Killian didn't think life would get much worse... That was until he busted a kids nose and was suspended from his PhD program. And maybe it was luck, or God looking out for his tortured soul, because who knew something so good could come from something so terrible. Killian met James. James met Killian. The rest was semantics.

"The boy suddenly looked up, his perfectly black eyes meeting mine. I knew, at least aesthetically, we were already opposites. His eyes were black and mine were blue; his hair was thick and long, mine was thin and short; he wore all black, I wore bright colors. But in his eyes, I saw the same thing I see every morning. I saw a certain weight I could never describe. A certain tiredness that can't be fixed with sleep. He kept looking at me and I kept looking back at him and neither of us blinked and neither of us spoke and neither of us moved. His head tilted ever so slightly I doubted it even happened. His eyes flashed something quick and familiar and I felt my eyes widen and my neck burn and my hands suddenly fighting against my body to reach out." .................. Rex doesn't have much of a social circle or a family or a connection to real life. He just does what he has to in order to survive. He studies to graduate high school on time and he smiles to get through the day, but for so long, he's done it all alone. He just wants someone to share little moments with, someone who will listen to him and stick around. After getting stuck in a blizzard, Rex meets Matteo. Matteo who doesn't talk much. Matteo who doesn't smile much. Matteo who is nothing like anything Rex has known. Slowly, those little moments Rex used to wish someone else could exist in with him, start becoming the big moments. The big moments lived in by both Rex and Matteo. ..................

The one rule Daniel has for himself? Don't date your boss. And it's the one rule he can't help but break. They say never meet your heroes, but Daniel has to. He's hired as a personal assistant, tasked with turning around the life of the man he'd admired since his college years-bestselling author Oliver Carlson. And he's nothing like Daniel pictured him, dressing in baggy cartoon T-shirts, with facial hair overwhelming his features and a messy home that resembles a frat house. But what Daniel doesn't know is how well his new boss can clean up... and how smoking hot he really is, underneath the oversized shirts and overgrown beard. There's more to Oliver than hidden six-pack abs and gorgeous eyes. What other secrets will Daniel unlock, all while trying desperately not to break his one and only rule?

Book Two of Five in the New Beginnings Series. **You do NOT have to read Inhale, Exhale, & Breathe to enjoy these stories** SALEM LUNA: Does anyone ever feel like they're riding a mechanical bull that is never ending? No matter how many times you get thrown off the thing, you appear right back on it? No? Just me then? See, I have this best friend. Former. Best. Friend. It's taking my brain a while to get used to it. Whatever. I'm hopelessly in love with him, and I tried desperately to admit my feelings out loud. So, I did. Raven Fox told me not to love him, and the look he seared into my skin when he said it was now branded into my brain. Now we're on the university book club Christmas retreat. Who did I get roomed with? Raven because of course I was given the bird. The damn bird that didn't love me in return. Which would have been fine had he not looked like the idea disgusted him. Six months have gone by since that day, and our tension is growing with more animosity each second. Now, we're doing activities together, and Christmas is my favorite holiday. He's not screwing this up for me. After a snowstorm starts hitting, though, I end up stuck in the middle of nowhere, out of gas in my snowmobile. I'm terrified as the wind starts picking up and snow starts whipping my face. I thought he wasn't listening. That he didn't care. So, why did he become the one to save me? Why does he look so distraught? His words say one thing, but his eyes are telling me his words are lies. Raven is lying to me. He loves me. But he doesn't want me to love him. All I want to know is why because I can't breathe without him anymore.

Aris' entire life changes when he discovers he has a heart condition that could be fatal if he doesn't receive a transplant. Eager to speed up the process and attempt to go into private hospital care, he takes on all different jobs to put away every penny he has to save his life. When the chance to become a nanny to a sassy five year old girl arises, Aris knows he's out of his depth with lack of experience. But when he finds out the employer is willing to pay fifteen hundred a week, it's an offer he cannot turn down. Nick is a grumpy, single father who cannot juggle the work-life balance. Desperate to find someone to help look after his daughter, Elodie, to give him the chance to launch his new business app. All he wants is someone he can trust. As Aris walks into his life and straight into this job, Nick is adamant he won't last a day with his cheeky daughter who has no filter. But when an unlikely friendship grows and Aris works his way into Elodie's heart, Nick notices something is beginning to spark in his too-despite telling himself to keep their relationship professional. Lines begin to blur with family outings and endless late nights. Aris knows he needs a new heart but he didn't expect Nick to completely steal it instead. TROPES - single dad / nanny - grumpy / sunshine - Aris falls first, Nick falls fucking harder - forced proximity - chronic disease/illness rep - spicy scenes - dual POV

