Short Stories

A Partnership in Blood Story

Facing the Germans outside Amiens, Denis was prepared for the possibility he wouldn't survive the battle. Shot and left for dead, he didn't expect to open his eyes to a vampire offering him a chance at a different existence. Now newly turned, the hunger for blood grows insistent, but an instinct Denis doesn’t understand presses him to make the right choice for feeding, not the most expedient one. Which will Noël prove to be: a temporary succor or the companion of a lifetime?

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After an accidental brush with fame while working a high-profile serial murder case, forensic anthropologist Dr. David Holt is sent on a lecture junket to pass the time until media interest in his work dies down. More tired and grouchy than a true misanthrope, his patience is stretched to the breaking point by the end of the circuit. Then David meets Matthew Carter, who stumbles into his lecture both late and disheveled.  However, the young man’s determination to befriend his idol and his enthusiasm for the subject reminds David that sometimes life sends good things your way when you least expect them.

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When Derek surprises his partner Bram with an authentic kilt in his family’s tartan pattern as an anniversary present, the results are even better than he expected. Bram looks fantastic in the full dress outfit, and the special dinner Derek has planned becomes only the prelude to an incredible evening with his Highland lover.

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Jaramie loves good music in all its forms, and that’s the lure Tommy uses to tempt his shy roommate to the city’s hottest new dance club. Tommy just conveniently forgets to mention the club rule that everyone has to dance during their first visit, and it can’t be with whoever brought them. Jaramie’s ready to cut and run until the club’s equally hot doorman, Smoky, convinces him to take a chance and follow his lead—on and off the dance floor.

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Mickey Koshare—aka Catman—and Jayson Midlake are friends and coworkers at Denver’s Fresco! day spa. Despite the revolving door of loser boyfriends in Jayson’s life, Mickey is afraid to risk their friendship by offering something more—until actor Raney Maroney, in town for a charity event, walks into the spa for a trim. Captivated by Jayson, Raney invites him to attend the event as his date. It will take some plain talking from some unexpected sources to get Catman and Jayson to see what’s so obvious to everyone else – that they were meant for each other.

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Trying to finish his latest story before it's time to leave on vacation, David snaps at his lover Peter for interrupting his train of thought just when the words are flowing.  He feels even more guilty when he finds Peter has prepared a special dinner for him, complete with a Sweetest Day cake – and David doesn’t even consider Sweetest Day a real holiday.  But after nearly twenty years together, David knows just how to make things up to Peter….

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A companion piece to Desert Crossing

After hitching a ride with Callum across the desert, Dan is finding it more difficult than he'd imagined it would be to send the young man on his way.

When Callum’s mother asks him to visit for her birthday, she unwittingly comes to his rescue. Callum is a broken and unhappy man, emotionally abused by his lover to the point of feeling worthless, alone, and without hope. But during his trip, while passing through the Salt Lake Desert, Callum picks up a hitchhiker named Danny, who shows him that life is full of wonder and blessings. He’s on the verge of believing in himself again, but can he really make a new life for himself by jumping from the arms of one man into another’s?

A Bittersweet Dreams title: It's an unfortunate truth: love doesn't always conquer all. Regardless of its strength, sometimes fate intervenes, tragedy strikes, or forces conspire against it. These stories of romance do not offer a traditional happy ending, but the strong and enduring love will still touch your heart and maybe move you to tears.

Purchase the novella Desert Crossing from dreamspinnerpress.com and also receive this free short story companion piece.

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When the spark in his relationship fizzles, Dominic thinks he's doing the right thing by breaking it off with his lover, Brody, but he never expected his good boy to go so horribly bad. Consumed with guilt, Dom confronts Brody about his self-destructive behavior, only to find himself second-guessing his decision to leave him, and now Dom will have to sort out his feelings for Brody before fate ties his hands.

