Showing results by publisher "Riley Hart" in All Categories

At 43, Holden Barnett is getting along just fine. His job as a pilot keeps him from getting restless, and he’s got a man who doesn’t want promises for the future. One phone call from his estranged sister changes everything. She needs his help, so Holden drops everything and heads to Harmony, a small town in Briar County, which represents everything he’s tried to avoid in life.

I’ve never understood the need to be submissive, or dominant, for that matter. Trust doesn’t come easily for me. But there was that one time I watched my best friend with his Sir, and it roused something in me I don’t want to admit. Just like I can’t acknowledge out loud how alone I feel. Then my friend, Jordan, decides to play with David, a dominant we both know, and I think I’m jealous. They intrigue me separately, but Jordan and David together makes my interest even more explosive. Maybe, I want to let go, to let someone else to take the reins, so I can just be.

Jasper’s been my best friend my whole life. From losing my family when I was young, to living together and running our business, it’s always been me and Jasp. I feel more for him than I should, but confessing the truth would be the first step to losing him. Our lives are so entwined, it’s hard to tell where one of us ends and the other begins. It’s killing me more each day to be this close to him and not be able to call him mine, so when it hurts too much, the only choice is to walk away.

To listeners of The Vers, a queer podcast I host with my three best friends, I’m known as The Realist—I accept life the way it is, believe in honesty over sugarcoating, and okay, I can maybe be a little bossy. If you asked The Vers guys, they’d tell you I’m a caretaker who’s always thinking of others, but they also give over-the-top hugs and don’t believe me when I say feelings are the worst.

When I left home, I swore I'd never hide anything about myself again. From college, to law school, to the United States Senate representing California, I've done it all as an out gay man. So, when I'm in DC and see a beautiful guy at the hotel bar, I don't hesitate to proposition him...right before he runs out on me, leaving his sunglasses behind like my very own Cinderfella.

Listen to Book Four in The Vers Podcast series now.

Milo. Unusual. Quirky. Different. I’ve heard it all. I’ve accepted I’m not for everyone. When I find out I inherited a bookstore and apartment on a small East Coast island, I jump at the chance for a new life. Turns out I’ve also inherited a sexy, tattooed guy who not only rents the space next to my store but my apartment too. Gideon. I wasn’t looking for a roommate, but it’s not like I can stay at Milo’s place while he’s banished to a hotel. According to Milo, we’re bestie goals. And if he doesn’t wear pants at home, who am I to complain?

Nothing in my life is really mine. I take care of my mama, work three jobs, I’m there when anyone needs me. Something about the beautiful, lonely man on my mail route interests me. He’s different in my world, where everything’s the same. I think he hates me, but that doesn’t stop me from hand-delivering every package and trying to find ways to make him smile. Then Emerson makes me an offer: He’ll pay me to spend the weekends with him, losing ourselves in each other’s bodies, no feelings or pasts involved.

Grady Dalton is in a rut. He’s 38, without a boyfriend, and has yet to find the place that feels like home. The closest he ever got was his best friend, Nathan. But it’s been seven years since he passed, and life isn’t getting easier. That’s how he ends up in Briar County, hoping to grow roots in the place Nathan had loved. Deacon Sharpe spends his days serving homemade ice cream and his nights alone, pretending he’s getting by after his wife’s death better than he is. His world is rocked when a man shows up who claims to have been his brother-in-law’s best friend.

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.

When it comes to The Vers, the queer podcast I host with my best friends, I’m The Romantic. The one who’s looking for love in all the wrong places. If there’s a jerk close by, I’ll find him. I’m beginning to think my Mr. Right doesn’t exist.

Elijah: Out of all the apartments in Atlanta, I ended up with the worst neighbor. Shaw Hastings is a headache. He's so full of himself it makes me crazy. Our official language is snarky banter - which I don't enjoy, I swear. I've got eyes for my bestie Danny, anyway. I need to figure out if he feels the same, so I email an advice column written by a serial dater, who's just as annoying as Shaw. Now, I'm asking myself why am I thinking less about Danny and having a blast virtually flirting with Anonymous?

Seeing my best friend West happy with his fiancé opened my eyes to things I’ve been missing in my own marriage. My divorce, which was amicable, followed. Strangely, at West’s wedding, I find myself confiding in Darren, the straight, confirmed bachelor and star quarterback of the Atlanta Lightning.

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.

Jameson: Being a 22-year-old virgin was not on my list of life goals. I don't know how it happened. Well...I never date, dedicate all my time to college, and I'm awkward with a capital A around hot guys - okay, so I know exactly how it happened. When my best friends come up with a plan to make the most of this summer before grad school, I'm all for it. That's how I end up at a charity bachelor auction, bidding on a date I hope will help me toss this V-card out the window. What could possibly go wrong?

Dylan Sutton doesn't go looking for trouble, but it always seems to find him. After the devastating loss of his father, he travels across the country to deliver a letter to his dad's estranged best friend. But surely, he deserves a night of relaxation when he first gets to town, right? He sets his sights on the attractive older guy at the bar - except his almost-one-night-stand turns out to be the very man he's in town to see. Oops.

I’m not a guy who’s looking for a serious relationship. I love the chase, and the one time I thought I wanted more, the guy bailed. When my buddy Will mentions his recently out, older brother is looking for a place to stay, I offer the spare room in my apartment. It’s clear Jonathan’s past did a number on him, and he’s locked up tight. I make it my mission to show him how to have a little fun. What I don’t expect is to start to like him...or get jealous when he goes on a date...and hooking up with him is a terrible idea...right?