, Josh Russell

and Linda Mullens,

and all the people who miss them.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A big thank-you goes to Manuel Erviti, who as always was wil ing to break every rule to get me the information I needed. The 1932 article entitled “Lely’s Love Story” by Viscount Lee of Fareham that Cam receives from The Burlington Magazine real y exists and was, in fact, what inspired me to write this book. The Burlington Magazine and its editor Richard Shone were especial y gracious in letting me use excerpts from the article. I altered the details of Peter’s love story only modestly. I’d like to thank Christine Lorenz for her insight into the world of art history and art historians. Thanks goes to my cousin Lynne Crofford as wel , who, in an attempt to help me appreciate the historical context of my name when I was a girl—my ful name is Nel e Gwyn Cready—gave me the article about Nel Gwyn that first excited my curiosity about the Restoration period.

I real y appreciate the exceptional guidance my editor Megan McKeever gave me after reading the first draft. You have her to thank for the book’s far more straightforward story arc. Al the people at Pocket have been great and do their jobs so professional y. Thanks to Lisa Litwack, Gene Mol ica, and Shirley and Victor Forster for this book’s gorgeous design. I stand in awe, as always, of Judy Steer, the world’s best copy editor. A special shout-out goes to my friend Wileen Dragovan, who has always been wil ing to share her love for, and deep understanding of, painting with me. And, of course, I have to thank Tracy Chevalier for her wonderful book, which made me ask, “What in God’s name would Vermeer think?”

I have friends who have gone out of their way in the last year to cheer me on. Among them are Katie Kemper, Scott DeLaney, Joe Gitchel , Betsy Tyson, Ted Kyle, Mark Prus, Jeremy Diamond, Mike Brown, Dawn Kosanovich, Mary Irwin Scott,