With bootleggers running amuck and countless speakeasies materializing every day, how can two men possibly hope to make a difference? Especially when they can't even trust their own bureau?If dealing with hoodlums wasn't enough, a ghost from Nathan's past threatens to destroy everything Harlan and Nathan hold dear.Original Prompt:Dear Author,Please tell me why this man is armed and dangerous and who it is he belongs to. I really would like to know if he is defending his beloved or about to shoot him for cheating.Photo Description: A rugged, muscular man provocatively holds one arm up beside his head as he looks down at you. His other arm is across his chest, and in his hand is a gun. The words I am my beloved’s are tattooed across his forearm. He looks sexy and dangerous.Download the story, read it online or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 8.__________Genre: Gay Historical Romance (1925)Word count: 18,779

    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.

    But ever since his girlfriend had dumped him a week ago, he'd decided to stop lying to himself. So when Jake, the hot and sexy dj from the club Crush started cruising him, Connor knew this was going to be the guy. Jake was going to be his first.

    Go on. Shock me.” Jesse has a secret. A kink. One he’s never going to tell Brian about. He’ll just quietly work it out himself. In the shower. Every morning. Until the day Brian catches him off guard. Asks him about his fantasies. Once he finds out Jesse’s hiding something, Brian wants all the embarrassing, excruciating details. Right. Now. Jesse’s in big trouble. Which is exactly where he wants to be. This approximately 23 page short story features M/M sexual situations and humiliating admissions of secret spanking fantasies.

    Tom Berriman isn’t looking forward to Christmas. The only decorations he appreciates are the attractive pair of legs belonging to the electrician working on the emergency room ceiling. When the electrician comes crashing down and requires treatment for electric shock, Tom’s mortified to realize the legs belong to a guy he most definitely wasn’t friends with at school.But newly hunky widower Vince seems willing to bury the hatchet—and Tom starts to think maybe the holiday won’t be so lonely after all!

    Say no, and I'll leave, but say yes and I'll give you a night you'll remember forever." As one of the few remaining elven assassins, Eroan Ilanea doesn't have much time for pleasure. Until a messenger arrives from a nearby village and suddenly pleasure is all he can think about. The kind of pleasure he's never surrendered to before. The messenger is a tease, a vision of elicit delights, and he'll be gone in the morning. This night, Eroan just might say yes... Sealed with a Kiss is a short, sexy, m/m story that takes place several years before events in the novel Silk & Steel (to be published in 2019). Genre: Dark fantasy Heat level: Scorching Pages: 42 Read-time: 20 minutes. Ariana Nash is a pen name of international bestselling author Pippa DaCosta. Her Ariana Nash books are m/m adult reads.Note: Trey gets his own novella in Lost & Found, Silk & Steel, #3.5.

    These stories -- re-edited for quality content and given a Winterheart Designs cover -- were written in 2008, in part as a protest over the passage of Proposition 8 in California. They follow the course of Ethan and Barry's love affair in ten year intervals from the moment they first admit it, at prom in 1978, to a major breakup and reconciliation in 1988, to a family vacation in Hawaii that turns into more in 1998, and election night 2008, a time of deliberation and decision.This version includes the *bonus* holiday (also previously published) story “The Cursed Noel.”

    Caught in a compromising position, rumors abound. It's hard enough to be an openly gay football player, but gossip and snide comments only add to his stress. Threats against his partners causes Trent to wonder if he should step back from the relationship.AJ and Brock know there is something wrong when Trent begins to pull away. A call from Trent's father only adds to his distress. AJ and Brock refuse to let him shoulder the responsibility alone and they call for help. Will Trent find the strength to withstand the pressure and hold on to those he loves? Or will AJ and Brock be too late to convince Trent that they are playing for keeps?

    Realising he feels the same way, Graham has to journey across the US to tell Will he loves him, too. But with little money and travelling in a strange country, the way to Will is not an easy one.

