My friends and I went out to celebrate, and I must have overdone it because my memories are a little fuzzy. I know I met a guy, and evidence indicates we had a really good time.Why am I in bed with this friendly dog, and why did my friend just text me asking how Mr. Wonderful is this morning?I want this to be the start of something wonderful, after all that I have gone through and all I have achieved; I would really like a man to share it all with.Photo Description: A tattooed and pierced young man with a shaven head is asleep in a floral bed, cuddling a white bull terrier.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.

    But much like Richard, Daniel hides dark secrets that could get him killed. When Daniel’s past as a hacker catches up to him, Richard has the skills to help Daniel out, but not without raising some serious questions and risking his own new identity and the friends who went into hiding with him.Solving problems like Daniel’s is what Richard does best—and what he’s trying to escape. But finding a way to keep Daniel and his son safe without sacrificing the person he’s becoming will take some imagination, and the stakes have never been higher. This time it’s not just lives on the line—it’s his heart….

    Luckily, the generosity of the veterinarian who helps him means he doesn't have to open his wallet. Thom's budget is stretched pretty thin, between his struggling start-up and medical expenses for his Crohn's disease, so the free cat care helps a lot. Thom may have fallen for the little feline, but he's also intrigued by the attractive vet in the bi-pride bracelet.Dean Edwards went to Pride with his colors on his wrist, hoping to find community after his divorce. Instead, he's pulled into a cat rescue by an appealing man. Dean likes Thom's kindness to strays, his blue-gray eyes, his intelligence, and his perspective from decades as an out gay man. Maybe with Thom, Dean will finally feel able to explore his long-neglected attraction to men.They're not a perfect match. From Dean's cat-hating dog to Thom's chronic health issues and preferences in bed, going from a casual date to something more will be a challenge for both of them.

    It's to this little corner of the capital that Finn Croucher, an elite army marksman, travels after an accident leads to his hand being amputated.While Dalton fashions Finn’s new hand and teaches him how to use it, he reveals some secrets long hidden, and he and Finn become lovers. But Finn must return to duty, and a string of letters becomes his only connection to the love he left in London.

    Matt James has dreamed all his life of coming out west. He’s at first taciturn with Josh, afraid he’s as close minded as some other hands they encounter on their excursion, but when Josh reaches for him unconsciously in his sleep, Matt has a tough time hiding his desire for a ‘straight’ man.Reader Advisory: This book contains light hearted bondage.Publisher's Note: This book has previously been released as part of the Saddle Up N'Ride anthology by Total-E-Bound.

    After Clay’s convoy was ambushed, PTSD changed him, and their relationship ended in a horrible fight on Christmas Eve.Twenty-five years later, they’ve reconnected on Facebook, and Clay finds out Daniel will be alone on Christmas Eve. Impulsively, he sets out for Daniel’s hometown of Gilead, Ohio—where Daniel is now the mayor—to surprise him with a visit. But a blizzard strikes and Clay wrecks his car. All hope of seeing Daniel is lost—until a mysterious old man named Nick offers Clay a ride. The weight of past wounds and the scars of war might make their reunion awkward, but Clay is willing to take the risk to win back his lost love. Despite a lifetime of disappointing holidays, Clay hopes that this soldier is finally coming home for Christmas.

     Gabriel: Soulbonding with the Lafie alpha is the only way to ensure peace for my own clan, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. He’s sweeter than I expected, a kinder soul, but he’s not much of an alpha and not the mate I was hoping for. But he defended me and my unborn children at the risk of death, even in the face of his father’s murder… Perhaps he could be a good mate, after all. Dean: The O’Connor omega is beautiful, but standoffish and odd. I need to do this for the future of my clan, but I don’t know if we can ever be happy. I bonded with him and now he’s pregnant, but says the bond didn’t take. What else could I have done? What’s wrong with me? No one will hurt my omega or my unborn children. I know Gabriel didn’t murder my father, and I won’t let it be said that he did. I will lead our clan into a new beginning, with peace and security for all, in alliance with the O’Connors, for the sake of my new children. The Lafie Clan's New Omega is a standalone MM story, with hot sex, Mpreg, knotting and a HEA ending!

    The only thing he’s missing is someone to share his life with. For weeks, a door has appeared to Indigo in his dreams. Every time he looks upon it, he’s engulfed by the feeling that it contains something life changing; that everything he desires is kept from him by two inches of wood. He tries everything to open it, from enchantments to brute force, but it stands firm. After nights of torment, the door finally opens, revealing to Indigo the most stunning man he’s ever seen. He’s both comforted and vitalized by his presence, and knows without a doubt that the man is his beloved; his match hand-picked by Fate. But his mate is human, which is unheard of in his magical world. Could the vision be a ruse, or a dream come true?Puck has spent his whole life bouncing from one foster home to the next. He feels like a nobody from nowhere because he’s never stayed in one place long enough to form lasting friendships. Being the lonely, awkward gay kid made him an easy target growing up, and he’s carried his mistrust and insecurities into adulthood. One night, a man appears to him in a dream and fills him with emotions he’s never felt; comfort, acceptance, and love. When his dream man appears at his doorstep to whisk him away, could it all be a trick, or the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime?

