I’m in college. I have my own apartment. I have lots of friends.But I’m dying on the inside.I feel so alone. Lost. Hopeless.I’m not the kind of person to wallow in self-pity. I need a distraction.The guy moving into Unit A may be just what I need to take my mind off of losing my dad.

    His father's heart surgery and the consequent need for a slower lifestyle pulled Gio from the skyscrapers of Manhattan. Now in Kansas City, Gio sets out to help his father save a dying downtown business. There's only one problem. How is he supposed to work with his dad's business partner and best friend? After years of dreaming, Gio's ready to start doing. But how do you tell your father's best friend you're in love with him?

    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.Download the story, read it online or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 4.__________Genre: contemporaryTags: baby; hot business; adoption; family; a bit of m/m steamWarnings: noneWord Count: 15,528

    The result being two hundred hours of community service at the local Humane Society Shelter. The shelter is run by Lillie Stein, who moved back to her hometown with her daughter, Chrissy, leaving behind the chaotic and uptight life that entailed being part of a United States’ senator’s family.Chrissy Stein spent most of her life being bullied because of her family. She blossomed when her mother moved her away from Washington D.C. and homeschooled her. Now, a vet tech at the shelter, Chrissy loves her life helping animals.Jericho, as Suzanne prefers to be called, finds working at the shelter is not as easy as she thought it would be, but quickly realizes cleaning the kennels and grounds is just one of many things that make life better for the animals at the shelter.Chrissy is devoted to helping animals and is not excited about having to babysit Jericho. But, as the two young women work together, they find that they have a lot in common, despite their very different backgrounds, including their love of animals.Tornadoes, hurricanes, and animal rescues bring Chrissy and Jericho closer together as their relationship builds slowly from friendship to something more. But, will Jericho’s ex ruin everything for these two young women in her effort to hurt everyone she feels has let her down?

    Evan Arden was thought of as a musical genius when at the height of his career he vanished from the spotlight. Together, their relationship is just as intense as their music careers. With success pushing down on them, Jesse must decide between his life of music, or his life with Evan.

    Sexy. Sizzling. There's nothing like a man in uniform, and thirteen of today's hottest gay romance authors are celebrating military heroes and the men brave enough to love them.These brand-new novellas feature all branches of the service and offer something for every reader. Almost 300,000 never before published words!

    He’s lucky his foreman is giving him another chance with the solar panel project at an elementary school in Atlantic City. When he spies a man walking strangely in front of the school, Michael laughs, assuming he’s drunk or high. Little does he realize that Joshua Stone, a teaching assistant, has cerebral palsy, and he’s having a bad muscle control day. Taking a tumble right in front of the handsome construction worker is just his luck.When Michael learns the truth, he feels bad for his cruel behavior. He offers to give Joshua—and his tricycle, the Racing Rhonda—a lift. Joshua accepts the help, and suddenly there’s a gorgeous man breezing into his life, turning his world upside down. But Michael has more issues than his inability to hold down a job, and neither man is sure if they’ll be able to overcome their fears in order to be together.

    She’s determined to stay focused and chase her passions—out of the bedroom—and that starts with her new job. Too bad she’s immediately captivated by her older, sensual boss.Kiera has never let herself take a chance on love. She’s done just fine on her own, building a successful business from the ground up. The last thing she wants is to fall for her younger, gorgeous employee.Opposites attract, right? When Romi realizes how much Kiera needs her, she can’t help but take the risk.Kiera’s resolution not to get involved doesn't stand a chance against the unpredictable spark of passion that quickly turns into something else. She’s going to have to be honest. Not just with herself, but with everyone else as well.

    All reported to be runaways looking to escape their shitty lives, but Remy’s starting to put together a different picture and he doesn’t like it one damn bit.Inspector Jamie Mainwaring stares at the six reports, willing them to make sense. Six boys, six months, all from just outside of London, which meant six different investigations. All of the boys were between the ages of ten and fifteen, all purportedly runaways from dysfunctional families. Something was rotten in Denmark.There are always runaways. Every small town loses them—every big city collects them. Kids look for freedom and discover they have more to lose than they ever thought possible. London and Phoenix, culture and cowboys, nothing linking these two sprawling metropolitan areas. Nothing except a hit on a computer data search.Two cops, one a cowboy, the other a Lord. A secret government agency, human trafficking, and a blazing hot mutual distraction.What the hell have Remington and Mainwaring gotten themselves into?

    Somewhere in the cobwebbed cellar of the decrepit antebellum mansion known as Ballineen are the legendary Lee bottles -- and Austin Gillespie is there to find them. The last thing on his mind is a hot and heavy romance with handsome bad boy Jeff Brady. But Jeff has other ideas and, after one intoxicating night, so does Austin. The only problem is they have different ideas. Jeff doesn't believe in love at first sight, and even if he did, he's buried more deeply in the closet than those famous missing bottles of vintage Madeira. Popping a cork or two is one thing. Popping the question? No way. No how. Unless Austin is ready to give up on another dream, he's going to have to figure out how to make sure the lights go on -- and stay on -- in Georgia. Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Male/male sexual practices, menage (m/f/m), voyeurism.

