I was abandoned when I was a child; they used to call me a freak and beat me because I couldn’t speak. I’m mute but I survived.Then my master, the old Earl, who is a diplomat but who is also a familiar figure at King Henry VIII’s court, took me in his household and trained me: I’m an Assassin!I’m a shadow, working in the shadows; I do what I’m told to do. I have no friends. Sometimes I feel lonely and I dream about something different, something more…Tell me, is there any hope for me, can you help me!?Photo Description: A gray mist shrouds the scene behind him, as he seems to emerge from its depths, a bloody dagger clasped in his right hand and a gold signet ring in the other. He wears the clothing of a man who would be welcomed at the court of King Henry VIII. His black leather breastplate covers a midnight blue shirt and his black cape billows about him, the hood drawn over his head, exposing only his face. His eyes speak of weariness that is shrouded in sorrow. He lives in smoke and shadow and his is a deadly occupation.This 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.

    Isolated by circumstances and by the protective shield he's surrounded himself with, he wanders the streets of the West Village and gravitates toward Stonewall Inn, where the 1969 riots planted the seeds of the gay civil rights movement. Having been raped at his previous foster home, he worries about HIV and about ever being able to enjoy sex.Alex, whose parents had both been Italian, feels his lack of family keenly. As he wanders the city streets, he scrutinizes people who might also be Italian. Alex is short for Alessandro, which means defender of men; Lupo means wolf. But Alex feels fearful most of the time—fear not just of Derek, the other foster teen in his current home, but also of life in general—and wishes for the courage of his 19th century countryman, Giuseppe Garibaldi, with whose statue in Washington Square Park Alex has imaginary conversations.Then Alex meets two people who represent polar opposites: one who validates the low opinion Alex already has of himself; and another who helps him see himself in an entirely new light and teaches him that his life is worth more than a few minutes of anyone's pleasure.

    Leo Tops Aries is a short, erotic follow-up to Leo Loves Aries (Signs of Love, #1).

    His life went from heartbreak to joyful and then, from friendship to love. The impact Preston had on Lucas’ life was mesmerising. What would you do if you knew you may not have a tomorrow?

    One night he almost gets caught. Now he has only seconds to decide if he should stay or run from the most erotic encounter of his life—and maybe a chance at love again.This story includes m/m/m sexual content and was originally published via the author's website.Contemporary EroticShort Storyincludes m/m/m sexual content16 pages (in PDF)Word Count: 6,000Author’s NoteThis story was inspired by the Alanis Morissette song “Your House” where she walks into her former lover’s house, puts on his robe, listens to his music, and lies in his bed, all while he’s seeing someone else. I wanted to write a story with a similar theme, but give it a romantic twist. “The Break In” is the result of that personal challenge.

    Very sweet.This story also available in print in the anthology Ever After: The Collected Short Works of Marie Sexton.

    Partner in a thriving veterinarian clinic with his best friend Stacey, he has a great dog, a favorite Chinese take-out place and a great DVD collection. The only thing he doesn't have is a special someone to share his life with. When Ben has a number of poisoned animals come through his clinic, he call in the police, suspecting that these aren't random tragedies, but deliberate killings. Enter Constable Tim Geary. Dog and cat poisonings are fairly low on the priority list, but Tim decides to look into them. The attraction between Tim and Ben is immediate and soon Chinese food and more is on the menu. Life has a way of trying to keep the boys apart, though. Can they find a way to overcome their busy lives and be together?

    The demons proved impossible to outrun, though, and now, desperate for somewhere to belong, Ondro is returning to start over. During a layover in Basel, Switzerland, he meets Jamie, an American living in Scotland who is as brilliant as he is beautiful. Jaded Ondro never would have guessed he could fall in love during a brief layover—until now. When he is put in a position to offer Jamie comfort without hope of recompense, Ondro doesn’t hesitate. Soon, he catches a glimpse of the home he longs for. But with their separation looming, confessing his feelings would only lead to pain and humiliation. Life has taught Ondro not to hope, but then, he never believed in love at first sight either....

