Is blood thicker than water? Graduate student Jonathan Crawford finds out after he makes a play for his Uncle Ray’s boyfriend, Case Larson.<br><br>From the moment Jonathan meets Case, he’s immediately attracted to the handsome real estate agent. And the fact that Case and Ray are seeing each other doesn’t stop Jonathan from trying to secretly hook up with his uncle’s friend.<br><br>But things quickly fall apart when Ray finds out what his nephew has been up to and confronts him.

While Caleb Thorn was a junior at the University of Michigan, he had a relationship with a wealthy and closeted auto executive named Alex Hale. When Alex contacts Caleb fourteen years later to meet, Caleb finds himself experiencing a flood of memories about Alex.<br><br>At the start of their relationship, Caleb was enamored with Alex and enjoyed having a secret relationship with a sexy older man who bought him expensive gifts, but he soon comes to realize those gifts come with a price. Alex controls every aspect of their relationship and Caleb often finds himself on the receiving end of Alex’s insults and hurtful behavior. Caleb quickly realizes having a sugar daddy can be both sweet and sour.

When forty-year-old Chicago podiatrist Matthew Pepper is approached in a bar by college student Ryan Meade, he figures hooking up with the handsome twenty-one-year-old might be just what he needs to help him get over his recent breakup.<br><br>But the hookup doesn’t go as planned and Matthew writes the evening off as a failed one-night-stand. Ryan, however, views things differently. To him, a failed hookup is nothing more than an opportunity to try again.<br><br>Ryan pursues Matthew, not just because he wants to be with the man, but because he wants something ... and he’s determined to get it. Will Matthew find out Ryan isn’t as transparent as he claims to be? Does Lyin’ Ryan live up to his nickname?

When Tim Whittaker’s best friend Jake Thorn announces he’s getting married to his girlfriend Jenna Riley, Tim tells him he’s making a mistake. Tim, who’s been in love with Jake for years, wants his best friend to be with him instead. While Tim and Jake deal with their issues, Jake’s older brother Caleb is dealing with issues of his own as he enters into a secret relationship with Jenna’s newly-divorced father David, who wants to keep his homosexuality hidden from his daughter. Thorns in My Side explores the secrets, lies, and love between brothers who grapple with friends, lovers, and each other while trying to keep their lives, and the lives of those around them, from spinning out of control.

"Chicago ophthalmologist Patrick Holt wants to move to the suburbs, but his partner, marketing manager Clayton Teal, doesn’t. The two men, who share a condo together in the city, are having a hard time coming to an agreement about their future living arrangements. An argument ensues and Clay storms out of their home and heads to the gym to burn off steam. While he’s running on the treadmill, he listens to a playlist Patrick recently made for him. The playlist contains nine songs and each one reminds Clay of times, both happy and sad, that he and Patrick shared over the years. Is this all that’s left of their relationships? Or can they work things out?"

"Jason Townsend has issues with the older men in his life. His current boyfriend Jared is also his boss and, while the two get along wonderfully in the bedroom, their relationship at the office is tense and uncomfortable. Jason’s relationship with his father is also strained -- they grew apart when Jason came out shortly after his parents divorced. The only person Jason has ever been able to rely on is his mother. So when she announces she’s met Mr. Right, Jason is skeptical. When he meets her new boyfriend, handsome professor Paul Everett, he quickly realizes he and Paul have more in common than their connection to his mother. The two men had slept together the previous summer. Paul refuses to break things off with Jill, claiming he enjoys being with women and telling Jason their hook-up was a one-time thing that didn’t mean much to him. Unwilling to tell his mother about his past with Paul, Jason stews in silence as he watches his mother and Paul grow closer. At the same time, he finds himself becoming more and more attracted to Paul. When he can’t stand it any longer, Jason makes a pass at his mother’s boyfriend and is surprised his affections aren’t spurned. Even though Jason finds himself falling in love with Paul, he knows he’s betraying his mother and he hates himself for it. She’s always been his staunchest ally, and sleeping with her boyfriend abuses the trust between them. Can Jason love a man who’s also deceiving his mother? When he’s forced to choose between Paul and his mother, the decision isn’t as easy as it seems."

"English professor Brian Daly is finally able to live openly with the love of his life, local weatherman Jay Tanner. Jay has ended his sham marriage and come out of the closet, and he and Brian now share a condo in the city. But there’s trouble in paradise. Brian’s best friend Olivia can’t seem to get along with Jay. The two bicker whenever they’re together. In addition to trying to broker peace between his friends, Brian is busy fending off Sean, an infatuated student who wants Brian to be his first lover. When Brian spurns his advances, he threatens to accuse the professor of sexual harassment if the two don’t sleep together. Just when things seem like they can’t get any worse, Brian discovers Jay has been cheating on him with a woman. And not just any woman -- Olivia, who is now pregnant with Jay’s child. Brian’s world crumbles as his relationship with Jay falls apart and his friendship with Olivia is destroyed. While he works to try and put his life back together, Brian is relentlessly pursued by Sean. But this time Brian doesn’t turn him away, and the two begin a relationship that helps Brian get over some of the heartache he’s suffered. After a while, Brian also reunites with Olivia, and becomes a kind of surrogate father to her newborn daughter. The baby helps him hold onto Jay in some small way. Even though he and Jay are no longer a couple, Brian still longs for his former partner. But when Jay reappears in Brian’s life, Brian discovers he isn’t quite ready to forgive and forget. While he still loves Jay, will he ever be able to trust the man again?"