Jake T. Anderson vs. Alfredo Barbieri When primal instincts collide. Jake T. Anderson has battled monsters, navigated cutthroat council politics, and survived power plays that could level nations-but nothing prepared him for Alfredo Barbieri. A two-century-old vampire with a mouth that never quits and a body that practically begs for discipline, Alfredo is chaos incarnate. And from the moment Jake lays eyes on him, he knows one thing for certain-this chaos is his to command. The vampire pushes every limit, claws at every rule-but soon, he will learn exactly what it means to kneel for his mate. Not out of weakness, but because deep down, he craves to submit to that one person who sees the wildfire in him... and chooses to burn alongside it. Alfredo Barbieri has survived streets, syndicates, and centuries of darkness-but nothing shakes him like Jake T. Anderson. The werewolf alpha is seven feet of raw power, ruthless charm, and dominant energy that threatens to rip the ground right out from under him. He doesn't ask. He commands. And worse- Alfredo like it. The alpha sees straight through the bravado, the sarcasm, and the centuries-old armor Alfredo hides behind-and dares him to misbehave, just for the pleasure of correcting it. He should run. Should fight. But the terrifying truth is that Alfredo wants to be his. Not his pet. Not his prize. But his to tame. His to break. His to own. One vampire's chaos. One alpha's control. And one bond neither of them saw coming.

Book one of three in the Project Trilogy MUST BE READ IN ORDER EMERY GRAY: I'm the friend who likes doing cute things for my friends if I notice they aren't mentally doing well. I enjoy making uplifting cards or beaded bracelets just so they can smile. I do this for holidays, too, because I know the holidays can be hard for some. I never knew my friend group was secretly against me the entire time. After overhearing them laugh at my expense, I'm about to walk away. When I turn, I slam right into a very tall wall of muscle that sends me backward before another hand shoots out and catches my elbow before I fall. When I look up, I see them. The infamous Triple-A. Everyone hates them. They don't trust anyone. They're cruel. Those are all things I've heard but never witnessed. After they drag me away from my supposed group of friends, they offer me a safe place with them. I decline. I declined because my brother would have my head if I accepted. If Ellis found out I befriended the group he hated, I wouldn't know what to do. But a member of Triple-A has noticed me. Alaric Benson. The jokester. The class-clown. The one with the amazing hazel eyes that I start getting lost in. No, I can't befriend Triple-A, but the offer becomes harder to resist when I realize how alone I feel. I befriended them, and they started helping me find out who I am. They aren't cruel like everyone believes. Not unless they have to be. So, where did everyone get this idea? Oh, god, someone help me. I don't know how much longer I can resist Alaric Benson. Falling in love with him is a recipe for disaster! Right? If my brother finds out, I don't know what will happen, but I can't resist him anymore. Screw the damage I'll take from the fallout. It's my life, and I need to remember that.

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- lgbtlove- Jul 20, 2026🥇 #1- yearn- Feb 18, 2026🥇 #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🥈 #3- literature- Feb 14, 2026🥉 #10- lgbt- Dec 26, 2025

19-year-old Ryker had finally done it for better or worse. Broken away from his abusive father. Taking a job at Wilmoria's Café, he hoped for a quiet new beginning- somewhere he could rebuild his life, focus on trying to graduate high school, and rediscover a sense of safety. But his plan for solitude is quickly upended when he meets Mickey- Micah Jackson- a warm yet complex, rough around the edges 22-year-old baker and recent college grad who's been at the café for years... but seems to be involved in a whole lot more than just a café, judging by the track bike he rides, the money he always has on him, and the mysterious company he keeps. As Ryker learns the rhythms of his new life- the smell of vanilla treats, fresh bread, and coffee beans; the hum of the espresso machine and the soft laughter of coworkers... Mickey becomes his unexpected constant. What begins as mutual hatred between them both slowly deepens into something Ryker never thought he could have. Trust. And love. But healing isn't simple. Between confronting his past, his mistakes, and learning to open his heart to a guy with far too many layers to be just a baker, Ryker must decide whether he can truly believe in a future where he's safe and genuinely loved for who he is, all while he discovers who exactly he is. Perhaps who he wants to be. - "Broken Hearts Café" is a hilarious yet ultimately tender story about rebuilding after trauma, finding family in unexpected places- a café, a biker club- as well as the courage it takes to love again after getting it so utterly wrong the first time. [MATURE 18+] - Explicit chapters have warnings at the beginning Spin-off to It All Started With A Kiss (This book can be read as a standalone.)

Sean & Eli BL [ COMPLETED || Explicit Mature Content ]