and I found this picture:How does one get tied up like this by a hunky cowboy?Photo Description: In sunlit black and white, two dark-haired men play out a scene of restraint. One, naked and lightly muscled, lies face-down on a wooden frame, hands roped high, ankles spread and bound. At his left ankle, the other man kneels, tightening ropes. He wears cuffed jeans, boots, holster and Stetson but his muscled upper body is bare.]This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" 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.Read the story here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 2 or Don't Read in the Closet: GayRomLit Retreat 2011 Special Edition.__________Genre: western, BDSMTags: gay m/m, cowboys, BDSM, contemporary, fluffWord Count: 5,687

    I have put everything else in my life on hold to make earning this championship. I thought everything was worth it until I recently injured myself. Now they say I will have to forfeit my title if I cannot defend it in my next match scheduled for later this year. I am beginning to wonder if i can even recover enough to compete ever again, let alone in such a short time. I have been depressed and dare I say brooding lately. Without my boxing I am not sure what to do with my life, I have no close friends or family. I haven't been going to my physical therapy sessions because the PT wasn't working for me...Now my manager says he has a new PT specializing in treatment for my injury. Author do you think it would be possible for this therapist to pull me out of my depression and get me ready to defend my title? Can our relationship develop beyond therapist and patient?Author please give this man his HEA in a sweet romantic story that is light on the sex.Photo Descriptions:These pictures show two very different men. The first is chocolate-skinned, tight-jawed, shaven-haired, with the back-light gleaming off his curved, toned muscles. His gaze is intent. The second smiles a little behind his hand, looking at the world through amazing blue eyes. Light stubble and tousled dark hair grace his model-perfect face. This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" 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.Read the story here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 1.__________Genre: contemporaryTags: gay m/m, athlete, celebrity, hurt-comfort, medical personnel, non-explicit, sport, sweet no sexWord Count: 13,219

    They are a product of the Love Is Always Write promotion sponsored by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group and are published as a free gift to you.What Is Love Is Always Write?The Goodreads M/M Romance Group invited members to choose a photo and pen a letter or story prompt asking for a short M/M romance story inspired by the image; authors from the group were encouraged to select a letter or story prompt and write an original tale. The result was an outpouring of creativity that shone a spotlight on the special bond between M/M romance writers and the people who love what they do. Nearly 150 stories were submitted and published as a ten volume set – as well as an additional special bonus volume with three novel-length stories – titled Love Is Always Write; this edition is Volume One. Whether you are an avid M/M romance reader or new to the genre, you are in for a delicious treat.Stories in Volume 1: ADVANTAGE CROSSE – West Thornhill (contemporary/friends-to-lovers)ALEX & DREW – Justin South (contemporary/teen loneliness) ALTERED STATES – L.E. Harner (mystery/suspense/law enforcement) AMERICAN BOY – Dany Sirene (contemporary/twink/HFN)AND THEN HE SAID I’M BEAUTIFUL – Nallux (contemporary/hurt-comfort) AN ANGEL’S SOUL – S.L. Armstrong & K. Piet (angels/hurt-comfort) ANIMAL INSTINCTS – Kim Alan (contemporary/veterinarian) ARS DAEMONICA – C.C. Williams (paranormal/mage) AT WHAT COST – Kathryn Sparrow (contemporary, paranormal/shifter)BABY, CUFF ME ONE MORE TIME – Stephani Hecht (contemporary/friends-to-lovers)BED OF MY CHEVY – Megan Slayer (contemporary/medical personnel)BEGINNINGS: LIBERATION – Alessandra Ebulu (fantasy/Greek mythology)BETWEEN YOU AND ME – Alex Mar (contemporary/first time)BEYOND DUTY – S.J.D. Peterson (contemporary/sexy marines)BLOOD IN THE WATER – Megan Derr (fantasy/merman)Words of Caution The stories in this collection are sexually explicit and intended for adult readers. Some stories 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.

