With determination and perseverance, Ben has risen to the top of his class, both academically and athletically. And with careful planning, he has secured scholarships which ensure he has a real chance to see through his goal of becoming a doctor. But beyond that dream, Benjamin also wants a place where he can live freely and openly as the young gay man he is without shame, persecution, or fear. Cord Robinson also has a dream which he has held close to his heart for years, while he patiently waited for Benjamin to grow up and leave home – for Ben to be his. Cord has already gone through the steps of coming to terms with his sexuality and then coming out to his family and friends. And now that college is over for him and his best friend Branden, who is also Benjamin’s brother, Cord is ready to let Ben know that he is interested in a real future with the beautiful young man. But as Ben prepares for his graduation, the violence at home reaches a breaking point and he flees. When Cord realizes what has been going on behind the Alcott’s doors, it’s a race against time for him to find Ben and then open his heart to the one other man he wants to build a life and solid foundation with as Benjamin prepares to finally spread his wings and fly. CONTENT WARNING: Explicit Sex, References to Childhood Physical Abuse (No Sexual Abuse)

    But they soon discover there is no rest for the weary as they are immediately faced with another crisis—missing loved ones that seemed to have disappeared into thin air. With no leads and no idea if their loved ones are dead or alive, the gangsters are desperate to dig up a single clue—anything to set them in the right direction.As the gangsters are about to lose hope, an unexpected lead takes them to the last place their loved ones were seen. With a reluctant witness and a forced confession, they are left with little to go on… until a group of strangers—in search of their own lost loved ones—provide another piece of the puzzle that ultimately leads the two clans to a place of hellish imaginations… and terrifying revelations.THE BASE... After the unexpected, violent encounter with his arch-enemy Alexander Kane, Ardan MacNamara, the founder of The Base sanctuary for child prostitution victims, finally closes the door on his dark past. His honorary adoptive father, Fabian Bloom, who also suffered horrific physical, sexual and mental abuse at Kane's hands, no longer looks over his shoulder, enjoying his new life to the fullest.But then, Ardan's three sons and their friends are kidnapped in broad daylight, only a few hundred yards away from The Base, and the two men's world collapses. Numerous search parties are organized and no stone is left unturned, but the kids are nowhere to be found. The evil force behind the kidnapping seems to be greater and more dangerous than anything Ardan and Fabian fought against.Desperate situations require desperate measures and, for the first time, the two men search for help outside their circle of traditional allies. Even if they'll find it, Ardan and Fabian are aware that, this time, they may not make it out alive.

    If he’s been left lonely because of his family’s pursuit of wealth and their own happiness, he figures it’s a small price to pay for what he sees as most important: money.Cade McAllister has never had it easy. He works two jobs to support himself, his mother, and his special-needs brother. They don’t have much, but to Cade, love and taking care of the people who are important to him mean more than material possessions. When Cade is mugged in the park, he can’t afford to lose what little he has, and he’s grateful for Brian’s intervention. Cade is given a chance to return the favor when Brian’s grandfather passes away and Brian’s assets are frozen. Cade offers Brian a place to stay and helps him find work, and the two men grow closer as they learn the good and the bad of the very different worlds they come from. Just as Brian is starting to see there’s more to life than what money can buy, a clause in his grandfather’s will could send their relationship up in smoke.

    He has spent this entire school career under the radar of the multiple cliques in the school. But in doing so, poor little Aaron has been completely oblivious to everything that goes on around him. Including the fact that his crush on the Varsity football team quarterback, Josh, may not be a one sided draw on his part. It wasn't until his coach and his guidance counselor informed him of his failing grade in physical education. Aaron was offered, but he felt like he was forced to become the towel boy to the Varsity Football team for extra credit. Aaron had no choice but to open those pretty chocolate brown eyes of his to see that Josh shared those intense feelings of attraction. Read to find out what happens between the jock and the towel boy.

    And Derrick is nothing like Sandy, who was willing to go along with anything, big, bad, Jade wanted. How often can two Alpha males butt heads before one of them surrenders?

    After graduating from art school Nate left the Midwest for sunny Southern California, not quite sure what he hoped to find. It was almost certainly not falling in love with another man. His whole world and assumptions about himself begin to slowly turn upside down on one hot summer day. Seeking respite from the heat and his loneliness at Venice Beach he has a chance encounter with a handsome blond surfer. Jez is friendly, easygoing, and just a little bit mysterious. Openly gay, Jez offers Nate a place to stay, and the two men become fast friends. Nate makes new friends, adjusts to his new life, but his unbidden attraction to Jez keeps growing. In their moments of closeness Nate realizes that he wants Jez more than just a friend, but it might be too late. To make Jez his, Nate has to face not only his own fears and insecurities, but his mysterious mate has secrets of his own. Warning: Al fresco man-love, a scene-stealing old coot, and a relentless California sun.

    There was just one stipulation: Steven had to go dressed as Ms. Stella. Considering he was gay, it was going to be pretty hard to catch a cowboy if everyone thought he was a girl.Chase Montgomery was obsessed both with his lover of three years and with Steven Stewart, a man he had only seen in a picture. The weekend theme party he was throwing was the perfect time to introduce both to the fantasies in Chase’s mind. Now, if he could only get his lover to agree.Warner James was someone who refused to give up control. While that attitude served him well in the business world, it was hard on his love life. He never dreamed his lover was thinking of bringing someone else into their relationship…until he met Steven. Warner might even be interested in a bit more than just a weekend fling—if he can get both men to understand he was the one in control.