    No longer willing to hide who he is, Blake gives in to a life of loneliness, filling the void only as needed with temporary, no-strings-attached relationships, as he treks across the country looking for a place to eventually call home. Asher Collins knows he needs someone in his life, but he’s tired of debilitating break-ups that leave him hurting for months. Nearly a year after his last boyfriend left him, Ash has convinced himself he’s content waiting for the right guy to fall into his life, even if he really isn’t. Ash and Blake’s paths cross on an eastern Arizona ranch turned campground and within hours, Ash breaks through the first of Blake’s walls, giving him a glimpse of the damaged soul buried within. When Ash tries to help, Blake’s fear of abandonment drives him to push Ash away and run as he’s always done. Blake’s heart is closed off and broken. Ash’s heart was invested the moment they met. If Ash can find his way in, both might find exactly what they’ve been looking for.

    He has a small circle of close friends, a career he loves, and a baby on the way via a surrogate. Mr. Right is nowhere to be found, but Lee isn’t about to let that little tidbit rain on his parade. He’s more than willing to thrust his other needs aside and focus on fulfilling his lifelong dream of being a father.With his love life in the gutter, Lee turns to fantasies of his hunky neighbor, Finn Alexander. His daydreaming is merely a harmless diversion until Finn comes to Lee’s rescue on a dark and stormy night.To Lee’s surprise, the chemistry they shared in his imagination is nothing compared to the real thing. Finn is as hot between the sheets as Lee always envisioned. Better still, they get along famously outside the bedroom. The only things standing in the way of Lee having it all are the bundle of joy due any minute and Finn’s apparent aversion to children.

    But that doesn’t mean he has the confidence to make a move on the gorgeous young blond who just breezed in to the Blue Dragon Bar. Fate will play its hand, anyway. Finding the same young blond beaten to the edge of death, terrified of a hospital, Sebastian has to choose - walk away, or try to save a life.This one chance encounter will lead Sebastian into a web of danger. Who is the enemy and who is a friend? Who will he trust when everyone has a reason to lie? How far will he go, and what will it cost, to do the right thing?Original Prompt:Dear Author,I'm so out of my league with this one I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. I watched him walk into that bathroom. How could I not notice him? Just look at him. He's fucking beautiful. I didn't see him come back out, but I was trying to play it cool, ya know? I thought maybe he'd left when after 30 minutes I didn't see him in the bar anywhere. Shrugging it off, figuring he's probably a good 10 years too young for me anyway, I went to the bathroom and saw him again. Only this time he was a broken, bloody heap on the floor in the last stall. Shit! I rushed over to him, felt for a pulse and tried to assess the damage. I'm just a retired Navy medic, not a doctor but when I roused him, he started screaming and pleading with me not to take him to the hospital. Said they'd kill him if they found him and they'd be sure and look there first. So I picked him up, carried him out and brought him home. He's so badly beaten. I think they kicked him half to death. I have to examine him, but he's so scared. I'm not sure if he's been raped or not but how do I get him to trust me enough to even check? Please help me put this beautiful, battered boy back together again.Photo Description: A bleached-blond young man with a sculpted body is sitting half-naked and curled over his own knees. His eyes are closed, and his head is down. He looks tired and scared.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" 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.Download the story, read it online or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 11 - Bonus Volume.__________Genre: contemporary, thriller. Tags: medical personnel; military men; first time; hurt/comfort; slow burn; unresolved sexual tensionWarnings: descriptions of post-violent-attack first aid and medical care; non-graphic discussions of off-screen sexual assault; gun violence (non-sexual). Word count: 70,085

    Fallon is the keeper of the town’s secrets. She’s heard tales of broken hearts, torrid affairs, closet cases, and the dreams of hopeful romantics. With a sensitive ear and a warm bed, Fallon is a legend in her small town. One thing still eludes her—love. Happily married, a new baby, and a burgeoning career, Riley Main’s life was on course. One drunk driver turned her world upside down. A widow before the age of thirty, Riley’s life has fallen out of balance. A gentle suggestion from her husband’s grandmother convinces Riley to embark on a journey across the country. With her two-year-old son, Owen, Riley makes her way from sunny San Diego to the chilly little Vermont town of Whiskey Springs. A blown fuel pump in the middle of a snow storm puts Riley on a collision course with a charming pub owner named Fallon Foster. Nothing will be the same again for anyone. Rich with a colorful cast of characters that will make you laugh and cry; Open Tab is a new kind of romantic adventure from best-selling lesbian fiction author JA Armstrong. Welcome to Whiskey Springs.

    He has one plan for the crumbling facility: unload it as fast as possible. But two months on the market, and he's still mucking stalls and dreaming of his old life back in San Francisco.It doesn't help that he seems to have misplaced a horse. Not just any horse—Tux, a million-dollar Warmblood who, despite lacking opposable thumbs, has an Olympic medal to its name. So does its Brazilian trainer, Estevan Souza, a man whose darkly sexual, smoldering glances almost make Paul forget his horse phobia.Intriguing as Paul finds Estevan, distractions are piling up. The boarders are picky. The arena roof is leaking. His drunken cousin is wreaking havoc. Tux's owners are threatening to sue. On top of that, a bucket of blood points to possible murder.Suddenly, Estevan's glances are looking more suspicious than sinful. And, if Paul can't come up with a plan to save Tux, he could lose not only his chance with Estevan, but his life.