On Shaky Ground

by Andrew Grey

  “I made room in my closet yesterday,” Martin said, taking Brock’s hand. “I thought that maybe it was time. I know we’ve talked about it, but I was making room so you could have space here.” He patted the place next to him, and Brock sat down, grinning even though Martin couldn’t see it. “You spend most of your time here with me already, and when you don’t, you still make the trek here in the mornings so you can drive me to work and….”

  “Martin….” Brock shifted closer.

  “I think it’s time that you and I make some things official. I want you to move in here with me. I have space for your things in my dresser and my closet. You’ve already moved into my heart.” Martin took Brock’s hand and smiled up at him. “Oh.” He patted his pockets and groaned, turning toward the dresser. “Dammit.” He stood and felt around the top. “Aha.” He sat back down and handed Brock a box.

  It was small, from a jewelry store, and Brock’s heart skipped a beat. “For little old me?” he asked exaggeratedly, and Martin patted his knee.

  “Stop it,” he said with a chuckle. “Yes. I didn’t want this to just be the day I asked you to live with me. I wanted it to be about more than that. So yesterday I asked Henry to help me pick out something special.” Henry was Martin’s new assistant. It had taken Brock a month of screening applicants until he’d found someone who met with his approval to take over for him. “Go ahead and open it.”

  Brock wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t a gold signet ring with five sapphires set in it. “Martin, it’s beautiful, but….” He swallowed hard. “You didn’t have to do this.” He set the ring aside and stroked Martin’s lightly stubbled cheek. He wanted to tell him how he felt, but the words couldn’t come around the lump in his throat.

  “I wanted you to feel special. You do that for me every day.” Martin placed his hands on top of Brock’s. “I love you, Brock, and I wanted you to have something that would remind you of me wherever you go.” He gripped Brock’s hands, tugging them downward.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” Brock smirked because he couldn’t help it. “Though I was thinking of taking a trip.”

  “Oh…?”

  “Yeah, a one-way trip from Queens to Brooklyn, with an extended stay at the end. There’s this gorgeous guy who makes my heart beat faster and—”

  Martin kissed him, winding his arms around Brock’s waist.

  “I love you, Martin.” Brock reached for the box and slipped the ring on his finger. “It’s perfect.”

  “Just like you.” And Martin kissed him again.

  More from Andrew Grey

  Robin, the recipient of a brand-new heart, knows he can’t give it to just anyone….

  Robin’s been through his share of upsets recently, from heart transplant surgery to a brutal breakup. But his experiences have taught him life is short, and he’s ready to seize the day and start anew. A job at Euro Pride Tours is just the kind of adventure he’s looking for. He gets to see the world and live a little, but love isn’t on his radar screen. He isn’t sure his heart can endure that again.

  Johan might’ve disappointed his family by striking out on his own, but when he meets Robin, he has no intention of letting him down. Each man is just what the other needs to feel whole again, and while Johan might not be the man Robin originally thought he was, he’s exactly what the doctor ordered to make Robin’s borrowed heart beat faster. As the tour through Germany progresses, they grow closer, but when Robin’s ex joins the tour, he could bring their blossoming love to a dramatic halt.

  In matters of the heart, there’s no such thing as business as usual.

  Thomas Stepford spent years building a very successful business and now at thirty-nine, he wants a quieter life. With his parents needing help, he decides to return home. He can’t get away from business completely and needs an assistant—but the man who is hired isn’t quite what he had in mind.

  Brandon Wilson, the ink on his degree barely dry, needs a job, and his mother helps him get one as Mr. Stepford’s assistant. Thomas doesn’t seem to remember, but Brandon worked mowing the stunningly attractive older man’s lawn years ago. Thomas was Brandon’s teenage fantasy, and now he’s Brandon’s boss.

  Thomas and Brandon are both determined to keep their relationship strictly business, but the old attraction is still there. They learn to work together even as the tension between them reaches the boiling point. But just as they start to surrender, Thomas’s old life in New York calls him. Even if he resists that pull, can their newfound relationship survive when Brandon receives the call of his dreams… from Hollywood?

  Professional basketball player Bri Early needs a physical therapist after an injury, and he’s heard that Obie is the best. Bri takes an immediate liking to the out-and-proud man with the magic touch, and even though Bri isn’t openly gay himself, he’d never let anything stand in the way of something he wants.

  Obie can’t deny that the sexy athlete presses all his buttons, but he’s a professional and has no intention of getting involved with a client. While they’re working together, it’s hands off, no matter how great the temptation.

  But being a pro athlete isn’t easy. Bri has enemies, and one of them is making his life hell. When his house is set ablaze, Bri can no longer pretend the threatening messages he’s receiving are jokes. He needs a safe place to stay, and Obie can’t turn his back. But the two of them in the same house is a recipe for combustion that could burn them both….

  Back in high school, nobody noticed quiet nerd Kevin Howard.

  But everybody noticed handsome, athletic, and ultrapopular jock Clay Northrup.

  They had nothing in common and lived in different worlds.

  But a lot can change in fifteen years, and when they meet again at their high school reunion, Clay is no longer the big man on campus, and Kevin isn’t hiding in a corner anymore.

  Can they put aside who they were? Can one night really lead to forever?

  With the pressures of the job bearing down on him, police officer Garrett Wreckley needs a vacation—in fact, he isn’t given a choice in the matter. Since the water has always soothed Garrett’s soul, he heads to the Caribbean, hoping some time alone sailing on the open water will help him pull himself together.

