These two men who have spent a life in love, from the very first date arranged by Henry’s sister, through the rocky times they worked to make ends meet, and into their twilight years.NOTE: This story appears in the following anthologies — Best Gay Romance 2008 (Cleis Press) and Best Gay Stories 2009 (Lethe Press).

    A smile across a counter at a coffee shop or video store. A secret revealed in a song from another place and time. Or in a love ballad crooned at a high school dance. In this anthology of never-before-published sweet LGBTQ+ stories, six authors explore the beginnings of love between young and new adult couples. All proceeds will support The Trevor Project's work with crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth.

    Lust draws him into a dark pit and he’s unsure how to break away from a destructive force. Angry at himself, and his mistakes, he vows to never enter into another relationship again, until he has a special hook up with Colby. Colby Larsen learns the truth about his ex and is devastated. He throws himself into his work, vowing to never get emotionally involved again. When he meets Seth, Colby is unprepared for how connected they become. Seth has a secret and he can’t tell Colby. Colby can’t accept betrayal of any sort after being fooled by his cheating ex. When he finds out Seth has been hiding important information from him, will it end their relationship or draw them closer together?

    Clumsy, socially inept, and a lot tongue-tied around cute guys, he just doesn't get out much. Meeting people on the Internet is much easier, especially when it's someone like "Wheels," who's really fun to talk to. Meeting Brian, aka Wheels, in person is a lot more intimidating at first, but Gordy soon sees past the wheelchair Brian is bound to and finds the most wonderful match, someone who really likes him, insecurities and all. With a good dose of heat and a lot of heartwarming fun, Gordy finds out through Brian that maybe he's not such a disaster after all. At least not when it comes to love.

     After months of exploring his bisexuality on his own, college student Chase Randolph is ready for a night out on the town—all the way “out”. He never expected Alex Landry to witness his first experimental sexual encounter, though. Chase has been attracted to his best friend and roommate forever, but one thing is sure: Alex is straight. So straight, he’s never caught on to Chase’s mixed tastes. Alex assures Chase they will always be friends, but privately, his own reaction shocks him. An ex-jock isn’t supposed to fantasize about his roommate. Not supposed to need another man’s kiss so badly it makes him sweat. He was prepared to change direction after his football career ended before it began, but change this drastically? As Chase and Alex struggle to come to terms with the changes in their relationship, jealousy pushes friendship to the brink—of disaster…or love. Warning: No heaving bosoms here, just two gorgeous guys, lots of muscles and some closet doors banging wide open.

    Intent on setting up a happy, stable life for them, he vows not to allow his past to intervene with their future. That is until Jared, the boy who had broken his heart all those years ago, returns to his life a full grown man who knows exactly what he wants...Seth. Jared Stewart thought he had lost his only chance to be with Seth after a series of misunderstandings and mistakes. When Seth finally comes home and back into Jared’s life, Jared vows to do anything it takes to keep him there. However, while Jared and Seth grow closer, they discover that not everyone is so happy for them. Will they be finally able to make a life for themselves together? Or will they be torn apart again, by people they thought they could trust?

     James (Jamie) Massey has been raised in a strict military household and grew up with the sole purpose of becoming a soldier. He never imagined the heartache his choices in love and war would weigh on his soul, and when he loses everything, he can’t imagine ever being happy again. Chris Baker grew up in a small town, raised on the rodeo circuit. When he met Ben, he thought he’d live blissfully every after, but things have a way of not going along as planned. Chris, devastated by his loss, was barely hanging on. When Jamie and Chris end up in the same small town diner, it can only be credited to divine intervention. But are both men too damaged? They say God works in mysterious ways. Well, he certainly had his hands full when he chose these two for saving. Is it too late? Triggers: Deals with PTSD, death, and realistic wartime violence.

    But an accident, amnesia and an unexplained wedding ring stop the burgeoning affair right in its tracks. When a snowstorm traps them in a cabin, their passion makes a thaw in winter. Publisher's Note: This book is a homoerotic love story and as such contains acts that may be offensive to some readers: male/male sex practices.

