Books Tagged With format - short story <15K

Word Count: Click here to reveal6400 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: As an empath, Alek is ironically used to shutting people out—until, several days before Christmas, a one-night stand forces him to let someone in. Being an empath is a lonely business, and Alek’s one-night stands do little to ease that feeling, even if he isn’t looking for anything more. He prefers to bury himself in his artwork anyway, or so he tells himself. That is until a young man named Jasper appears on his doorstep one December evening, threatening Alek’s careful control and making him want more than he’s ever dared ask for. Meanwhile, Jasper’s only two previous sexual encounters have made him more wary than hopeful—but tonight, he, too, may be getting more than he bargained for.

Word Count: Click here to reveal10000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Straight (Click here to hide)

Summary: Every time a shooting star is scheduled, Arthur, Carol and Tim choose a house with the best vantage point to haunt, carefully making sure its residents are not home. But this time Arthur recognises the decor. The furnishings belong to his ex-boyfriend, Alexander, a man he never got over. And judging by the happy snaps in the photo frames, Alexander lives with a new lover. Just as the ghosts settle in to watch the celestial event, the occupants return home early.

Word Count: Click here to reveal12,022 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Sequel to Watch with Glittering Eyes Life has been going well for Travis Grayweaver recently. The Grand Council of High Magick hasn’t summoned him for anything. For a witch without a Guild, he’s still getting plenty of work. And best of all, he’s spent the last six months falling more and more in love with his best friend Niko, a rambunctious and playful cat familiar, who happens to love him back. Tonight, they’ll be celebrating the Yule with lots of candlelight and a feast for two and a festival in town as they honor the start of winter and wait for the sun’s return. Only Niko’s been acting a bit off lately, obviously keeping something from Travis. Travis is trying to be patient with him, but this thing from Niko’s past might be more than he can handle. Old demons and long-kept secrets will be revealed, but can the love they have for one another endure these revelations during the longest night of the year?

Word Count: Click here to reveal14,907 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Connor Murphy, the CFO of the family business, has given up his dream of becoming a chef in order to help the company. After all, family means the world to him, something his boyfriend learned at Christmas, much to his displeasure. This is why six months after that disastrous Christmas, Connor is sans boyfriend and buries himself in work to take his mind off his single status. Still, he enjoys baking desserts and bringing them to his beloved nanny. He also enjoys going to the Coffee Shoppe, exchanging glances with the man behind the counter. Until the man is suddenly gone. While Murphy Doyle waits for a job in his preferred field, he helps out behind the counter at his family’s coffee shop. He might be a physical therapist, but he also loves to bake, especially desserts, which are a big hit at work. He’s been intrigued by the businessman who frequently comes into the shop, wearing a three-piece suit and always ordering the same thing. Murph would have loved to ask him out, but it’s against company policy, so they never speak, just gaze silently at each other, everything but their eyes hidden by the masks they wear due to the pandemic. And then he gets his dream job, and he’s afraid the opportunity is lost. Are these two men destined to be ships passing in the night, or will family meddling somehow bring them together?

Word Count: Click here to reveal13084 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: The most wonderful time of the year is about to get even better. On a cold, rainy December morning, Finn’s beloved Grampa, his best friend and rock, makes a friend outside their home who he invites in for coffee. The last thing Finn expects is Nelson, a man with a painful past, who is beautiful and generous and turns Finn’s knees into jelly. What starts out as a chance to get out of the rain, soon becomes more as Nelson helps Finn get ready for the Christmas market. They bond over coffee and fabric and Mariah Carey. Can handmade Christmas ornaments and an understanding heart give Nelson the love he’s been denied?

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Information not available

Summary: *This story is included in the new 2021 edition of Unacceptable Risk but kept available for those who have the old edition A free short-story epilogue that contains spoilers for Unacceptable Risk - Hidden Wolves book 1 Paul Hunter just spent two days as a captive to werewolves, his life hanging in the balance, a witness to crimes and craziness. Now he's back in his regular life, and living with Simon, the man he's been falling for. And he's part of a werewolf pack. He needs his brain to somehow catch up with all of that. Simon thought saving his human mate from his own pack would be the hardest thing he'd face with Paul, but he's beginning to realize that was just the beginning. He has to figure out how their future will work, and convince his skittish lover that staying with the pack is better than leaving it, while hints of threats to Paul's safety keep him awake at night. Fortunately Simon is up for the challenge.

