I have put everything else in my life on hold to make earning this championship. I thought everything was worth it until I recently injured myself. Now they say I will have to forfeit my title if I cannot defend it in my next match scheduled for later this year. I am beginning to wonder if i can even recover enough to compete ever again, let alone in such a short time. I have been depressed and dare I say brooding lately. Without my boxing I am not sure what to do with my life, I have no close friends or family. I haven't been going to my physical therapy sessions because the PT wasn't working for me...Now my manager says he has a new PT specializing in treatment for my injury. Author do you think it would be possible for this therapist to pull me out of my depression and get me ready to defend my title? Can our relationship develop beyond therapist and patient?Author please give this man his HEA in a sweet romantic story that is light on the sex.Photo Descriptions:These pictures show two very different men. The first is chocolate-skinned, tight-jawed, shaven-haired, with the back-light gleaming off his curved, toned muscles. His gaze is intent. The second smiles a little behind his hand, looking at the world through amazing blue eyes. Light stubble and tousled dark hair grace his model-perfect face. 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: contemporaryTags: gay m/m, athlete, celebrity, hurt-comfort, medical personnel, non-explicit, sport, sweet no sexWord Count: 13,219

    He never knew where his next meal would come from or if he would be safe going home at night. Desperate to escape, he trusts the wrong person. A different kind of evil wrapped in hope led him into the claws of a prison he might not survive.Gryphon took a chance on a new life and ended up a captive. To his shock, he wasn’t alone. Twenty boys experimented on physically and mentally, few would ever see the light of day again. A family forged in the fires of hell. Escape came, but at the price of losing more of themselves than they realized. They must depend on each other and new friends. No-one is expecting to find love, but love may find them anyway. Their mission is clear: Find the people who did this to them and destroy them. But some missions aren't always so cut and dry...

    They attend the same university, and it was a no-brainer to live together. Yet, Mason crossed the country to choose this school over a more prestigious grad program. He always told Darcy it was because of the extracurricular opportunities. Darcy wonders: did Mason move for him? They cuddle now and then... but Darcy's always assumed his best friend was straight. Darcy isn't looking forward to a lonely Christmas. His parents won a Christmas cruise they've been looking forward to forever, but it's for two people. Meanwhile, Mason's flying thousands of miles across the country on Christmas Eve to be with his family. That leaves him alone for ten days. The news of a freak storm sweeping in off the Atlantic shouldn't excite Darcy as much as it does... When the planes are grounded, the roads are a mess, and the airports close down, Darcy and Mason are snowed in together. Now, with the magic of Christmas in the air, they can connect on another level. But can their relationship as best friends withstand the drastic change as sparks fly? Dream by the Fire is a standalone story with a HFN ending.

    He’s given up and wants to be as far away as possible from the place that has been the source of his troubles all his life. But to his disappointment, he finds himself in the last place he expected. And a chance encounter with a redneck and a stubborn hound dog aren’t helping, either. That is… until they do.Invincibility can be found in the strangest places.This short story by JF Smith imagines that, perhaps, very big things can happen in very small moments.

    He has a brilliant mind, but he’s behind his peers due to a horrific incident that happened on the night of his high school senior prom. It took him two years to recover. Alan Troxler joined the Marines right after Nine-Eleven and served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, until an IED abruptly ended his military career. “Retired” at age 30, Alan has come home to North Carolina to start a new life. These two are an unlikely couple at best—each is determined to make it on his own, and neither wants to be coddled. Together, they put their own unique stamp on a classic Hurt/Comfort tale. Life can get complicated, and sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s hurt, and who’s giving comfort… CONTENT WARNING: Raising Cade is a gay romance and includes brief, but graphic depictions of sex, violence, rape, and PTSD. Readers who object to content of this nature should not download the book.

    Though he’s intelligent, good-looking, and athletic, true happiness eludes him. He’s lost his mother to cancer, his hypercritical father is a tyrant, and he spends most of his free time taking care of his little brother, Eli. And to make matters worse, Rone begins to have romantic feelings for his best friend, Carson Harrington. When Rone is inadvertently outed, his life swirls into turmoil. His father’s homophobia and Rone’s embarrassment at the thought of facing Carson force him to flee to Los Angeles, where he hopes to find a safe haven. Instead, he quickly learns that every moment is dangerous for a homeless teenager. As time passes, Rone navigates through multiple challenges, makes friends who love him for who he is, works hard to achieve his goal of becoming a pediatric surgeon—with all its inherent triumphs and tragedies—and overcomes a failed relationship. Ultimately, his journey teaches him that in order to fulfill his dreams, he has to come to terms with his past.

    The city was decorated, the season in full swing.The only way to make it better was to celebrate love. Callen knew for this play he wouldn’t need his glove.It took a while for them to find their way. Now it was here, Callen and Spencer’s special day.With their family and friends by their side, they knew their life together would be an amazing ride.The Emperors cheered as the vows were said. One of their own was finally wed.Baseball was what had brought them together. Now Callen and Spencer had their forever.

