The older girls - Katie and Miranda - are off at college, Evan is about to be promoted to captain and things are calm.Briefly.Evan accidently learns that Miranda has a new boyfriend and is talking marriage after just three months of dating. After peeling himself off the ceiling, he demands a conversation with his eldest daughter, which erupts into, as Matt calls it, “a steel cage match”.Miranda indeed has a boyfriend (Kent), a business major (from Connecticut) and they are most definitely serious. In fact, Miranda wants to bring him to Thanksgiving dinner - along with his parents, Blake and Cornelia.There is much debate but Evan agrees - mostly because Miranda's part of the bargain is that she won't get engaged or elope until the parents have met.Thanksgiving descends into madness before the turkey is cut.

    So Seb isn’t really surprised to hear the voice of his dead partner in his head…Do something, love…When Honey won’t leave Phillip’s side, Seb does the only thing he can think of – invites Phillip to come home with him for breakfast. Something in the quiet man touches him, and he wants to know more.And leaving Phillip standing on that cliff is not an option.Originally published in the Burning First Kiss Anthology.

    See below for ePUB and PDF**T.K. Rogers knows his Alpha Phi Kappa brothers would never accept a gay brother, so he’s kept that secret for two years from even his closest friends. Who can blame them? If he had the choice, he’d be straight too. But once pledge number seven gets under his skin and into his bed, T.K. can no longer separate his frat life and his sex life.Carlos Castillo has everything figured out. A fraternity will give him instant friends, and he’ll gain real world experience in event planning and management. He just has to get through the hell of pledging. No problem. Staying in the closet was never part of the plan, but then again, neither was T.K. Rogers.Hiding a relationship from the twenty guys you live with isn’t easy, but T.K. loves APK and risking his place in the brotherhood for a pledge he’s just met is not an option. How far will T.K. go to keep his secret?WARNING: dubious consentPHOTO DESCRIPTION:Two dark-haired young men sit on a hardwood floor, viewed through a doorway. The younger, clean-shaven man has his back against the wall, wearing a white undershirt, dark pants, and boots. The other man faces him, bracing himself with his hand between his boyfriend’s feet. He wears a dark t-shirt and has the beginnings of a beard growing in. The men’s faces are close, suggesting an intimate conversation or a kiss.STORY LETTER:Something new that must be kept a secret. But secrets will out, and who discovers this 'forbidden' relationship? (And is it really as 'forbidden' as they think? Are they keeping their relationship a secret because of a game, because its easier, because one person in particular cannot know the truth?)HEA (or a strong HFN), and a “forbidden affair” at least at the beginning. Bonus points for some dub-con and/or (reluctant?) kissing in public. Can be any level of heat.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.

    Running a multiagency sting out of his East Texas ranch means he needs a new foreman… preferably someone a little wet behind the ears who won’t ask too many questions.Gianni’s Aunt Jerilyn hires Bonner Fannin, a roughstock rider with zero ranch experience and a sister who’s pregnant with a violent biker’s twins. If that’s not bad enough, Bonner is pretending he and his sister are married to protect her and to help get him the job.Gianni didn’t think Bonner was the marrying type during their torrid beach affair years ago, but he’s not sure if he has time to explore that thought now, as overrun as his ranch is with drug cartels, macho government agents, and local cops. Looks like Bonner and Gianni are both in over their heads, and they may have to band together during this adventure to swim rather than sink.

    Henry Auttenberg likes numbers—it’s his job—but he isn’t going to count them all, even if the view outside the rental car is less confounding than the driver, his attractive but oh so obnoxious colleague, Marcus Winnamore. It’s Christmas Eve, and Henry would much rather be home with his family. When the blizzard that grounded their flight forces them off the road, however, he’s stuck with Marc until the storm passes—or a plow digs them out.As the temperature outside plummets, the atmosphere inside the car slowly heats up. Henry learns the true reason for Marc’s chilly distance—he’s not exactly straight… maybe… and he’s been fantasizing about Henry’s mouth, among other things. Confession laid out, Marc is all for sharing body heat… and more. Henry isn’t interested in being an experiment, but as the night and cold deepen, he could be convinced to balance certain risk against uncertain reward.

