In 1934, life in Brookburn, Indiana, is quiet, simple, and peaceful, but young dreamer Levi Beckerman yearns for more. When the carnival shows up for the Fourth of July, he’s entranced by its many temptations. None is more seductive than the charismatic barker, Sebastian Gustineau.<br><br>Seb’s been a part of the carnival for almost a decade. Once, it provided him the escape he needed from a life he thought he didn’t want, but now, he craves things it can never offer. Flitting from dusty town to dusty town, he loses himself in pretty dalliances. Levi seems like the perfect distraction, until a single conversation convinces him that preserving Levi’s innocence and way of life is more important than his momentary satisfaction.<br><br>However, his plan to discourage Levi goes horribly wrong. When Levi’s family is threatened, Levi fights to protect them, doing what he can to hide the secrets he’s sheltered his entire life. The only person he trusts is Seb. He just isn’t sure if the growing bond between them is enough to save them all.

A Simple Charm

Levi inched sideways to brush against the wall to simulate Seb’s presence again.


If he hadn’t brought up the issue of joining the carnival, Seb might not have withdrawn. He’d admitted wanting to seduce Levi, and while Levi lacked direct experience on what that might be like, he had a vivid imagination. He could live it out differently, safe in the comfort of his own bed.


Where the hand that slipped beneath his waistband wasn’t his own.


Where he could untether the secrets beneath his skin and be the man he always wanted.


But doubts crept in, clouding the fantasies he attempted to construct.


Life had so many possibilities beyond the borders of Brookburn. Seb knew that. Otto had hinted at it. But few people left town, growing up, getting married, dying without ever seeing what else was on offer out there. Pap had a brother who’d moved away before Levi was born, but he was the only one Levi knew of who’d left and never returned.


Chapter 15