Ellis Parker is a lucky man: he escaped his persecuting family, survived his tour of duty, and met Maxwell Clark in the city of New Amsterdam. Clark showed Ellis more than the ropes: Clark helped Ellis figure out who he is -- a gay submissive with a massive fixation on a beautiful, mysterious ballet dancer named Bryn Rothe. Ellis knows a Good Man when he sees one, and he wants nothing more than to score a first date with Bryn.<br><br>Little does Ellis know that Bryn has a violent past that is crawling out of shallow graves to haunt him. Even his hectic schedule and beloved stage aren’t enough to distract him. It’s impossible for Bryn to figure out how he feels about Ellis with his demons between them, but when Ellis saves Bryn not once but twice, Bryn is forced to admit that there’s something about Ellis that Bryn might not merely want but need.<br><br>Together, they journey to the scene of Bryn’s original crime -- Charles Towne, South Carolina. There they will dig up secrets that might explain Bryn’s tortured life but might also be his -- and Ellis’s -- undoing.

Earthquakes

Daniel’s gaze was level. Ellis was pretty sure Daniel didn’t know how to be anything but direct. “You bring out traits in him that I love. You remind me why I love them and him, and you show me how to work and strive to be in life so I can be worthy of him.”


“You do. It’s not all on you, of course, not your responsibility or anything close to it. I know Clark and know how I want to be for and with him and to him, but you…You show me how. Remind me how.” Daniel laughed ruefully. “I’m not saying this well. It’s…You see, you’re so open, Ellis. Honest and full of truth. Sincere. Bearing so much is hard for me. Clark makes it easier, of course, and has right from the beginning. He makes everything in life easier and better, but I still sometimes feel like I can’t keep up with him, and I want to give him…everything.”


Chapter 27