Open Arms and Open Eyes


Michelle K. Grant - 2013
    I didn’t even know he had a YouTube channel. He’s never told me he makes videos. He obviously wants to remain anonymous because he’s using a fake name. I only watched two of them. Even so, I feel like a total creeper. He’s not real great at talking about serious stuff, at least not to me, so it was really weird watching him open up in those videos. In one of them, he talked about me. It was nice, but I don’t think he meant for me to ever see it. A couple of the titles really have me wondering about things… Should I watch them? I know he’d be embarrassed if he knew I knew. I don’t know what to do.Photo Description: A young man with warm brown eyes and shaggy, tousled brown hair looks seriously into the camera before pulling his long bangs back to reveal “I Love You” written in symbols on his forehead. His face breaks into a huge open smile as his secret is revealed.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.

Back From the Past


Mia Downing - 2013
    Sure, we used to get the occasional day or two of scorching heat, but lately it’s been unrelenting. For weeks now, I’ve been heading to the river every evening to find some relief, and yesterday I saw him. I know I should’ve walked away. I know I shouldn’t have watched… but I couldn’t help myself. He’s still as beautiful as he ever was. When did he get back?Why?I’m heading back to the river again today. Maybe I’ll have the courage to ask him why he left me without warning… why he broke my heart.Photo Description: He stands naked in hip-high water in a lake, gazing down as his hand dips beneath the surface in a ripple of muscle and grace. Damp, dark hair drips from his head, his dark-eyed gaze one of contemplation. He’s perfect in form, chiseled through the waist, his abs rippled, his chest broad and firm. However, as beautiful as he is there’s a vulnerable air about him that begs one to question how he got there.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.

So Hot With Love


J.H. Knight - 2013
    The man in the black T-shirt is remembering a day that almost ended their relationship. It started with some trouble with a thong and a fireman and the whole day just went downhill from there! Please tell us about this unbelievable day.Photo Description: Two men are kissing and holding each other in a loving embrace in a bright room with hardwood floors and sunshine spilling through the window. It is a joyful and sweet scene.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.

Sailor Boys


Anthony McDonald - 2013
    Both are in naval uniform, both on national service. They are startled by the coincidence of how much alike they look. Headily conscious of each other’s and their own beauty, they are primed and ready to fall in love...STORY LETTER:Dear Author,They were both on leave for the first time in a strange city when they met. It didn’t go well at first, but then later......and who knew it would last so long and so well, even fifty years on they’re still surprised.Sincerely,GeoffreySTORY INFO:Genre: historical/20th centuryTags: first time, young adult characters, coming of age, sailors, true love, infidelity, tear-jerker, established couples, outdoor sexWord count: 7,983

Finding the Time


Summer Michaels - 2013
    I haven’t spent twenty-four consecutive hours with him in months. Our schedules haven’t allowed it. Today I find him lying on his stomach reading for one of his classes. I have to be close to him, touch him. I climb onto his back and drink in the time we have together.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.

Finding Bigfoot


Kate Islay - 2013
    But I’m taking this Sociology class and I’m in a group with a guy who’s openly gay. The first time I met him, I felt like I’d stepped off a cliff. He has beautiful peach skin with a cute red blush on his cheekbones, a super lean tight body (smaller than mine), and the most beautiful eyes and smile. I’ve tried to ignore the attraction, but now I find myself dreaming about him― a lot. Like crazy, hot dreams. What should I do? I kind of want to explore this, but even if I worked up the nerve to say something, why would he want some clueless, supposedly straight guy like me?Photo Description: A young man sleeps on a bed with white sheets, his arms curled above him, and his expression furrowed in dreams.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.

Shooting the Curl


Madeleine Ribbon - 2013
    For three years, Little Dude has been my whole life. I made the choice to adopt as a single father, and I’m darn good at being a dad. Except, well, there’s this person I can’t get out of my mind, which is weird because I haven’t given a thought to sex and relationships since Little Dude and I became Team One. The other weird thing? He’s a guy. Yeah. And seems the total opposite of me. Plus, I think he’s straight, but I swear sometimes he looks at me and is thinking about how good we’d be together. It makes me a little nervous. And a little hot.Whatever I do, I have to put Little Dude first. Hey, I don’t even know if this guy likes kids!Photo Description: A fit young man with blond curly hair lifts a little boy up into the air with one arm. They’re dressed for the beach and wearing matching sunglasses.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.

Love on a Wing and a Prayer


T.A. Webb - 2013
    Living on an aircraft carrier, surrounded by so many men in such close quarters, I worry that if my sexuality is known, most of them will subscribe to the narrow thinking that I am attracted to all of them. But there is one who has caught my eye and driven my senses into overload. The problem is that he is a fellow pilot. I don't want to cause any issues in our working environment, and I don't even know if he is gay, but I am drawn to him and cannot stop thinking about him. What I wouldn't give for a stolen night together, but I long for even more than that because I am attracted to his personality, sense of humor, and strength of character as much as I am attracted to his physicality.And then one day, his co-pilot gets sick, and I am told to fly with him. Will this time together possibly lead to something? I can't help but hope that it does.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.

