Whether intended or not, that’s exactly what he’s become—ever since innocently attempting to deflect the attention away from another teammate during the playoffs. One little admission, and now his private life is making headlines.Luke Weber would love the chance to bask in Cole’s limelight. After all, he’s never had the pro hockey career he envisioned. If he’d stayed in the closet, maybe that spotlight would have been his. He’ll never know the truth, now that the doors to his dream career have been slammed shut.With everything out in the open, there’s no denying the attraction they feel for each other. Cole and Luke want to move forward—together. But to do so, they’ll each have to let go of the lives they’d imagined for themselves. Can two strong men relinquish the fantasies of their futures to make their real dreams come true?

    When he is transferred to St. Louis, his new teammates don’t exactly roll out the welcome mat. It doesn’t help that Adam sees “the Gateway to the West” as a step down from his high-profile position in LA—an attitude Adam has no problem sharing with his new housemate and fellow center forward, Colin Evets. Colin is Adam’s only friend on the team, but when Adam misinterprets Colin’s Midwestern charm for something more, he could end up ruining both their friendship and their careers. As Adam struggles to make a better impression, Colin tries to decide if the person he’s been showing the world is who he wants to be with Adam. The pressure to win influences decisions both on the field and off as Adam and Colin discover how making the wrong move can be very right.

    Brian Christie, his best friend and touchstone, the one person who’s always truly seen him, plays sidekick on these madcap adventures and subsequent trips to the hospital until he can’t take it anymore. While Brian can see Varro, Varro has never caught on that he’s breaking his best friend’s heart. Without Varro, Brian builds himself a life that’s all about just getting by, doing his best to ignore the hole in his heart and his life. Without Brian to balance him, Varro pushes harder and takes more risks to reach that ultimate high. His job racing high-octane bikes on suicide-level courses makes it easy to get that rush… until it’s no longer enough and Varro realizes it’s not the race, but who’s waiting at the finish line that truly matters. Now he just has to convince Brian to be there.

    That twink was so determined not to date an infamous playboy like myself that there was no way for me to resist proving him wrong. However, I didn't expect to actually fall in love with him. How can I make him mine? How do I make him believe I really want him and for him to stop pushing me away?Photo Description: Two men fill the frame, with only their heads, pale-skinned bare shoulders and bare arms visible. The light-haired one is closer, and leans his forehead on the other’s shoulder, eyes closed, his face almost peaceful. He grips the dark-haired man’s biceps; the other man does the same. The dark-haired man, only partially visible, presses his head into the light-haired man’s chest.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.

    When his job takes him to Canada to install communications software for a new sports arena, he’s glad for a change of scenery. During his stay, he befriends Noah Lukas, the strikingly handsome star player of the Toronto Bobcats professional hockey team. Callum knows nothing will ever come of it, but he can’t stop his attraction. As their bond grows, Callum learns more about—and falls more for—Noah through his sensitive and humble interactions with fans, his gentlemanly reaction to flirtations from arena staff, and his frank apprehension over his impending retirement. Their friendship evolves from workout partners to confidants, and then to even more. But Callum’s time in Canada is limited, and circumstances may divide him from a love he wasn’t looking for.

    When Melissa Bradshaw, only the most popular girl in school, suddenly shows an interest in Noah, he suspects he's being set up for a cruel joke. She asks him to Homecoming and he refuses to go.After school, the doorbell rings and Noah's sure she's back to pester him about the dance. But when he opens the door, he finds Doug there instead, with an explanation and a much better offer than Melissa's.

    His last attraction to an alpha male got him into an abusive relationship, and now ogling two hot members of the Australian volleyball team on Laguna Beach gets him harassed yet again. Australian Gareth Marshall needs to come out. A lifetime of hiding his orientation from his best friend and volleyball partner, Edge, as well as everyone else around him, has left him hurt and frustrated. When Gareth gets a load of David posing nude as the Michelangelo statue in the famous Laguna Pageant, he knows his days in the closet are numbered. And David is more than willing to help him take the first step out of the dark.But Gareth’s teammate, Edge, has secrets of his own, and David's ex-lover will never be happy without David under his thumb. With everything stacked against him, can a gay Laguna man find happiness with an alpha male – or two?

    To do that, he needs a co-driver he can trust. If only he could find one….At the end of a disastrous season, Daniel’s manager replaces his incompetent co-driver with Frank Dufour, a young Canadian whose rally team let him go because he was gay. Daniel’s in heaven, thinking he might find more than just a teammate, but his manager puts the brakes on, declaring Frank firmly off limits. Frank isn’t any more ready to risk his second—and last—chance at making it in the WRC, no matter how attractive he finds Daniel. Sex and cars don’t mix.Amidst a bitter rivalry with another driver, sabotage attempts, extreme weather conditions, and the stress of racing, Daniel and Frank forge a partnership that defies the odds, but just as things start to heat up between them, a family emergency calls Frank away. Will they find their way back together or will the separation and the spotlight be too much for their fledgling love to survive?

    That’s not what the game means to him. And he especially can’t stand the Sea Dog’s new rookie, Tommy Tremblay. After all, Tommy’s the sort of player that gets under Vicki's skin.He’s reckless.He’s wild.And he won’t take anything seriously.But when a chance meeting during the offseason shows Vicki what a good boy Tommy can be for him, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep seeing him as the bad guy. After all, how can he hate the only man who has ever made him feel worthy?Tommy is tired of Vicki’s stuck-up, holier-than-thou attitude. He’s fought hard to get where he is, and he’s not going to let some tightly wound guy make him feel like he doesn’t deserve his hard-won success.So, he can’t explain why they keep falling into bed together, or why he’s starting to fall for the man he’s supposed to hate.They both know this shouldn’t work, but the more they try to push each other away, the more their souls seem to connect. The question is, will they find a way for their hearts to be vulnerable and let love in?Open Ice Hit is a steamy MM romance set between the fictional NHL teams of the Brooklyn Phantoms and the Queens Sea Dogs. It contains hate that might not quite be hate, team as found family, sick goals from soft hands, some really stinky marine animals, praise kink a mile wide, and an unexpected journey that might just be worth taking.

