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.

    But, as Derek never hesitates to point out, Wiley is straight.When Wiley has a falling out with his roommate and winds up crashing on David and Derek's couch for a month, he's a 24/7 reminder of what David wants but fears he'll never have. Until one afternoon when David has a major art project to finish and a model who's a no-show. Wiley offers to pose for him---and it sure feels like the heat between them is mutual.Could Derek have been wrong about his best friend for all these years? Would David's dreams about Wiley finally come true? The only thing David knows is that one way or another he'll find out for sure...tonight. 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. Here is the letter and a description of the photo that accompanied this prompt:Dear Author,See the hot jock sitting on top of me? He’s my older brother’s team mate and I’ve lusted after him— and loved him— since forever. I never thought I’d have a chance though. That dumbass brother of mine always said he was straight. But look at the way he’s giving the phrase “He takes my breath away” a whole new meaning! My brother must be wrong. Please, dear author, let him be wrong and make my dream come true.Photo Description: Two sexy, shirtless, dark-haired young men are making out on a couch. The muscular, tattooed man on top is holding the other guy’s wrists above his head with one strong hand as they kiss.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.

    Yup, we’re going to go as members of the Justice League. I’m going as Batman, but I can’t figure out who’s going as a Superman. My friends are being a little cagey. What’s going on? How did I go from not knowing who Superman is to making out with the guy?Photo Description: In a cartoon drawing, Batman and Superman are locked in an embrace, kissing. Superman is taller and clutching Batman to him. Batman has more muscles and has visible tattoos on his arms. Superman has broader shoulders and dark hair. Batman is stretching up to meet him and has one foot kicked behind him. Behind them is a graffiti-covered wall, and Superman’s rainbow-lined cape swirls around them. The prompter specified that the picture is two men in cosplay costumes at a Comic Con convention.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. 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.

    I've got a great kid, an amicable relationship with my ex, and a job working cattle on one of the largest ranches in Eden, Wyoming. Only problem is that "everyone" has no clue that I'm living a half-life.Because the other half is a closeted gay man who's got it bad for the young ranch hand he works with day in and day out.But the very straight Travis isn't an option. And even if he were, my sexy co-worker isn't exactly committed to commitment.So it's time for a change and since gay guys aren't exactly falling off trees in Eden, I'm going to need a little help...TravisIt was supposed to be a Friday night like any other. Me and my best friend heading into town to find some female company for a few hours. And even though Jackson usually goes home alone, he's still a great wingman.Unfortunately, between my impatience to get the night started and my bad habit of snooping, I've learned two things about Jackson in the space of five minutes that have left me all kinds of confused.Jackson's gay.And he's placed a classified ad to try and hook up with some guy he can't get his mind off after a brief run-in at a hardware store in the city.Now I can't get my mind off Jackson.Don't get me wrong, I like the ladies, but why can't I stop thinking about my good-looking best friend and the faceless stranger he's ready to start something new with? Jackson doesn't need some random guy right now. Not when he has me...Oh hell. Author's Note: Please note that this story was previously published as part of a charity anthology (Heart2Heart: A Charity Anthology, Volume 3) so it was intended to be a certain length. Although it is a complete story with an HEA, if you don’t care for short stories, Jackson and Travis’s tale may not be for you.

    Suddenly he's having very vivid dreams about a mystery man that seem all too real, and doing things in them he never thought possible. But what will become of the man of his dreams once he leaves the magic of the French quarter?

    One more day to finish the tax audit and get the hell out of town and back to his normal, everyday life. So it absolutely figured that some over-muscled moron with a pneumatic dick substitute would wake him up at the ass-crack of dawn and shoot his plans right to hell. At this point he'd try anything -- maybe a bribe?This story was originally written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's 'Love is Always Write' event.

    He has a brilliant mind, but he’s behind his peers due to a horrific incident that happened on the night of his high school senior prom. It took him two years to recover. Alan Troxler joined the Marines right after Nine-Eleven and served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, until an IED abruptly ended his military career. “Retired” at age 30, Alan has come home to North Carolina to start a new life. These two are an unlikely couple at best—each is determined to make it on his own, and neither wants to be coddled. Together, they put their own unique stamp on a classic Hurt/Comfort tale. Life can get complicated, and sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s hurt, and who’s giving comfort… CONTENT WARNING: Raising Cade is a gay romance and includes brief, but graphic depictions of sex, violence, rape, and PTSD. Readers who object to content of this nature should not download the book.

    Eligible women are scarce here. When Ma died, it took all of our energy to keep the farm going. Pa died last year and I have help in the field but it’s not enough. A year of living alone has made me long for the sound of a voice besides my own and a warm body to help stave off the night chill. So I finally put in an ad for a mail order bride. And she’s on the next train. She seems perfect. She can cook, clean, tend a garden, and read and write. Maybe too good to be true. But I’m desperate and can’t help but hope.Photo Description: The photo for this prompt shows a muscular young man wearing a cowboy hat, bandanna, leather work gloves, jeans, and belt. He is looking at a white horse, whose bridle he grips. The man’s eyes are shielded by his hat.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. 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.