The One That Got Away


Rhianne Aile - 2009
    Their easy camaraderie continues with no problems until David discovers an undercurrent of heat and tension flowing between them. Despite knowing his best friend is straight, David is slowly falling in love. What he doesn't know is that Trace is struggling with a similar discovery.Trace has never desired another man before. He's a ladies' man with quite the reputation, considered a top prize around town. But his close, treasured friendship with David makes the emotion and arousal growing between them irresistible. Soothing David's doubts, Trace makes it clear that he wants to know if they can make it work. Because Trace is sure he wouldn't love another man -- that's not the issue. He just loves David.

Butterbean and the Pretty Princess Make a Home


R. Cooper - 2019
    He’s fallen for Eli, his adorable teddy bear of a roommate, but can’t express himself when said teddy bear is around. Eli is a responsible adult who makes risotto, worries too much, and falls asleep on the couch while watching the news. Riley wants nothing more to fall asleep next to him. He has been trying to shake his younger self’s reputation, but he feels that, compared to Eli, he’s just a pretty but useless artistic type. All that changes when Riley finds two abandoned kittens and brings them home. Eli has no idea what to do with the helpless strays, which means, for once, Riley takes charge and has an excuse to stick close to his roommate—something Eli hardly objects to. If anything, he seems to like Riley around the house. He seems to like the kittens, too, so much that Riley has to wonder if Eli could also like them all together. One soft, anxious bear, one pretty but not useless artist, and two balls of fluff might just make a happy home.

The Truth About Forever


Piper Vaughn - 2015
    Marco had the word etched in his skin to seal their vow. He thought they’d always be together. Three weeks later Jonny dumped him.Now, after six years, Marco’s finished college and worked his way up to head chef at his family’s popular Mexican restaurant in downtown Chicago. He’s found his calling, and he finally has his life where he wants it. Then Jonny reappears, throwing Marco’s emotions into chaos.Jonny demands a chance to explain. Marco doesn’t want to hear excuses, not from the man who left him without a backward glance. Yet Jonny claims to still love him, and he won’t be denied. Marco wants to believe him, but will the truth be enough to mend the damage Jonny did when he broke Marco’s heart and walked away?~*~This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. Dear Author,He told me it’d be forever, a forever I had permanently inked into my skin. I thought I’d always want the reminder of a love as incredibly perfect as we had together. The passion and our connection was overpowering, but apparently his idea of forever and mine were two different things. Yet, no matter how painful it is I haven’t been able to let go of the memory of him in my heart. I’m trying to live my life again, trying to find a rhythm in a world that doesn’t seem to balance for me anymore. I’ve covered more and more of my body in the tattoos of a life lived, but somehow even though I’ve surrounded it with other images, I can’t quite make myself cover up and paint over that one word.Photo Description: A muscular man sits on his haunches, his lower back and buttocks braced against a stone wall. He’s bare-chested, wearing sports pants and running shoes. His entire left side is covered in tattoos, the most visible one being the word “forever” on his rib cage.This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

Last Chance in Vegas


Isabelle Arran - 2016
    A suitable one of course, and his father has provided a list. All he has to do is choose – after all, any of the prospective brides would jump at the chance to snag the eligible bachelor, he’s wealthy and comes from the right kind of family.So why is he finding it so hard? He shouldn’t care – after all, it’s just a society marriage. Right?“How soon?”Shy songwriter Nial is reeling over the news. Jake has been his best friend since forever, and his roommate for years. The fact that he’s secretly in love with the man doesn’t help either. Now his life is being ripped to shreds, not to mention his heart.“I want to have one last crazy weekend.”When Jake suggests a pre-bachelor party in Las Vegas, can Nial make it through the trip without breaking? But when Jake insists on being Nial’s “wingman” on the search for hot, available guys…can Nial finally let go and succumb to the moment?Last Chance in Vegas is a steamy, stand-alone MM romance novella of 22000 words with no cheating, a HEA ending, and no cliffhanger.

Always Mine


Sloane Kennedy - 2019
     Until I met the one boy who changed all that. When we were kids, Xavier Price understood horses, but somehow, he got me too. He’d made me feel like I wasn’t just the overdressed, too sensitive fifteen-year-old geek who loved math and didn’t always say the right thing. But all that changed the night he threw my trust back in my face and betrayed my family in the worst kind of way. And while I’m back in Eden to make sure my uncle’s horse ranch is operating in the black, the one thing I know I won’t have to deal with is the man who’d been on the verge of stealing my heart ten years ago. Because Xavier Price is still in prison for what he did and even if he weren’t, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to show his face in Eden ever again. Right? Xavier Wrong. That’s what returning to Eden after ten years behind bars feels like. But it wasn’t like I had a whole lot of choices. And it wasn’t like I was going to be handed any decent job offers, let alone my dream one of working with horses. But that’s exactly what happened and now that I’m foreman of Black Hills Ranch, I’m not letting this job go for anything. Not even the spoiled little rich kid I’d thought was different when he’d glommed onto me ten years ago. I have no doubt Brooks Cunningham didn’t wait long to move on to bigger and better things the second my jail cell was locked behind me, and that’s just fine by me. I’d been wrong about the sweet, emotional boy who’d had a habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve anyway. Except fate has decided to have another go at me by tossing Brooks right back into my sometimes too small world. Gone is the scrawny, stars-in-his-eyes nerd who used to do math problems just for fun. In his place is a gorgeous specimen of a man who thinks he can go toe to toe with me and once again destroy everything I’ve worked for. Not happening.