"After being kicked out of the Chicago condo where he and his boyfriend have lived together for over three years, Scott Parsons is forced to move back to the suburbs with his widowed mother because he's too broke to pay for a place of his own. Angry and humiliated over being dumped and kicked out, Scott tries to make the best of a bad situation by vowing to save enough money from his low-paying job so he can leave his mother's house and get a place of his own. His mother welcomes Scott back with open arms, but reveals she was secretly married her boyfriend during a trip to Las Vegas a month prior. Scott is surprised by his mother's news and even more surprised when he meets his handsome new stepbrother, Alex. Alex, a Stanford grad, has been living and working in LA, but returns to Chicago to pursue an MBA at the University of Chicago while working for a high-powered accounting firm. Scott and Alex initially butt heads, but soon discover there's more to like than dislike about each other. The first time Alex makes a pass at Scott, he ignores it. But when Alex makes a second attempt, Scott decides to take his stepbrother up on his offer and the two start a relationship. Even though Scott knows getting intimately involved with Alex is a bad idea, he also knows that sometimes a bad idea is just too good to ignore."

"When forty-year-old Chicago podiatrist Matthew Pepper is approached in a bar by college student Ryan Meade, he figures hooking up with the handsome twenty-one-year-old might be just what he needs to help him get over his recent breakup. But the hookup doesn’t go as planned and Matthew writes the evening off as a failed one-night-stand. Ryan, however, views things differently. To him, a failed hookup is nothing more than an opportunity to try again. Ryan pursues Matthew, not just because he wants to be with the man, but because he wants something ... and he’s determined to get it. Will Matthew find out Ryan isn’t as transparent as he claims to be? Does Lyin’ Ryan live up to his nickname?"

"When Patrick Holt’s ex-boyfriend Clay Teal asks him to serve as the best man in his wedding to the man he left Patrick for, Patrick initially balks at the request. Even though he and Clay have been on fairly good terms since their breakup, Patrick is still bitter about the way Clay dumped him. But after Patrick’s new boyfriend convinces him that being a part of Clay’s wedding would help to resolve the years of “issues” between the two men, Patrick reluctantly agrees. In the weeks leading up to the big day, Patrick discovers he’s having a very hard time dealing with Clay’s upcoming nuptials. He also finds himself thinking more about his failed relationship with Clay and the events that led to their breakup. And, at the center of it all, was one lovely blue velvet jacket. Will the same problems follow him into his new relationship?"

"After serving as the best man at his father Tim’s wedding to his long-time partner, Craig Pearson, twenty-year-old college student Nick Wattley is visiting San Diego to celebrate the couple’s first wedding anniversary. But the mood in the Wattley-Pearson household is anything but festive due to a disagreement between the couple over a seemingly innocent anniversary gift. Can Nick help his father and stepfather get their relationship back on track? Note: This short story was originally published in the charity collection, Love Is Proud."

"Patrick Holt is lonely. A bad breakup with his boyfriend has left the forty-year-old ophthalmologist reluctant to get involved with another man. When his neighbor sets him up with her brother-in-law Eric, Patrick prepares himself for disappointment. But Patrick quickly finds himself surprised and charmed by Eric, and Eric, who’s had relationship problems of his own in the past, falls hard and fast for Patrick. On the outside, Eric seems like a great guy: young and attractive with a promising job as an assistant manager at a Chicago hotel. But Eric has a dark side he and his family are hiding from Patrick. When the truth is finally revealed and Eric’s secrets are exposed, will Patrick be willing to go the distance with Eric? Or will he run as fast as he can from the new man in his life?"

"After being robbed by a black assailant, white Chicago dentist Mark Cross is hesitant to go out at night, let alone get involved in an interracial relationship, but that’s exactly what happens after he meets Darren Nichols, a black high school teacher and basketball coach. When Mark and Darren are introduced at a party, their attraction to each other is immediate and intense, and they soon begin dating. As their relationship progresses, Mark realizes he loves Darren. But he’s hesitant to ask Darren to move in with him because Darren’s last relationship ended poorly and Darren is scared to get involved with another man so quickly after that experience. Mark also worries he doesn’t live up to Darren’s expectations and fears Darren ultimately longs for a man who isn’t white. And Mark is still haunted by the man who mugged him and harbors fears about black men in general. Despite his worries and insecurities, Mark asks Darren to move in with him and Darren agrees. Though they both bring baggage to their bond, Mark and Darren work hard to build a life together. But when Darren invites over some of the guys he plays basketball with, Mark suspects one of the players, Terrance, is the same man who assaulted him. Mark shares his suspicions with Darren, but Darren isn’t convinced his friend could do something so terrible. Mark is determined to uncover the truth, but will he jeopardize his relationship with Darren in the process?"

"Nineteen-year-old Nick Wattley is serving as the best man in his father Tim’s wedding to his partner, Craig Pearson. After being closeted for years, Tim is finally out and proud and Nick is happy for his dad. But a weekend that’s supposed to be filled with pre-wedding preparations turns into a nightmare for Nick as he’s forced to deal with one uncomfortable situation after another. A day after witnessing a terrible argument between Tim and Craig, Nick mistakenly walks in on his father and his partner while they’re in flagrante delicto . Just when he thinks things can’t get any worse, Nick has to deal with Tim’s anxiety over walking down the aisle again and fend off an old friend of Craig’s who tries to make trouble. Can Nick keep his cool long enough to get his dad to the altar?"

"When Chicago ophthalmologist Patrick Holt meets transplanted southerner Clayton Teal at a dinner party, the attraction between them is immediate and mutual. Two men bond over Patrick’s love of food and Clay’s love of cooking. But Patrick and Clay soon realize tasty dinners and delicious desserts sometimes aren’t enough to make a relationship work. Can Clay and Patrick keep their romance from falling flat?"