He certainly doesn't expect to end up working as Jake's assistant for five frustrating, thrilling, and crazy years instead of in front of the camera.It all works until Jake realizes Aaron has become the focus of his life, a life that's threatened when Aaron actually leaves him to start a relationship with someone else. Though it breaks his heart, Jake realizes he has to set his beloved muse free to have any chance of winning Aaron back.Reprint: This short story was originally published in the Dreamspinner Press anthology Size Still Matters.

    His idea of the perfect partner, like so many other people’s, is a tall, dark, and handsome man. Preferably alive and breathing. Surely that’s not asking too much? Then an uninvited guest—a ghost, of all things—forces Alex to question what he’s always looked for in a lover and his definition of what makes a person so beautiful.

    Working three jobs, however, makes it hard to connect with anyone. One man, though, is too much temptation to resist. A steamy encounter in a back alley leads to an explosive night of sex in Josh s bed a bed he isn't surprised to find empty the next morning.What does surprise him, though, is the front page of a tabloid. Apparently his one-night stand isn't as anonymous as he thought it was.Ryan Kellar's career is taking off. Advance buzz about his movie says it's a blockbuster, and going home with the gorgeous bartender is the perfect way to celebrate. And he thought he'd gotten away clean until the picture in the paper shocks him into reality. Was Josh really just playing or playing him for a fool?Trust isn't big on their list right now, but as their worlds fall apart, it's all they have. At least until they figure out who took the picture. And why "

    Mark Mitchell's strategy for surviving is to emulate the mighty turtle: pull back inside his protective shell and keep a low profile to avoid trouble. And it works-nobody bothers him. Of course, nobody really knows him, either, even in a town so small it seems like everybody must know everyone else.Mark certainly knows Bill Cromwell, whom he meets officially when his father volunteers him for manual labor at the school. Bill is his polar opposite: outgoing, gregarious, athletic. But when a massive snowstorm traps the two boys together for three days, Mark learns that being popular doesn't mean you can't be bullied or abused-or gay-and that bullying doesn't stop at the school doors.Mark isn't na ve. He's seen the news reports of gay teen suicides, and he's determined not to become a statistic. But it's not himself he's worried about.

    Wait till he falls into the real thing.Skyler Foxe is a brand new English teacher in his hometown of Redlands, CA. He loves literature, loves his students, loves his friends, especially his best friend Detective Sidney Feldman. But he doesn't love keeping his orientation a secret, afraid of the backlash in this conservative county. But will murder thrust him into unwanted limelight? Who killed his principal's son outside a gay dance club? And what's the connection to James Polk High? Is the macho football coach or his mysterious and gorgeous new assistant coach involved? Can Skyler trust anyone at the high school when there seems to be conspiracies around every corner?

    While men are walking on the moon, life in London for sixteen-year-old Jane takes unexpected turns. On the point of falling in love with her best friend Karl, she discovers that there's more to her father's spectacular girlfriend than at first meets the eye. In the sweltering heat of a fast-moving evening, other revelations quickly follow, reconciling Jane with her father but also reopening wounds from the past, laying bare raw emotions kept suppressed for too long. And as the evening draws to a close, the night's drama has only just begun, unfolding in a sequence of violent events that threaten to have lasting repercussions for Jane and the people she loves...Lightened by a gentle touch of humor, with magic tricks, sexuality and family secrets all playing a prominent part, The Madness of Grief is a mystery and a thriller contained in a coming-of-age tale of friendship, betrayal and loss.

    They were only teens, and despite many obstacles, they fell in love. But young loves drift apart.Hugo hasn’t been in love since. Dating is a chore, his drag queen persona and acting gigs are always an issue, so he’s just done with men . . . until he runs into Kevin at the lake.Years after their last kiss, the spark is still strong, but life is complex. Kevin lives in the shadow of divorce and is navigating single fatherhood. Plus no one knows he’s bisexual.Rekindling their romance is easy away from the demands of the city, but what about when real life kicks in?Does their love stand a chance this second time around?Spark is book one in the North Star Trilogy, a love story that spans twenty years. Friendship, single fatherhood, family life, angst, hurt/comfort, past abuse themes, medical caregiving, as well as life’s celebrations and challenges are found in this novel. Family is central to this saga that will stick with you long after you finish the series.

    Recently out of the hospital after he and his boyfriend were brutally beaten, Tanner is jobless, homeless, and almost penniless. His desperate hope is that Mason will believe he’s innocent of the senseless crime and give him a place to heal, both physically and emotionally, until he can get on his feet again.But Mason already has enough on his plate. He's only been back on the ranch a few months, ten years after his father kicked him out for being gay, and only because his sister begged him to come help after the man's disabling stroke. With all his responsibilities—running the struggling ranch and keeping his sister and father off his back—Mason can't really afford the distraction Tanner represents. But he can't just abandon the attractive young man either. There’s trouble in spades on the ranch, but if they face it together, Mason and Tanner might find a future with a little sunshine.

