“Are you really mad at me for turning your life upside down?” she asked.

“It needed turning upside down,” he said. “Funny, though. Once it was turned upside down I realized it was finally right-side up. What about you? Your life’s been turned a bit sideways. Still standing?”

“I’m always standing,” she said. “Except when I’m on my back. You know Søren never told me what you said to him when you called him that day and told him about Fionn.”

“I believe I said something to the effect of ‘Happy Birthday. Merry Christmas. Oh, and Happy Father’s Day.’ I enjoyed the stunned silence that followed.”

“It’s not easy to shock that man. Trust me, I’ve made doing it my life’s work.”

“I love my son and I love my wife and I love my work. And I have you to thank for them all. I would be divorced, childless and living in LA right now if it weren’t for you. I don’t know which of the three prospects horrifies me the most.”

Nora laughed and kissed Zach on the mouth, full tilt with tongue and everything. She kissed him for two reasons, the only two reasons that ever mattered to Nora—because she wanted to and because she could.

“Happy now?” he asked, as she pulled back and saw Søren, Kingsley and Grace walking into the reception, Fionn in Kingsley’s arms but his hand in Søren’s. “My wife just saw you kiss me.”

“Oh, no, are we in trouble?”

“She’s glaring and laughing at the same time,” Zach said. “I think we’re safe.”

“Good. Now slow dance with me. It’s not a wedding reception until I’ve drunkenly made out with a wedding guest while slow dancing.”

“That’s going to be a problem,” Zach said as he led her in a slow dance. “We’re not drunk.”

Nora grabbed a glass of wine off a passing tray.

“We can fix that,” she said.

Zach took her in his arms again.

“Behave,” he said. “I’m a ridiculously happily married man and father, and I’m enjoying it believe it or not.”

“Vanilla,” she said.

“Not quite. I did learn a thing or two from you.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

“What about you, Nora?” he asked. “Happy?”

“How could I not be happy?” she asked, smiling so hard it hurt. “Look around...look at all of this...this happiness.”

She took her own advice and looked around as she and Zach moved lightly across the dance floor.

Zach in her arms. Her editor and her dearest friend. He had changed her life when he signed her contract for the book she thought she’d never finish. But she had finished it, with a little help from a certain blond monster she knew and loved.

Finish the book, Søren had ordered. Not for me or for Zachary or for Wesley or even for God. Finish it for you.

And there were Michael and Griffin talking to Alfred and smiling. All of them smiling, even Alfred, and she was fairly certain that was the first time she’d ever seen him smile.

You are formally invited to attend the collaring of Griffin Fiske and Michael Dimir.

You knew? Nora had asked Søren.

Of course I knew...

And there was Juliette standing with Kingsley, speaking to Fionn and smiling as she introduced Kingsley’s daughter to Søren’s son.

That was the year I met Juliette, almost killed a man over her, came home and got everything back I’d lost and then some, Kingsley had said last night about the year he’d left Søren and found Juliette, the woman he loved and the mother of his children.

Nora clutched the pendant Nico had given her, which hung next to the glass locket on the chain. Nico, Kingsley’s son. Nico, her lover, her submissive, who never would have existed if Søren hadn’t let Kingsley go...

And Fionn, who she’d wished for in secret and had told no one ever, not Kingsley or Søren...

He was fourteen years her senior and women lived longer than men. Wouldn’t it be something to have part of Søren live on after he was gone?

In fact, all that she had and all that she loved—her writing career, Zach, Grace, Fionn, Céleste, Juliette, Kingsley, Nico, Michael and Griffin...she had Søren to thank for all of it. In one way or another he’d brought them to her and to each other by paths both straight and broken.

She wanted for nothing.

She had it all.

“Oh, that son of a bitch,” Nora said as she clung to Zach’s hand even as she took a step toward where Søren stood speaking softly to his beautiful son. “He did it.”

“Did what?” Zach asked.

“Søren promised to give me something and he kept his promise.”

“What did he give you?”

Nora laughed.

“Everything.”

* * * * *

Read on for an extract from THE VIRGIN by Tiffany Reisz.

1

2015

Scotland

“IT WAS A dark and stormy night,” Nora said as she came to stand next to Søren at the window. She gazed out on the summer storm tearing up the Scottish sky.

“Please tell me that isn’t the first line to your next book.”

“Oh, but it’s such a good first line. Classic even.” She tucked her hand into his and watched the light show with him. Wind and rain lashed the trees and the moors. A flash of lightning set the night afire for a split second and the hills revealed their colors before fading into black again. “How about this—‘It was a dark and stormy night in the castle, and a woman named Nora was determined to seduce her priest.’”

Søren smiled slightly.

“An improvement. A minor improvement.”

“Everyone’s a critic.” Nora squeezed his hand, and he lifted it to his lips for a kiss. He’d arrived this morning but she’d been so busy with her work here that they hadn’t had more than five minutes together. At last the day was done, her work was over until tomorrow, and they could hold hands and simply be.

“Do I want to know what you’re thinking?” Nora asked him.

“Merely watching the storm,” he said, but she could tell he had something on his mind, on his heart. They both did.

Tomorrow was the big day... Everything between her and Søren would change tomorrow. It was happening finally and there was no going back.

“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” she asked.

“Should I be?”

“I am,” she admitted. “Big day for us.”

“I’m at peace,” he said. “Although I will admit the peace is hard-won.”

“We’ve waited a long time to do this.”

“It’s time now,” he said. “We’ve waited long enough.”

A clap of thunder interrupted their conversation and together they peered into the storm outside the oriel window.

“What are you thinking?” Nora asked.

“Thinking about Job, chapter thirty-eight,” he said. “It’s every priest’s dream to have God come and speak to him face-to-face. Even if it is to tell him how little he knows about the world. Storms always remind me of those verses. God says, ‘Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?’”

Nora looked up at the sky. “‘Can you raise your voice to the clouds / and cover yourself with a flood of water? / Do you send lightning bolts on their way? / Do they report to you / Here we are.’”

“It’s comforting to know God is so powerful. Comforting to know we aren’t,” Søren said.

Perhaps only a priest could find comfort in his powerlessness. Perhaps only Søren.

“Are you coming to bed?” she asked Søren.

“Not yet. I won’t be ready to sleep for hours.”

In Scotland, it was nine-thirty. In New Orleans, where they’d been living for the past two years, it was half past three in the afternoon.

“Who said anything about sleeping?” she asked.

Søren arched his eyebrow.

“Well, in that case...” Søren turned from the window and cupped her face with his hands. He kissed her on the lips, softly at first, a slight kiss meant to arouse and torment. Ever so slowly he deepened the kiss. As much as she wanted to, Nora didn’t rush the moment. She’d been away from him for five weeks—four weeks spent with Nico at his vineyard and another week here in Scotland making the final preparations for tomorrow. Leaving Søren for any extended period of time was much like this kiss—a torture and a tease. Being away from him hurt, always. But the reunion at the end of the separation made every second apart worth the price.