Apples and Regret and Wasted Time


Cornelia Grey - 2011
    Now, wounded and stranded in the city after a job only he could do, he has no qualms about climbing through the window his old lover left open—or stealing his shampoo, at that. He has, however, not taken into account the possibility of being surprised in the shower. Three years is a long time to go between visits, especially if you've left so much anger and hurt and desire unresolved. They try to negotiate a truce for one night—over Chinese takeaway leftovers and apples, and between the sheets. Short Story. Mature content.

An Immoveable Solitude


S.A. McAuley - 2012
    The victim of a violent hate crime, he leaves South Africa and takes a job aboard a private yacht to escape.
When his partner reappears after three years, he wonders if there is something left for them to rebuild. But the ocean isn’t ready to let go of him quite yet.Reader Advisory: This book contains threats of sexual violence and mentions of suicidal thoughts. This is a re-release with minor edits and corrections.

Starting Over


Annmarie McKenna - 2009
    He's trying to move on, but letting go of the past, of the life they were building, is hard. One thing he knows he's not ready for is a new relationship, but Garrett and Dane are determined to change that.Lifepartners Garrett and Dane, a cop and an ER doc, bring Aaron home after an accident. They're happy in their light Dom/sub relationship, fulfilled and in love, but they've been keeping their eyes open for a third. It doesn't take long for them to decide that wounded, pretty Aaron is exactly who they've been looking for. The three get along great, but Garrett and Dane have their work cut out for them in convincing Aaron there's a time for starting over.

Misinformation


Keelan Ellis - 2016
    Since his divorce, that desire has become more acute. When he meets Charlie Woods, his daughter's first grade teacher, they have an instant spark, but Ethan hesitates to act. His contract is up for renewal, there are already rumors swirling about him because of a brief encounter from his past, and the last thing his employers want is for one of their stars to come out publicly.Charlie avoids romantic entanglements because he prefers living on his own terms. He keeps love and sex completely separate, never seeing anyone more than a few times. Hooking up with a closeted celebrity like Ethan seems safe from emotional involvement, even if they have to keep their fledgling relationship secret.The last thing they expect is to fall in love, but their strong mutual attraction moves them both to make changes neither of them thought they wanted or needed.

More Than Friends


Aria Grace - 2012
    When he met Drea, he hoped she might be the one. But when he felt more chemistry with her gay cousin Zach, Ryan felt more confused and terrified than he had in his life. He wasn't gay but he wanted to be with Zach. How could it possibly work?

In the Blaze of His Hungers


Dominique Frost - 2013
    It just happens.Ryan is eighteen, inexperienced and in lust with Javier, his friend’s divorced father. Javier is dangerously charismatic, confident and overwhelmingly sexual, and when Ryan hints at his desires, Javier takes every opportunity to fulfill them. However, what begins as a torrid affair soon becomes something more than what either of them had anticipated, and the forbidden nature of their feelings threatens to rip their families apart.With Ryan slowly discovering more about Javier’s dark past and Javier trying desperately to overcome it, their bond has the potential to become something truly transforming. But can they keep their relationship a secret, or will their story be forced to end before it even begins?

No Flag


Liz Borino - 2013
    Will accepts with one caveat: Mike must promise not to renew his army contract.Mike agrees, until the army invokes the stop-loss military policy to involuntarily extend his commission and send him back overseas, rendering him powerless and threatening everything he and Will have built. Will, left alone to cope with a new café, must rely on the support of old friends who may no longer be trustworthy.A horrific terrorist attack on Mike’s outpost changes everything, leaving them both at a loss.Mike awakens in a hospital with a devastating injury and no recollection of the attack. As the only survivor, his memory may be the key to national security. Mike struggles to cope with his injury and Will struggles with his new role in Mike’s life.For Mike and Will, “No Flag” meant “come home alive.” Will has Mike back rather than a folded flag, but in the aftermath of war, can they rebuild the life they had before?

Pull Down the Sun


Danni Keane - 2015
    For six weeks every year, he was my best friend, my partner-in-crime, and eventually my first kiss, my first everything. And then one year, what should have been our last summer before university, he wasn’t there. He didn’t come back. I waited all summer. Now, ten years later, on a different beach, in a different town, another country, we run into each other and all those old feelings come rushing back.Photo Description: The black-and-white photo shows two handsome, well-built, bare-chested young men, kissing passionately as they lie in the shallow waves on a beach. Still wearing their jeans, they look like they have tumbled into the water, so caught up in the moment and their love for each other they are oblivious to the world around them.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

A Fragile Love


Les Joseph - 2013
    They don’t realize how fragile love can be and how one moment can change everything.Dear Author,I'm so glad we're finally at this point in our relationship where we are comfortable with each other like this in public; I was an idiot for so long, trying to hide what we had. But after what happened, I'll never take him for granted again. I'm through hiding. I'm going to make sure that he knows every day just how much I love him.Photo Description: Two men are entwined on a seat while riding a subway. One of the men, in a black long-sleeved shirt, is leaning over the other, who is lying across his lap and wearing a white T-shirt. Their lips are just a breath away from touching.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.

Snow on the Roof


J. Leigh BaileyMaggie Lee - 2013
    Whether it's a May/December romance, a second chance at love, or finding a soul mate later in life, these stories prove that it's never too late for love.Stories Included are:Nachos on Saturday by J. Leigh BaileyQueening Out by Mari DonneGranddad's Cup of Tea by Amy Rae DurresonThe Way to a Fisherman's Heart by Tray EllisNo Place Like Home by Kim FieldingIvory Black, Flecked with White by Laylah HunterLoving Again by John InmanFull Circle by Rhidian Brenig JonesStraight Shooting by Maggie LeeHero Worship by Sam C. LeonhardCurtain Calls by Pinkie Rae ParkerThe Bodyguard's Dilemma by Chris ScullyPicture This by Dottie Stratton & Linda JamesHunting Season by AC ValentineWaiting for the Light by Layla M. Wier