After a scandal, New York political reporter Reed Barfield is lying low at the North Carolina coast, writing a story about the seafood industry. But it’s the harbor pilots on the Cape Fear River who capture his interest—men who jump across ten feet of open ocean to grab a rope ladder and guide huge container ships into port. Men like sexy but prickly Justin Vance. After surviving an abusive childhood and a tour in the Navy, Justin isn’t fazed by his dangerous job—it’s certainly easier to face than Reed’s annoying questions. Justin isn’t out at work, and he doesn’t need Reed digging into his personal life or his past. But Reed’s no stranger to using his considerable charm to get what he wants, and as he wears Justin down, they realize they have a lot in common—and that they like spending time together. Moving beyond that, though, will mean Justin confessing his sexuality and learning to trust Reed with his secrets—if Reed even decides to stay. Both men want a future together, but can they find the courage to take the first step?

    He guards his secret carefully, believing he is protecting his job and happiness. Then, during a routine traffic stop gone awry, he shoots a suspect to protect a young girl, and his life spins out of control. A department-mandated paid leave rips away the only distraction he had, and he has to deal with the unsympathetic media who criticize the police department’s every move.One day, needing to get out of the house, Benji walks into a café, where he meets Neal McCoy—a gay man living without shame, unafraid to speak his mind or stand up against prejudice. Benji quickly falls for Neal but struggles to combine his new love interest and his career. With the media threatening the careful illusion he’s built around himself, Benji can’t stand the pressure.Benji has to decide: sacrifice his happiness in the name of his career and an easy life, or find the courage to give up the lonely existence he knows and take a step into the unknown.

    The fact that Ryan is gay has been kept secret, thanks to his hard-working agent, and Ryan reluctantly plays along with the ruse.One night, Dar Phillips misdials a telephone number, but the guy on the other end of the line sounds sexy and funny so Dar keeps the conversation flowing. The man claims to be working on the upcoming Ryan Pierce film and invites Dar to meet him face-to-face at the movie studio. Dar eagerly agrees, but he’s not interested in meeting the film’s star, only the “wrong-number guy” whose voice on the telephone so enthralled and excited him.When the men finally meet, and Dar discovers the true identity of the stranger on the phone, sparks instantly fly...until the paparazzi show up and claim that Dar sold Ryan’s secret to the tabloids...

    In a single tragic moment, he goes from an artist with a loving partner and a future to an uninspired comic book store owner who barely exists. He hides behind a shield of grief, refusing to let Aaron go. He feels guilty for even trying to imagine a life apart from what he’d had.The charming party planner Quinn’s best friend insists he meet on a blind date isn’t someone he’s ready for. Brady Banner walks into Quinn’s small frozen world and turns everything upside down. For years, Quinn has focused on endings, but as Brady begins to thaw his existence, Quinn realizes that one moment can do more than stop a life—it can also start a new one.

    Getting shoved off an Isle of Wight pier by an exasperated ex ought to come as a wake-up call—but then he meets Rufus and he’s right back to letting the little head take charge. Rufus is cute, keen, and gets under Michael’s skin in a disturbing way.Would-be chef Rufus can’t believe his luck when a dripping wet dream of a man walks out of the sea on his birthday, especially when Michael ends up staying at the family B&B. Life is perfect—at least until Michael has to go home to the mainland.Rufus can’t leave the island for reasons he’s entirely neglected to mention. And though Michael identifies as bi, breaking his mum’s heart by coming out and having an actual relationship with a guy has never been his plan. With both men determined to keep their secrets, a leap of faith could land them in deep water.

    With his black-Irish good-looks and easy bedside manner he’s a favourite among patients. Surrounded by death on a daily basis, however, Bran has learned to harden his heart quite effectively. That is until he starts treating Ian Fitzgerald.Ian’s warm smile and determination easily punch holes in Bran’s barriers. Taking a step back to rebuild the walls around his heart, Bran takes off to his weekend house in Newport. He can’t surrender to Ian and he can’t ever get involved with a patient. When a treasure and a message in a bottle wash ashore on his beach, he’s forced to re-examining his determination and wonder if he can’t open himself to love after all.Reader Advisory: This story was released as part of the Legend Anthology by Total-E-Bound.

    He even has a pair with more paint splatters than metal. After his family’s rejection and abuse from a man he thought loved him, James only just gets through the day by painting. He lives in constant fear that he’s not worthy of anything, let alone love.As CEO of his company, Carrington Enterprises, Seth Burns is a take-charge kind of guy, and he is instantly smitten by the artist helping with his newest project. When he witnesses James suffer a panic attack, a protective instinct he never knew he had kicks in. He truly believes nothing is unobtainable—including James—if he’s willing to put in the time and effort.James is shy and confused by Seth’s interest in him as a person. With Seth’s support, can he work through his fears to finally find the true love he deserves, or will someone finally land the crushing blow he won’t survive?

