Titus has lived and breathed religion his entire life, tucked away from the rest of the world in a compound in northern Wyoming. He’s destined to be the next leader of the church, deemed so by the Prophet.
God spoke and with His word He created. But God made a mistake. Titus isn’t worthy. He was born sick and it’s solidified when he rescues the most beautiful man he’s ever seen.
Torn between fidelity to his faith or his soul, Titus must reconcile the two parts of himself before he’s discovered hiding among the chosen.
Release Date (Print & Ebook): February 26, 2018
Length (Print & Ebook): 72,000 words
Subgenre: Contemp m/m romance
Amazon
“Did I upset you?” Angel asked, setting his book away, leaning over with his knees pulled to his chest. He released Titus’ hand and moved his arms to hug his knees to himself.
“No, my head just hurts.” He could repeat the words as much as he wanted to himself, but could he really hide what else was going on?
“I think it’s more than that. I’ve been watching your face, and if you’re upset about me kissing you…”
“I kissed you.” Titus braced himself again, waiting for the Prophet to show up, for everyone to show up and to persecute him. He’d said something damning twice in one day.
“That… what is that look for?” Angel skimmed his fingers over Titus’ lips. “You’re so easy to read.”
“I know, I hate it. I have to get a poker face.”
“Don’t hide what you are.” He brushed the backs of his fingers over Titus’ jaw before dropping his hand back to his knees.
Titus sat back against the chair and scrubbed a hand down his face. “I have to be able to hide it. I have to continue to live here.”
“You don’t have to. You have so many options.”
“I don’t know what my options are or what I want to do.”
“Is that why you keep getting that look on your face?” Angel asked.
“What look?”
Angel screwed up his face. He looked a bit like a deer in headlights or like he’d just seen a ghost.
“I’m waiting for them to catch us,” Titus admitted.
“What are they going to catch us doing? We are just talking.”
“I admitted what I am. Out loud, more than once. I just feel like they are going to be listening and bust in here.” Titus shrugged. He didn’t know what to think anymore. He didn’t know what to believe anymore.
“Do you really think they are listening to you?” Angel started to look around, all paranoid.
“I don’t know,” Titus said almost frantic and pulled his knees into him, pressing his face on the top of them. “I wouldn’t put anything past them with the things I’ve seen.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t talk then.”
Titus looked up. “Like write notes back and forth or something?”
Angel was up on his knees, and he took Titus’ face in his hands. Titus’ heart sped up, and the scene from his workshop replayed in his head. Angel didn’t move. He looked into Titus’ eyes. Titus needed something to happen. More than this moment frozen in time. He wanted Angel to either put space between them or kiss him, but the wait was going to make his heart explode.
“Is this okay?” Angel asked.
“Is what okay?” Titus had a hard time getting words out. He had a hard time making his brain function with Angel’s hands on him.
Angel laughed and scooted his body closer so their legs were pressed together. “Me touching you.”
“Yes.” His voice was unsteady.
“What about this?” Angel put his other hand on the side of Titus’ neck.
“Sure.” Titus swallowed past the lump in his throat, and was happy for the way he was sitting because he was as hard as he’d ever been in his entire life. Harder maybe.
“What about this?” Angel whispered over his lips and then brought them together.
When not staying up all night writing, J.R. Gray can be found at the gym where it’s half assumed he is a permanent resident to fulfill his self-inflicted masochism. A dominant and a pilot, Gray finds it hard to be in the passenger seat of any car. He frequently interrupts real life, including normal sleep patterns and conversations, to jot down notes or plot bunnies. Commas are the bane of his existence even though it’s been fully acknowledged they are necessary, they continue to baffle and bewilder. If Gray wasn’t writing…well, that’s not possible. The buildup of untold stories would haunt Gray into an early grave, insanity or both. The idea of haunting has always appealed to him. J.R. Gray is genderqueer and prefers he/him pronouns.
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My stories are very character driven. I listen to them and let them tell their story as they see fit. That being the case, I let Zane tell me where he was. He made it pretty clear from the beginning that he was somewhere peaceful. Yes, he was lonely and yes, he still missed Isaac terribly, but he’d finally found a place that brought him peace and he was, for the most part, happy. I could actually see him, floating on the lake in the early morning hours while staring up at Isaac’s star. Once he showed me that, I knew exactly where he was.
