The distraction saved Jon’s life but cost the lives of innocent people including his best friend and partner. It was a price for survival Jon couldn’t live with and was sure he’d never understand. Driven by grief and guilt he tried to escape his past by fleeing to a small town in the middle of nowhere. Only instead of peace, the memories festered. Then the offer of a stick of gum from a stranger changes Jon’s life and puts him on a road out of the nightmare he’s trapped in. Ellis Harper has lived the past twenty years isolated from the outside world and sole caretaker for his mentally disabled brother, Rudy. While Ellis loves his brother, he longs for a life he’ll never be able to have. Shut away, his days consist of chores, endless cartoons, and games of Go Fish. A world that seemed to have no end until an innocent misunderstanding turns Ellis and his brother into a target for a town bully. It’s a fight Ellis can never win on his own but thanks to a chance meeting with a stranger, he doesn’t have to. What begins as a new journey in love for both men quickly unfolds into something neither of them could have ever imagined.

    Colleagues at work and close friends, though on the surface it's an unexpected friendship between an odd couple. While Zane took the "high school to college to med school" track, medicine is Eli's second career and the best choice he ever made. He has work that he loves, an extended second family of colleagues and friends, and Zane. So why does everyone make such a big deal about the pair of them? Yes, they spend a lot of time together. It doesn't mean they're a real couple. When teased about it one too many times by their colleagues, Zane challenges Eli to set the record straight with a kiss to prove there's absolutely no chemistry between them. Neither expected a spark to ignite between them. More than a spark. Desire. Passion. Zane wants to try getting up close and personal again to see if it was a one-time fluke or something more. Eli thinks he's too old to jump the fence now, but he can't say no to Zane and he doesn't want to. Truth be told, Eli's not so sure they can set the record straight after all.

    The real trigger for his decision is losing his best friend, Mauricio, who died of AIDS, and whose last letter stirs forbidden desires, besides asking Esteban to look out for Mauricio’s widower, Javier Lozano.Without Mauricio's love Javier collapses, and the only thing which keeps him going on is to fulfill Mauricio's last wish. Javier has to personally return twenty years of letters to Mauricio's pen pal and best friend, Esteban. Someone Javier hasn’t meet, but whose voice over the phone, helps Javier cope with his ignorant family that doesn’t even understand the difference between being HIV positive and having AIDS. The meeting between Javier and Esteban changes their lives, but standing between them is a lethal virus, Esteban family’ prejudice, an age gap, and the memories of the man—both once loved.Original PromptDear Author,I gave you years of my life, my love, and my trust. All you gave me was "I'm sorry" before you died and left me with a crumbling house, a failing business, and your STD. Is there any hope that there is someone out there who will truly love me and take the mess that I have become?Obviously an HEA is required here :)Photo Description: A black and white photo depicts a lonely man sitting with his knees drawn to his chest on a desolated area of shoreline. He sits a few feet away from a leafless tree which is bending in the wind. 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 6.

    His apartment is always a wreck, he works at a sewage plant, and he’s an abrasive jerk to just about everyone. When he's not out drinking and hooking up with strangers, he trolls people on the Internet for lulz. His life changes when he finds out a victim of his trolling lives right next door. Noah is super hot and disarmingly nice. In spite of himself, Oscar starts to fall for him. All he has to do is make sure Noah never discovers the truth behind his trollish ways. 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. Photo Description: Photo 1: A macho guy with black hair and a scruffy face stares derisively into the camera. He’s wearing a tank top that shows off a couple of tattoos and a nice body. His mirrored sunglasses make it hard to tell if the expression on his face is a malicious sneer or a mischievous smirk.Photo 2: A nice-looking young man wearing a jean jacket. He has soft brown hair and soulful brown eyes, which are directed bashfully away from the camera.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.

    He’s exhaling a drag from a cigarette, the smoke curls around his face, framing his jaw and pouty mouth. His expression leaves no doubt he’s looking at something— or someone— he’d like to get close to.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.

    He begins to think that he just doesn't have the passion to sustain a long-term relationship -- at least until a letter from a mysterious "Cupid" tells him not to lose hope. Intrigued, Derek replies to his anonymous admirer, and they begin a correspondence where Derek discovers he isn't the only one with doubts about his desirability.Dr. Macon Pinney has admired his colleague from afar for quite a while, but he only intended his initial note to Derek to offer encouragement. Macon doesn't believe that outgoing, sociable Derek could ever be interested in the type of quiet, withdrawn man he knows himself to be. And yet when Derek writes back, admitting his worries about never finding a true partner, Macon can't help but reply, sharing his own feelings from the safety of anonymity.But will Macon find the courage to step out of the shadows and admit to Derek his identity, or will both men spend the most romantic day of the year alone?

