They look like best friends, but is there something more between them? Maybe one of them is head over heels and the other one a bit clueless? They would make such a cute couple :)Photo Description: In the photograph, two young men sit closely together. One is smoking, while the other appears to be talking. Their close proximity to one another suggests friendship and intimacy. Behind them, the surroundings look bleak and drab.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" 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. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.

     I didn't mean to lose my virginity to a sexy mall Christmas elf...but hey, 'tis the season. Val: A month ago, I was a powerful CEO at the head of my family's fortune. All I cared about was money. Now that my company is destroyed, I've got millions of dollars in the bank and nothing but free time ahead of me. There's a whole world outside the boardroom that I've never experienced, but I don't know what to do with myself, other than spend money on things I don't need. I'm not looking for love, I'm definitely not looking for sex, I'm just want something meaningful back in my life...and then I meet Charlie, an elf at Santa's Village at the mall. He's so laid back, more relaxed than I've ever been, and there's something about him--his body, his self-assurance, his heart--that keeps me coming back for more. Charlie: When everybody's got high expectations for you, sometimes you have to escape. That's why I'm a pool boy during the summer, a Christmas elf during the winter, and not interested in anything more complicated than that. But this Christmas, I need something to care about. That something might just be Val. He's the first person I've ever met who doesn't demand anything from me, who lets me be in control. But when he finds out why I need that control, why I'm so afraid to let him give me anything, will my secrets push him away? Will he truly accept me? Can this be more than just a Christmas fling? WRAPPED is a 70,000-word emotional snowstorm of first-time gay romantic comedy, with big feels, steamy angst, letters to Santa, a stolen bicycle, and a holiday HEA!

    After all, he’s one of the world’s leading experts on prehistoric predators and has always wanted to look for the velociraptor’s North American cousins. There’s only one problem: eco-conservationist Hunter Joseph. While Nick supervises the dig, Hunter rallies support from the locals to oppose the way the team is destroying the landscape in their search for dinosaur bones.Nick and Hunter just cannot get along. Hunter is self-righteous and pouty. Nick is narrow-minded and geeky. But they have to figure out how to work on the same site without killing each other, especially since someone else out there seems determined to cause Nick more problems than he could have ever imagined.

    So typical—a high-ranking officer abusing Navy resources for unnecessary security as a status symbol. But it doesn’t take long before Iskander realizes he’s not really there to protect the kid from benign harassment by homophobic classmates.Behind the piercings, eyeliner, and bad attitude, Troy Dalton is hiding something. He’s scared, and although he’s not so sure the armed bodyguard by his side is enough to keep him safe, he can’t risk revealing the truth.Slowly, Iskander gains Troy’s trust, and the walls start coming down, but before they know it, the two men are way too close to each other… and suddenly Iskander is attracting more danger to the man he’s sworn to protect.Now he doesn’t know how to keep Troy safe from harm—by staying close to him, or getting as far away from him as possible.This 74,000 word novel was previously published.

    He was the shy, overweight kid at school, and those memories have helped turn him into an excellent teacher – though he’s never spread his wings beyond the remote northern village where he grew up. The last thing he needs in his life is the reappearance of Devlin Surtees, leader of the gang who made his schooldays so tough. Dev is the glamorous village hero now, flying acrobatics planes and fighter jets for the RAF. He’s just as spellbinding, handsome and infuriating as Marty recalls. But the years have transformed both of them, and their old enmity blazes up into a powerful attraction. The sex is great, and Marty’s beginning to wonder if the schoolteacher and the stunt pilot might have some kind of future – until a terrible secret of Devlin’s comes to light, and threatens to drag both of them down into a vortex of the past.

    And he does... in his dreams. But when they insist Sam bring his partner to the annual Labor Day family reunion, his options are to either admit it was all a lie or find a stand-in in a hurry. The trouble is that his lies have all been based on one very real man.Ben Matheny has been hurt before. When he's bribed into playing a part by his friends, he fleshes out Sam's dreams, but it's like flying too close to the sun. He's always had a crush on Sam, and now they're going to the Hamptons to spend a weekend pretending they're lovers, everything is getting harder.When Ben uncovers another lie Sam has told - that Ben is every bit as rich as Sam is - things begin to unravel. If Sam isn't happy with who Ben is, Ben can't stick around to get burned again.With their hearts on the line, the two must fight for their dreams as the pressure mounts. It would be so easy to admit that it was all a sham, but some dreams are worth the risk.

    After struggling for nearly a decade, he has yet to complete his college degree. Working as a school custodian, living in blue-collar Landsbury, MA, his love life is as empty as the rest of his existence. But on his way home after another disastrous date, his truck breaks down in upscale Oceanside. When he thinks life can't get any worse, a man who is the epitome of Boston elite and everything Bradley finds attractive and intimidating helps him move his truck to the side of the road. Ashamed of his lot in life, Bradley almost lets the opportunity slip away, but he comes to his senses in time and tracks Caleb down.From a random act of kindness, romance begins to grow, filling all the dark corners of Bradley's empty life—until a random act of violence threatens to take it all away. Bradley must step up and be the man Caleb believes him to be. Caleb rescued him from a life without hope. Can Bradley rescue him in return?

    There was just one stipulation: Steven had to go dressed as Ms. Stella. Considering he was gay, it was going to be pretty hard to catch a cowboy if everyone thought he was a girl.Chase Montgomery was obsessed both with his lover of three years and with Steven Stewart, a man he had only seen in a picture. The weekend theme party he was throwing was the perfect time to introduce both to the fantasies in Chase’s mind. Now, if he could only get his lover to agree.Warner James was someone who refused to give up control. While that attitude served him well in the business world, it was hard on his love life. He never dreamed his lover was thinking of bringing someone else into their relationship…until he met Steven. Warner might even be interested in a bit more than just a weekend fling—if he can get both men to understand he was the one in control.

