Changing Lines


R.J. Scott - 2017
    To get out of their shadows, and against their advice, he accepts a trade to the Harrisburg Railers, where he runs into Jared Madsen. Mads is an old family friend and his brother’s one-time teammate. Mads is Tennant’s new coach. And Mads is the sexiest thing he’s ever laid eyes on.Jared Madsen’s hockey career was cut short by a fault in his heart, but coaching keeps him close to the game. When Ten is traded to the team, his carefully organized world is thrown into chaos. Nine years his junior and his best friend’s brother, he knows Ten is strictly off-limits, but as soon as he sees Ten’s moves, on and off the ice, he knows that his heart could get him into trouble again.Can Tennant show Jared that age is just a number, and that love is all that matters?

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.

Given the Circumstances


Brad Vance - 2013
    Both men are hungry for connection – Brian needs the acceptance, encouragement and support he never had growing up, and when he finds out his new best friend is gay, it brings his own identity into question. Roger needs a big brother, a best friend, but that will never be enough, especially not when he’s this close to big, strong, handsome Brian. And both men want something more – careers as professional athletes. For Roger, the demands of the closet, the need to reject the love of a man to fulfill his love of the game, will be a crushing burden. For Brian, his downfall will be the substances he uses to get an edge over the competition, and to suppress his gnawing self-doubt and guilt.One set of desires will bring them together, the other will force them apart…

Him


Sarina Bowen - 2015
    Or do they?Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend... and a big one to learn about himself.Warning: contains sexual situations, skinnydipping, shenanigans in an SUV and proof that coming out to your family on social media is a dicey proposition.

Changes Coming Down


Kaje Harper - 2019
    Casey's damned good at his job, but he hasn't kissed the right asses, and early polls suggest voters like his opponent's style. Coming out now, let alone revealing his relationship with two men, could sink any hope of keeping his badge.Scott Edison has a real shot at the NHL. He's playing the best hockey of his life. Whenever he can, he travels home to his gruff sheriff and their laid-back cowboy, but there are no out gay players in the NHL. As a rookie working his ass off to be called up, he can't afford to make waves.Will Rice always figured he'd live alone, managing Graham and Annmarie Slater's cattle ranch, but a hot, young hockey player and a compact, muscled lawman rearranged his plans. Even though he's older and lanky and ordinary, he's been sharing their lives and their beds. He doesn't need to be out— isn't sure he ever wants the Slaters to know about him. Life's good the way things are.Then Graham and Annmarie are killed in a hit and run that may not be an accident. As Will grieves, and Casey investigates, the coming changes will shake all their lives.** this is a re-edit and expansion of the story in the "Hunting Under Covers" anthology

Cross the Line


Becca Steele - 2020
    He knows I want him, and he hates me for it.But I can see right through Kian Courtland, and I’ve figured something out. Something that he won’t even admit to himself.His secret?He wants me, too.Cross the Line is a standalone M/M new adult high school romance novella with enemies to lovers themes.*Originally published as a short story in the Love At First Fright anthology. This novella edition has been revised and expanded.

Game Changer


Rachel Reid - 2018
    In this case, it’s not just a lucky smoothie he’s craving—it’s the man who made it. Pro hockey star Scott Hunter knows a good thing when he sees it. So, when a smoothie made by juice bar barista Kip Grady precedes Scott breaking his on-ice slump, he’s desperate to recreate the magic...and to get to know the sexy, funny guy behind the counter.Kip knew there was more to Scott’s frequent visits than blended fruit, but he never let himself imagine being invited back to Scott’s penthouse. Or kissed with reckless abandon, never mind touched everywhere all at once. When it happens it’s red-hot, incredible and frequent, but also only on Scott’s terms and always behind his closed apartment doors.Scott needs Kip in his life, but with playoff season approaching, the spotlight on him is suddenly brighter than ever. He can’t afford to do anything that might derail his career…like introducing the world to his boyfriend. Kip is ready to go all-in with Scott—but how much longer will he have to remain a secret?

Below the Belt


E.M. Lindsey - 2018
    His first serious relationship crashed and burned with his boyfriend in the bed of their dog-walker. After achieving his dream job working as a Classics Professor at the University, his life is derailed by a car accident, leaving him blind in one eye and battling to lecture through a stammer. Whatever his luck, though, Noah is bound and determined to pick up the pieces and find his own way to happiness. The day Noah walks into Baum’s Boxing is the day everything changes. Adrian Flores, an ex-Marine boxer with his own story to tell and his own struggles to overcome, is immediately taken with the timid man taking his first kickboxing class. It seems like a fairy tale waiting to happen, until the day it doesn’t. A miscommunication between both men leaves them vulnerable for one cruel, obsessed man to take matters into his own hands. Will their relationship survive blackmail, violent attacks, and a promise to destroy their livelihoods? Or will the two be forced to part ways and accept that fate is just not on their side? Below the Belt is the first in the series, Baum’s Boxing. Each book will contain an HEA with no cliffhangers.

Spring, Bax & Butterflies


Riina Y.T. - 2014
    It hasn’t been an easy year for us, but we’ve made it. Please give us a story.This picture of us can represent the beginning, or the end, of your story for us. How did we make it to this point or where are we going from here?Photo Description: The photograph shows us two blond teenage boys on a sunny day, in front of a stadium. Both are quite buff and wearing identical maroon-colored rugby jerseys. The taller boy has an arm around the other in a gentle embrace whilst pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Both appear to be happy and not the least concerned about their public display of affection.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.