    Kevin would do anything to prevent his teammates on the baseball team from finding out. Min and Terese tell everyone they're really just good friends. But after a while, the truth's too hard to hide - at least from each other - so they form the "Geography Club." Nobody else will come. Why would they want to? Their secret should be safe.

    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?

    Now living with her boyfriend Dominic, everything is perfect.Almost.Charlie thought she has escaped her past, but as more photographs surface, she wonders if it has finally caught up with her? Despite Dominic's assurances that nothing can come between them; the truth isn't so easy to accept when it's staring you in the face. Especially when Charlie realises there might be more to the photos than someone trying to remind her of a life she'd rather forget.Can she make peace with her past of will it destroy her present?Being the good girl just got dangerous.

    His name carries weight across all of the seven continents. But he is a mystery to his kind, an anomaly among the self-indulgent. While he enjoys the pleasures of the flesh, he is exceptionally particular in his choice of partners and prides himself on his ironclad self-control.Yet with one look his control will become a thing of the past, and Alasdair will discover that eternal life doesn’t always last forever…A DEADLY ATTRACTIONThrust into a world he could never have imagined, Leo Chapel awakens in his worst nightmare. Taken hostage by the dangerously mesmerizing vampire, Alasdair, Leo must rely on his intelligence to escape before he reveals a secret he isn’t even aware he’s hiding.A FORBIDDEN DESIREUnaware that they’ve been brought together by an outside force and are little more than pawns to a higher power, Alasdair and Leo spend time trying to uncover the other’s secrets, the attraction between them growing stronger all the while. But enemies are watching and preparing to act against them. When decisions that will alter lives and destinies have to be made—can a dead, grey heart learn to beat again?

    His life is perfect until he gets a phone call that brings it all crashing down: a car accident takes his parents, and now he must return to Austin to raise three teenage brothers he barely knows.During the funeral, Ben meets Travis Atwood, the redneck neighbor with a huge heart. Their relationship initially runs hot and cold, from contentious to flirtatious, but when the weight of responsibility starts wearing on Ben, he turns to Travis, and the pressure shapes their friendship into something that feels a lot like love. Ben thinks he’s found a way to have his old life, his new life, and Travis too, but love isn’t always easy. Will he learn to recognize that sometimes the worst thing imaginable can lead him to the place he was meant to be?

    popular. With a beautiful girl on his arm, a promising career, and a place in the first fifteen, he is the envy of all his friends. Yet when Tom meets Sam, one sunny December afternoon, a train of events is set in motion that will change both of their lives for ever. A tale of love, betrayal, heartache, and hope. A testament to how one chance encounter can change everything.

    But the matches from the online dating service he signs up with are even worse. In fact, the only thing that makes the endless dinner dates bearable is Craig, the cute waiter at his favorite restaurant. Luckily for Grant, Craig never misses one of his forecasts... Score Two For the Good Guys By Maria Albert Cat is convinced her physical therapy client, civilian hero Jeremy Masterson, would be the perfect match for her big brother, Detective Rick McFarlan. The trick is hooking the tough cop up with the gentle social worker without arousing her wary brother's suspicions that she's matchmaking again. With the help of some friends, the two men are introduced at a party, and sparks fly. Unfortunately, instead of lighting a fire, Rick manages to go down in flames. Will Jeremy give Rick a second chance to prove that Cat was right after all and Jeremy is the soul mate Rick never expected to find? Fragments of a Fiery Sun by M. Jules Aedin Exiled from his native land for his politics - and his preference for men - Kelan is looking for a new start in America. The last thing he wants is to get entangled with a gang of thieves the minute he steps foot on the New York City docks. But pickpocket Midge thinks the handsome Irishman is just what the gang - and especially their leader, Toby - needs. Some Delay Expected By Sean Kennedy Kyle hates when his best friend Missy tries to set him up - which doesn't stop her from doing it anyway. So maybe he was less than fair in dismissing Sam as a loser after a single cup of coffee. When a winter storm strands the two college students on the Amtrak train on their way home for the holidays, the least he can do is give the guy a second chance, right? Hot Property By S. Blaise Robbie's mother has her heart set on a match between her son and his childhood playmate Jamie - who Rob can't even remember! He's far more interested in his new real estate client, the delectable Jay Grant. Is it possible that mom really does know best? Waves of Love By John Simpson Ken is so happy with his lover, Jack, that he wants his friends to be happy too. Setting up Jerry and Dale on a vacation cruise, he can't resist tagging along himself to give love a little push. He never dreamed he'd enjoy matchmaking so much! Thirty By Zahra Owens In Mallick's world, life begins at thirty - the age when he's through working and ready to meet his life mate. But even though Varr is a Matchmaker himself, they seem to have little in common. Could the match be a mistake, or is Varr the man he's ready to Bond with for life?