Word Count: Click here to reveal9511 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Will a late-night phone call lead to a second chance at love? When Alex gets a call in the middle of the night, telling him is ex-boyfriend is in the hospital, he only hesitates for a second before rushing to Sammy’s side. But the Sammy in the hospital bed is fragile, and not the same man who told Alex to leave seven months ago. Alex wants to help Sammy get better and is desperate to find out what went wrong between them. Maybe even get a second chance with the man Alex hasn’t been able to get over. But will Sammy let him back into his life?

Word Count: Click here to reveal6000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: This isn't the kind of Valentine's Day Greg Parks was hoping for - stood up by his date, then showered in chocolate milk. But the adorable four-year-old milk-spiller is too cute to get mad at, and her hot dad sure does make a stood-up guy feel a lot more cheerful. Maybe Greg can find more than nostalgia at Princess Petunia's Play Palace.

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: A later-in-life M/M holiday romance short story. As he waits in the bar of a San Francisco restaurant for the rest of his work group to arrive, ex-Navy JAG counsel Ren Itano sees someone arrive. At the end of the evening, Ren gives ex-Navy Legalman Jimmy Rubio a ride home. Jimmy invites Ren in for a cup of tea. After a night together, they begin a conversation about meeting again. By Christmas day, both men suspect they're on the brink of being boyfriends. Can a chance meeting lead to the gift of a future together? Adult situations, themes, and language.

Word Count: Click here to reveal5600 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay, Questioning (Click here to hide)

Summary: Desperate to find a new squash partner, I never imagined meeting someone like Simon. With his striking good looks and unmatched skill on the court, Simon captivates me from the start. But it was off the court where he truly stole my heart and when we finally shared a kiss, it was electrifying—and utterly terrifying. Overwhelmed and confused by this new side of myself, I panicked and withdrew, unsure what sure what this meant. Instead of walking away, Simon keeps calling, and every part of me is caught between hope and fear. Can I trust him with my heart? Or will fear keep me from experiencing the love I’ve always longed for? “Where I Belong” is part of the Love in Terengia series. Each book in the series tells a sweet & spicy story with lots of heart, heat, and a guaranteed happy ending.

Word Count: Click here to reveal8260 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Stuck in a snowstorm with a hot daddy. Where’s the downside? Josh Ainsley is one of those teachers who go above and beyond. When he agrees to deliver a day’s worth of homework to a student’s house, it’s not exactly out of character or out of his way. So what if the student’s father is a hottie? Operation homework drop turns into a rescue mission when he gets caught in a snowstorm and subsequently snowed in with one sexy dad. Who says good deeds go unrewarded?

Word Count: Click here to reveal5920 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Eric hates the cold weather and his broken down car, which means venturing out on foot into the sub-zero temperatures. Navigating the icy sidewalks, he runs into Omar, literally. An impromptu hot coffee on the cold day finds that tattooed and pierced Eric, and government IT guy Omar might have more in common than they expected. When Omar is called away, before he can get the guy's number, Eric believes it may only have been a pleasant winterlude to temporarily distract him from the cold, or is there a possibility his winter will get a lot warmer?

Word Count: Click here to reveal9000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Cory is pursuing a life of fun, no stress, and taking chances. All three are put to the test when out paddleboarding with the Outback Boys activity group. His chilled morning takes a twist when he loses the battle with jellyfish. In need of rescue, Cory is more than okay with lifeguard Eric being the man to save him. Between drug-induced verbiage and overly helpful friends, it’s clear Cory wants more than mouth-to-mouth with the delicious lifeguard. It’s up to him to risk the sting of rejection in the hope that Eric sees him as more than just a guy he saved. Outback Boys is a sweet and sexy M/M romance series complete with bruised butts, rope burn, and overworked muscles... all in the pursuit of adventure, of course!

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Straight (Click here to hide)

Summary: It’s the most wonderful time of the year! OK—scratch that. It’s time for another obligatory family gathering. And nothing spices up the egg nog like bringing your partner home. Surely your belligerent brother-in law, your gimlet-eyed granny and your drunken uncle will keep it classy. With forced proximity and alcoholic beverages, what could possibly go wrong?