Jeff Allstein is a mechanic who has too much to lose if his private life becomes public. The heat of their attraction boils over on a stormy summer night, but satisfying that need only makes them both crave more.Their searing connection makes it hard for Ryan to understand the road blocks Jeff continually puts down. Ryan will have to buckle up if he s going to find love at the end of his custom ride.Warning: This title contains the following: explicit male/male sex, graphic language."

    When he finally gets his chance to talk to him, Mateo’s response, or lack thereof, is enough to have Elias vowing to never make such a fool of himself again, not for any guy, no matter how hot.But then the flowers start arriving. Every day, each with a special meaning, a story to tell him – a secret admirer who has a way with words even though Elias doesn’t even know who he is.When Elias finds himself in over his head late one night and Mateo comes to his rescue, can Elias learn to stop expecting pretty words and start listening to his heart instead? Original Prompt:Dear Author,This young guy is a shy florist. [picture 1]His dream is to build up a courage to ask out the sexy mechanic who works across the street. A mechanic who wears EYELINER that drives our florist crazy. He just doesn't know what to do! He doesn't even know if the sexy mechanic knows he's alive.Wearing this kind of t-shirt (below) is a bit too blatant, isn't it? *grin*. [picture 2]Well, if you can help him to get his HEA, you will make my florist's summer.Photo Description: [picture 1] A lithe, dark-haired man hugs a bouquet of white lilies to his bare chest, face tilted to the flowers until one silky petal lies against his chin. The curve of his muscled arm, and the wistful look on his face, suggest it is not flowers he imagines in his embrace. [picture 2] A young man wearing a white t-shirt with the phrase ‘I love boys in eyeliner'.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.Download the story at Author's website [pdf format], read it online or find it in Don't Read in the Closet, Volume 4.__________Genre: contemporaryTags: gay m/m, flowers, public sex, hot men in eyeliner, guy next door, blue-collarWarnings: mild assaultWord Count: 9,853

    A bit of fun in the sun with rugged alpaca farmer, Ryan, could be just what the doctor ordered for Scott—but first he’ll need to get past his over-protective daughter! Stressed out from new motherhood, Katie’s worried her dad’s going to get his heart broken. Free spirit Ryan doesn’t believe in relationships. An ex foster child, he’s learned to move on quickly from hook-ups and cut his emotional losses. But with the island’s limited dating opportunities, he’s taken up knitting to while away the lonely evenings. Ryan’s not planning to waste a minute in getting Scott into his bed—but into his life? They’ve said all along it’s just a holiday fling. When both men realise it could be the start of something more, they’ll need to work hard to counter Scott’s family’s misgivings—not to mention their own. Note: this novella first appeared in the Hot Summer Nights anthology.

    A midlife crisis of conscience has left him with shattered confidence, abandoned by his former friends and scraping by at a legal aid clinic. When a smoking hot bad boy rescues him from the side of the road, Elliot is sure he doesn’t stand a chance.After a misspent youth boosting cars, Lucas Kelly runs his own garage and is finally getting his life back on track. He isn’t about to risk everything by daring to hope for something more, especially not with a man so far above his pay-grade.The heat between them is enough to have them questioning everything they thought they knew about themselves. But is explosive chemistry enough to keep them together when Elliot’s career threatens to drive them apart?

    Vacation time – time to try something new… Spend some more time with Zane and Beckett in this short & steamy follow up to “Pisces Hooks Taurus’” as they deepen their bond.

    Architect Ellis Ashford has shunted his daddy kink off onto a “savior complex” for years. Can they resist the magnetic pull between them, despite their age difference? Or will the Greek chorus of Savannah gossip tear them down?

    And so, it seems, does everyone else...I have an awesome, not at all cheesy mistletoe-related plan to make my Christmas wish come true, but before I can put it into action I’m thwarted by the arrival of not one, not two, but three of Ty’s drop-dead gorgeous former crushes. It seems they’ve all conspired to spend their holiday break at my family’s Aspen resort...and they’ve all got eyes for Tyler—I’m sure of it.Now I need to come up with a new plan. A plan that involves showing Tyler that I’m the guy for him, that what we have could be so much more than friendship...And if I happen to break a limb or burn my house down in the process? Well, as they say...love hurts.Disclaimer: this book does not contain any actual ghosts

    A year of nothing but heartache leaves him seeking refuge from loneliness and grief behind spreadsheets, punishing daily runs, and the occasional anonymous tryst. He wants only to bury the past and focus on his career, but he has one last task to complete: pack up his parent’s quaint beachside house and put it on the market. Alex Andrews is a budding artist with a penchant for Converse, Cracker Jack, and piercings. Family turmoil sidelines his dreams of finishing art school and building a career in three-dimensional design, and now he’s doing whatever he can to keep everyone afloat.When Alex shows up as a part of the moving crew hired to help Rob clean out the house, what should be a simple move becomes far more complex. Because it’s not the first time they’ve met, and their last encounter was memorable for all the wrong reasons. The attraction between them is undeniable and intense, but Rob’s hell-bent on pushing everyone away, and Alex is on the verge of spinning out of control. Can a grumpy accountant and a bootstrapping artist find their center of gravity together, or are they on a collision course to heartbreak?**An emotionally-charged, slow burn m/m romance featuring an age gap, hurt/comfort themes, and a very hard-won happily ever after. This is the standalone first in the Nook Island, Georgia series.**

    On the cusp of adulthood, he doesn’t know where he should go or how to get there. But watching life pass him by was never the plan, and when he is forced to attend a concert in an attempt to coax him out of his shell, he discovers that life might have more to offer.Dante Heron holds the audience between his delicate bow and the tips of his fingers. He plays the violin as if every heart is his to command, but the discipline needed to perfect his skills has left him with nothing to spare. He’s a fire that burns too bright or not at all—unpredictable and demanding.When Chris is unexpectedly offered a job to travel around Europe as Dante’s assistant, or ‘friend’, he surprises himself by accepting. Their journey barely starts before Chris realizes he’s in over his head. Every step along the way is fraught with tension, and the farther they go, the closer they veer to a breaking point.Invisible strings are at play, stitched into Dante’s life by those who should have taught him how to love. Perhaps Chris is right to be afraid, but sometimes, what you fear the most is what you can’t afford to lose.This story has been published previously in another version. This second edition includes material from the companion short story, Magnetic, and is extensively rewritten and expanded.

