Waiting for a Spark

By Lillian Francis

Could running out of milk have Jerome running headlong into love?
Jerome's life is pretty mundane. Every day he catches the bus to work, listens to his best friend rant on about the latest crisis in his life, and tries to stop his attention from wandering to the gorgeous guy in the back seat.
Friday morning is no different. Except that Jerome is lost in all kinds of lustful dreams because Gorgeous is definitely making eye contact. But when his best friend involves the entire bus in a rant about jobs lost to Eastern Europeans, Jerome finds himself too distracted to challenge it. And that moment of inattention might ruin Jerome's chance to finally discover if reality can match his fantasies because Gorgeous has gone. And without as much as a backwards glance.
Two days later, Jerome’s run out of milk and all the local shops are shut except for the Polskie Delikatesy. Stepping through the door brings Jerome face to face with the object of his hopeless affection—and an awkward confrontation about the nature of prejudice. If he can come to terms with his own misconceptions about others, and accept the offered chance to set the record straight, maybe he'll be going home with more than just a pint of milk.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lillian Francis
• Release date: Dec 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370200085

Lillian Francis

Lillian Francis. Author of gay romance. Happy Endings guaranteed. Eventually. Lillian Francis is an English writer who likes to dabble in many genres but always seems to return to the here and now. Their name may imply a grand dame in pink chiffon and lace, but Lillian is more at home in jeans, Converse, and the sort of T-shirts that often need explaining to the populous at large but will get a fist bump at Comic-Con. Lillian is a self-confessed geek who likes nothing more than settling down with a comic or a good book, except maybe writing. Given a notepad, pen, their Kindle, and an infinite supply of chocolate Hob Nobs and they can lose themself for weeks. Romance was never their reading matter of choice, so it came as a great surprise to all concerned, including themself, to discover a romance was exactly what they’d written, and not the rollicking spy adventure or cosy murder mystery they always assumed they’d write. Luckily there's always room for romance no matter what plot bunny chooses to bite them, so never say never to either of those stories appearing. Lillian lives in an imposing castle on a windswept desolate moor or in an elaborate shack on the edge of a beach somewhere, depending on their mood. And while they’d love for the heroes of their stories to either be chained up in the dungeon or wandering the shack serving drinks in nothing but skimpy barista aprons more often than not they are doing something far less erotic like running charity shops and shovelling elephant shit. Drawn to the ocean, although not in a Reginald Perrin sort of way, Lillian would love to own a camper van and to live by the sea.

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Copyright

Cover artist: Lillian Francis

Waiting for a Spark, 3rd edition © 2016 Lillian Francis

When the Boat Comes In, 1st edition © 2016 Lillian Francis

Published by Finally Love Press

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This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events or locales is coincidental.

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The Licensed Art Material is being used for illustrative purposes only. All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Warning

This book contains material that is intended for a mature, adult audience. It contains graphic language, explicit sexual content, and adult situations.

Table of Contents

Waiting for a Spark

When the Boat Comes In

About the Author

Also by Lillian Francis

Waiting for a Spark

The sudden jolt of the bus caused Jerome to sway wildly, almost losing his balance. He’d chosen this indolent lounging stance against the side of the vehicle partly to look cool, but mainly because it gave him an unhindered view of the gorgeous guy with the striking blue eyes and mouth-watering cheekbones sitting further down the aisle.

Shuffling his feet, Jerome widened his stance in an attempt to stay vertical. Satisfied he wasn’t going to fall flat on his arse and embarrass himself in front of a whole bus load of commuters and school kids, Jerome looked up, determined to continue his silent flirtation with Gorgeous.

At least he hoped Gorgeous was flirting back. He’d caught the other man watching him over the last few weeks. Just a quick glance, here and there. Glances that lingered longer when Jerome wasn’t looking directly at him, but had the perfect angle to watch Gorgeous’s reflection in the window. More recently there had definitely been some intentional eye contact and a couple of tentative smiles.

Yesterday, Gorgeous had looked over his shoulder, his clear gaze homing in directly on Jerome, before he stepped off the bus. Then he’d turned and waited, watching the bus pull away,