The Field of Someone Else's Dreams


Amelia C. Gormley - 2013
    But growing up gay in the Bible belt of west Michigan was difficult, and unlike Matt, he wasn’t brave enough to face the prejudice head-on. Especially when his family told him over and over that he wouldn’t be able to attend college without a scholarship.Back in high school, he worried that coming out would get him kicked off the baseball team or make recruiters reluctant to scout him. Eventually, Matt broke up with him when he couldn’t handle being Chris’s secret boyfriend any longer, but college has given them a second chance — if Chris has the courage to take it.When a terrible injury puts Chris's baseball scholarship in jeopardy, it reminds Chris of all the reasons he stayed in the closet to begin with, and his ultra-masculine father's expectations and thoughtless homophobia aren't helping. Baseball has always been Chris's hope for the future, but now that dream could cost him Matt's love.

Loyalty Deserved


Kathryn Sparrow - 2013
    I was captured, restrained, interrogated for information I don’t even have. No one is coming for me; I knew that without his taunts. But if he thinks I’ll surrender, he has another thing coming.Photo Description: A young man with neatly trimmed brown hair, thick eyebrows, and piercing hazel eyes stares at the camera, looking determined. His torso is bare except for leather restraints surrounding his neck and wrists. A rope is wrapped around his wrists several times and through a ring on the leather cuffs, and holds his hands suspended next to his head.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.

Sticking It


K. Vale - 2013
    We all do dumb shit when it’s just the guys, after all, right? And I mean, clearly they’ve seen me before when I was competing on the college team, but I guess it’s an understatement to say that they’ve never seen me perform in such― ahem― brief attire.Most of the guys looked uncomfortable, but I noticed one of them looking at me like he had something else in mind. He’s new and kinda one of the more quiet ones among us, so I don’t know much about him. I’ve only just started to realize that I might… well, kinda sorta totally… like guys and not girls. Is it possible he could maybe be… like me?Photo Description: A young, heavily muscled man, with his dark hair in a pompadour, is performing a gymnastics routine on a pommel horse wearing only his underwear.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.

Nothing's Missing Now


Westbrooke Jameson - 2013
    That hasn’t stopped me though, well, maybe it did for a little while. But he’s (yup, I said he...shocking right?!) here in my life now and not letting me give up.Photo Description: Model and former Marine Alex Minsky poses in red briefs while holding a rolled-up white towel behind his shoulders. Most notable are his tattoos and the fact he wears a blade prosthesis on his right leg.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.

A.S.H.E.R.


Kallysten - 2013
    Maybe it’s the day he’s first been unpacked and settled into his new home! Maybe it’s sometime after he’s settled into a routine. And what IS that routine, anyway? Is he privately owned? Is he on staff at a sexy high-tech brothel? Has he become self-aware enough to run away from the sexy high-tech brothel and follow his heart circuits in search of a better life and someone who can love a synthetic man?Photo Description: A human-like robot, apparently naked, lies on a bed of packing peanuts. He has just been unboxed, and waits for his new owner’s first orders.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.

Closure


S.H. Allan - 2013
    Two years ago, Derrick Cole took one of his teenage probationers to learn about a new program that helped at risk kids by teaching them how to train shelter dogs. There he met the executive director and founder, Nigel Rutherford. Although the two men came from different worlds, they immediately found common ground in an interest in social issues and a desire to help others. A strong mutual attraction grew over time into the kind of solid loving relationship that so many people only dream about.But getting to this point wasn't easy. Bias and intolerance barred the way, and Derrick's foster father, Ronald Bryant, was at the core. When Ronald dies tragically, the couple is forced to face demons from their past that threaten to destroy everything they've fought so hard for.Death does a lot of things to people. Nigel and Derrick must fight to make sure that their relationship isn't yet another tragic loss.Warnings: Contains grief and loss, death of a parent, lots of crying, a bit of PTSD, snarky teens, adorable but opportunistic dogs, foul language, emotionally intense hot man on hot man sex action, and an excessive number of pumpkins.--------------------------------------------------------------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.

Cherry Blossoms and Titanium


Tia Fielding - 2013
    But lately I have the feeling that there’s a distance between us, that he’s withdrawing and I don’t know why. I’m doing my best to be his perfect boy, I need him to be happy, and serving him and being there for him whenever he needs me are one of the most important things in my life. But why is he so cold? Why isn’t he happy anymore? What did I do wrong? Should I ask him? What if I don’t like his answer? What I can do to help? Losing him would break my heart; if I lose him, I have nothing… But I know it’s within his rights to send me away, to take my collar back… but that would kill me. I love him. He knows that. Does he?Photo Description: One man kneels in front of another man, leaning to his midsection. It looks like a submissive pose, but also like they’re maybe comforting one another? Both men are dressed casually, and you can’t tell if the kneeling man is wearing a collar or not.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.