Michael Kage Santori has just inherited a thriving hotel and millions of dollars. He’s poised to become an MMA champion. Things couldn’t be better between him and his college boy lover, Jamie Atwood - especially in the bedroom, where Jamie is more than eager to let Kage take out his aggressions on him. Kage seems to have it all, but success and happiness have come at a steep price. After all of the childhood trauma he endured at the hands of his controlling uncle, Peter Santori, it’s a miracle Kage has any shred of sanity left. And now, because of him, Jamie is a murderer.

Lucas Barnett and Gabriel Stewart didn't have it easy as kids. They were only trying to deal with bad situations at home when they became lifelines for each other. Their pipe dream was to someday meet in LA, where Lucas would design skyscrapers, and Gabriel would learn to fly. But then Gabriel disappeared without so much as a goodbye, and Lucas got himself in trouble with the law. Five years later, both men are at a loss when they run into each other at a Hollywood bar.

Lucas Donahue is not ashamed of his criminal past, but after a brief stint in prison, he's ready to go legit and live a normal life. The problem is, no one leaves the gang without permission - even if he is one of the boss' top men. Plus, someone's placed a hit on him. And then there's that feisty little bartender who's going to cause him even more trouble. Heidi Greene knows to keep her distance from a ladies' man like Lucas - even if she can't keep her eyes off him.

Four lives. Four stories. Four sets of letters. Four brave souls in need of guidance while facing life's greatest challenges. The anonymously published Dear Life program is designed to help them step outside of their comfort zones, face their obstacles, and relinquish their demons...and prove their existence.

Home from the Marines, Noah Cortez has a secret he doesn’t want his oldest friend, Kristina Moore, to know. It kills him to push her away, especially when he’s noticing just how sexy and confident she’s become in his absence. But, angry and full of fight, he’s not the same man anymore either. Which is why Warrior Fight Club sounds so good. Kristina loves teaching, but she wants more out of life. She wants Noah - the boy she’s crushed on and waited for. But Noah is secretly spiraling, and when he lashes out, it threatens what he and Kristina have found.

Desperate to find a new mechanic, the last thing Reddington expects is a woman to show up, let alone one with a sinful body, sharp tongue, and the inability to just do her job and not give him lip. He can't deny he's hoping to catch a view of her bent over a hood, but there's not a chance in hell that's going to happen. As much as Red wants to take her for a test drive, he knows he needs to keep his priorities straight.

What do ice cream and Sadie Montgomery have in common? They're both ice cold, but one taste is never enough. I wanted to be friends - I would have even settled for her seeing me as anything but a nerd - but there was no getting through. So just like any hard-headed, red-blooded man out there, I made up my mind. I'd make my coworker fall for me.

Jonas needs Tate. He just doesn't know it yet. Or at least he doesn't want to admit it. Because there is no way Jonas Ashcroft is gay. He's a straight, carefree frat boy player, just like any good son of a conservative state senator. If only his struggle to convince everyone - especially himself - didn't leave him so miserable. No matter how many girls or bottles he drowns himself in, Jonas can neither escape nor accept who he is.

Ben Emerson has lived by his minister father's rules most of his life. Born into an ultraconservative church community, he's finally brave enough to break free and move to San Francisco. Distancing himself certainly helps create a new mind-set, but living as an openly gay man takes some getting used to. When he reaches out to Xavier, a childhood friend who lives in the city, Ben isn't sure how he'll respond given their thorny history. Ben hopes the familiar connection will help him right some wrongs as well as provide the solace he's been craving.

When I was 13, he stole my heart. When I was 18, he took my innocence. When I was 23, he said he would love me forever. When I was 28, he broke my heart. Now I'm 33... and there's a knock at the door. He's back, again. And this time he's not alone.

Dirk lives in the shadows - performing hits, maintaining order, and upholding the no-holds-barred legacy of the Sinner's Creed Motorcycle Club. A nomad with a restless spirit and a cold heart, the open road is his world. One of the few constants in his life is his desire for the one woman who has consumed his thoughts for years.