    Some do it in seclusion, others in the arms of lovers.Since the death of his long-time partner, Caleb Maguire lives a quiet life in Australia’s Victorian high country with only his dog and horses for company. Each day is the same. There are no surprises—good or bad—until a major snowstorm hits his mountain and Caleb is called out to rescue a stranded tourist. The late night snow brings with it a lost soul who forces Caleb to reassess his solitary life.Paul Turner is a barista in the trendy Melbourne suburb of Carlton. He lives life totally in the moment, but a life of no commitments is about to change for this city boy. Three days is all it takes for Paul to fall hard for Caleb, and Paul returns to the city with a promise he’ll be back after turning his life around… but only when all the roads are clear.

    Modern technology has left him a proverbial fish out of water, relegated to finding battle of a sort in rough biker bars. When Hermes shows up with an offer from Zeus, king of the gods, Ares thinks he’s finally found a way to regain his past glory.A godling on Earth has come into his powers, and they’re strong enough to send a ripple through Olympus. Zeus needs the fledgling god dead. Dion, the godling in question, has no idea of his Olympian roots until he wakes up to find Ares there to kill him. But Dion isn’t totally defenseless, and Ares soon discovers he’s caught in a web of lies that only the Fates will be able to untangle.

    Written from Harry's point of view, the story takes place during his seventh year at Hogwarts and imagines how he and Draco Malfoy might become friends. Their evolving relationship is set against the backdrop of the looming war with Voldemort. Because part of the story was written during the Three-Year Summer before Order of the Phoenix was published, it presents a now thoroughly jossed sequence of events leading to the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort.

    The only thing missing is a boyfriend — but Ryan’s been burned by Hollywood relationships before, and he’s not eager to try one again. Jason Santos has almost everything he's ever wanted: a fulfilling career teaching middle school, a house in a city he loves, and parents who support him in every way. Too bad he can't seem to forget the ex-boyfriend who rejected his marriage proposal.When a talk show host launches a dating contest to find Ryan a boyfriend and Jason accidentally wins, neither of them expect anything to come from it. Yet somewhere between a disastrous massage and a mud sinkhole, they both start to wonder if this date could be more than just a public relations stunt. But before they can move into the future, they'll both have to learn to let go of the past.

    The leader, Marguerite May, writes romance novels, and not just any kind: The dude/dude kind that are so freakin hot, Heath gets embarrassed to critique them. But don't tell anybody: He secretly adores her books and buys them all. With a fake ID.Marguerite’s son, Ryan, just happens to be the most beautiful guy in the universe. Confident, athletic, and with such a cool mom, Ryan’s got everything a high school senior could want—which is everything Heath lacks. Too bad Ryan is straight. But thanks to a flaky computer and an unexpected request, Heath will get to know his idols better, and he’ll discover that nothing he believes about them is true.

    Powell wanted to live honestly, while Talbot felt he couldn’t and still succeed in professional football. One knee surgery and a trade later, Talbot finds himself back in town and quarterbacking for the Raptors, a struggling expansion team. Powell’s also back, working as a cameraman for KJOC-TV, following two years in Amsterdam and a second failed relationship.When an interview meant as a publicity play throws them into each other’s path, they’re forced to face a love that never quite died and wounds that never fully healed. For any hope at a win, they’ll have to change up the game. Talbot must brave walking through his closet door and into Powell’s arms, and Powell must risk his heart one more time by standing his ground and giving Talbot a second chance.

    And the body bag. (God.) It doesn’t take long, though, for him to remember the hot guy with wings he ran into just before a city bus ran into him.Junior Reaper John must explain to his supervisor how his first solo assignment went so wrong. All he knows is that he happened upon Emery quite by accident, that Emery saw John when he shouldn’t have been able to, and when they accidentally touched, a bus came out of nowhere and plowed Emery under. (John really does feel bad about that.)Hot angels, annoying demons, hijinks, absurdity, drunk siblings, a dash of silly romance, an inordinate attachment to wings, and a highly disorganized bid for world domination—Don’t Fear the (Not Really Grim) Reaper follows Emery and John down the rabbit hole where they find that moms are scarier than demons from hell, a goat is not a puppy no matter what Emery’s sister says, and awkward romance can happen anywhere.