Beck by Elouise East

For Beck, the buzz of the needle is a steady rhythm against the chaos he keeps buried deep. To his friends, he’s a talented artist, quick with a grin, but beneath the surface lies a carefully guarded past – a trauma from his foster care that dictates every hesitant step he takes. He believes he’s destined for a solitary life, then Kole enters his world. Their unexpectedly strong connection cracks the carefully constructed walls around Beck’s heart.

Kole steps into the Life in Ink world with a quiet vulnerability and an undeniable talent. He’s been through his own battles, scars hidden beneath his skin, and he’s looking for a fresh start. He wants to act on his attraction to Beck, but it’s not what Beck wants. One night is all they can have, and he’s going to have to deal with it.
But the shadows of the past are relentless. When the man who inflicted those early wounds resurfaces, Beck’s buried trauma clashes with his need to protect the man he’s come to love and forces him to confront the past he’s desperately tried to outrun.
In a world where control once meant survival, Beck and Kole must learn to trust, to love, and to fight for a future they never thought possible.

Beck is a story about a tattoo artist who is scared of letting anyone see the real him and a ghost tour guide who wishes ghosts were the only things haunting them.