Ink and Ember is open for business. As an oldest son who never knows when to stop talking and can only judge his worth by how he performs, Merrick has grown up to be a talented tattoo artist and skilled painter. He's also in the habit of spending his weekends hooking up with strangers, advertising himself on hookup apps as a "free use top." On one of those nights, he meets a handsome dominant, Wilder. Their fling at the club turns into a late night in bed, an early morning in the kitchen, and a promise for more. Wilder wants more than Merrick is ready to offer, but Wilder is patient and Merrick is beyond willing. It takes no time at all for the two men to embark on a relationship of self-discovery, learning not just each other but also themselves. As they settle in together, Merrick's old self-judgment and doubt begin to creep in, threatening to undo all the progress he and Wilder have made. Is Wilder's belief in Merrick enough to get them through, or will they end up back where they started? Quiet and alone. -- Merrick is a low-angst, high-heat romance from Kate Hawthorne. A spinoff of the successful Risk Aware series, the Ink and Ember books are short, spicy, and straight to the point (which in, this case, is bed).