In which an underground fighter in desperate need of anger management and a snarky mafia boss make a deal with an explosive reaction. ... Some people were born lucky with silver spoons in their mouths and trust funds established long before they were born; others were born with dirt underneath their fingernails, barely scraping by. Twenty-three-year-old underground fighter Linus Ward was used to the latter. Raised in the foster system and bounced from one bad situation to another, Linus learned early on that surviving wasn't a simple task but having his foster siblings did make it a lot easier. However, when Linus' foster sister got caught up in a con gone wrong, what should've been a routine identity switch and a clean getaway ended with spilled blood on her hands and a target on her back. To guarantee his sister's safety, Linus was forced to make a deal with someone as dangerous as the people hunting him: recently-named mafia boss Teodoro Raymond. A paid bodyguard position with guaranteed safety should have been a good thing. Yet, when sparks started to fly and the lines between protection and obsession blur, Linus was left to decide if he was clawing his way out of the world that's always tried to chew him up, or falling even deeper into it.

Rayne has a routine, a plan. He lives life according to this routine. A few times a week, his routine allows him a few hours to hide away in his diner. Everything is always the same in this diner, even the variances are consistent. That is, until the gray-haired manager hires a new waiter who moves about like a tornado. This boy does not know Rayne's "usual" or his proclivity to be left alone so he can watch and study the people living around him. This new waiter disrupts his routine in all the worst ways and Rayne can't help but hate him. He doesn't seem to care, however, continuing to disrupt Rayne and see Rayne and pop Rayne's bubble of safety, and ask Rayne questions that he doesn't want to answer. It was all quite aggravating really. •••••• He looked vaguely familiar, like an ancient statute carved from marble or a delicately crafted oil painting you can see only in the galleries in Europe. He was all but perfect, just one minor flaw over his eyebrow- a scar where hair refused to grow, leaving a pale gash to interrupt his dark eyebrow. I noticed, between all my studying of this strange man's face, that his lips were moving. I had no desire to hear what he was saying. I was content to just watch. The ways his lips parted and pressed together, his porcelain teeth teasing an appearance behind them. I watched him speak, not hearing a word, until he stopped, his lips curving up and open on one end in an aggravating smirk. I don't know why it aggravated me, but it did. I furrowed my brows and removed an earbud, moving my eyes back up to his. His eyes seemed to aggravate me too. They looked all too teasing, all too amused. 🎖️ #1- love- Dec 18, 2025🥇 #1- slowburn- Dec 18, 2025🥇 #2- boyxboy- Dec 18, 2025🥈 #2- bxb- Dec 18, 2025🥈 #2- manxman- Dec 18, 2025🥈 #10- lgbt- Dec 26, 2025

A misdelivered love letter meant for the school's cheerleader lands in her twin brother's locker, sparking an unexpected friendship that forces Oliver to face family secrets, his identity, and his growing feelings for the one boy he was never supposed to love. *** Oliver Grant wasn't trying to fall for Max Ellis. He had one job: slip a love letter into locker 166 and finally confess to Kate Ellis - the cool, untouchable cheerleader of his teenage dreams. Instead, it ends up in locker 168. Which belongs to Max Ellis - Kate's twin brother. Broody. Quiet. Star football player. Definitely not the person Oliver was supposed to fall for. And the worst part? Since that day, Max Ellis has been way too interested in Oliver Grant - showing up, sitting too close, smiling like he knows exactly what he's doing. The more Oliver tries to avoid him... ...the harder Max makes it to walk away. Now Oliver's life is spiraling into awkward hallway run-ins, mixed signals, and a growing suspicion that maybe - just maybe - the wrong locker wasn't a mistake at all.

♱ WHEN LOVE REFUSES TO STAY DEAD ♱ Felix Harper, an indie filmmaker with his career on the rise, has always processed grief through horror. His new project is no different: an intimate retelling of Dracula meant to exorcise feelings he'd prefer to see dead and buried. But in his search for the perfect lead actor, the person he's least expected to see again walks into the audition room. Raphael Montrose is Felix's ex-best friend, the person who once knew him better than anyone. The person he hasn't spoken to in years, not since Felix sacrificed their friendship in a desperate attempt to protect what he loved. The person who still makes Felix's heart beat in his throat. Casting him would go against any sort of common sense. But when it comes to Raphael, Felix has never had any. As the two navigate filming a potential cult classic and rebuilding the fragile trust between them, old feelings resurface and the lines between past and present, performance and reality begin to blur. But when the ghosts of their past return to haunt, will they be able to face them, or will they be forced to bury their feelings for good? For readers who enjoyed If We Were Villains, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, a gothic second chance/friends-to-lovers romance spanning years of yearning, tenderness, betrayal and artistic obsession. ♱ cover by the amazing @raizelrose3

