Albans is the youthful heir to his family's fortune and affiancéd to his beloved Cecil Mandeville, a family friend as well as Julian's lover.When Mandeville is murdered using magical means, Alex is brought in on the case. It's the worst day of Julian's life, but until they meet, it's just another case for Alex. Neither of them have any idea how their lives are about to change.Alex has to disentangle the magical threads until he can catch the murderer, and to do that he has to put himself right in the thick of things. His long-denied family connections get him invited to participate in Julian's Courtship as a Suitor, where he can observe the suspects firsthand. He just has to stay alive long enough to figure out which of the competition thinks Julian is a prize worth killing for.

    So it's a huge shock when Marcus mysteriously appears one night in Kevin's bedroom. Kevin has just enough time to enjoy Marcus' attention and warm familiarity, then Marcus vanishes.And then it happens again the next night.And the next.Meanwhile, back in daylight office hours, Marcus is as cold as ever with no obvious recollection of his night-time visits.What's really happening? Kevin's emotions run deep, but so does his confusion. He's wary of believing they have a chance together, yet his body and heart respond too joyfully to ignore.It will take a twist of fate, a break in the routine, and a bizarre time trip to bring them together properly and, hopefully, for real.

    He meets a gentle, insecure magician named Gene, who's come to work on the crumbling mansion's moldings. He doesn't expect to fall in love.Note: This story first appeared in "Christmas Delights," a collection of Male/Male gay romance stories set in and around the Christmas season.Length: 9,615 words Heat level: sweetThemes: Christmas, magic, gay romance, sweet romance, historical fantasy

    Intrigued, Cooper offers him one night, figuring the "love" will burn out after sex, but it goes far better than either expect. Lucas's chance comes when an accident leaves Cooper stuck and hurting at home. Lucas does his best to take care of him while hoping Cooper will fall in love with him in return, and Cooper discovers the idea of having Lucas in his life isn't that crazy after all."Over the Road"Truck driver Elliot Cochran meets "McLean" while talking on the CB and strikes up an unusual friendship comprised of short telephoned rants and long overnight discussions. One evening, McLean tells Elliot he needs to lighten up and go find some companionship, and so Elliot meets Jimmy Vaughan and has one of the best nights in his life. Before long Elliot faces a decision about sharing his life and building a future: Does he choose to love McLean, the best friend he's never met, or Jimmy, the man who thrills him beyond belief?

    After losing love and fighting addiction, he becomes a successful substance abuse counselor and helps people regardless of their insurance or ability to pay. It isn't the dream life he had in San Francisco, but at least he has something to be proud of. Everything seems to be getting back on the right track until Angel, a heroin-addicted male prostitute, crosses his path. Erik not only sees a lot of himself in Angel, but a lot of potential as well. He quickly realizes he's willing to sacrifice a lot to get him on the right path--but is he willing to jeopardize his career?

    When he’s whisked away to the bizarre land, his best chance for escape is to ally himself with the person called the Mad Hatter. Hatter—an odd but strangely attractive fellow—just wants to avoid execution. If that means delivering “Boy Alice” to the Queen of Hearts at her Red Castle, Hatter will do what he has to do to stay alive. It doesn’t matter if Henry and Hatter find each other intolerable. They’re stuck with each other.Along their journey, Henry and Hatter must confront what they’ve always accepted as truth. As dislike grows into tolerance and something like friendship, the young men see the chance for a closer relationship. But Wonderland is a dangerous place, and first they have to get away with their lives.

    The elders are tired of their younger people playing the field, causing trouble, and fighting with each other. Everyone who attends the UPAC Conference now has twenty-four hours to claim a mate of a different species. If they don't, they will never have a mate. The spell is cast. There is no escaping the Midnight Matings.Software developer Gavin Ashby is perfectly happy with his life. He finds other people annoying after being around them for only a short period of time, and having a mate sounds like pure torture to him.Video game tester Ant Marino is satisfied with his quiet, solitary life. After being accosted and almost forcibly mated, he meets the aloof but handsome Gavin.Neither Ant nor Gavin are prepared for the feelings that arise. Will the two men continue to dance around each other or will they pounce on love and never let it go?

    He cannot use a sword, he faints at the sight of blood, and even his brilliant abilities as a strategist are not enough to overcome his failings. When his father loses a bet to the notorious Lord Mallory over the matter of a dragon slaying, he pays his debt by ordering Ingram to marry him.Then his father reveals that he is putting Ingram to a greater purpose, giving Ingram one last chance to prove he is not worthless. All it requires is betraying his new husband.

