But he never expected anything like this.Words: 130,383 - CompleteN.B. Two versions available: the public version with fictionalized names, and a private version only available to registered users of AO3.

    Especially when she can’t have either. One is her personal trainer, an Adonis way out of her league. The other? A Brit Lit professor her svelte boss insists she woo for her—via text message, no less. Little does she know, the two are the same man… Matthew Hennessey is intrigued by his shy new client at the gym. But before he gets the chance to ask her out, he discovers she’s the one crafting the flirty texts sent to him by a woman who wouldn’t know Lord Byron from Lady Gaga. To get to know her better, he allows Lexie to play her role. She may have given up on the idea of romance, but Matthew’s bound and determined to show her love is alive and well in New York City.

    Or do they?Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend... and a big one to learn about himself.Warning: contains sexual situations, skinnydipping, shenanigans in an SUV and proof that coming out to your family on social media is a dicey proposition.

    Juggling two jobs, she prides herself on her focus and determination to ensure her independence.Until Ashton King saunters back into her life as a nude model for her art class…Ashton and Lucinda had made it their mission to make Sophie’s life miserable from the moment she walked into their lives. But now, with Lucinda out of the picture and Sophie back in his sights, Ashton changes the rules of the game and takes it to a whole new level.Sophie is thrown back into the turmoil she thought was long behind her…Ashton’s body is made for sin, and his icy blue eyes scorch her with feelings too intense for a heart as scarred as Sophie’s to bear. Glimpses of another side of Ashton give her a flash of hope, but his deceptions run much deeper than she ever dreamed.Truth or Dare…Which would you choose?

    After receiving a Dear John letter from his fiancée, Eli Smith isn’t sure what comes next. He’s spent years going from one rodeo to the next, biding his time and saving his money for the ranch he wanted to call home. Unfortunately, he tries to find the answers at the local saloon—too bad the more he drinks, the more he can’t stop thinking about the attraction he’s had to deny. Until now… Ready to hit the road, Vinn hunts down his circuit companion and best friend, Eli. The last place he expected to find him was in the saloon drowning himself in the bottom of a bottle of whiskey. As if things weren’t complicated enough with the ever-growing attraction between them. But alcohol lowers inhibitions, and for a few brief minutes, Vinn entertains thoughts of going for it—despite the fiancée, despite the friendship, and despite the fact Eli isn’t gay. Rodeos and cowboys make good bedfellows. But do you risk a friendship simply to scratch an itch?

    The fame and fortune he has is like nothing he ever imagined, but he left behind the only man he'd ever loved to achieve it. Wyatt thought he'd put the past behind him and moved on, focusing on his career as he hides the truth about himself from those who are closest to him. Why should he risk his family and friends with being honest when his only reason left town six years ago? When fate throws the two men together again, they are forced to confront things from the past that they both don't want to admit, but the passion and desire for each other is stronger than ever, proving that no matter how much time has gone by, the heart knows what it wants. This was previously released as part of the Limelight bundle.

    His current boyfriend wants to take their relationship to the next level, which makes Rett hesitant and doubtful. Luckily, a job offer in a new town solves his problem for him, giving him the perfect excuse to run away yet again from the uncomfortable feeling of someone trying to get close to him, even if it means picking up after seven years of school and starting over.Most guys would kill for his new job, and Rett’s certainly desperate for the paycheck. But the irony of the new position isn’t lost on him — he’s never cared a whole lot for sports, and even far less about the world of professional sports, which is right where he’s landed. Then he finds out he’s not the only one that’s new to pro sports, and he gets closer and closer to one of the players as they try to make sense of the whole crazy thing together. And things seem good!But when his family, whom he had long since left behind, shows back up with a family crisis, his life starts to unwind and Rett allows everything around him to painfully self-destruct. It’s only then that he realizes he’s got to get back up, stand his ground, and teach himself the one thing he never truly learned growing up.He’s got to stop running away and finally learn what it really means to be a man.

    Desperate for a fresh start, Luke accepts a job remodeling a tired old beach house for a professional soccer player and his model girlfriend. While his passion is literature, not sports, focusing on the renovations eases his anxiety. Until the job he signed up for turns out to be more complicated than advertised.Sidelined with a serious injury, soccer star Michael Martinez decides his beach house is the perfect place to recuperate. Remodeling might be the diversion he needs to keep his mind off his busted knee. Falling for the pretty designer with some quirky habits wasn’t on the drawing board. Unfortunately, Luke didn’t build a big enough closet for Michael to hide in. Having a star-powered sports career used to be all Michael lived for, but he’ll have to reevaluate his plans and find the right words if he wants to build more than a beach house with Luke.