Winter Chill


Aria Grace - 2013
    His roommate and best friend, Daniel, is one of the most popular guys on the wrestling team. When a power outage during a winter storm forces them to get closer than ever before just to survive the night, their relationship changes forever. Neither are gay but the physical chemistry they have is undeniable. Unfortunately, Daniel's issues at home might be too severe for them to overcome.

Heart in Hand


salifiable - 2011
    But he never expected anything like this.Words: 130,383 - CompleteN.B. Two versions available: the public version with fictionalized names, and a private version only available to registered users of AO3.

Carry and Drag


Michelle Frost - 2018
    Eat. Sleep. Repeat. Qualifying to compete on a national level is all that’s on power lifter Dagen Rourke’s mind. After an injury sidelined him the previous year, his only goal has been to overcome the physical challenges and mental demons to get back in the game. Falling into bed with the new artist at his brother’s tattoo shop was never part of his training schedule. Now he has to find a balance between the time he wants to give Ollie and the brutal training for what could be the most important competition of his life. Run. Tattoo. Doze. Keep going. Oliver Vos jumps at the chance to work at Vidar Rourke’s award-winning tattoo shop, Open Wounds. Getting out from under a nasty mentor and making it on his own is all Ollie has dreamed of for years. Unbeknownst to him, the room Vidar offers to rent him until he’s back on his feet would have him sharing space with tempting gentle giant, Dagen. Living together is an adjustment, and when the heat between them morphs into something more will old insecurities and new tests drag them apart? Or will they find a way to carry the weight of their burdens…together? Carry and Drag is the introductory novella to the contemporary MM romance series Open Wounds. This book contains mature content meant for adult readers.

Heatstroke


Taylor V. Donovan - 2011
    An award-winning start on the Broadway stage led him to the silver screens of Hollywood, where his star began to rise, and his heart fell hard for professional baseball sensation, Manuel Guzman. But there was no script for living out loud with the man of his dreams in the world of 1964. Then Richard disappeared without a trace. Forty years later, Michael Spencer discovered a journal in his grandmother's attic that would change his life forever, and quite possibly, solve the mysterious disappearance of Richard Lewis Bancroft. Original Prompt:Dear Author,They met while vacationing on a tropical beach, can their summertime romance last?Photo Description: Two very muscular, tanned men are naked on the beach. One is lying down, his left knee bent, his head (to the right) in the lap of his lover. The dark-haired, kneeling lover is leaning over him, hands to either side of his shoulders, about to kiss him upside-down.Download the story, read it here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 2 or Don't Read in the Closet: GayRomLit Retreat 2011 Special Edition. __________Genre: contemporaryTags: gay m/m, family secrets, lies, angst, HEA, intolerance, sacrifice, romance, emotionalWord Count: 31,889

Initiation


Maris Black - 2014
    He’s perfection in motion with his lean, muscled body and rich boy good looks. But there’s no way in hell Emilio is going to do anything about it. He’ll just have to be content with fantasizing about the guy of his dreams and watching him from afar, because hitting on another player is out of the question.That is, until Andrew turns the tables and makes the first move. Then all bets are off as the two of them drift into uncharted territory.

Chasing Chance


M.E. Parker - 2019
    They become so ingrained in your memory that you can’t let them go, no matter how hard you try. Some may seem small and insignificant when they happen. Others are so big and important that you know, even while you’re in the moment, that your life will be forever changed. For me, almost all those moments—both the small and insignificant as well as the big and important—were moments I shared with Chance Wyrick. If I were in a support group for hopelessly pathetic gays, I’d have to introduce myself by saying, “Hi, I’m Andy Michaelson and I can’t stop myself from thinking about Chance Wyrick.” From the time we met, when we were only six years old, and for the next twelve years, he was my best friend. I fell in love with him along the way. I couldn’t say exactly when it happened, only that it happened. Words of advice: Never fall in love with your best friend, especially if he’s one of the most popular kids at school, the best high school quarterback in the state, or if he happens to be your next-door neighbor. But most of all… Never, I repeat never, fall in love with your best friend if he’s straight. Nothing good can come of it. Trust me. Our friendship was over before we finished our last year of high school. My best friend became my ex-best friend. I hoped to forget about him when I went off to college. But Chance followed me there. So did all the memories. I tried to forget him. I did. But he was more beautiful than ever. He was the starting quarterback for Gilcrest University. He was larger than life. He was impossible to ignore. We hadn’t spoken in years, but the memories still hit me out of nowhere, and they still hurt. By the time I started my third year at Gilcrest, I was beginning to think I’d never be over him. As it turns out, I was right… Chasing Chance is the first book in the Gilcrest University Guys series. It’s a full-length, “friends to lovers” romance novel. It has “coming out” and “first-time gay” themes, is stocked full of STEAM, heartache, and laughter, and it has a guaranteed happy ending. The series will follow the love stories of four college friends. Chasing Chance is the first of two books that will tell Andy and Chance’s love story. Look for book two, Catching Chance, to come out next month!