    No one knows who I really am, and I like it that way. I don’t need people trashing my world: physically or emotionally. Between the greed and the lies; who needs them? I especially don’t need a woman in my life; but then chance, a storm and a pack of wolves blow HER into mine … However, chance is often a circumstance that can be manipulated… Olivia I was about to be the next meal of the resident wolf pack, because I had tripped and fallen on what I thought was snow, but was really a jagged rock. Now I couldn’t walk – I couldn’t even stand. They are so close now, I can’t help but scream. Suddenly, I hear a rifle go off, and I’m saved – by the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. He doesn’t talk much, but when we finally start making music together (real music, with a piano and guitar) I start to see the REAL him. If only this was the real me… This is a standalone novella with powerful sexy women only - no cheating - hot passionate love - HEA and a Mountain Man who loves all the above xo, Anna

    He fought wars and shoved his brother Lucifer out of heaven all before the Dark Ages rolled around. His role as protector of Israel now encompasses all of humanity, and while he performs his job perfectly, there's little personal joy in it.Until one night in a bar when he meets Asher. Michael isn’t sure what it is about the vulnerable, self-deprecating Asher that calls to him, but something about his restrained depths, gentle smiles, and encyclopedic knowledge of flowers tugs at Michael in a way that can’t be denied. Too bad romance isn’t part of his mission.Facing an eternity of perfect submission to God’s authority, rebellion stirs in Michael. Questions of free will, angelic vocation, and the role of love and lust demand answers that just might cost Michael his place in heaven. Warnings: this novella contains urban fantasy, wings, angels doing unangelic things, erotic content, and playful blasphemy.Word Count: 25,000

    He’s stuck in the office while Randy’s ex Crabtree enjoys Ethan’s husband’s holiday antics. When it’s clear Ethan feels left out in the cold, Crabtree tries to mend fences by suggesting Ethan make Randy’s fun and games a main event at the casino instead of a backroom sideshow. This way Ethan can have his cake and eat it too, especially since Randy’s the one jumping out of the center.Randy knows Crabtree’s motives are never entirely pure and that the gangster can easily twist Ethan’s thinking. Playing naughty elf isn’t worth it if it’ll cost him his cozy holiday with his husband, and as The Twelve Days of Randy spin slowly out of control, Randy fears his perfect Christmas will come crashing down around him. It’s going to take a Christmas miracle to untangle this mess.Luckily, miracles are Herod’s specialty.

    When he needs help himself in his new job as the host of a radio sex advice show, he shares some private secrets that lead his longtime friend, Neal Kenelly, to see him in a new light. However, Neal's past makes him leery of approaching the other man openly. Will a more subtle approach be enough to win him Chris's heart?Healing In His Wings by Ariel Tachna: When the crew of the Starfire is struck by a mysterious plague, help comes from an unexpected source: the healers of a nearby planet. First Officer Ryan Nelson is sent to act as liaison officer between the Petari and the Starfire and finds unexpected healing in their tender care.Ever Changing by Shay Kincaid: Born a Changeling, Chase Spencer had fooled his teachers, playmates, even his parents with his altered appearances, but as he reached adulthood, the games took on a whole new meaning. Each weekend it was a different 'persona' and a different partner, and that seemed to suit the young man just fine, until the night he set his sights on someone from his past. Will Chase emerge from his latest game unscathed, or will he be caught in a web of his own devising?Dreamscape International by Connie Bailey & Rhianne Aile: Visiting dreams to grant paid-for wishes, Dreamwalker Lucien Clarke is the best at navigating the twists and turns of sleeping minds. While recovering from a job gone wrong, he discovers that fantasy's passion just can't match reality's love. Will unseen dangers ruin it all?An Academic Dilemma by Alix Bekins: Rodrigo is an art history student who finds himself attracted to a new friend while also undeniably drawn to his professor. Exploring his feelings for them both leads him into a strange new world of trust, kink and surprising secrets.

    He thinks it’s boring and overly sentimental. With the rest of the household laid up with ‘the flu’, Sol’s planned on using the time to crack on with some work. His mother, however, has other ideas. And so does Sol’s husband, Adam. A stand-alone holiday special featuring Sol and Adam from Checking Him Out. *** Also in this series: Checking Him Out (book 1) Hiding Out - a Hiding Behind The Couch / Checking Him Out crossover novella. (1.2) Taking Him On - Noah and Matty's Story (book 2)Checking In (book 3)

    Two years since Kim vanished from his life without a word. Kim was the first boy he’d ever kissed. The only person he’s been in love with. He’d thought they were starting something when he showed his feelings on prom night, and they shared their perfect messy kiss, but he’d been wrong. He never saw Kim again. Until tonight when joy riders crash into the warehouse complex where he works. Kim’s life is a mess. For two years he’s been involved with a criminal gang, trying to protect his mum from harm. He knows he has nothing to offer. But seeing Tommy again gives him the strength to try. If only Tommy wasn’t leaving the day after tomorrow to go traveling around the world. If only tonight wasn’t all they had.author's note: Please note, you don't need to have read the short free story 'The First Boy He Ever Kissed' before you read this one, as I've included it in this story (the short free story was only available for 10 days for the Winter Wonderland giveaway and I didn't want readers to miss out).