    Women. Drugs. Dima Zhirkov’s favorite things. Add in the element of danger and he should be right as rain. But not today. It’s not working, hasn’t for a long time. He’s grasping at the flimsiest of straws to prove he’s indeed strong enough to run his streets. Until he sets eyes on him. In the midst of a room full of strangers, Dima is drawn to a man as cold and dangerous as he’s beautiful. Captivated, Dima embarks on a ruthless campaign to get his new toy into bed.Here comes the danger…Xavier "X" Storm is content to pull the strings while someone else handles the day to day dealings of his gang, The Rude Boys. He’s after what Dima holds closest—the Coney Island streets. He contracts out the job of killing the Russian, except Dima isn’t that easy to kill. When he suddenly shows up in X’s path, tempting him to indulge in the dirtiest play, he finds Dima isn’t all that easy to shake, either. His cocky attitude and rough submission tempts X to go where he’d vowed to never return, and they plunge head first into an affair fueled by possessive obsession.Run for cover. Sex and pain Dima can handle, and X delivers the most depraved kind. Their connection is explosive, their games addictive, but Dima can end it whenever he wishes. He doesn’t see that X is breaking him down, giving Dima everything he wants and even more than he ever thought to need. By the time he realizes who X is and what he wants, Dima is raw and bullet riddled. It’s run or fight. And Dima doesn’t back down. Neither does X.

    His life is a hell of his own making, and he makes everyone around him just as miserable. When he's injured on the job while fighting a fire, he's nearly unbearable to the hospital staff, and of course no one from his unit cares enough to visit.Lee Stockton is the new guy at the station, so he gets saddled with the job of bringing Dirk a sympathy bouquet from the guys at the firehouse. To Dirk's surprise, Lee sees through him like a pane of glass and doesn't take any of his crap. Lee's determined to get Dirk to stop being a dick just to push everyone away. When their fighting turns to fucking, will the fireworks shine brightly on a possible relationship or leave them with nothing but ashes?

    The one bright spot in his existence is the handsome guitar player he sometimes passes on his way home from work. But when he finally gathers the courage to speak to the man, Travis learns that former novelist Drew Clifton suffers from aphasia: Drew can understand everything Travis says, but he is unable to speak or write.The two lonely men form a friendship that soon blossoms into romance. But communication is only one of their challenges-there's also Travis's inexperience with love and his precarious financial situation. If words are the bridge between two people, what will keep them together?

    When Riker Cavanaugh—cruel, demanding, and filthy rich—checks in, it’s easy to write him off as just another obnoxious guest. And even though he never seems happy with my performance, he keeps specifically requesting me. What’s with that? But as I spend more time with this breathtakingly beautiful man, I’m finding Riker is much more than his gruff exterior and his expensive taste. Over late-night lobster and impromptu frozen yogurt, I begin to see a man who is deeply wounded and fiercely loyal. I’ve spent my whole life dreaming of a Prince Charming to come sweep me off my feet, but what life could a billionaire and a concierge really build together? “I want to get to know you. If you’ll let me.” Riker: As the CEO of an international investment business, I have no interest in playing nice with the lowest level staff at the hotel I’m staying at as I close the most important business deal of my career. I didn’t get this rich by playing nice. Between my long hours and my failed marriage, romance is about as appealing to me as flying economy. And sure, Bryce Harrison is gorgeous, funny, and unbelievably compassionate, but that doesn’t mean I care about him. Something about Bryce gets under my skin, and for the first time in my life, someone sees right past all those walls I’ve carefully built. Bright-eyed, virginal, and nearly two decades younger than me, he is the worst possible match for a grumpy, work-addicted billionaire…but I can’t deny that, when I’m around him, I feel more alive than I have in years. My past still haunts me, but Bryce makes me believe that someone as jaded as me can find happiness. We come from two different worlds, though—will one of us have to give everything up? Passing Stranger is a contemporary billionaire romance with enemies-to-lovers, first time, May/December, and hurt/comfort themes, plus a very happy ending!

    Six months of too many missed shifts at the hospital, too much booze, too many men. Matt knows he's on the verge of losing everything, but he's finding it hard to care. Then Matt meets Aaron. He's gorgeous, intelligent and apparently not interested in being picked up. Still, even after seeing Matt at his worst, he doesn't turn away. Aaron's kindness and respect have Matt almost believing he's worth it-and that there could be life after Joe. But his newfound happiness is threatened when Matt begins to suspect Aaron is hiding something, or someone...

    But when I meet my professor, I find myself questioning everything I’ve been taught. The man is attractive and charming, and he makes me so flustered I end up saying things I instantly regret. When Professor Lito realizes I lack the confidence to lead my dance partner, he decides to spend extra time helping me outside of class hours. He seems to only see me as a student—until the night he presses me against the mirror while whispering hot commands into my ear. Follow My Lead is a 18k word novella about an awkward student learning how to stop following the expectations of others and step up to take the lead.