    Maybe they even have a chemistry. Certainly they are friends and Grae is tempted to ask for more … After the beautiful tart Chris has the temerity to turn him down, Grae settles into a comfortable loving relationship with the more chivalrous Ben. But the idea of Chris never quite goes away – and when Chris finally suggests the three of them spend a night together, Grae glimpses a solution he hardly dares hope for.57,500 words

    His boyfriend just dumped him, and his business has fallen victim to the economy. But is jumping on a plane after a surprise phone call taking things too far?The promise of a new opportunity drags Henry away from the city to a tiny village in the English countryside and an enormous manor house his great-grandmother wants to bequeath him. As an experienced wedding planner, he sees the potential in renovating the dilapidated building and using it for events. All he needs is to find some local businesses to provide the essentials.That’s how Henry meets Ryan Burgess, the shy but hardworking owner of an organic farm. The spark between them sizzles slowly while work on the house continues, but Ryan is deeply in the closet and unwilling to take the last step. They finally find something that clicks in cricket, something that Henry, a former amateur baseball player, is surprisingly good at. For him, cricket helps bridge the gap between England and New York—but unless Ryan can find something to span the divide between his sexuality and his fear, their relationship doesn’t stand a chance.

    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.

    Once there, he finds that not even the beauty of the island can fill the hole in his heart. Broke and spent in nearly every way imaginable, Niall wants out of the lonely, miserable, guilt-ridden life he's carved out for himself.When Ethan Bettencourt, a wealthy tech guru, shows up in British Virgin Islands looking to purchase a second home, he gives Niall hope that he can move on. Both men fall hard and fast, but Niall finds piloting his yacht in the midst of a hurricane is nothing compared to weathering life's simple misunderstandings. As their troubles come between them, Niall is left to wonder if he and Ethan are over before they've begun.

    He lost his job, his boyfriend of two years was cheating on him, and his apartment building burned right to the ground with all his worldly possessions. So Trace heads for the ranch owned by his aunt Lois. But before he arrives, Lois is in a terrible car accident that nearly takes her life, and Trace finds himself in charge of the ranch kitchen. Sounds simple enough and it's the least he can do for his recuperating aunt.  Then Sawyer happens.Sawyer is his aunt's sexy straight ranch manager. Meeting the man should have been okay, except it was in the middle of his aunt's kitchen at five in the morning and Trace was nearly naked. Then the next day Trace proceeded to set his aunt's house on fire and the brooding Sawyer comes to the rescue. Not to mention Aunt Lois’s “accident” was actually attempted murder and it seems those same people want Trace dead, too. Looks like Trace’s luck followed him.How can Trace figure out who's trying to kill him AND keep Sawyer from finding out he's hot for the cowboy?He probably can’t. But he’s going to try.

    Then Carson can go back to waiting tables and being productively bitter about his life. He didn’t count on finding a dead body in Stassy’s bed, and he certainly didn’t count on the guy in the flip-flops and cutoffs at the local café helping him get to the bottom of the crime.But Dale Arden is no ordinary surfing burnout—he’s actually a pretty sharp guy with a seductive voice and a bossy streak wider than the Florida panhandle. When he decides to boss Carson right into his bed, Carson realizes Stassy's not the only one who's been lost. Carson likes to think he’s got his life all figured out, that sex with guys is your basic broom-closet transaction; he may just have to revise his priorities, because nobody plans on taking a left at St. Truth-be-Well and finding love at the Bates Parrot Hotel.

    Discovering Jamie had also cleaned out my bank accounts made it officially the worst day of my life. I think I can be forgiven for wanting revenge, even if a few little laws (and possibly Jamie's nose) got bent in the process.Fortunately, the law is on my side in the form of my oldest friend, Tony Gervase. I've tried to deny my attraction to the sexy trooper for years. After all, he made it clear long ago that he wasn't interested in me that way. But if the hot encounter in his kitchen is any indication, he is now. At least the day is ending a whole lot better than it began...But the morning after, the Jamie situation goes from bad to seriously messed up. The jerk's in more trouble than I could have imagined. And as it turns out, I don't know Tony as well as I thought I did either...