    Seiran spends his time hiding in plain sight, flirting dangerously with his vampire boss and occasional lover, Gabe, and studying magic as required by his powerful mother. All with the hopes to slip under the radar and not be the next witch burned at the stake.Seiran finds himself forced to prove his abilities in a test of elemental magic against the Pillar of Earth, and comes out on top, shocking everyone. But phenomenal powers bring a lot of the wrong kind of attention. The kind he could have lived without, literally.When witches around him begin to fall, murdered for their power, he finds fingers pointed in his direction. Can he stop the killer before he ends up the next victim?

    When a young man fleeing for his life reaches the shores of the Dragon Isles, what he finds will change not only his life, but his entire world.

    Bears are real men with real bodies—and that doesn’t always mean a perfect six-pack or an immaculately smooth chest. With bears, it can mean more man to love. The men in this anthology are chubs, cubs, grizzlies, pandas, polar bears, and more—all looking for a connection. And beneath their burly physiques are hearts of gold. Explore the bear scene and beyond with these big, hairy guys and the men who find them irresistibly sexy.

    But a precious few begin even before birth.In the dual-gendered realm of Ylandre, the great divide between the high-born True Bloods and the lower-ranked Half Bloods is deemed impassable by most. Rohyr Essendri dared to cross it when he took young Lassen Idana from his provincial town and made him his paramour. Lassen perforce learned how to navigate the intricate byways of life at court. What he never expected, however, was to fall in love with Rohyr, a most inadvisable and impractical thing to do when one’s lover is sovereign ruler of the land. But anything worth having is worth fighting for, both figuratively and, as Lassen discovers, literally speaking.Contains hermaphroditism and explicit homoerotic sexual encounters.

    Determined to right the ancient wrong, Tristan sets off across the ocean to reverse the dark magic that affects the Sterling family to this day. Benjamin Sterling might not be happy with his life, but it is predictable - at least until Tristan Northland shows up in his office, unannounced and with nowhere to stay. He has plenty of reason to distrust witches and Northlands, but instead of caution, he experiences two unexpected emotions: hope and love.

    He’s sent to Shallow Grave, Arizona, to arrest a madman engineer known as Tinkerer, who’s responsible for blowing up half of Baltimore. Gillian has handled some of the worst criminals in the Bureau’s history, so this assignment shouldn’t be a problem. But even he’s taken aback by a run-in with the country’s most infamous outlaw, Gunner the Deadly.Gunner is also stalking Shallow Grave in search of Tinkerer, who will stop at nothing to take control of the town’s silver mines. Neither Gillian nor Gunner are willing to let Tinkerer hurt more innocent people, so they agree to a very temporary partnership.If facing illegal magic, Gatling gun contraptions, and a wild engineer in America’s frontier wasn’t enough trouble for a city boy, Gillian must also come to terms with the reality that he’s rather fond of his partner. But even if they live through this adventure, Gillian fears there’s no chance for love between a special agent and outlaw.Based on the short story, "Gunner the Deadly." Entirely revised, newly expanded, and Book One in the exciting new steampunk series, Magic & Steam.

    Can Jason find the strength to believe that love is worth fighting for? A Ring and A Promise by Devon Rhodes When Navy flier Cary secretly switches Academy rings with the love of his life, Owen, he makes a vow to make their unlikely relationship work. But when his Marine is called overseas, will a ring and a promise be enough to get them through? Only Sam by Em Woods When Dylan's restaurant burns down, his dreams turn to ashes, leaving him vulnerable to the man who wants to love him...and the one who wants to kill him. Fire fighter Sam has been trying to work up the nerve to ask Dylan out. But is it too late? Zane's Inferno by Sara York When Zane is trapped in a forest fire and almost killed, paramedic Nick moves in and doesn't leave his side. But a jealous ex is setting up Nick...and gunning for Zane. Will they survive the firestorm or succumb to the flames? In the Name of the Law by Sue Holston Vice cop Mitchell has a secret-he's in love with his partner, Ivan. When too much alcohol leads to them sleeping together, then Ivan is shot and nearly dies, Mitch realises he must tell the truth or lose Ivan for good. Wings of Fire by Kit Sands Fire fighter Salvatore's life will never be the same after he pulls Jamieson from a burning car. But can they avoid the actions of a deranged bigot long enough to have their dreams come true?