  But even though he’s taking a break from law enforcement, Garrett can’t get rid of his cop’s instinct so easily.

  He meets Nigel, a young man as innocent as he is beautiful, who grew up sheltered from the world, exploring the beaches and tropical forests with only the company of his aunt, his brother, and the wildlife and sea creatures he befriended.

  As sweet, passionate love blooms, their time in paradise feels too good to be true… and Garrett’s gut and training tell him that might be the case. As he investigates, he quickly realizes everything is not as it seems. Will his snooping destroy not only their romance, but everything Nigel believes about his life?

  ANDREW GREY is the author of more than one hundred works of Contemporary Gay Romantic fiction. After twenty-seven years in corporate America, he has now settled down in Central Pennsylvania with his husband, Dominic, and his laptop. An interesting ménage. Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He is a recipient of the RWA Centennial Award, has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and now writes full-time. Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing). He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

  Email: andrewgrey@comcast.net

  Website: www.andrewgreybooks.com

  By Andrew Grey

  Accompanied by a Waltz

  All for You

  Between Loathing and Love

  Borrowed Heart


  Buried Passions

  Chasing the Dream

  Crossing Divides

  Dominant Chord

  Dutch Treat

  Eastern Cowboy

  In Search of a Story

  New Tricks

  Noble Intentions

  North to the Future

  One Good Deed

  On Shaky Ground

  The Playmaker

  Rebound

  Reunited

  Running to You

  Saving Faithless Creek

  Shared Revelations

  Three Fates

  To Have, Hold, and Let Go

  Turning the Page

  Unfamiliar Waters

  Whipped Cream

  ART

  Legal Artistry • Artistic Appeal

  Artistic Pursuits • Legal Tender

  BOTTLED UP

  The Best Revenge • Bottled Up

  Uncorked • An Unexpected Vintage

  BRONCO’S BOYS

  Inside Out • Upside Down

  Backward • Round and Round

  Over and Back

  THE BULLRIDERS

  A Wild Ride • A Daring Ride • A Courageous Ride

  BY FIRE

  Redemption by Fire • Strengthened by Fire

  Burnished by Fire • Heat Under Fire

  CARLISLE COPS

  Fire and Water • Fire and Ice • Fire and Rain

  Fire and Snow • Fire and Hail • Fire and Fog

  CARLISLE DEPUTIES

  Fire and Flint • Fire and Granite

  Fire and Agate • Fire and Obsidian

  CHEMISTRY

  Organic Chemistry • Biochemistry • Electrochemistry

  Chemistry Anthology

  DREAMSPUN DESIRES

  #4 – The Lone Rancher

  #28 – Poppy’s Secret

  #60 – The Best Worst Honeymoon Ever

  EYES OF LOVE

  Eyes Only for Me • Eyes Only for You

  FOREVER YOURS

  Can’t Live Without You • Never Let You Go

  GOOD FIGHT

  The Good Fight • The Fight Within

  The Fight for Identity • Takoda and Horse

  HEARTS ENTWINED

  Heart Unseen • Heart Unheard

  Heart Untouched

  HOLIDAY STORIES

  Copping a Sweetest Day Feel • Cruise for Christmas

  A Lion in Tails • Mariah the Christmas Moose

  A Present in Swaddling Clothes • Simple Gifts

  Snowbound in Nowhere • Stardust

  LAS VEGAS ESCORTS

  The Price • The Gift

  LOVE MEANS…

  Love Means… No Shame • Love Means… Courage

  Love Means… No Boundaries • Love Means… Freedom

  Love Means … No Fear • Love Means… Healing

  Love Means… Family • Love Means… Renewal

  Love Means… No Limits • Love Means… Patience

  Love Means… Endurance

  LOVE’S CHARTER

  Setting the Hook • Ebb and Flow

  PLANTING DREAMS

  Planting His Dream • Growing His Dream

  REKINDLED FLAME

  Rekindled Flame • Cleansing Flame

  Smoldering Flame

  SENSES

  Love Comes Silently • Love Comes in Darkness

  Love Comes Home • Love Comes Around

  Love Comes Unheard • Love Comes to Light

  SEVEN DAYS

  Seven Days • Unconditional Love

  STORIES FROM THE RANGE

  A Shared Range • A Troubled Range • An Unsettled Range

  A Foreign Range • An Isolated Range

  A Volatile Range • A Chaotic Range

  STRANDED

  Stranded • Taken

  TALES FROM KANSAS

  Dumped in Oz • Stuck in Oz • Trapped in Oz

  TALES FROM ST. GILES

  Taming the Beast • Redeeming the Stepbrother

  TASTE OF LOVE

  A Taste of Love • A Serving of Love

  A Helping of Love • A Slice of Love

  WITHOUT BORDERS

  A Heart Without Borders • A Spirit Without Borders

  WORK OUT

  Spot Me • Pump Me Up • Core Training

  Crunch Time • Positive Resistance

  Personal Training • Cardio Conditioning

  Work Me Out Anthology

  Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Published by

  DREAMSPINNER PRESS

  5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  On Shaky Ground

  © 2019 Andrew Grey

  Cover Art

  © 2019 Kanaxa

  Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.

  Digital ISBN: 978-1-64405-441-3

  Digital eBook published June 2019

  v. 1.0

  Previously published in Boundless Love Anthology by Andrew Grey, November 2018.

  Printed in the United States of America