    With his family grown and his husband Zack having decided to become a middle-aged clichA(c) and marry his secretary, Chris Thayer is about to discover that starting life over at 48 is just as complicated, frustrating and thrilling as the first time around. After relocating to the North Carolina beach community of Emerald Isle, Chris finds a new appreciation of his role as the heart of the home to his grown children and becomes involved in the patchwork lives of his neighbors. To his unending surprise, he also finds himself the object of a new man's affections, a rowdy jack-of-all-trades with an unnervingly direct stare. In the same quiet, understated manner that he demonstrated in his critically acclaimed first novel, "Metes and Bounds," Jay Quinn gives the traditional Southern novel a decidedly untraditional twist.Jay Quinn is the founding editor and executive editor of Haworth Press's Southern Tier Editions. He is the author of "Metes and Bounds" and "The Mentor" and has edited "Rebel Yell: Stories by Contemporary Southern Gay Authors." He lives in south Florida.

    Living. And, as a scientist, he’s not leaving anything to chance. He’s got a new job in Las Vegas, a signing bonus burning a hole in his pocket and what else does a brainy geek spend his money on but an education? This time of the carnal variety.Liam Maddox isn’t your ordinary gay male escort – he’s actually gay, and he really loves his job. Especially when he meets his newest client. Skye’s cute and awkward and sort of odd, and when he informs Liam that he wants to hire him to teach him everything he needs to know about being gay, well…Liam’s too intrigued to say no.Except what starts as light-hearted lessons in sex and seduction quickly becomes more as Liam begins to tap into a submissive side of Skye the young man never knew he had. Liam’s never been this drawn to anyone before, and he’s beginning to wonder if he can walk away when their time is up. Does happily ever after exist for someone like Liam with someone like Skye?

    Being frigid and a virgin, however, is a huge problem for the only son of a newspaper magnate. No matter the risk, Corey’s intent on resolving both problems in one go. Enter Lucian Allard, a wealthy hedonist with a notorious reputation at club Boudoir—and an unconventional sexual mentoring program for those who suffer from dysfunctions. As the two men begin a sensual journey to awaken Corey’s libido, Corey’s frigid body isn't all that begins to melt. His untouched feelings also spark to life. Though a family emergency puts a halt to awakening Corey’s senses and desires, Corey and Lucian grow closer as friends. Then an unexpected kiss from Lucian in Corey’s most desperate hour changes everything. Now Corey must decide if the program is still an aid or an obstacle to two lonely men trying to maintain a professional detachment but falling hopelessly in love.

    Mark has no recollection of their original encounter because the wholesome Jimmy of today couldn’t be more different than he was two years ago. Back then, Jimmy sported multiple piercings and facial hair. He was painfully skinny—and a meth addict. The drug transformed him into a lying, conniving thief.Mark doesn’t associate the memory of a hookup gone wrong with this fresh-faced twenty-something… but Jimmy knows. Can Mark see Jimmy for the man he is now and not the addict he was? The answers depend on whether true love holds enough light to shine through the darkness of past mistakes.

    But after a year, he still can’t get past his grief long enough to make the repairs he’d promised. Recently out of prison, Cole Lachlan has little to his name. Homeless, broke, and without many options as a felon, Cole heads to Red Bluff with hopes of a second chance. There he meets Tanner, whose loneliness mirrors his own, and soon Cole is trading room and board for rebuilding the burned-out barn on Tanner’s property that hasn’t been touched in seventy years. Turns out, the barn holds more secrets than either of them could have imagined. After unearthing a hidden journal from 1948, Cole and Tanner spend their evenings poring over the pages, reading about a young man pining after his best friend. The deeper they delve into this forbidden affair from the past, the more Cole and Tanner’s own relationship shifts—from acquaintances to friends…to undeniable attraction. But as they begin to deal with the newness of falling in love in the wake of Tanner’s loss and Cole’s past, they also become more determined to unravel the mystery of the young lovers who’ve captured their hearts, the rumors about the fire, and what really happened that fateful night.TW: Homophobia

    But the course of true love never runs smoothly. Just as they seem to find solid ground to stand on, Jazz's former lover Richard shows up, strewing an already rocky road with gravel. When Jazz has a serious motorcycle accident that threatens to end his life, Chris and Richard try to carry on without him. Can they find common ground of their own?

    After high school he had football but he lost Dylan.Dylan Sunday walked a different path, one laid down before him by his father and his grandfather. Losing Bo one day after discovering they shared more than football wasn’t part of the bargain. Six years of missed connections and finally Dylan is able to come home to the man he left behind. The spectacle of the biggest game in the NFL is only the beginning of one sizzling week. After that time and fate would decide if Bo and Dylan would walk the same path, or if one of them would make the ultimate sacrifice.Warning: bittersweet tale of two hot men, making up for six years of separation. May not be suitable for sensitive readers. Contains scenes of male/male sexual practices.

    Stories that take some squinting to see through. Unconventional stories. Tales that threaten to break the heart by cruel twists of fate, the dogs of war, or demons that are all too real; whether they be of unrequited love or a karmic slap in the face. Happy endings take a time in coming, and some never arrive. But through all the darkness there is light, a glimmer of hope and wonder…if one has the will to see it.