Mostly. Other days life seems a little much. Especially when Nick knows he’ll always be alone. On those days his thoughts turn black. He walks the Norfolk coast and considers the frigid embrace of the waves. And then, one stormy night, he finds someone who’s tasted just that. The beautiful stranger on the beach is near death, and Nick rushes him home to slowly nurse back to health. As he does, he finds a love unlike any other. Owen Butler’s body is as warm as the sea was cold, his heart as big as an ocean. And Owen is a man who swears to repay the favor. Nick can yet be saved from himself, and he will see that he is indeed a man ... worth keeping.

    Stavros neither wants nor needs a partner, but when the option is taken from him he is left with Elion, a young, cocky elf that knows exactly how to get under his skin. Exhausted with the butting heads and heated exchanges between the two detectives, the Warden of the Force, Mikhail, takes matters into his own hands; leaving Stavros and Elion bound through magic until their lesson is learned. With mounting pressures,egos, and jaded pasts hindering them, the two seemingly opposite partners come to realize that maybe the fire that burns between them isn't solely fueled by disdain, but by something more powerful than anything they will be forced to overcome.

    When he finally escapes, freedom comes at great cost. The man who rescues him from near death in a dark alley is far from a savior. He’s a feral mage nearly as broken as Lindsay himself.Dane knows better than to argue with the wind that summoned him to Lindsay’s rescue, but playing nursemaid isn’t the role he envisioned for himself in the battle to end the human campaign to control his people. In spite of his resistance, he is bound to the delicate, skittish mage who unwittingly harbors one of the greatest magical powers ever known.Lindsay desperately hides his growing desire, sure that Dane could never reciprocate. Yet Dane lays his life on the line to protect him, restoring the one thing Lindsay thought was gone forever: hope.But true freedom to live—and to love—will elude Lindsay until he can regain his magic and win Dane’s complete devotion. And survive long enough to do both.

    Born a runt, and then maturing into an omega, he was cast out of his pack. Figuring he’d not find another pack willing to take him in, he struggled to make a life for himself in the human world. If he didn’t have bad luck, he had no luck at all. Jobs were hard to come by, and he wasn’t able to keep them for long, his omega empathy causing humiliating meltdowns. He’d been robbed, mugged, and nearly raped too many times to count. Arri’s wolf was fundamentally broken, with no way to emerge, or protect him, finally withdrawing deep within him and remaining silent. Then, a day came when things changed. Answering yet another employment ad, he was stunned to find the source of the advertisement was a beta wolf, then was shocked further when he was presented before the alpha of the Woodlynn pack. He’d heard rumors about this pack, the alpha considered one of the strongest on the continent. He believed the rumors after meeting the large male. Arri’s silent wolf had awakened, whispering to him, calling the alpha, mate, which was ridiculous. Alphas didn’t mate with lowly omegas. Especially male omegas, even though Arri was perfectly capable of giving an alpha pups, or so he’d been told by the old ex-beta he’d befriended. But then again, male omegas were rare, and thought little of, viewed as weak, considered unnatural. So, he would ignore his wolf, do his job, and keep his head down, not causing Alpha Dryden any cause to fire him. *~*~*~* Dryden knew there was something different about the assistant his beta, Vann, had brought to him. He was human, yet he smelled of wolf. But not a scent Dryden had ever experienced before. Vann hadn’t seemed to notice, though Dryden suspected his beta was still angry at Dryden insisting on a human assistant. How could he tell his beta he’d felt an uneasiness in his pack, a danger that he couldn’t put his finger on, and didn’t want to trust any pack-mates to handle his affairs? As time passed, his instincts that something was wrong within his pack grew, along with the certainty that Arri was not what he seemed. It was when Dryden was visiting another pack, tremulous negotiations for an alliance in the works, and Arri was attacked, that the truth came out. Dryden’s assistant was an omega wolf. And not just any omega, but a Fae Omega, which would be the reason Dryden hadn’t known. Omega wolves were rare, and most packs banished them for their weaknesses. But a Fae Omega was unheard of, most believing them myths. The Fae had died out a long time ago, and for an omega wolf to be born with Fae blood was incredible. But that wasn’t Dryden’s biggest problem. The moment Arri had shifted, Dryden’s wolf went into the blood-mate fever, the need to claim the omega the only thing he was capable of thinking about. But to claim Arri, Dryden would have to fight the alpha of Arri’s home pack, and he wasn’t sure he could win. And, then there was the unknown threat within his own pack that he still needed to figure out.

    Three questions. Three answers."Despite being a linguistic tutor and having every conversational tool at his disposal, all Will Chambers wanted to do was fade into the background, become lost in the echo of wild heath and harbour. But now someone wants to put his body and mind on full display, force Will to find his voice -- answer three questions, over three days. All Will has to do is provide three... simple... answers.

    Edward Atherton, is out looking for his first sexual encounter in order to avoid being a 30 year old virgin, and because he desperately wants sex with a man. With his birthday fast approaching he goes in search of a prostitute. The young Goth he meets in a back alley in Soho, London, was not exactly what he had in mind, but he soon finds himself in bed with Fox Baillie having the sexiest time of his life. When he wakes up to find Fox gone and with him Edward’s computer he feels embarrassed and used, but still he cannot get the skinny, pale young man with the black hair and eye makeup out of his mind. He finds Fox once again in the alley and is treated to a hand job up against the grimy wall.The last thing Fox expected when he was ordered by his ex-military father to seduce Dr. Atherton and steal computer with its valuable information was that he would actually find the dude sexy and enjoy the encounter. Ignoring the danger from his brutal father he continues to seek out Eddie to continue what they started.

