First published 2014
Austin Montgomery has spent years building his tattoo shop, Montgomery Ink, and telling himself he doesn't need anyone. The oldest of eight siblings, he's big, bearded, and more comfortable with a tattoo gun than a conversation about feelings. Then Sierra Elder opens a boutique across the street, and Austin knows immediately that he wants her in his life. Sierra isn't looking for a man. She's focused on her shop and on hiding scars that go far beneath the surface of her skin. Austin sees past all of it, and that scares her more than anything. They start slow, circling each other carefully, but the pull between them is too strong to ignore. Just as they begin to trust what they're building together, old wounds from both their pasts force their way in. Austin has to decide whether he's willing to fight for something real, and Sierra has to decide whether she's willing to let him. This is a romance about two people who are genuinely afraid of what they want most.
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary, adult, adult-fiction, contemporary-romance
Vibes: emotional, healing, intimate, slow-burn, tender, vulnerable
Tropes: emotional-vulnerability, forced-proximity, healing-through-love, slow-burn
Setting: Montgomery Ink
257 pages · Paperback
Content warnings: abuse, emotional-abuse