And the new heavyweight champion of the world is.... Those are the words that Zeus Kincaid has been waiting to hear since he first put on a pair of boxing gloves. He just didn’t think they would come with a tragedy that would change how he viewed the sport forever. Cameron Reed was in her second year at Juilliard when her childhood sweetheart, Zeus Kincaid, walked away from her. A few months later, Cam realized that she would never fulfill her dream of dancing for the New York City Ballet.

"Marry me." "What?" I stared back at him, unblinking. He moved closer, taking my face in his hands. "I love you, Evie. I look into the future, and the only thing I see clearly is you. Marry me." What's an 18-year-old girl who was madly in love with her 19-year-old boyfriend say? Of course, I said yes. Twenty-four hours later, I married Adam Gunner at a Vegas chapel. Then, exactly one week later, I left him. I walked out, leaving behind my wedding ring, annulment papers, and my heart, and he never knew why.

Tia Monroe was smart, sassy, and successful. Sure, she could get a little crazy at times - life around Tia was never boring - but that was part of her appeal. And while she didn't see herself as classically beautiful, she had no shortage of options in the boyfriend department. She just hadn't found one who held her interest. Until she laid eyes on Eric Larsson, and then it was lust at first sight. He packed the perfect mix of smoldering sexy and unapologetic cool into his blond-haired, blue-eyed, ridiculously hot six-foot-four frame.

For four years, Grace Sullivan wrote to a Marine she never met, and fell in love. But when his deployment ended, so did the letters. Ever since that day, Grace has been coasting, academically and emotionally. The one thing she's decided? No way is Noah Jackson - or any man - ever going to break her heart again.

Jay is always on the run - always looking for the next place to start a new life. But no matter how much he moves, he can't escape the painful memories that haunt him. As he settles into his latest job in the warehouse at a glass bottle factory, he finds himself the target of his co-workers' teasing. When he takes a stand against one of the bullies, a fight breaks out. His boss, a war vet named Reese, steps in, and Jay accidentally shoves him to the ground, revealing Reese's prosthetic leg.

My home is my sanctuary. Or is it my prison? Some days it's hard to tell. I've confined myself behind these walls for protection. I have my reasons, but that doesn't change the profound loneliness I've discovered in the process. Then one day I find myself drifting toward the window to see him. Corey Marshall, my new neighbor. Quiet, reserved, and cute as can be. He infects my thoughts, becomes the image I fantasize about. I want to taste his lips, smell his scent...feel what it's like to be inside him.

Nathaniel Montgomery can't escape the pressure to be perfect, to be smart, to be successful. To live the life chosen for him - one that doesn't include being gay. Wren Cunningham lives on the streets and does what it takes to survive. No one has ever given a damn about him, so he works with the cards he's been dealt and pushes his dreams aside. Fate steps in when Nate and Wren meet when they are 18. They have one week to live how they want and to pretend everything they hope for is within reach.

After breaking up with his cheating ex, Mark Kenmore turns to rebound sex with the campus drug dealer, Tim Halwell. He's heard the rumors about all the hearts Tim's broken, but after how he's been hurt, there's no way he'll let himself fall into that trap. Besides, if the press found out he was screwing around with a drug dealer, it would tarnish his governor mother's reputation. He expects the sex to be hot and exciting. What he doesn't expect is the most intense, mind-blowing experience he's ever had.

Trouble. That's all I am to people in this town. They're always waiting for me to mess up to prove them right. But I'm happy to keep to myself and mind my own business to survive my senior year at Wyachet High. Then, one rainy Monday morning, I meet the dirty blond in glasses. A confusing first encounter turns awkward, but it's short-lived since James Warner has a way of setting me at ease. Mr. Warner, I should say. My teacher. A fumbling nerd with a tendency to slip Milton and Shakespeare into conversation, he's a peculiar mix of charm, wit, vulnerability, and protectiveness.