A Bittersweet Dreams title: It's an unfortunate truth: love doesn't always conquer all. Regardless of its strength, sometimes fate intervenes, tragedy strikes, or forces conspire against it. These stories of romance do not offer a traditional happy ending, but the strong and enduring love will still touch your heart and maybe move you to tears.

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Still grieving after losing his lover, Randy Mallory hopes to find comfort in achieving their dream of starting a family. It’s a tough proposition under the best of circumstances, but even more so since he’s adopting a child from a foreign country as a single gay parent. Randy is sure that little Bahdri will bring joy to his life, but he hadn’t bargained on meeting the loving and lovely Ben Ballard at the orphanage in India. Why did the first man to spark his interest in all the months since Jason’s death have to live on the opposite side of the earth?

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Mick Argall is making ends meet as a shop-window model by keeping quiet, standing in the background, and going unnoticed. He’s played that role for twenty-two years in his personal life as well, watching the world pass him by, remaining alone... until this holiday season, when a certain young man stops to take a good, close look, and makes Mick break out of his mold.

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Kyle’s mother thinks he’s crazy. He’s just moved from Florida to Anchorage, Alaska for an elementary school teaching job. In December. She may not be far off base. Spooked by a “monster” outside his new house, Kyle calls for the police, only to discover that his attacker is a moose named Mariah. More visits from the moose yield more visits from the same sexy policeman, and the two men explore ways to stay warm in the frozen North.

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A Wings of Faith short story

In a world without hope that kills what it can't understand, a solitary priest who has lost all he ever loved may be the last man to still believe in Angels. In the end, his belief may be all that can safeguard the fate of two Angel lovers—and restore his own faith in the power of love.

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A Gambling Men Story

Jace has always been good at holding his cards close to his vest, but after three months of being lovers, Quentin is getting pretty good at reading his tells. Still, Jace's foul mood at work could be a game breaker. Jace is going to have to show a card or two and Quentin will have to go for broke if they're going to make the relationship gamble pay off.

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When a new couple moves in next door, the two gay men capture Grant's fascination immediately. Mark and Tony are guys, just guys, and clearly in love. Grant finds it appealing enough that he begins to question not only his marriage of twenty years, but the direction of his entire life.

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Jake Holden and Daniel Mehmet are after the same thing: true love. After one brief, shocking encounter, the level-headed, lonely Jake must determine if the dazzling yet discouraged Daniel is for real. With a little help from friends and a lot from the cosmos, they just may find out if they’re meant to be.

A part of the Dreamspinner Press 2010 Daily Dose Set, Midsummer's Nightmare, which includes 30 M/M stories of supernatural romance that may feature an edge of suspense and heart-pounding fear; a taste of the paranormal worlds of ghosts, vampires, and werewolves; and even the stuff of nightmares and dreamscapes.

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Kentrell Lewison has moved up the career ladder from gangbanger to male hustler to grave robber. And that brings him to New Orleans, where he intends to pull off his biggest heist yet—raiding the mausoleum of multimillionaire Benoit Bonner. With his fellow thug Rashawn, he breaks into the tomb, but instead of hitting the jackpot, he unleashes a voodoo curse... and something unexpectedly, incredibly hot.

A part of the Dreamspinner Press 2010 Daily Dose Set, Midsummer's Nightmare, which includes 30 M/M stories of supernatural romance that may feature an edge of suspense and heart-pounding fear; a taste of the paranormal worlds of ghosts, vampires, and werewolves; and even the stuff of nightmares and dreamscapes.

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When Reed approaches Dale at the company Christmas party, Dale is sure it's a fluke. But Reed knows what he wants, and what he wants is to be with Dale... and to be in control. It will set the tone for their whole relationship, a romance Dale isn't sure Reed wants.

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With friends and family busy or unwelcoming, Alec and Eli make an unusual decision and accept an invitation from the Tuckers, the family of Eli's dead lover. At first it makes for an uncomfortable holiday, but both men may find questions answered and fears quieted by basking in the love and understanding of the colorful clan.

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