    The delivery guy couldn't be more out of Sean's league, even if by some miracle he was gay. But when a freak power outage finds Sean trapped in the elevator with his uniformed hunk, he learns first-hand that you can't judge a UPS guy by the size of his package.This is a re-released, newly edited edition of the formerly titled "What Can Brown Do For You?" "What Can Brown Do For You?" is no longer available from the original publisher.

    Determined to do the right thing, Kurt offers the mourning Davy his assistance. Helping Davy through his grief helps Kurt deal with the guilt that his partner didn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth, and somewhere along the way Davy stops being an obligation and becomes a friend, the closest friend Kurt has ever had.His growing attraction to Davy complicates matters, leaving Kurt struggling to reevaluate his sexuality. Then a sensual encounter neither man is ready for confuses them further. To be with Davy, Kurt must face the prospect of coming out, but his job and his relationship with his Catholic family are on the line. Can he risk destroying his life for the uncertain possibility of a relationship with a newly widowed man?

    Eager for what he sees as an easy job in an exotic locale, Ryan fails to mention he’s straight.As a year-round employee on the island, Sean dreads the peak season when horny young studs looking for casual sex or hoping to land a sugar daddy are hired to round out the staff. But when Ryan is assigned as Sean’s roommate, all those thoughts drop away as Sean falls head over heels for the man, completely unaware Ryan considers himself straight.Friendship blossoms, leading to curiosity and affection, then to confusion and pain. Both Ryan and Sean face tough questions as they confront passions and fears against the backdrop of a lush tropical paradise.

    But now he is going to spend Hanukkah with them in order to finally tell them the truth: not only is he gay, but he is a successful author of gay novels and not the struggling (and straight) writer they imagine him to be.The holiday starts poorly. A record blizzard delays his flight. The snowstorm locks him and his loud, argumentative relatives in the house. The power fails. And, worst of all, Jonah has to share his room with his childhood rival, the perfect Jewish son, the one he spent his entire life unfavorably compared to: Dr. Ethan Rosenberg, son of his mother's mahjong partner, and apparently God's gift to the Chosen People.If this isn't bad enough, Jonah has to interpret Ethan's strange new fascination with him. Is Ethan flirting? Or is this just another trick to break Jonah's heart?But when a valuable family heirloom is stolen during the festivities and suspicion falls on Jonah, Ethan agrees to help prove Jonah's innocence. They have eight days to do it. But will they solve the crime before the cooking oil -- and everyone's civility -- runs out?

    But that doesn’t mean he has the confidence to make a move on the gorgeous young blond who just breezed in to the Blue Dragon Bar. Fate will play its hand, anyway. Finding the same young blond beaten to the edge of death, terrified of a hospital, Sebastian has to choose - walk away, or try to save a life.This one chance encounter will lead Sebastian into a web of danger. Who is the enemy and who is a friend? Who will he trust when everyone has a reason to lie? How far will he go, and what will it cost, to do the right thing?Original Prompt:Dear Author,I'm so out of my league with this one I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. I watched him walk into that bathroom. How could I not notice him? Just look at him. He's fucking beautiful. I didn't see him come back out, but I was trying to play it cool, ya know? I thought maybe he'd left when after 30 minutes I didn't see him in the bar anywhere. Shrugging it off, figuring he's probably a good 10 years too young for me anyway, I went to the bathroom and saw him again. Only this time he was a broken, bloody heap on the floor in the last stall. Shit! I rushed over to him, felt for a pulse and tried to assess the damage. I'm just a retired Navy medic, not a doctor but when I roused him, he started screaming and pleading with me not to take him to the hospital. Said they'd kill him if they found him and they'd be sure and look there first. So I picked him up, carried him out and brought him home. He's so badly beaten. I think they kicked him half to death. I have to examine him, but he's so scared. I'm not sure if he's been raped or not but how do I get him to trust me enough to even check? Please help me put this beautiful, battered boy back together again.Photo Description: A bleached-blond young man with a sculpted body is sitting half-naked and curled over his own knees. His eyes are closed, and his head is down. He looks tired and scared.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" 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.Download the story, read it online or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 11 - Bonus Volume.__________Genre: contemporary, thriller. Tags: medical personnel; military men; first time; hurt/comfort; slow burn; unresolved sexual tensionWarnings: descriptions of post-violent-attack first aid and medical care; non-graphic discussions of off-screen sexual assault; gun violence (non-sexual). Word count: 70,085