    Andreas is fleeing from a man he doesn’t want only time wind up not in a different city but a different time itself. A time which he knows nothing about, except for what he has read in history books.Born of royalty and living the life of a slave, Leif finds himself drawn to the enigmatic stranger who is capture by the village. Deep down he knows he belongs to Andreas, even as his heart loves another.Rurik rules the village with a strong hand yet even he has secrets the other don’t know about. Fate throws him together with the captive and the slave and they must join together if they are too all come out of this alive.Original Prompt:Dear Author,Please tell me the story of this handsome Norseman.He went out viking and came back to this scene in his village!Who is this sexy stranger and what is happening?Photo Description: Two pictures, two men. One stares out with icy blue eyes from behind a Viking helm, his nose and cheeks covered by the metal guards, his reddish beard and long hair escaping. The other is a prisoner, collared and chained, dark haired and stubbled. Swirling tattoos mark the pale skin of his naked chest and arms.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Hot Summer Days" 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.Read the story here or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 2.__________Genre: paranormal, ménage, mild bondageTags: gay m/m, Viking, time travel, vampire, mmm romance, bad spellsWord Count: 15,752

    Jamison Severs is sitting in a bar contemplating his past as a failed lover, failed doctor, failed drunkard, and a fading old man, trying to find a reason not to lift that glass. Then a beautiful blond boy walks in the door, bringing reminders of Jamie’s past with him. Meeting the son of Jamie’s former lover, Toller, brings back the good old days, and the bad. And maybe it’s finally time for Jamie to come to terms with all the things that brought him and Toller together, and the things that broke them apart.

    His only sanctuary has been his relationship with his older foster brother Sam. Avery finally lets Sam convince him to start therapy to help overcome his crippling anxiety, but even that can't prepare him for the upheaval caused by meeting Noah Yates. Noah is everything Avery fears. He's large and physically powerful—and undeniably capable of destroying Avery's hard-earned progress. Although Noah seems to have a tender streak when it comes to him, Avery is terrified of being victimized again. But no matter how many times he tries to push him away, Noah never goes far. Noah wants to save Avery, but can he be the catalyst Avery needs to begin the journey out of the blackness?

    A lonely man, hiding in shadows. Wealth. Fame. Gold record. Henri Lafontaine had it all…including a control freak manager, band members who smiled while sharpening blades for his back, and last but damn well not least, a fan out to steal his heart. Literally. To recreate himself, he must walk away from all he knows and trust a stranger with more than his career. Opera tenor Sebastian Unger doesn’t share Henri’s bravado or his success. What he does have is a voice as pure as the Colorado mountain air, a heart as fragile as frost on a windowpane, and secrets he keeps close to his chest. Take on a vocal student in the off-season? Sure. What he doesn’t expect is someone who’ll challenge him, teach him as much as Seb teaches Henri. Despite their differences, love is determined to find them. It’s just a matter of when.

    Unfortunately, the prince isn’t content with being alive, and he hunts Sebastian down to thank him personally. Not only is Sebastian stuck with the prince's unwanted affections, he's also confronted by growing evidence linking the assassination attempt to someone from his father's past.Lord Orwell is a lot of things: thief, liar, drunk, and all around horrible father, but Sebastian knows he's no murderer. In order to prove it, Sebastian has to keep the prince alive long enough to discover the truth—a task made considerably harder because the idiot prince prefers wooing Sebastian over securing his own survival. On top of everything, Sebastian needs to save the day without revealing his magical powers and the real reason he hides his appearance.Sebastian had no intention of playing the hero, but whoever is stirring up shit in his country will pay for destroying his quiet life.

    Sold as a slave in Rome, he adjusts to his life in the Suetonius family, with the help of other slaves and the friendship of his young master, Glaucus. When Glaucus leaves for his tour of Greece, marking his official entry into manhood, Skaia is left behind, to the doubtful mercies of Glaucus' father, Thaddeus. Again, he adjusts and his life turns out far differently than he ever imagined, as he befriends and loves multiple generations of the family that owns him.

    Alistair befriends Brandon, one of his prodigy new recruits, whose smart-ass personality drives him to the brink of insanity when he shows him up at every turn. Through an unexpected bit of witty manipulation, Alistair finds himself drawn down a forbidden path where he shares more than just a similar past with this man. Terrified at the idea of loving another man, but unable to tear himself away, Alistair is faced with the trials of secrecy, jealousy, and the law.

    One keeps him in the closet and the other hangs inside his closet. Letting either out like the worst thing he could ever do. But then he met Stasi Manolis, a pushy Greek with his sights set on winning Truman’s trust. Could giving up his secrets and maybe falling in love really be so bad?

    It’s a good thing that Celyn is engaged to Sjurd’s brother, not him, because Sjurd loathes the brat, and it’s quite mutual. When an elopement and the threat of invasion force the two princes together, however, they have no choice but to marry and fake true love to keep their countries safe. Can warrior Sjurd and diplomat Celyn find any common ground?