    Jack's people get to a scene long after the physical trauma ends. They don't solve crime or rescue the victims. They help people move on. The new job is all Jack wants or needs, until he gets the call about old flame Nick Foasberg's suicide.Ryan Halloran's cousin Nick has been on a downhill slide for a long time. Despite that, Ryan does everything he knows to help. Ryan only understands part of what happened between Nick and Jack in high school, but after Nick's suicide, Ryan agrees both he and Jack need closure. They work together to clean the scene and despite the situation, heat flares between them.Jack is keeping a painful secret and fighting his attraction to Nick's lookalike cousin, Ryan. Ryan calls himself a magnet for lost causes and worries Jack might be the next in a long line of losers. Despite his misgivings, despite the past and the mistakes they've both made, Jack gives Ryan something to look forward to, and Ryan gives Jack a reason to stop looking back, in Grime And Punishment.

    As if that wasn’t traumatic enough, the hospital staff seem to be under the impression that the ex-athlete is his husband! It quickly becomes clear that the former bad-boy heartthrob has no idea who he is and has forgotten the painful past that binds them. When circumstances and a little white lie force the two to join forces, Liam decides there is no time like the present to settle old scores. All grown up and a successful novelist, Liam intends to make his days with Reid as painful for the good Samaritan as possible. The only problem is, real life never goes according to plan. Reid Cummings wasn’t always a nice guy, but he worked hard to put the past behind him. When a badly injured stranger falls into his life, he finds himself drawn to the prickly writer in a way he hasn’t felt in a long time. Before he can get a hold on his feelings, he finds himself sharing his home and his life with a man whose motives are unclear and whose face he can’t get out of his mind. When their relationship goes from uncomfortable to steamy, Reid must battle Liam’s distrust and the ghost of his past self to hold on to what could be the love of his life. Can frenemies become lovers? Not if Liam has anything to say about it, but he may have to admit defeat as his reality becomes stranger than any fiction he could have written. Please Note: This book contains Adult Language & Steamy Adult Activities, it is intended for 18+ Adults Only. Novella, approx. 50,000 words in length. HFN (happy for now ending). Does not end with a "cliffhanger".

     To Charles Shaw, skating is all that matters. He doesn’t need other people; all he needs is a sturdy pair of boots and fresh ice beneath him. After being out of the game for two seasons due to injury, Charles is ready to return to the competitive figure skating scene in a big way. There’s just one little problem: Jamie Morales, owner of a pair of gorgeous dark eyes and a shimmering smile that manages to thaw even the most stubborn parts of Charles, no matter how hard he tries to freeze Jamie out. But Charles needs to focus--gold medals are the only things he should have his eyes on, not his handsome, charming rival. They’re both fighting tooth and nail to win… But when hearts get involved, they may just discover that gold medals aren’t the only things up for grabs. Dancing on Ice is a 57,000-word standalone gay romance novel with no cliffhanger and a HEA.

    Though a hiking virgin, he’s glad he made the decision when he receives threatening messages from his ex. Luckily, Kevin, an experienced backpacker, takes him under his wing.Kevin Winters isn’t looking for a hiking partner, let alone a fling with a cute man on the rebound. After learning he has the autoimmune disorder that killed his father, Kevin left his family to wander remote trails. Convinced his future holds only pain and death, Kevin refuses to get close to anyone. The family sourdough recipes he recreates over a campfire are his only solace.In the wilderness, Anders and Kevin discover a lot of common ground. While the future holds uncertainties they may not be ready to deal with, it might also hold the chance for happiness.

    In his early thirties, Peter still lives at home, dates who his parents tell him to, and works at the family restaurant. But watching his two best friends find happiness in each other’s arms has made him worry over his destiny.When Louie Papadakis returns home to nurse his broken heart and start a new life, he can’t believe his sister is dating his high school crush, Peter. There’s a sadness behind Peter’s eyes that draws him in, and a chemistry he wishes he could ignore. After his closeted ex broke his heart, Louie is afraid to fall in love again, especially with a man who's keeping secrets.As Peter finds himself drawn to Louie in unexpected ways, old and new worlds collide. Then a family crisis forces Peter’s hand, and he must decide if he’s willing to sacrifice his happiness for family duty.

    After years of horrific first dates, he’s convinced he’s saving himself for true love. Surely he has bad taste in men because it couldn’t possibly be his persnickety nature that’s sent them packing.Tristan Carr has been in a holding pattern since his daughter was born fifteen years ago, which suits his workaholic lifestyle just fine. This ex-Navy turned auto mechanic never wanted anyone interfering with being a weekend dad. For Tristan to rearrange his perfectly orchestrated life, a guy will need to be special. Or in the case of the newest employee at his bank, the guy will need to be adorable, shy, and open to the prospect of forever when it shows up at his window.

    A conscientious worker, the job is perfect for Darrell except for one thing. He has a big time crush on one of the partners, Travis Anderson.Darrell thinks a gorgeous, wealthy hotshot lawyer like Travis would be interested in a guy like him only in his dreams.Lonely after the death of his longtime partner, Travis isn’t the dashing, smooth playboy Darrell imagines him to be. In reality he’s just as interested in Darrell.Both are after the same thing…each other. Their relationship is the stuff of dreams…until Travis meets Darrell’s not so welcoming family.Can Darrell convince Travis he’s still his dream man?