    Enigma isn't like anyone Brandon's met before. He's unpredictable, volatile and... well, downright weird! To make matters worse, the gorgeous Enigma isn't at all impressed with Brandon and is unafraid to crush the man's ego at every opportunity. For the first time in his life, Brandon has to work hard to win the guy. Will Brandon agree to Enigma's left of center, bizarre requests, or is the player about to get played?

    Being forced into the civilian world was bad enough, but being told he’s crazy is intolerable. No matter what the doctors or anyone else tells him, he knows a supposed ally was responsible for his injury, and that same man is determined to shut Jackson up for good.When Jackson sees a kayaker clinging to his boat from the balcony of his beach house, his instincts tell him something dire is about to happen. Jackson rescues the injured man and insists on hiding him until a former SEAL teammate arrives. As Jackson struggles with separating reality from soul-shattering flashbacks, the injured man’s compassion and growing trust tear down his barriers, and Jackson begins to wonder if his heart is as dead as he’d assumed.

    In LA's glittering world of dreams, he works an unglamorous job at a gourmet grocery store. His past is so deep and dark, the details are lost even to him. All he knows is he was once cursed by a meter maid, and ever since, his love life has sucked.When Detective Nick Davies becomes a regular at the store, Jem dares to hope he's un-hexed at last. He should have known that sex with a remarkably normal guy, devoid of weird fetishes and fatal personality flaws, was too good to be true.During a post-encounter cuddle, Nick recognizes the tattoo on Jem's back—and remembers him as a young hustler he arrested nine years past.As Jem's memories come crashing back, he flees from Nick, but fate contrives to keep pushing them back together. And when Jem's old partner in crime is found murdered, the stakes are raised for life, for love, and a dangerous drama with no guarantee of a Hollywood ending.Warning: Stars a mild-mannered store clerk with a shady past, a hunky cop whose passion in the bedroom is as big as his passion for justice, and celebrity sightings you won't see on TMZ.

    These two have been best friends since forever to hear them tell it. The blonde has been in love with the dark headed one since as long as he can remember. The dark headed one has only recently become open to the idea of a relationship with his bestfriend because he's tired of denying himself what he wants most in life. How did they meet, what's happened to them, what does everyone think? This is a story line that has been done many times over, so is there any way that you can put a twist on this or give it some new and fresh take so it's not the "same-ol-same-ol"? Anyone up for a challenge? ;o)Just so you know... I REALLY REALLY like angst.Photo Description: Two naked, muscular men stand front to back, mostly facing the viewer. The tattooed man in front has his eyes closed and his head tilted back onto his lover's left shoulder. From behind, the other leans his head around to nibble on an ear, hands splayed over his lover's stomach.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 1.__________Genre: contemporary Tags: gay m/m, friends to lovers, tattoosWord Count: 8,663

    With an empty altar and over a hundred guests arriving soon, he turns to the resistant, gorgeous brother of the runaway groom for help.When Richard Patterson’s flamboyant brother storms out hours before he’s scheduled to marry his equally dramatic partner, Richard is left dealing with the fallout. The last thing he wants is more drama, yet he can’t deny his attraction to the effeminate event planner trying to salvage the wedding.Evan thinks his crush on Richard is a lost cause, but one steaming kiss later, he learns different. What starts as a night of hot sex turns into a connection neither expected. But Evan knows their relationship is hopeless unless the ultra-conservative Richard can embrace every part of him—both in private and in public.