    When Anthony learns Michael is coming for the will reading, his opinion of the man as a gold-digger, is confirmed.Michael, on the other hand, has no idea who Anthony is. One look at the gorgeous young man, and he assumes the worst. It's no better when he learns that Anthony had been taken in by his father and his father's late lover. Anthony can be nothing more than a manipulative whore, his father's much younger lover.The only thing hotter than their hatred is their lust. And Michael's father has assured that they will have to work together.note: The pdf ebook edition has an ISBN13 of 9781554871922 which is incorrect. It should be 9781554871292.

    The brief: the setting of either Australia or New Zealand must be an integral part of the story.Given such a simple scenario, it’s amazing how the stories are similar yet different. They range in location from shearing sheds in New Zealand to Goth nightclubs in provincial Queensland. From surfers on north coast beaches to sophisticated gallery owners in the heart of Sydney. A paranormal story involving werewolves is set in the Hunter Valley while a ghost makes a startling appearance in the South Island of New Zealand.The minor characters also reflect the diversity that can be found in these two countries from Asian cross dressers to Maori siblings and co-workers.The anthology kicks off with a sparkling debut by Susan Beck. You can almost feel the sand between your toes in “Weekend at Lennox” which brilliantly captures two teenagers being forced to share a bed when a group of surfers spend the weekend in a beach house at Lennox Head.The next story “A Soldier’s Will” is set further down the coast near Newcastle where Jess Buffett gives us a taste of a new series based around a Mangrove Mountain pack. In it, a war weary alpha werewolf returns from stints overseas, to shake up the equilibrium of a non-pack human who has idolized him for years.N.J. Nielsen creates some memorable characters and scenes in her story “By the Way”. In this, a country boy wakes up after a night on the town, wondering why he is decked out in collar, handcuffs and the scariest pair of stilettos he’s ever seen. A more gentle pace follows in Pelaam’s which features an established couple, Ethan and Riley, as they take a romantic holiday amongst the vineyards around the Marlborough Sound and meet “The Rose”.“Home” returns us to Oz, this time to the heart of Sydney where we catch up with some of A.B. Gayle’s characters from “Leather+Lace” and “Caught” and are introduced to two new ones: Jesse a sophisticated art gallery owner and Isaac, a typical boy from the bush.And to round up our anthology, we revisit New Zealand, where we shift into the world of hard-working shearers in Meredith Shayne’s touching story “Cutting Out”. You can almost smell the greasy wool, hear the bleating sheep and see the bulging muscles of Lachie and Shane as they work side by side, forging a bond that can transcend culture and age differences.

    Young, beautiful, charismatic, when he’s on screen, he shines. But Cody Starr is a stage name, a persona, and the real man, Christian Larson, isn’t as enthusiastic about his adult career anymore. The problem is, Christian fears if he stops being Cody, he could end up homeless…again. He came to Hollywood with big dreams and lost them all, even the one of finding someone to love him.Finn Madigan is an Army veteran who has a warrior’s soul and a hero’s heart. He makes his living protecting people. When he meets Christian, he sees a young man who needs someone who can be there for him. He’s hesitant to begin an intimate relationship with Christian, but at the same time, he’s helpless to resist him.Passion, desire, and emotion are strong between Finn and Christian, but they will they be enough to overcome the challenges of Christian’s career?

     The small child appears out of the darkness and blizzard in the middle the road. When Erika swerves to miss him and her car goes over a snow bank, she barely escapes being plunged into a raging river. In the freezing darkness, she finds the child, alive but with a bloody gash on his head – and crying for his mother. When he suddenly pulls from her arms and runs toward the river, she is terrified of him getting swept away in the flood waters. But as he reaches the river’s edge, a strange scene unfolds before her that propels her into a surreal reality in which the true monsters wear the faces of men. Note: Not suitable for readers 17 and below due to mature content. This is Part One of a Two Part serial.

    His lifeguarding job has kept him busy, and in southern California, poolside isn't a bad place to be. But he's spent most of his time thinking about Seth, the former classmate who became something more for a few brief moments last summer. Now Seth is back, but he seems to be running toward Chris and running away from him at the same time. Meanwhile, Chris is increasingly drawn to Alex, his gorgeous new neighbor who puts up a sexy, confident front but may be harboring a few romantic demons of his own. Chris doesn't know which direction to go, either in life or in love. But by the time he figures it out, will the right person still be around to want him back?

     + + + ❝He was my Prince Charming; I wasn't his Cinderella.❞ [BASED ON A TRUE STORY] In this short story narrated from the perspective of an unsung version of Cinderella, Elliot Banks tells what it truly feels when you have an unrequited same-gender love with your straight close friend. ⓒ 2016 Fury Evan's All rights reserved.

    He never expected to fall for his best friend’s sexy dad, especially when that dad turns out to be the Dean of Students. A little daring perseverance shows him that the Dean doesn’t seem so unapproachable. So since when did getting in the Dean’s pants suddenly become a quest to win his heart?

    Now attending college, they share a house, but none of them know how Pete really feels. Until the five of them come home early to find Pete masturbating while watching a video of them all on vacation near a river last summer. Devastated and embarrassed, Pete is sure they’ll kick him out come morning. Accepting him as the only gay one among them is one thing, but knowing he lusts after them? All of them? They couldn’t possibly accept that. But when Pete wakes up the next morning, he’s shocked to discover his housemates have a proposition for him. He’ll choose one of them each day, and they promise to do whatever he wants—including sex—for a full twelve hours. And, yeah, they’re serious.