    His dream comes true and then some; he finds himself playing alongside his idol, first baseman Matt Blanco, who is everything he dreamed of and more. Matt Blanco is entering the twilight of his career, plagued by injuries and two decades of lying about who and what he is, but he thinks he still has a few good years left in the major leagues. Then he meets Iggy and everything turns upside down. But carrying on an affair with a much younger man is one thing. Having an affair with his teammate introduces a whole new set of complications. When a trade and a career-ending injury threaten to keep them apart, both men have to figure out what they’re willing to risk for the love of baseball and each other.

    Do they dare to be more? After a bad breakup, Alex Abbott is living with his parents and looking for a job. The best thing about being home is seeing his closest friend again. Going away to college didn’t diminish Alex’s attraction to Gavin Crawford one bit … but Gavin is straight, and doesn’t even know Alex is gay. Gavin is tired of serial monogamy. For now, all his energies are going into his fledgling motorcycle shop. Reconnecting with Alex gives him a boost, as does the other man’s offer to help him with advertising. But when Alex confesses he’s gay, Gavin’s initial surprise is quickly overcome by curiosity … and other feelings it’s more difficult to put a name to. Alex is relieved by Gavin’s acceptance, but becoming more than friends is fraught with danger. If he lets himself fall for the one man he’s always wanted, his heart will be shattered once Gavin goes back to women. Will Alex risk everything? And if he does, how can Gavin convince him that he’s not just playing around this time?

    He hates his soul-killing office job, but he loves volunteering at a local community center. The only fly in his ointment is the dance instructor, Laurie Parker, who can’t seem to stay out of his way.Laurie was once one of the most celebrated ballet dancers in the world, but now he volunteers at Halcyon Center to avoid his society mother’s machinations. It would be a perfect escape, except for the oaf of a football player cutting him glares from across the room.When Laurie has a ballroom dancing emergency and Ed stands in as his partner, their perceptions of each other turn upside down. Dancing leads to friendship, being friends leads to becoming lovers, but most important of all, their partnership shows them how to heal the pain of their pasts. Because with every turn across the floor, Ed and Laurie realize the only escape from their personal demons is to keep dancing—together.

    Evan is a lonely, abused emo who longs for a better life, while Cole is the popular quarterback of his high school's football team. Unbeknownst to Evan, Cole is gay and has had crush on him for years. However, Evan wants nothing more than to graduate and leave his current life behind him. Then, his teacher gives him a second chance in the form of a tutor, who just so happens to be Cole Morgan. Cole and Evan quickly grow close. Little do they know Charlie, Cole's jealous ex-boyfriend, is spending his time scheming to break up the happy couple. Stalking and watching Cole's every move, he wants nothing more than to have the jock as his again, whatever the price.

    Ingus, his nearly-retired K9 partner, will have a yard, and Gideon will have a purpose. Like himself, the farmhouse could do with some TLC. He's still living in his retired father's shadow, afraid to become the same kind of sheriff behind closed doors. Stepping out of the closet when the mayor's nomination for sheriff is pending? No way. But then, in the eye of a small-town storm, he meets the man who shakes him to his foundation. “I feel so guilty living here and barely being able to help.” Corey Sane's life hasn't been easy. After he lost his family in a car accident, his aunt and uncle took him in and offered him a studio above the garage to live and throw pottery. Odd jobs are his way of repaying that debt. Attempts to date always make him someone's secret, and his self-esteem can't take dating one more closeted man... even if he's the hot deputy sheriff who now lives next door. But the law is there when everything goes wrong, and Corey's protector wears a badge, a gun, and a look that could melt the clothing off his bruised body. “He's welded the closet door shut from the inside.” Corey can't resist more than renovations with the closed-off, closeted man who's been around the block before. Gideon's not the safest prospect, but the heart wants what it wants. And for Gideon, the hardheaded younger man asks more of him than anyone has before. Can they risk it all for the intimacy of each other's arms, heal their hearts, and let each other in at last? Thrown is a slow burn, May-December M/M contemporary romance novel with a happily-ever-after ending.

    He goes out drinking with his colleagues, gets along well with his players, and dates all the prettiest women in town-he has the life most straight men dream of. But lately none of the women he dates seem to be igniting any passion in him. Then he meets the new school chaplain, Foster Lewis. Romantic attraction to another man is new and terrifying, and Chip just can't put his finger on why he's drawn to Foster, but it's stronger than anything he's felt for anyone in his life. Never one to back down from a challenge, Chip decides to go for it. But love is never simple, and sometimes it's a downright mess!

    He needs to come out and reclaim his first love. If only Caleb will believe him...Theater geek Caleb Stockwell gave up on love when his boyfriend chose the closet over being with an openly bisexual guy. Now, he hides his heartbreak behind a string of casual hookups. He loves the drama on stage, but he’s done with the drama of Nathan Rhodes. For good.Nathan is determined to right the wrongs of four years ago, but the clock is ticking.One month until he and Caleb go their separate ways. One month to take a final shot at winning Caleb's heart back.Win or lose, everything is on the line.NOTE: This is a second edition released June 2020 with an additional 18k words of brand new content, fresh edits, and a new cover.