(I’d later find out his name is Noah, he’s incredibly free-spirited, a painter (artist), a surfer, and has this really cool bohemian vibe goin’ on.) As I watched him––clad only in a baggy pair of cargo shorts, high-top Converse, and an interesting array of skin-ink––I couldn’t help but notice the way his friend/moving helper openly admired him. Loving a Straight Boy was born.--------------------------------------------------Edited by Men in Ink Cover Art by Karrie Jax

    Pazhani, her father, is ordered to kill her. But how can a father murder his own daughter? Imayam's powerful tale about caste bitterness—sickness that continues to plague Indian society—eerily preceded an actual event that occurred two months later. The narrative, constructed on short, crisp dialogues, is an unflinching account of the ugliness and trauma that await those who dare to transcend caste borders.

    The discovery of an unknown informant within the FBI's ranks, however, forces the two men to hole up in a loft apartment with only one another for company.After long conversations and their shared attempt to unravel the puzzle of the terrorist group's next target, Pearce and Mark find they cannot deny their mutual attraction. Pearce gives in to his passion, sleeping with the man he's sworn to protect and going against his training as he risks heartbreak once again.When the informant reveals himself to Pearce and takes him hostage, Mark finds he cannot run and leave Pearce to die. Instead, their roles have been reversed and now he is the only person who can save Special Agent Pearce.

    Now Liam's got two problems: Mr. Santino’s belt and Kurt’s bare hand. Or rather, he’s got one problem: the fact that all this old-fashioned discipline is making him hornier than hell. Kurt’s determined to make Liam stop perving on his dad. Liam just needs one more punishment. Can the two college students work out an arrangement that satisfies all their desires? This short story (approximately 15,000 words) features lots of spankings with various implements and a HEA ending.

    The sun beams down on the rolling green Yorkshire hills, and the scent of freshly cut grass is in the air.Local vet Mandy Hope and her boyfriend Jimmy Marsh are happily setting up their new home, and life at animal rescue centre Hope Meadows is as busy as ever. When the Welford Garden Committee announces a Midsummer Fair, Mandy is thrilled to be invited to judge the animal-themed fancy dress competition.The whole of Welford turns out for the fair, and the fancy dress competition is a roaring success. Three-year-old Herbie and eighteen-month-old Kiran come as Bo Beep and her lost sheep and Mandy can't help but melt. Maybe having children of her own isn't such a ridiculous idea after all? But in the euphoric mayhem of the day, little Kiran goes missing and a frantic search ensures.When the lost lamb is rumoured to have been seen on nearby Honeysuckle Lane, it's all hands on deck to solve the mystery and restore him to his rightful home.

    But it also brought him firefighter Adam Collins and the purest blue eyes Jared had ever seen.Despite the best efforts of his department, Adam had to watch with Jared while Jared’s house burned to the ground. Something about the man touched Adam and made him want to follow up and protect him. Later, when the two of them gave in to their passion, it burnt and bared them both.So Jared ran…from Adam, from his past, and from everything their future together could hold. He tried to start a new life, taking only his newfound passion for glass and his obsession for a finding a particular shade of blue, the blue of the heart of a flame. It took a near-tragedy to teach him that the blue he sought, he'd had all along…in his firefighter's eyes.Publisher’s Note: this book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, male/male sexual practices.

    The coffee's good, but it's not the rich flavor that lures him to drive blocks out of his way each morning, and it's not an addiction to caffeine either. He's half-embarrassed to admit it, but it's the man who keeps him coming back. The long-legged, painted-on-jeans-wearing, dark-haired, edgy sex god with the teasing eyes. He's everything Riley--who has a history of geekdom and being flustered around hot men--is not. Riley knows he should put a stop to the daily forays because nothing can ever come of it. Guys like that aren't interested in men like him. Yet every time the hunk meets his gaze across the crowded shop and aims a sizzling grin at him, Riley gives in and comes back to participate in the silent, sexy flirtation another day. Needless to say, the last thing he's expecting when he goes to question a witness about a murder at a local gay strip joint is to discover the witness is his coffeehouse hottie. Dane Scott works as a stripper strictly for fun. He doesn't need the money--he's got plenty in the bank from his other career. He just likes to have something to keep him busy a few nights a week. When one of his fellow dancers turns up murdered outside the strip club, the police detective who shows up on Dane's doorstep asking questions is none other than the sexy, blond cutie he's been flirting with at the coffeehouse for weeks. Riley Ellison's a fascinating contradiction--rugged, strong, serious-eyed hero and bashful boy next door. A combination Dane finds all too appealing and a refreshing change from the selfish, shallow men he's known and dated in the past. From the moment Riley flashes his badge, Dane's determined to show the skittish cop they can make magic together. The heat between them quickly soars to the boiling point and not even a murder investigation can cool the passion they share. That is, until new information on Riley's case implies Dane may not be all he seems... Genres: Gay / Contemporary

    In acclaimed stories such as 'Rain', 'The Letter', 'The Vessel of Wrath' and 'The Alien Corn', Maugham illustrates his wry perception of human weakness and his genius for evoking compelling drama and an acute sense of time and place.