    Can you share a peek into their triumphant story and let us see who they are and who is watching over them in the world they can finally share?Photo Description: Two naked sandy men kiss on the beach as men stand near. The crew-cut top cradles his dark-haired partner and almost blocks him from view. The other hooks his leg and arms around the first. He wears a ring on his pinky finger.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" 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.Read the story here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 4.__________Genre: contemporaryTags: gay m/m, military men, business men-lawyers, in-the-closet, over age 40, reunion, long lost love, childhood sweethearts, coming out, don't ask don't tellWarnings: implied het, infidelity (involving a main character)Word Count: 9,322

    Something was always missing—and I don't mean physically.When I moved to a different city, got a new job with these two, I gradually started to realize I wanted them. Both of them. They're so in love, so fucking in love, that it hurts to watch them when I want them so much.This is so unexpected. This was not an option. After all, I'd never risk breaking them apart, because I really lo—shit. I'm in a bit too deep, aren't I?Photo Description: NSFW—an M/M/M ThreesomeThis 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.Read the story here or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 2.

    Watching his friend go off with women time and again is slowly killing Tucker, and he has to make the tough decision to move away after graduation from the man he loves to avoid further heartbreak. What Tucker doesn't know is that Cameron has other plans for the two of them...Dear Author,My name is Tucker. See these two, they are Kurt and Blaine from Glee and I am a total Gleek. Their love is so perfect except it isn’t real. It’s just a TV show.My best friend says I should stop obsessing over fictional characters. That maybe if I opened my eyes and looked around I would discover a love of my own. But what does he know? He’s hot and has tons of girls chasing him. He’s totally straight. Or is he?Photo Description: Blaine and Kurt, characters from the television show Glee, are kissing each other.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.

    Sure, we used to get the occasional day or two of scorching heat, but lately it’s been unrelenting. For weeks now, I’ve been heading to the river every evening to find some relief, and yesterday I saw him. I know I should’ve walked away. I know I shouldn’t have watched… but I couldn’t help myself. He’s still as beautiful as he ever was. When did he get back?Why?I’m heading back to the river again today. Maybe I’ll have the courage to ask him why he left me without warning… why he broke my heart.Photo Description: He stands naked in hip-high water in a lake, gazing down as his hand dips beneath the surface in a ripple of muscle and grace. Damp, dark hair drips from his head, his dark-eyed gaze one of contemplation. He’s perfect in form, chiseled through the waist, his abs rippled, his chest broad and firm. However, as beautiful as he is there’s a vulnerable air about him that begs one to question how he got there.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.

    One rainy night, Taylor turns up soaking wet on Daren’s doorstep with a confession hovering on his lips. The confession changes both their lives.Original Prompt:Dear Author,A rainy night brought him to me. Now, he sits nude, (wrapped in the smallest blanket I found) nursing a brandy and telling me his life story. Which I'm not really listening to, since I'm busy planning the way to make this straight buddy bend for me—or vice versa, I really don't care, as long as we end up tangled and satisfied. Please, don't think I'm a selfish jerk, because my crush on him is epic.Photo Description: A close-up of a man with long curly hair standing in the rain.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.Read the story here or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 3.

    Instead of being embraced, he’s condemned and insulted. Wanting to escape, he buys a camper on a whim and takes a three month sabbatical. He plans to spend the summer in the Nantahala Forest fishing, hiking, and camping despite being far less than adept in the great outdoors. His mishaps catch the attention of a sexy forest ranger who leaves Dan wondering whether Parker’s interested in friendship or something more.

    He has a real mischievous streak when it comes to firing those arrows of his, but lately he’s been feeling lonely creating so much love but getting none in return. Give Dashiel a run for his money with a little tease all of his own and let him see how it feels to experience the shot of a cupid’s arrow for himself.Photo Description: A dark-haired, shirtless man with defined abs leans against a waist-high white wall. He wears black low-rise jeans and knee-high leather boots. A compound bow in his right hand rests on his hip. His left arm is bent over his head, hand grabbing the string.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" 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.Read the story here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 1.__________Genre: fantasyTags: gay m/m, long-lost-friends-to-lovers, sexy-immortals/gods, coming-out-in-love, f**k-me-bootsWord Count: 10,116

    He is burly, with a smooth bald head, close-cropped beard and a wealth of tattoos across his naked back and down his arm. His bowed shoulders, his eyebrows drawn down, his hand slack on his knee, suggest sorrow.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" 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.Read the here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 1 or Don't Read in the Closet: GayRomLit Retreat 2011 Special Edition.__________Genre: contemporaryTags: gay m/m, hurt/comfort, power exchange, age differenceWord Count: 6,530