    Now his career hinges on his ability to work with the man who shut down his advances two years ago.After last parting ways with Beck, psychiatrist-turned-FBI profiler Zach Littman never anticipated seeing the detective again. Being sent to Denver to work on a series of killings that have continued after the only suspect died is bad enough. Discovering the detective in charge is Beck leaves Zach gritting his teeth and girding his loins.The last thing either of them needs is romantic entanglement with a fellow investigator, but danger is a powerful aphrodisiac. The case heats up, and friction between them ignites a fire neither can ignore, first at work and then in the bedroom. As they zero in on the plot behind the murders, the crosshairs zero in on Beck and Zach.

    He survived growing up gay in rural Alabama due to his impressive skill on the baseball diamond. Now living in Rhode Island and playing for the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox, he’s only a few steps away from his goal.Brock Kinkaid, CPA, faced each day with a smile that hid his deepest desire. He wanted to be a father. Unfortunately, the gay men he knew were not into the daddy scene. Resigned to being childless, he lavished his attention on his niece and nephew. When Corey won tickets to see the local baseball team in action, they suckered him into taking them despite the fact he loathed the game. Who would have guessed one homerun ball would change everything?

    An amazing life, a nice house he shares with Tyson, his boyfriend of eight years. Urban learns the hard way that life is full of unexpected surprises and people aren’t always as happy as he thinks. Unexpectedly single and heartbroken, Urban knows he can only take it one day at a time. A daunting endeavor while he still shares a house with the man responsible for shattering his heart.Before Urban can even begin grieving, let alone moving on, Tyson makes a shocking revelation that spins his world around for an extra loop. Can this new surprise show Urban that life isn’t about endings but about making memories and sharing limitless new beginnings?

    As a twenty-five year old Professor of English, he drowns the shame of how he copes by losing himself in bourbon. But, drink isn’t enough to block out the echoes of the past, and it’s not enough to give his body the sexual release it craves. For that, he needs a strong hand. A very strong hand. Raphia Margose is a thirty-three year old, gay man with eyes for his teacher. At 6’5, he’s a Scottish-Highlands throwback, ex-marine, widower, who has lost everyone he’s ever loved. Falling for the too-cute-for-his-own-good English Professor is no way for Raphia to protect his heart, especially since the Professor wants to be straight… needs to be straight. When Ian’s over-the-knee secret comes to light in ways that risk not just himself but innocent others as well, it’s Raphia who takes him in hand and guides him. It’s Raphia who becomes his first time. And, it’s Raphia who shows him how to love — not just others but also himself. Not able to let the demons of his past go, Ian digs up a history of his childhood much different than the one he’d known and learns that sometimes digging up the past can have horrible consequences in the present. Sometimes, people die… Sometimes you lose the one you love. This is a 73,000 word, M/M novel with a happily ever after. It includes explicit sex between two men — and more than one red-bottomed correction. It includes aspects of BDSM with an emphasis on correction through spanking. Please do not read this book if these subjects offend you.

    So he's both shocked and intrigued when he catches the eye of a cute, mysterious stranger named Ashton. Just as they introduce themselves, Justice's brother intervenes and pulls them apart. It's then that Justice learns the horrible truth: Ashton's father is a notorious criminal. A problem on its own, the situation is compounded by the fact that Justice's father is the DA who's made it a personal goal to take down Ashton's family.While Ashton may have grown up around criminals, he's nothing like them. Hard working and compassionate, he's done everything he can to prove he's a good person. When he meets Justice, Ashton is instantly drawn to the soft-spoken man. Then Ashton realizes how horrible Justice's home life is and he becomes determined to protect the other man, no matter the cost.

    Sex for money. That's the simple deal ex-freedom fighter Richard offers when he buys Denny's freedom. But as they get to know one another it becomes something more, until a ghost from Richard's past threatens to tear them apart. When ex-freedom fighter Richard buys a slave's freedom, he has a deal to offer. Being more inexperienced than he appears, he needs someone to teach him a few things. Sex for money and help is what he's proposing. Denny can always say no.Denny agrees, and as they settle into their new life, they learn things about themselves and each other, as well as the nature of freedom and love.But when are things ever that easy? Their world is suddenly shattered by a ghost from Richard's past. That's when Denny takes control, shows what he's made of and fulfills a need Richard didn't even know he had. It turns out neither are what they appear to be.

    After the closeted college student has a drunken meltdown at his well-to-do family's Christmas party (involving a few bombshell confessions and some not-so-polite uses for the angel tree topper) he suddenly finds himself disowned and cut off from the family funds. Back in New York, Josh tries to put the hangover behind him as he prepares for a swanky art competition. Of course fate has other plans, and after crossing paths with a mysterious bad-boy named Luke, Josh begins to question everything he thought he knew about himself. Josh can't help but think that this unrefined biker (dreamy as he is) is the last thing his reputation needs right now. But when Luke drops a few bombshell confessions of his own and Josh is left to find out who his true friends are, the artist might just find that opposites attract. "A Lesson in Pride" is a steamy standalone novel with HEA and no cliffhanger.

    He thought getting away from New York for a few days would be good for him, but he didn’t expect to see the first person he’d ever fallen in love with.Jake Pierson gave his heart to Charlie when he was barely fifteen years old. As best friends, Jake believed he and Charlie would be together forever, but when Charlie took the easier path in life, Jake was left to deal with a future without the man he loved.Jake knew tricking Charlie into performing at a conference he’d helped organise was low-handed, but he had a promise to keep and a future to build.Reader Advisory: This story has been previously released as part of the Unconventional At Best anthology by Total-E-Bound