    Ten years later, Tripp McCall is now a rich business tycoon, offering to help her organize an over-the-top class reunion. Chelsea suspects he’s just trying to show her what she lost. But Chelsea doesn’t care about his money; she misses his humor, his gray eyes and soft lips. Could he ever give her a second chance?

     A short story in the Oddjobs universe that tries to answer the age-old question: what Christmas present do you get for the demon who has everything?

    Fighting for his life amongst the dead, he keeps moving until the day he's surrounded and facing his bloody end-and shockingly, another zombie saves him. But not just any zombie... it's Dave, the first man Jay ever loved, and there's something special about him even now, in the midst of the horror around them.

     Featuring fourteen short stories, The Life to Come spans six decades of E. M. Forster's literary career, tracking every phase of his development. Never having sought publication for most of the stories--only two were published in his lifetime--Forster worried his career would suffer because of their overtly homosexual themes. Instead they were shown to an appreciative circle of friends and fellow writers, including Christopher Isherwood, Siegfried Sassoon, Lytton Strachey, and T. E. Lawrence. With stories that are lively and amusing ("What Does It Matter?"; "The Obelisk"), and others that are more somber and thought-provoking ("Dr Woolacott"; "Arthur Snatchfold"), The Life to Come sheds a light on Forster's powerful but suppressed explorations beyond the strictures of conventional society.- Ansell- Albergo Empedocle- The Purple Envelope- The Helping Hand- The Rock- The Life to Come- Dr. Woolacott- Arthur Snatchfold- The Obelisk- What Does It Matter? A Morality- The Classical Annex- The Torque- The Other Boat- Three Courses and a Dessert: Being a New and Gastronomic Version of the Game of Consequences

    Total word count -71,296Sweet Little Lies by Liz Schulte - Author of Dark Corners and The Guardian Trilogy The day Femi caught her first bounty she knew this was it; she found her place in the Abyss. However, one mistake, one act of kindness, one beautifully whispered lie could cost her everything--even her life.Autumn's Call by Lisa Rayns - Author of The Curse of the Egyptian GoddessWhen Autumn realizes death is chasing her, she runs only to be stalled by an unresolved ghost. Is he there to help her? Or does he want retribution for his murder?Tell a Soul by Olivia Hardin - Author of Witch Way BendsHe’s the dependable one. The strong and steadfast one. Still, there’s one woman who has always turned his firm resolve on end. Langston is surprised beyond belief to find Kristana again, and this time without a husband. Has fate finally given them the chance to be together? Kristana can’t escape her intense attraction for the strange giant Langston, but the murmuring voices in her head are threatening to drive her mad. Can she find a way to trade one torment for another and thereby find true love?The Siren Sarina by C.G. Powell - Author of Spell CheckedBeing a siren is not all that it is cracked up to be, especially when you play with the gods. Sarina, like all good sirens, has a penance for sex and not with just anyone. This time her prey is Ares the god of war and lover to Aphrodite. Not that Sarina minds stepping on the goddess of loves toes, but when Ares gifts her with the powers of a god, Zeus can’t help but to intervene.Fool Moon by Cait Lavender - Author of Cowboy MoonAll Jack saw when he looked at Carlie was perfection until she ripped out a man's throat. Confused by the pull she had on his heart, he is left with the choice to chase after the love of his life or to be left howling at the Fool Moon.When Opportunity Haunts by Stephanie Nelson - Author of The Gwen Sparks SeriesWith an eternity as the Angel of Death before him, not much could get under Dorian Hade's skin--that was until he met Gwen Sparks. She shuts down all of his advances and insists they are just friends. Dorian takes matters into his own hands and tricks Gwen into a romantic weekend away from her ex-boyfriend at a haunted bed and breakfast.

    If you haven't read the series, you would probably get more fun for the same money by reading the boxed set of the first four books instead. Miss Evangeline, a middle-aged Creole woman, takes it upon herself to care for a little Cajun boy when his beautiful mother is killed. The first time she walked down the dirt road to the boy's remote and ramshackle home, she had no idea she would walk that road for decades. She also had no idea how important that boy would become to her, or how their lives were about to be permanently interwoven. Back of the Bayou moves through the 50s and 60s with these two beloved characters from the series, and reveals not only the events that made them who they are, but the shared experiences that made them who they are to each other.

    This work of fiction shows a blossoming romance between two American soldiers in a time when every tomorrow was an uncertainty.Author Karyn Mitchell is known for her urban-fantasy work. The flash-fiction title (below 1000 words) TO SIR, WITH LOVE is her debut outside of genre fiction.