River Avery is a global music icon, his voice capable of silencing stadiums-and his heart still echoing with betrayal. When a last-minute charity gig ends with him being rescued from a burning building, he meets Liam Bryant: a grounded, fiercely dedicated fire lieutenant with no use for celebrity culture. Their connection is immediate, their chemistry combustible. But fame is its own kind of fire, and Liam's world-tight-knit, honorable, and fiercely private-was never built to withstand the glare of River's spotlight. As sparks ignite into something deeper, the men must confront the truth: how do you hold on to love when the world is watching... and waiting to burn it down? Smoke Series: Smoke and Starlight Book 1 Smoke Starlight and Small Shoes Book 2

This story includes BDSM and is recommended for 18+ and mature audiences. Damon Steele. It's all Cyrus Frehley has known for the past year. Cyrus watches, follows, and all around stalks Damon - "sometimes." Cyrus loves Damon's personality, sense of fashion, tattoos, face, voice, and of course Damon's super manly man body. Cyrus wishes he could see the man naked, but he can only imagine that in his dreams since he'll never get to know Damon personally. Cyrus on the other hand is a stick compared to Damon. He's what people call a "nerd" with his shaggy, black hair and black-framed glasses. He even uses his hair as an advantage to sneak peeks at Damon from afar during class. One Friday night, Cyrus decides to follow Damon out of campus grounds for the first time. He tails behind Damon and is not so surprised to watch him enter a club, but unfortunately for Cyrus, it's a club which only members are allowed to enter. So he buys a pass the very next day in hopes to see Damon and does, but it's not exactly what he expected to find. There on the ground kneeled a naked Damon - gagged, caged, and leashed. ‎𐮜𐮜𐮜 Warning: This story contains rape, not done to the main characters, but to two of the side characters later on in the story. This story is not very drama-filled nor plot heavy(?). I just kinda wanted to write a story with the two main characters' dynamic and do some "normal day-to-day" life sort of vibe. 6/16/25 - 11/7/25

They say you can't go home again. But what if home is the man you can't forget? Luca Romano left his small town and its narrow-minded whispers behind, trading them for a life of vibrant freedom as an openly gay photographer. But when a family emergency forces him back, he's thrust into a world of memories he'd rather forget. The last person he wants to see is Daniel his former best friend, his first love, and a secret chapter of his past he's desperately tried to burn. Daniel has painstakingly built the perfect, "normal" life: a respectable job, a house with a white picket fence, and a kind, loving fiancée. He's locked away his desires, his truth, and the boy he once was, convincing himself it was all just a phase. He's safe. He's straight. Or so he thought until one glimpse of Luca shatters the illusion completely. Ranking: 🏆 1. #Closet (29/09/2025) 🏆 1. #romance-friendship (13/10/25) 🏆 1. #Lgbtlove (17/10/25) 🏆 1. #SmallTowns (21/10/2025)

"When I first saw you, I thought I'd have to kill you." "Uh, excuse me?" "But now I'll kill anyone that even thinks of laying a finger on you," he said, a dry laugh escaping his lips. "How times change, huh?" ~~~ Atlas, a young chef, was simply trying to survive in the big city. When a mysterious intruder, Emil, breaks into his apartment, Atlas is thrust into a life completely different from his. As Emil takes a liking to Atlas, will the chef run away? Or will the crime boss give him a reason to stay? ~~~ [mxm]

In a world where soulmates exist, but not for everybody, it's a damn good market for a dating app. Dylan Ivy works for EverAfter, a dating app designed to match up people without soulmates. The CEO is ready to hand the company to Dylan, but there's just one problem. He feels that EverAfter needs a CEO that is matched up and happy. He won't let Dylan have the company until he is matched. Alex Rose is a small business owner that is struggling to stay afloat. His café is getting popular, but the financial strain isn't being eased quickly enough. When a customer called Dylan proposes a bizarre arrangement, he's tempted. All his financial problems solved, his business saved, and his future guaranteed to be comfortable. All he has to do is say 'yes'. Will Alex and Dylan be able to navigate their nosy and well-meaning friends and family? Will their relationship be complicated by further feelings? Join them as they maintain the facade of being sort-of soulmates.

He could feel it. The weight. The cold. The familiar ache of wanting too much and pretending it was fine. Lukas raked a hand through his hair. "Look, I don't care who you flirt with, okay?" "Cool." "Great." "Great." They both sounded like liars.