    Rough carpet. Burned dinner. Awkward silence. Bitten lips. Startling length. Spilled wax. Pinched fingers. Shattered wineglass. Closet quickie. Flat souffle. Broken bedframe. Shower sex. Overzealous spanking. Embarrassing ex. Lost wallet. Terrible taste. Sore shoulders. Noxious odor. Absent date. Unbelievable girth. Kitchen canoodling. New toy. Stained sheets. Backward compliment. Stifling pillow. Locked handcuffs. Aching ass. Missing keys. Torn seams. Wrenched back. Angry cat. Overeager pass. Uncooperative zipper.Something always goes wrong in real life. Fortunately, in these stories love blunts the edges so that romance always triumphs over adversity.Stories included are:Midnight Caller by Anna BirminghamSnapshots by Rena ButlerBasil's Luck by Henrietta ClarkeBoys, Toys, and Carpet Fitters by Taylin ClavelliOutbursts by Bell EllisTyler Wang Has a Ball by Kim FieldingBoy Next Door by Ellee HillGremlins in the Works by Kiernan KellyGood Food Gone Bad by Venona KeyesAttack of the Hedgehogs by Kate PavelleIt's Not What You Think by Teegan LoySlippery When Wet by K. LynnDesperate Measures by E.T. MalinowskiGordon's Cat by Aundrea SingerPhoto Finish by AC Valentine

    These stories -- re-edited for quality content and given a Winterheart Designs cover -- were written in 2008, in part as a protest over the passage of Proposition 8 in California. They follow the course of Ethan and Barry's love affair in ten year intervals from the moment they first admit it, at prom in 1978, to a major breakup and reconciliation in 1988, to a family vacation in Hawaii that turns into more in 1998, and election night 2008, a time of deliberation and decision.This version includes the *bonus* holiday (also previously published) story “The Cursed Noel.”

    Driven to be worthy of the second chance he’s been afforded, Ash built a life centered around giving back to his community, all while maintaining a low profile. When he finds himself thrust into the spotlight of a bachelor auction to help one of his favorite causes, he never expects to come face-to-face with the sexy man who’s career he destroyed.Isaiah Blake has spent a lifetime proving he’s deserving of what he has. After a hit on the ice prematurely ended his NHL career, he committed to becoming a better version of himself. Now, he’s living an open and honest life. So, when he has an opportunity to interview bachelors participating in the Hockey Allies auction for the Hockey Network, the only thing he’s hoping to gain is exposure for his non-profit. That is, until his former rival Ash, steps onto the auction block. Isaiah sees an opportunity to make amends for the suffering he caused ten years ago. Unfortunately, Ash is wary of Isaiah’s motives, and soon Isaiah realizes there is more to Ash’s cautiousness than the history that binds them.Attraction takes hold as Ash and Isaiah begin to build a new professional alliance and friendship. They must learn to forgive each other, and most importantly, themselves. With outside forces and public opinion hawking, will their relationship be over before it begins? Or will they discover joy and redemption in each other, and find their happily ever after?

    His every desire is within arm's reach, except the one person Devin has always wished would be his in the end. All it takes is one conversation to open his eyes to a new possibility, one moment to change what Devin believes about friendship and love and one person to change the rules of the game.Sam Marshall has been fighting his feelings for his friend and roommate for two years. When an opportunity presents itself, he makes his move, only to be faced with the very real fear that what he sees in Devin, the potential waiting to be realized, may be more than their friendship can handle.

    To fly out to LA where he has an apartment and a coveted entry level job waiting for him. To build a life filled with the security and stability he never had as a kid. To find a husband who’s a lot like him: steady, smart, responsible, and capable of making good choices. To leave Connecticut and everything in it behind him, including his mother, her revolving door of suitors, and his straight ex-stepbrother.Craig has a plan. To convince Braxton to drive out to LA with him. To see every last sight along the way, no matter how weird or expensive or out of the way. To have one last hurrah before embarking on the adult life he’s in no way ready for. And maybe to act on the bisexuality he’s kept to himself so far.Whose plan wins? Is twenty days enough to make it from Connecticut to LA and from ex-stepbrothers to friends to happily-ever-after? Will Braxton’s stuffed bear, Mr. Lovey, find a real-life bear friend? Find out in this slow burn, friends to lovers, opposites attract, bi awakening, road trip romance in which there’s ONLY ONE BED.

    Especially after a filthy postgame kiss leaves me wanting all the things I can’t have.What's the risk in playing dirty just one time?**A Note from Lauren to Readers,When I finished reading KD Casey's debut novel Unwritten Rules I was so impressed that I asked her to co-write a fun little scene with me between two baseball players. We'd both written baseball romances so this made perfect sense. We had such a great time with these characters that a short scene turned into a sexy, flirty, dirty standalone novella that we love. I hope you enjoy reading Dirty Slide as much as we enjoyed writing it!XoxoLaurenA Note from KD Casey to Readers,I was ecstatic when Lauren reached out to me about potentially collaborating on a story. I loved the Men of Summer series, and jumped at the opportunity to create a new baseball romance. What started as a short story soon grew with the characters (which is one of the joys of writing!). We truly had a blast writing this and hope you have the same reading!Play ball!KD