    I could never find the courage to speak to him. I feel like something keeps pulling me towards him. How can I approach him? What will he think of me… a garbage man?Sincerely,GinaSTORY INFO: Genre: contemporaryTags: lust, mutual masturbation, striptease, light and fluffy, blue-collarContent warnings: It’s dirty.Word count: 5,135This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's 'Love Has No Boundaries event.

    BIG LOVE. Meet the Veterans of Red Deer, Colorado, and the men who love them. Five stories of love, friends, families, and home. Happy endings guaranteed. INCOMING - Book 1 - a Troy & Dmitri novel How do you comfort someone who won’t admit they’re hurt? Sparks fly on a hot 4th of July weekend between army vet Troy Johnson and veterinarian Dmitri Wellington. But war is not easily left behind, and the demons Troy is running from are hot on his heels. First time gay & hurt/comfort themes. Contains mention of PTSD & nightmares & a great service dog named Sweetie. CHRISTMAS OUTING - Book 2 - a Troy & Dmitri novella Troy and Dmitri have worked everything out - well, almost everything. Except for the part where Troy's family doesn't know Dmitri exists. Now Christmas is coming, and his mother can't be put off any longer, not unless Troy wants to break her heart. But Troy's fears that going home with a boyfriend and service dog in tow will break his Momma's heart just as much. PAPER HEARTS - Book 3 - Mikey & Benny novel You never forget your first love. No matter how hard you try. The day of his high school graduation after getting caught making out with a boy in his parent’s kitchen, Benny left his best friend (and unrequited crush) Mikey behind when he stormed off in a righteous teenage rage and joined the Marines. One dishonorable discharge and a few alcohol-soaked years later, things are looking up. He’s almost a year sober. He has a new job in a new town where no one knows his history of failure. He’s totally got this. When the smoking hot masked man he hooks up with during Pride turns out to be his ex-best friend Mikey, Benny's world explodes. When he meets Mikey's four-year-old daughter and realizes he loves her as much as he still loves Mikey, Benny realizes he’s screwed in more ways than one. Contains three sets of grandparents, great friends, & an angry hispanic mother. PAPER ROSES - Book 4 - Mikey & Benny novella First comes love, then comes marriage. Assuming you survive the wedding. Mikey Washington really does want to marry Mikey. Maybe “Do you want to marry me or not, pendejo?” wasn’t the world’s most romantic proposal, but Mikey had meant every word of it. And Benny had been making Mikey crazy since they were twelve-years-old, he was used to it. So why did planning this wedding feel like facing a firing squad? Poochie, the not-so-bright service dog saved the day. People cry. Bonus Honeymoon in Puerta Vallarta! BRONZE STAR - Book 5 - Jay-Cee & Chris novel Rich, beautiful, and talented, Chris Dobbs is used to getting what he wants, and what he wants now is his dangerously handsome and intensely private boss, former Army Ranger, Jay-Cee. Chris learns that while giving Jay-Cee his body and his submission is as simple as breathing, Jay-Cee wants things Chris can never give him - his heart, his soul, and his trust. Both haunted by their pasts, the deep connection holds the promise of healing for both of them, but if they are to build a sanctuary from the rubble of their broken hearts, they are going to have to risk losing everything. A May/December romance. Warning: Contains mention of past drug use, D/s elements, & poor communication, (They fix it eventually!)

    The political climate is strained and fragile. A surge of Nymph refugees has stirred widespread hostility towards non-humans. When the investigation of a gruesome triple murder linked to the refugee camp ensues, it takes Inspector Käyru Skaer and his lover, Count Ellydhar Finn-Jánn, along an unusual path, at the end of which a precious gift awaits. Käyru and Elly are worlds apart in social standing, but they have found common ground in the bedroom—up against the wall and the stable doors, too. The arrangement between them ought to have been temporary and of no consequence. As their circumstances change, will they find the courage to risk their hearts? Warning: Contains mentions of off page sexual assaultAs of 14th December 2017, The Poison Within also includes a short bonus read titled A Late Bite to Eat.

    Bonus short: Dominic and Luke's visit to see Garrett and Kai.