    Brady Novak was kind, responsible and easy on the eyes. Yeah, the guy had a kid but Ryan loved her too. What could go wrong? Well, Ryan's sister Ellie, that's what. Ellie is a flighty, love-em-and-leave-em kinda girl with a big heart who doesn't realize she dated the guy Ryan had fantasized about. But, like all of Ellie's other relationships, this one ended within two months, just in time to send Brady running off to take a job in Phoenix, taking Ryan's heart with him.Ryan never thought he'd see Brady again until eight years later Ryan's sister blindsides him by announcing that not only is Brady back in Atlanta but she'd asked him out on a date. And he'd accepted. As if that wasn't enough to send Ryan on a tailspin, a neighborhood girl brings him face to face with Brady in an unexpected way.Brady can't believe when he sees Ryan again. He assumed Ryan had moved on from Atlanta, like he'd always said he would. But Brady hasn't forgotten his cute, nerdy friend and wants nothing more than to have a chance to try the relationship they never got to have all those years ago, but convincing Ryan that he hadn't slept with Ellie proves difficult. Ryan is still hurt over the way they left things and makes it an uphill battle, but Brady has waited too long. He'll damn well give a good go of trying to get his man and with the help of his precocious teenage daughter and a little help from friends they may just get their Happily Ever After. *2nd Edition, has been re-edited and revised*

    Inouye will stop at nothing to ensure victory, but for Ivar it is not only a matter of pride, but a deeper emotion that forces him to accept.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,I’m looking for a story from the sub’s POV… focusing on the senses, especially how the rope feels against his skin. Also how being tied up makes him feel… helpless, but safe. He trusts his Dom, and feels pleasure in pleasing him. Another person is watching, but the possessive Dom won’t let anyone else touch his boy. Instead, he carries on a long conversation with the other person, all while casually touching the sub, with minimal verbal interaction with him. Impersonal touches, almost absentminded, although the Dom is actually very focused on his boy. Maybe a brush against his balls while ignoring his cock. Or some nonchalant fingering while he discusses other matters with his guests. All gentle, though. And once the guest is gone, I’d love a tender aftercare scene.Photo Description: A dark-haired man in an intricate karada of jute rope lies spreadeagled on a low table, wrists and ankles tied to chairs positioned at his head and feet. He is naked and a Japanese tea tray, with the accoutrements for sadō, covers his lower chest and abdomen. His head is unsupported and his genitals are exposed to view.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.

    His life is work and school, leaving him too busy to make friends. Then one day, fetching his mail from his school post box, Kaeck finds a letter from a secret admirer. The letters and subsequent gifts do much to brighten Kaeck’s lonely days, but even as he longs to know the identity of his admirer, he finds his own admiration growing for fellow student Bellamy... who in turn is enamored of someone else entirely.

    Their friendship seems like a dream come true—or perhaps just a dream, because no one else can see or hear James. Aaron stubbornly clings to his new friend, however, even when the friendship makes him an object of scorn and ridicule. No matter the years that pass, or the challenges they face, Aaron refuses to give up on his best friend—but life might just find a way to take James from him anyway.

    When he opens the shop before dawn, he hears the waves. When he walks along the beach after sunrise, he admires the surfers—one in particular: Cameron Brown. A chef and café owner, Cameron secretly watches Luke right back. When Luke proposes a business deal, Cameron seizes the chance to get close. But Cameron’s ideal man is physically perfect, and Luke’s awkward limp could be the flaw that fractures their romance.Part of the Under the Southern Cross anthology.

    Reed has crafted a new fairy tale for our times that manages to be ethereal, romantic and ripped-from-the-headlines realistic.Beau is a down-on-his-luck street artist living on the streets of Seattle, drawing portraits of tourists to make enough money to live hand-to-mouth. He has a knack for capturing his subjects’ “very souls” on paper. One rainy night, he is accosted by a group of fag-bashing thugs, intent on robbing him of his art supplies and humiliating Beau for who he is. Beau is beaten into unconsciousness......And awakens in a beautiful bedroom, his head bandaged and with no memory of how he got there. Outside his window pine trees and mountain vistas beckon.Beau’s tale grows even more mysterious when a large, muscular man begins bringing the injured Beau his food. The man says nothing—and wears a wolf mask. When he finally does speak, it’s only to tell Beau to call him “Beast.”What secrets does the wolf mask hide? What do these two outsiders have in common? And will their odd circumstances bring them to the brink of love—or tear them apart? The answers lie in Rick R. Reed’s haunting love story that reveals that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

    Since then, he's known how he wants to spend his life. There have been trials, and challenges, but now - finally - the day is here for him to start college with his lifelong friend Anthony Pace.Anthony is a red-haired force of nature. He writes poetry about their enemies and eagerly participates in all Charlie's science experiments without understanding a word. Every morning, he waits at the end of their street so they can get the bus together.But things are changing.Families are important, and complex. Charlie's mum hasn't been well, and his relationship with Anthony begins to shine like a different star in the sky.Can everything come together in this explosion of physics and chemicals that Charlie calls life? Will Anthony Pace ever share his poems with the world, and can the Chihuahua, Princess Arabella, ever learn to stop licking?****WARNING: includes moderately explicit scenes of intimacy between consenting young adult males.