    Or rather, his father has the problem, but since he's gambled away everything that was rightfully Jasen's, it's become his problem, too. With no money and no skills to earn a living, his best bet for getting away from his father is to present himself for marriage at Court in the Draelands, the kingdom at the center of the Allied Realms. Jasen's courtly manners aren't the most refined (to say the least), but he hopes he's still capable of attracting at least a minor lord.He isn't looking to cause a scandal, but that's exactly what happens when he immediately attracts the attention of both a powerful dragon and King Rilvor himself. The King serves as the mystical link between the magic of the dragons and humankind; since the death of his wife two years before, magic in the Allied Realms has suffered. He must take a spouse this year, and the fight for his favor has gotten downright vicious.No one, including Jasen himself, thinks he's a proper match for the king. But the growing affection between them can't be denied. Jasen loves Rilvor, but he's petrified about becoming lord consort to a king. Unfortunately, the two can't be separated, and Jasen must decide if true love is worth all the trouble. Consorting With Dragons has been nominated for three awards at the M/M Romance Group's 2014 Member's Choice Awards:Best DebutBest FantasyBest Love's Landscapes StoryThis story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love’s Landscapes" 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.

    I didn’t even know he had a YouTube channel. He’s never told me he makes videos. He obviously wants to remain anonymous because he’s using a fake name. I only watched two of them. Even so, I feel like a total creeper. He’s not real great at talking about serious stuff, at least not to me, so it was really weird watching him open up in those videos. In one of them, he talked about me. It was nice, but I don’t think he meant for me to ever see it. A couple of the titles really have me wondering about things… Should I watch them? I know he’d be embarrassed if he knew I knew. I don’t know what to do.Photo Description: A young man with warm brown eyes and shaggy, tousled brown hair looks seriously into the camera before pulling his long bangs back to reveal “I Love You” written in symbols on his forehead. His face breaks into a huge open smile as his secret is revealed.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.

    P. Barnaby – END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT (First Love )*Sarah Black – SUCKER-PUNCH (Athlete/Hurt-Comfort )Scarlet Blackwell – BREAKING WAVES (Surfing/Angst )Penny Brandon – FINDING JACK (Cowboys/Mild BDSM )Lee Brazil – BE A BAD BOY (First-Time/Family Drama )Cardeno C. – WOMAN WITH A DILDO (Friends to Lovers )L.C. Chase – OPEN TACKLE (Friends to Lovers )*Kim Dare – MASOCHISM 101 (BDSM/Friends to Lovers )S.J. Frost – A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY (Musicians/Rivals to Lovers )Jeanette Grey – HEART AND SOUL (Friends to Lovers )Jambrea Jo Jones – WILD BLUE YONDER (Military )*Pender Mackie by DOG DAYS OF SUMMER (Blue Collar/First Date )JL Merrow – BEAR NAKED (First-time/Bears )M.J. O'Shea – BRIDGES (First Love )*Neil S. Plakcy – PHOTO BOOTH (Cowboys/FBI )Dustin Adrian Rhodes – STORM OF PASSION (Friends to Lovers )Jaime Samms – MOURNING (Hurt/Comfort )*Justin South – REFLECTIONS (First Love/Hurt-Comfort )Zach Sweets – LUSCIOUS LOVE (Coming out/Food Kinky )Piper Vaughn – WANTING (First Love )*Silvia Violet – TIME TO TELL (Military/Friends to Lover)Deanna Wadsworth – UNSCHEDULED MAINTENANCE (Office Sex )Stuart Wakefield – THE ELEMENTS OF LOVE (Sci-Fi/Ménage )Alex Whitehall – HOLD ME TIGHT (Hurt-Comfort/BDSM Light )Lisa Worrall – JUST ONE KISS (Gay-for-You/Cops )Connor Wright – GONE TO PIECES (Sci-Fi/Mild BDSM )

    What led them to it and what's going to happen next?Photo Description: It is the instant before the kiss. A tall, slim young man in business clothes stands chest to chest with a shorter suit-jacketed Asian man. The taller man tilts his head, eyes closed, waiting. The Asian man places a palm on his shoulder and leans in, mouth opening to claim his lips.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" 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.Read the story here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 1.__________Genre: contemporaryTags: gay m/m, friends to lovers, suits, gay for youWord Count: 3,549