10K if I sleep with this guy's brother. His twin brother, Ryan Hawthorne. I've never messed around with a guy, but for that much money, I'll figure it out. A descendant of American royalty, Ryan was born into money, status, and privilege. He spent his life in his family's cushy mansion while my family struggled to get by.

Out and proud NFL star tight end Tad Roarke has success, money, and fame. Just about everything. Except a good reputation. After being outed by the media as a promiscuous cheat, sponsors are dropping him left and right. To make matters worse, he's been targeted as the next victim of an anti-gay celebrity serial killer. The FBI works with his team to protect him, assigning agent Bryce Finnegan as his undercover bodyguard. But Tad doesn't like Bryce from the get-go. The fed thinks he's a spoiled brat. Maybe he's right.

I've never messed around with a guy before. Not that I haven't been attracted to guys. The opportunity just never came up. I stand at the front door, naked. My bro's roomie, Scott, is pissed about how much noise I made with the girl I just escorted out of their apartment, but I figured we were alone, and I couldn't help that she liked to scream out to let me know she was enjoying herself.

As a founding member of The Vers, a queer podcast I host with my three best friends, I’m "The Loner"—quieter than the others, and except for them, I don’t let myself get too close to people. Most of them just let you down anyway, or maybe it’s just that something about me chases people away.

A night on the town after a long workweek at my family's distillery should include shots and dancing - not a hot kiss with a handsome stranger. I'm straight. At least, that's what I figured until I find myself locking lips with a sexy city boy. Now, all my circuits are going haywire, and the spark that ignites between us makes me even more curious. Unfortunately, I kissed the one man who's off-limits: Cohen Mitchell - the sole surviving heir to the Mitchell Creek distillery, a rival neighbor my family has feuded with for nearly a 100 years.

The night I twice rescued presumably straight Ethan Harris, I figured that would be the last time I saw him. However, he keeps finding his way back into my life - and into my bed. Guess he wasn't as straight as I thought. Ethan's full of surprises, though, and being bi is just one of them. As cocky as he can be, he's also sharp and witty and, even when he's being his most arrogant self, he's charming as hell. He likes to win, but so do I. However, as we get to know each other, I realize there's more to us than the games we play in and out of the bedroom.

His dad was the town troublemaker, and I was the son of a cop. We couldn't have been more different, yet we were best friends, had each other's backs, and kept each other's secrets. "What you are, I am," we always said. Then one night irrevocably changed our lives forever. It's 10 years before I see Gage again, and instantly I can tell he's not the same boy I fell in love with. We're both haunted and hardened by the memory of that night - of everything we did and saw.

I’ve never been great at letting people in. Life is easier if I bury my feelings. People tend to let you down, which is only proven when my best friend, Rex, accidentally kills a man and lets me take the fall. When I get out of prison, the last thing I want is to go back to Clayton, Oregon, but it’s where my grandma lives, the only person who’s always had my back. My plan is to stay out of trouble, steer clear of my old crew, save up, and the second we can, leave town for good.

Pretty Thing - the moment Liam McKinney first uttered those words will be embedded in my mind forever. He's mysterious, intriguing...and off-limits since he's my father's friend. Easier said than done. The moment I laid eyes on the man with the dark eyes and intense stare, he awoke a primal hunger within me unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. For some time, I've been confused about my attraction toward men, but there's no confusion when I look at him - just pure, unfettered desire to feel his body against mine, taste his flesh, breathe in his scent.

Sometimes I want to punch that smirk off Atlas McCallister's pretty face. He's cocky. A troublemaker. A pain. And, unfortunately, my stepbrother. We've been fire and kerosene since our parents got together, and to keep from exploding into fistfights, we've used challenges, dares, and bets to battle out our differences. Our past bets have been a little inappropriate—scandalous, even—but Atlas's latest bet has gone too far. Do I really believe if he loses, my straight stepbrother is gonna mess around with a guy? And not just any guy: me, his rival and nemesis?